Customer Reviews

The Best Of Rick Springfield

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Let me tell you something about Rick Springfield: His music sounds much better than I remember it. Back in 1983, I agreed to go with my sister to see Rick in concert at the Blossom Music Center in Richfield, Ohio. And there may have been other members of the male species attending, too. But not many. That was definitely a woman's night out.

But years later, as I listen to this collection, I am amazed at how well crafted Rick's pop rock really was. The songs are definitely aimed at the teenage market: "Jessie's Girl," "I've Done Everything for You," and "What Kind of Fool am I" deal with teenage love and heartbreak with emotional clarity and classic pop tunefulness. After I played this CD once, I was singing "Jessie's Girl," "Don't Talk to Strangers," and "What Kind of Fool am I" for weeks. Especially the latter song.

If you liked the catchier music of the early 1980's, then you couldn't go wrong picking this CD up.

In an era of sampling and remakes, it is refreshing to hear this collection of Rick Springfield hits. This CD brings back memories of why pop music of the 80s was and still is fun. Springfield wrote or co-wrote almost all the songs on this collection. "Human Touch," "Love Somebody," "Affair of the Heart," and the timeless "Jessie's Girl" remind us of the 70s and 80s when truly talented musicians cared about lyrics as well as melody. Springfield and Springsteen we need more like you!

If you are looking for the best of Rick Springfield, search no further. With the exception of the 1978 song, Bruce, everything popular from Rick Springfield is included on this disc. If you want individual cds, start with Working Class Dog or Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet--you can't go wrong with either. If you want Rick's early material prior to 1981, you might try finding the Australian import that has all of his early work AND his post-1981 work (except Karma). THAT's a greatest hits! To be honest, most of Rick's cds are middle of the road. I have Tao, Rock of Life and Karma, and none of them match Working Class Dog, Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet or Living in Oz. Stay away from the Hard to Hold soundtrack. So, his greatest hits is the perfect disc to have for those who aren't staunch Springfield fans.

Four things prompted me to get this collection. One, the fact that I'm an 80's music guy. Two, its inclusion in the 13 Going On 30 soundtrack, three, I remember a girl I knew in high school, Stacey Perkins, telling me she was really into Rick Springfield, and four, the release of his latest album, Shock Denial Acceptance Anger. Even though Rick Springfield became lumped in the 1980's hard-rock/pop genre like Canadians Loverboy, he was already a big star in his homeland Australia during the 1970's until his work in General Hospital put his music career on hold. However, with the 80's, he was reinvented and went full throttle with a sound best described as jamming and grinding hard rock with some keyboard meshed within. With his heartthrob looks, he was clearly marketed towards the teen girls back then.

From Working Class Dog, came his best known song, so quintessentially 80s in sound, and so full of yearning with that couplet "I wish that I had Jessie's Girl/Where can I find a woman like that?" The guitars and the synth solos inbetween verses brings things back.

Also from that album is the hard-driving rock/post-punk of the Sammy Hagar-penned "I've Done Everything For You" which has the accusatory "you've done nothing for me" aimed at some girl who's all money and jiving. "Love Is Alright Tonight" which mentions the album's title, has a similar sound.

From Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet, comes the Top Ten "Don't Talk To Strangers" whose mid-paced, reflective melodies, and electric piano reminds me of Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby." Notable line: "Love hurts when only one's in love." That is followed by the ballad "What Kind of Fool Am I" which starts with a lilting synth akin to a Lionel Richie or Whitney Houston ballad before going uptempo in the chorus. The opening guitar and power riffs of "I Get Excited" make it kind of like "Jessie's Girl" meets "Somebody's Baby" in the chorus. Recycled but still listenable.

Living in Oz showed no signs of changing the formula, although "Affair of the Heart" showed a hardened Loverboy/Foreigner/Journey-style in the guitars. In the seven minute "Human Touch" with its bouncy Cars-like sound interspersed in the usual Springfield formula, the singer mentions everyone talking to computers and dancing to drum machines, to which he proclaims "We all need a human touch." "Souls" veers towards a Journey sound.

Springfield's second wind came with his 1984 movie Hard To Hold, which was overshadowed by that other movie featuring a rock star-Purple Rain. It yielded single after single, including the catchy "Love Somebody" whose guitar and rhythm showed a more streamlined sound akin to "What Kind of Fool Am I" meets "Somebody's Baby." "Bop Til You Drop" featured a more funky beat while his ballad duet with Randy Crawford "Taxi Dancing" is merely decent.

His sound changed drastically with "Celebrate Youth" from Tao and "Rock of Life" the title track from his 1988 album, and by then, he was no longer the chart draw he was in the early 80's. Even though his peak era was from 1981 to 1984, he did provide part of that essentially 80's sound I look nostalgically back on.

I'm sure when most people think of Rick Springfield they think one-hit-wonder. "Jessie's Girl" was indeed one of the best songs of the 80's. Even I wasn't expecting to know much when I got this, yet track after track I kept saying, "I know this song", and usually knew it well. My personal favorites here would have to be "Love Somebody", "I've Done Everything For You", "Don't Talk To Strangers", and the great "Affair Of The Heart". Many others are as good, and the only song here I don't like much is "Celebrate Youth". There's just no hook on that one. Maybe it was just the era, but Rick had the ability to sound new wave on one song, pop on another, and just rock on many. After a listen to this collection, I think it's easy to see he was at least a ten-hit-wonder.

Rick Springfield is still looking for respect. Still thought of as a teen idol, although he had his biggest hit at the age of 31, most critic's are reluctant to give him his due. This CD adds 4 tracks to the Greatest Hits CD, and it holds up just fine. So, the heck with critic's. Just enjoy the hooks and sing-a-long.

This compilation's long-awaited release could not have been timelier, as the fertile soil that Rick Springfield's prolific and visionary songwriting tilled almost three decades ago has given birth to the most vanguard acts today. Springfield's extensive influence is palpably overt in bands such as Broken Social Scene, Fischerspooner, and The Rapture, all who will undoubtedly make critical tastemakers' year-end lists. Some could argue that this package's release is only to cash in on having his name dropped in high-profile interviews in Magnet, but for faithful fans, it's a long overdue endowment. The sixteen tracks here run the full gamut of Springfield's career - every anthem, burner, and couple-skate you heard on Z-92 ("The Rock!") or over the loudspeaker at Putt Putt Mini Golf is here in all its Trans Am-blaring, soundtrack-ready glory. The compilation's digital transfer, credited to Mike Hartry, is dynamic and astounding: it's all here, everything from the blistering cascading guitar solos in "I've Done Everything For You" to the stadium-level amounts of reverb in the drum breakdown in the chorus of "Love Somebody". There are a few clunkers from his late-career overtly commercial gambits, such as "Don't Walk Away", which includes a cliche' wailing sax solo straight from the hospital scene in any cop buddy movie. But from the proto-emo anthem that spawned a thousand bands in "Love Is Alright Tonight" to the beginnings of the burgeoning electroclash movement in "Human Touch", Springfield once again defines himself as the father of today's fertile independent rock underground. Get this before those dorks at Pitchfork act like they discovered this masterpiece and you're an inept fool for not having heard it first.

This is the most complete chroncle of Rick Springfield's creative output from the 1980's. It compiles 16 tracks from 6 albums and contains five top ten hits. It is a mix of well crafted pop ballads and rock and roll tunes that propelled the singer to international superstardom.

Rick became a teen idol of sorts in 1981 when he exploded onto the top music scene with his platinum album "Working Class Dog" and his signature hit, the #1 classic "Jessie's Girl," which earned him a grammy award for best hard rock performance male in 1981. Despite the accolades and the chart successes, Rick was pigeonholed as a teeny-bopper hit maker and heartthrob. In his career, he became a slave to style and fashion over substance and in the interim, his talent was unfortunately overlooked.

In actuality, placing his good looks and successful acting career aside, Rick was a fine pop singer and songwriter who wrote some of the most catchy pop tunes of the decade. His homeland of Australia awarded him with one of their many coveted awards as top guitar player in the early 80's. Rick was more than a MTV ready pinup. He was a consummate musician who knew how to rock!

I saw Sammy Hagar interviewed recently who alluded to Rick's fine craftmanship with his guitarwork on the top 10, "I've Done Everything For You." Hagar wrote and performed the track previously and admitted that Rick's version was the better of the two! His guitar work and soaring vocals on "Love Is Alright Tonite" serves as another radio friendly pop ditty that graced the top twenty from his breakout album.

Rick emerged in 1982 with "Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet" collection which boasted another success in top 10 "Don't Talk To Strangers." The album also contained the hits "What Kind Of Fool Am I" and "I Get Excited."

The album "Living In Oz" was his follow-up. It included the lead off hit single, "Affair Of The Heart." Also included is one of my favorite tracks on this album, "Human Touch" in a rare and extended version that rocks! The track extends to an energetic seven minutes long. I always enjoyed his video clip on MTV which had a "Star Wars"/futuristic theme and feel to it. The emotional track, "Souls" also was released from the hit album.

Rick, who was a soap opera star in the early 1980's on the hit show "General Hospital," next decided to rework his acting chops in his next project. His first (and last) full length starring film, "Hard To Hold" found Rick playing a rock and roll star (a stretch indeed) attempting to win the affections of a cold hearted community socialite who was disinterested in a relationship, nevertheless with a rock star! The movie was an instant flop, but boasted a popular soundtrack.

Four tracks from the soundtrack are represented on this excellent collection. "Love Somebody" was the predictable, energetic charttopper. It also contains "Don't Walk Away," and the computerized "Bop Til You Drop." "Taxi Dancing" is a stunning duet with soul singer Randy Crawford. Although it eluded the general public, The song is a noteworthy addition that graces the collection.

In 1985, Rick followed up with the introspective and evolved set "Tao." "Celebrate Youth" is an energetic, yet disoriented rocker. This is one of my least favorite tracks on this album. For some reason, it seems incomplete and unfinished. Nevertheless, it managed to make the top 40 at the time. "State Of The Heart" is Rick pondering the meaning of life. This is a wonderful song that unfortunately did not do as well as some of his signature hits. At this point, Rick's career as a pop star was in jeopardy.

He disappeared for several years from the limelight as he focused more intensely on his family taking time to reflect on and take inventory in his life. He emerged victorous with the title track to his 1988 critically acclaimed "Rock Of Life," which briefly had him return to the charts. This is a fitting end to a wonderful collection of hits.

There are few omissions on this collection. Before Rick's 1980's successes, he released a number of overlooked 1970's albums. His first song "Speak To The Sky" released in 1974 would have been a stunning addtion to the set. Also missing is the track "Bruce," that briefly was re-released in the early 1980's after his breakthrough, to capitalize on his successes.

This album is by far is the best collection of hits and significant album tracks that defined Rick's chart output from 1981-1988. If you are a fan of catchy pop melody with a edge, then this collection is for you.

Still great after all these years - maybe even better than in his heartthrob pop days. If you were a fan - this is a must - if not, you'll become one when you get it. I keep listening to it over and over - great, spirited, energizing and cheery. Thanks Rick Springfield for the human touch!

This collection gives a great sampling of songs from all his albums (excluding "Karma"). Although I wish the song "Christina" had been included, I personally would recommend this cd to anyone. My kids even love listening to it!