Customer Reviews

Track Record: The Guess Who Collection

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The Guess Who were essentially a singles band. As such this two-disc set is a perfect compromise between the skimpy 11-track Best of the Guess Who and the over-generous 57-track The Guess Who: The Ultimate Collection. [However, all three of these omit the Guess Who's first two Canadian No. 1s: "Shakin' All Over" and "Tossin' and Turnin'." "Shakin' All Over" even charted in the U.S. at No. 22, but these were both pre-RCA singles when Chad Allan was still in the band.]

Beginning in 1969, with Burton Cummings (vocals) and Randy Bachman (lead guitar) writing most of the material, the Guess Who had a string of memorable singles over the next three years, including 3 million-sellers: "These Eyes," "Laughing" and "American Woman."

It would have been nice to get a few album tracks from the stronger early albums. Wheatfield Soul is represented by only the single "These Eyes." Arguable their best album, Canned Wheat, features only the three singles extracted from the album: "Laughing," "Undone" and "No Time." Fortunately Share the Land, in addition to the hits, is also represented by the equally strong "Bus Rider," "Do You Miss Me Darlin'" and "Hang on to Your Life." Share the Land was also the first Guess Who album after the departure of founding member Randy Bachman (who would go on to form Brave Belt and eventually Bachman-Turner Overdrive).

Following Share the Land, the band went into a creative tailspin from which they never fully recovered. The constant shifting in the band's lineup during this period didn't help either. They would have only one more top ten song, the novelty "Clap for the Wolfman" and a handful of lesser singles. By 1975 Cummings dissolved the band to pursue a solo career.

Disc 1 contains by far the band's strongest material, but disc-2 contains some equally fine songs ("Star Baby," "Dancin' Fool," "Guns, Guns, Guns") and provides the necessary material representing the band's final years. An excellent overview of an underrated band. RECOMMENDED

This is a band I pretty much grew up with starting in my highschool years. They had their biggest hit "AMERICAN WOMAN", an overplayed song at the time, but their only number 1 hit. And "NO TIME", which I liked even better, that reached number 5. I still enjoy listening to these songs from early on in their career, but it's their later stuff that I like even more. Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings made for a very forminable songwriting team. But with their immense talents, they were always buttin' heads over the direction the band should take. Bachman finally got fed up and quit the band in 1970 to form Bachman Turner Overdrive. I thought after Bachman left, that the band was pretty much washed up. As it turned out, they were only getting started. Cummings and company proceeded to put out a string of early 70's hits with the songs "SHARE THE LAND", "HAND ME DOWN WORLD", and "BUS RIDER". All from their overall best album "Share The Land". They also had a hit that came along a few years later with "CLAP FOR THE WOLFMAN". I think the music the Guess Who did the last year or two before their breakup is underrated. Their later album from 1972 "Artificial Paradise" was a very nice record that included the songs here: "FOLLOW YOUR DAUGHTER HOME", a very cool flute driven song. The country flavored "ORLY" and "THOSE SHOW BIZ SHOES", which featured some nice singing and great piano work by Cummings. This was a very different Guess Who record that got a lot of 8-track play at the time. Also included here is the catchy b-side song "LIFE IN THE BLOODSTREAM", which has a distinct 50's flavor to it. They also have an unreleased song "SONA SONA", which has a nice west coast rock feel. Another outstanding cut here is "ALBERT FLASHER", which used to be my favorite song to shoot pool to. It's also a great song to try to sing to, if you can. It's a fast one. "Track Record" is a very satisfying best of collection. If your a rabid Guess Who fan, you might want to splurge for their 56 song Ultimate Collection. But be prepared to pay out the o-ring for that one. For my money, you get everything you need to know about the Guess Who right here.

I am going to go out on a limb here and propose that Burton Cummings may have been one of the best vocalists in rock n roll history, and probably one of the most overlooked. In all honestly The Guess Who were a bit before my time. By the time I was discovering music as a teenager the Guess Who's glory years were far behind them. By the time the band called it a day in 1975 Randy Bachman was long gone, and although they could still get the occasional single to break the top 40, they were burned out and burned up. As a kid I had, of course, heard various Guess Who songs on the radio, but never really gave them a lot of thought. All that changed in the late-80s when I happened to catch a Burton Cummings solo performance on Public Television's "Soundstage" program. I sat there mesmerized through the whole thing. Cummings was nothing short of incredible. His vocals and stage presence were riveting and much of the material he was performing was from his days in The Guess Who. This was really great stuff and I set out to find some Guess Who on CD. I decided on this 2 CD set that looked like it covered the most ground of the band's many compilations. Although I had never been into them before, I found that I knew about 70% of the songs on the two disc set already. Some had been huge hits, and some much lesser ones, but I had pretty much remembered them all if I had heard them even once. The Guess Who have a number of compilation albums out, and this one falls somewhere between the single disc ones and the 4 disc box set "Ultimate Collection". "Track Record" contains 31 cuts, including all of the bands big and lesser known hits, albums cuts, and a few live cuts. After Randy Bachman left in 1970 the band featured a revolving cast of guitarists. The change in sound can be heard here on the latter day material became a bit heavier and somewhat more varied. There is really not a bad song on the collection. I always liked the way that some of the band's singles were a bit on the different side. "Albert Flasher", "Rain Dance", "Glamour Boy" were all hits, but were not your typical top 40 radio fodder. Every time I pull this compilation out I think that I need to delve deeper into The Guess Who's proper albums. Hopefully I will do this one of these days, but for now this compilation remains a very nice addition to my collection.

If you remember these guys from their heyday...and also remember the GREATEST HITS VOLUME 1 and 2....then you will really appreciate this 2 CD set...it has everything contained on those 2 discs and much more...and it is remastered...The sound quality is pure and clean...not over compressed..like so many "remaster" jobs are.

I am shocked to see this going for as little as $4.99..I went and bought the complete catalogue of their material from the epic period of 1968-75..but this set is all the best material....I would also suggest grabbing the LIVE AT THE PARAMOUNT....there is a 3cd set out there...and it has everything here...plus a few other rare treats....Unless you are a completist...there's no reason to go beyond this cd and maybe the Paramount cd..

Being a Canadian I've always thought that The Guess Who's place in R&R history is underestimated by many Canadians. Canadians looked at them in the same,"we're Canadian and not as good as" attitude that Canadians often possess unless its hockey,this package shows how incredibly talented the group really was.From its RCA beginnings with the Wheatfield Soul album through their final recordings on Power in the Music,the bands excellent harmony shines through with the vibrants of Burton Cummings vocals. Sadly though pre RCA recordings have not been included such as their version of Neil Youngs,"Flying on the ground is wrong","This time long ago",and Randy Bachman's edgy "Clock on the wall". These songs show that before Jack Richardson & RCA,the group was too much talent to keep hidden in the prairies. Track record is The Guess Who at its best,showing great range & style and producing some of the best music of our time. To really appreciate their place in music history,especially in Canada is that they blazed the trail for other Canadian artists that followed. They topped the charts when many Canadians thought it could never happen by a Canadian. Every Canadian that has hit the charts since These Eyes in 1968 owes a big debt to four lads from Winnipeg who"shook the world" as no other Canadians ever had(has)! Track Record shows why they were one of the top groups of the late 60's to mid 70's,including being the top selling group in the world in 1970. A must for anyone who appreciates good music.

This the ultimate Guess Who collection on 2 CD's!!! From These Eyes to Power In The Music and everything else in between!!! All The hits are here!!! You'll be Laughing in No Time, even if you have No Sugar Tonight when you listen to these classics!!! A truly great package with great remastered sound,this set delivers!!!

This CD never ceases to amaze me. Every time I listen to it, I find a new favorite. The only bad thing I have noticed is that the song "A Wednesday in your Garden" wasn't remastered at all, (at least it sure doesn't sound like it) therefore the tape hiss in the background is almost unbearable. I bought this CD after picking a used copy of "These Eyes," an eight song CD with AOL software included. After listening to that, I immediately wanted to expand my Guess Who collection, and this CD does a great job of that! Besides, for the price Amazon.com is charging, it's worth every penny!

This is a fine collection. Superior to the earlier Best of the Guess Who and Greatest of the Guess Who. If you want to go back to vinyl, this collection goes somewhat beyond what you would have if you combined the Best of the Guess Who and the Best of the Guess Who Vol. 2, which were great albums.
It's difficult to understand why RCA/BMG has chosen NOT to remaster and reissue the individual Guess Who albums. Those albums contain a number of classic songs which aren't included here or on the expanded 3 disk collection. The Guess Who was one of the most prolific bands of its time and deserves better. Give us more!

A brief retrospective collection of every single hit songs by Winnipeg's The Guess Who and with lead vocals Burton Cummings have some historical facts about the canadian rock'n roll bands legacy but not enough tells all of it about them. But I know all these songs because I have all of them on my Ultimate Collection CD by The Guess Who. Except for three songs like "A Wednesday In Your Garden", "Sona Sona" and "Power In The Music" in which are good tunes included here!

This is an awesome collection of work. The cd is a melodic history of The Guess Who in all of it's many incarnations and gives the listener insight into the consistency of musicianship through all of the talent that contributed to a truly great band.