Customer Reviews

Very Best of: The Columbia Years 1965-1972

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After several years of failed attempts, Billy Joe Royal's unique sound coupled with the songwriting talents of Joe South blasted into the top ten with his signature song, "Down In The Boondocks". While that tune remained his biggest hit, he had several other respectably selling tunes including the follow up to "Down....", the plaintive and underappreciated "I Knew You When". Royal continued to have minor chart success through the later 60's until after parting ways with South, he hit big again in '69 with the quirky "Cherry Hill Park". Staying power eluded him though and it wasn't until 1978 that his revival of the Drifters' "Under The Boardwalk" put him back on the charts, if only briefly, partly due to the fact that his new label folded shortly after "Boardwalk...." started gaining sales momentum. Several more label changes later, Royal finally found a new home in the country music arena and had chart success there but was never again to be seen on the pop charts.

This new greatest hits collection from Taragon Records gathers up all his Columbia hits and does it far better than any of the often sonically mediocre compilations that have heretofore appeared. Filling out the generous 23 track count are bubbling under and failed singles along with a few album cuts. The ten-page flopover liner notes booklet provides a musical history, pics and track details to finish up the piece. While including Royal's single non-Columbia hit "Under The Boardwalk" would have made this a more comprehensive collection, for its purpose of anthologizing his Columbia years, it is done in fine style. For anyone seeking Royal's signature pop sides, forget all the rest as this is the best-quality choice, bar none.

This is a tremendous collection of Billy Joe Royal's hits & misses for recorded for Columbia Records in the 60's through the early 70's. The Taragon label does a thorough & well researched job in compiling the best quality master recordings, and the sound , song selection & liner notes are all very well done. There is no better CD of his hits from the TRULY CLASSIC " DOWN IN THE BOONDOCKS " through " CHERRY HILL PARK ". Not unlike the other Southern blue eyed soul influenced men such as B.J. Thomas or Joe South who wrote many of his hits, Billy Joe Royal could sing pop, R&B and country inflected material. Three of the best examples here are " HUSH " [ later a bigger hit for Deep Purple ], " YO-YO " [ later a bigger hit for The Osmonds ], and " I KNEW YOU WHEN " [ later a hit for Donny Osmond ].

There is a lot to discover & enjoy on this CD. The generous supply of hard to find singles that never made it are all worth a listen. BJR's tenure with Columbia should have resulted in more hits , and this fine collection is the most complete CD released of his time with that label.

Contains the Best of Billy Joe Royal hits including a rare radio hit from the 60,s "Everything turned blue"

I knew you when is the best "breake up" song ever wrote. Tom.