Customer Reviews

On the Waters

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Play this one a couple of times and you will be glad you did...a great balance between Griffin and Gates....Gates could write a beautiful ballot, ala McCartney, but you must have Griffin, ala Lennon (hope you all don't mind the comparison) to make a complete band...don't forget Royers, Botts and Knechtel who are probably the most underated musicians of our time. Some 30 years later, BREAD still rules.

Bread's sophomore album came with a lot of hope for the group after an initial disappointing leap out the starting gate with their debut self-titled album, which still perplexes me today. "On The Waters," for the most part, is more rock-orientated in tone, which might surprise some people who are only familiar with Bread from their pop hits.

Of course, this is the album that put Bread "on the map," with David Gates' ballad- "Make It With You," which is one of my all-time favorite songs. As many times as I have heard it, some 33 years later, I have never gotten tired of it for many reasons. This is the song that brought me back to listening to radio again. The music playing over the air waves the beginning of 1970 was just too hard rock for me. I actually stopped listening to my favorite AM radio station for about five weeks. I happened to hear "Make It With You" one afternoon in March while riding home on the school bus. It brought me back to listening to radio again. A couple of months later came the Carpenters, then Carly Simon, and then James Taylor... I guess you can figure out the rest of the story. <heh heh> Thank you David Gates and "Make It With You" for bringing music back into my life after my self-imposed exile. <smile>

As much as this song means to me, the one song on the album that always affects me the most when listening to it is the last song on the album, Gates' "The Other Side Of Life." David Gates has an incredible innate ability of weaving life lessons into so many of his songs that we are all the better for. Listen to the melody and words to this song. It has a subtle religious overtone and will move you, soothe you, comfort you, and reassure you!

Some of my other favorite lesser known (rock) Bread songs on this album are "Easy Love," "Call On Me," "Blue Satin Pillow," and Gates' better-known "Been Too Long On The Road." All in all, this is a very creative group of songs! Bread's early rock style may surprise you, but it will definitely satisfy you.

This is not a 'soft' album. This Jeckyl and Hyde band shows a lot of fire here - 'Blue Satin Pillow' and 'Easy Love' will torch any rocker. Tracks 4 thru 7 are also excellent.

Much too often a band like Bread will be catagorized and misplaced by casual listeners (or non fans). Those who only know them from the radio will think of them as a "soft rock" or "ballad" band, and failed to understand that there is a certain depth to thier music that doesn't always get a chance to show itself.
Bread was miscast as a soft rock group because those songs were chosen by the label for release as singles back when 45s were the big thing. This has long been my favorite Bread album and deserves a deeper look. No doubt many people bought it because it contains "Make it with You", which is in itself a fine song and deserving of the success it achieved, but there is so much more to the On The Waters album than that.
Just give a listen to "Why do you keep me waiting" or "Blue Satin Pillow" to see Bread's harder side. Not harder in that they cranked the amps up in an attempt to be something they weren't, but harder in that there was a more sarcastic, cynical side to them. Bread had a knack for creating good riffs and driving them along with good percussion, bass, and edgier lyrics than the soft singles would project. Even the softer songs on this album have a certain bite to them that is missing in later soft songs. Listen to "Look what you've done" or "I am that I am" to see what I mean. Even those songs build to a harder finish (instrumentally) than thier beginnings.
Of all Bread's albums, this is the one than represents what the group wanted to be, and meant to be before the radio programmers and label heads took control. It's a shame that Bread didn't make more albums like On the Waters.
They might have been given more respect as a band.

I must defend James Griffin from the vicious & (in my opinion) undeserved attack by the reviewer known as Dave 'Missing Person'.
James brought a heck of a lot to the group - guts, raunchiness, flair, an occasional tender touch &, most of all, a great, soulful, hugely underrated VOICE (just listen to 'Today's the first day', 'Fancy dancer' or 'The last time').
I cannot agree with his criticisms of Griffin/Royer's contribution to this album, either. In fact, I think, for the only time on a Bread album, their efforts match David Gates'.
I love their two uptempo numbers, 'Why do you keep me waiting' & 'Easy love', while 'I am that I am' has some great effects & a wonderful, dominant bass line.
I would have to concede that David Gates wrote the three best tracks on the album - 'Make it with you', 'Been too long on the road' & 'The other side of life', but this is balanced by the fact that he also wrote the three worst - 'Blue satin pillow', 'In the afterglow' & the utterly tuneless 'I want you with me', possibly the worst Bread track ever (O.K., James Griffin co-wrote it, but he'd already fulfilled his half-dozen quota).
To sum up, then, another excellent offering from a group who maintained high standards throughout their career, & then disbanded before mediocrity set in, to their eternal credit.

Bread's second album is remarkably good in showcasing not only David Gates, but also James Griffin. While Gates' smooth vocals accounted for Bread's biggest hits, Griffin's earthier vocals served as a counterpoint on both rockers and ballads.
I could never pick my favorite Bread album--I love 'em all! There's not a weak song on this 1970 (!!!) collection. Of course, MAKE IT WITH YOU is the song that launched their all too brief career and it holds up 40 years later.
Each song stands on its own: the pulsating, driving WHY DO YOU KEEP ME WAITING; the incessant rhythm of BLUE SATIN PILLOW; the desperate pleading of LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE; the ethereal spirituality of I AM THAT I AM; the plaintive saga of a musician's life BEEN TOO LONG ON THE ROAD; the folksy I WANT YOU WITH ME; the heartbreaking COMING APART; the high energy of EASY LOVE; the haunting IN THE AFTERGLOW; the blatant invitation of CALL ON ME; and the simple beauty found on THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE.
ON THE WATERS is essential for Breadophiles and a great introduction for listeners longing for great music.

I have all the Bread albums, and this is one of the best. David Gates (the lead singer) does an excellent job on most of the songs, and the backup vocals are very good. The instrumental background is adequate (you are paying for the vocals, mostly), and I especially like "Easy Love" and "I Want You with Me." If you haven't sampled Bread, this is a good choice (perhaps a better choice is Best of Bread, but I digress).

"On The Waters" is one of the six pearls maded by BREAD. If you like a romantic pop song,
under perfect harmonic vocals, you need take it. Great representation of the seventy's pop music.

I haven't heard this album (see it's still an album to me) in years, and since I have always been a fan of David Gates I wanted to check it out again. I was amazed to find it to be much richer and more melodic than I remembered it. There are a couple of lazy cuts to be sure, but for the most part this is a standout CD. From the opening track "Why Do You Keep Me Waiting", to the rocking "Been Too Long On The Road" to the jazzy "I Want You With Me". I have not stopped listening to it.

I love ballads and songs with good melodies. Hence I rate this one the weakest of all Bread's releases. It takes on more of a rocky edge to it. It would be tempting to think of this album as AOR, after the beautiful hit 'make it with you', that comes from here. But that track is not really an accurate reflection on the album's content.
Yes, there are other ballads. 'Coming apart' has the best Griffin vocal ever, what power and effort went into that vocal delivery, and he is brilliant. 'The other side of life' is also a lovely soft ballad, with some nice vocal harmonies. 'Afterglow' is also a light song that builds in the chorus.
Much of the rest is heavier stuff. 'Blue satin pillow' is weak in my eyes, and has little melody. 'Easy love' is just repetitive' and 'Call on me' could be 'I want you' by the beatles, part 2- in terms of the repetitious vocal line. I do not really care for any of these songs.
Fortunately, Bread improved on their next album/