The Best of Pure Prairie League

Pure Prairie League

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 8, 1995)
• Original Release Date: August 8, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mercury Nashville
• ASIN: B000001EGS
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,977 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Amie

2. Falling in and Out of Love

3. That'll Be the Day

4. Two Lane Highway

5. Let Me Love You Tonight

6. I'm Almost Ready

7. I Can't Stop This Feelin'

8. Still Right Here in My Heart

9. You're Mine Tonight

10. I'll Be Damned

11. Don't Keep Me Hangin'

12. Something in the Night

13. Janny Lou [*]

14. Tell Me One More Time [*]

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Pure Prairie League never repeated the phenomenal success of their love song, "Amie," but that never stopped legions of the adoring from religiously following the band. The Best of the Pure Prairie League is a good introduction to latecomers, as well as a sort of "pocket guide" for the faithful--an easy way to carry around the songs that are favorites without being weighed down by a bunch of jewel boxes. While others in their era were putting the emphasis on "rock" in the tag "Southern rock," Pure Prairie League chose to keep it as a driving element, but also mixed in a fair amount of bluegrass, country, and Southern boogie. "Two Lane Highway" and "I'll Be Damned" were always live faves and lose none of their appeal here. The tenderness that was stitched into "Amie" is worn on the band's collective sleeves in "Still Right Here in My Heart." --Steve Gdula

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Non-essential From Pioneers of Progressive Country-Rock, August 3, 1998

By A Customer

Pure Prairie League transcends three periods; with Craig Fuller, without Craig Fuller, and with Vince Gill. With that said, this collection was produced too soon - their first and forth albums weren't even re-released on CD at the time - and is way too heavily based on the later, declining years of the band, after change had altered their musical direction. There are only four songs representing the band's first four albums, which are generally considered far superior. Even though the music is still good, it can't be called an anthology because it isn't comprehensive enough and the "Best Of...." entitlement just doesn't fit. The groups "Best" songs appeared on the exquisite un-represented first album "Pure Prairie League" and its comparatively appealing second effort "Bustin' Out". The hit "Amie" - track 1 - and "Fallin' In And Out Of Love" - track 2 - do appear in this collection, from "Bustin' Out",! but the latter tune, originally the prelude to "Amie", is mis-appropriately placed here. The redeeming value from the remaining 9 songs may be of historical significance since the lead vocal is predominantly Vince Gill. This set probably includes all you need from the latest recordings but do acquire the first four albums; "Pure Prairie League/If The Shoe Fits" (on one CD), "Bustin' Out", and "Two Lane Highway".

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who's idea was it to put Amie first and Fallin' after?, January 8, 2004

By	Misty W "MistyMommy" (GlennSted Woods, PA) - See all my reviews

This is one of my alltime favorite albums because I fell in love with PPL just before the Vince Gill era and then I loved them even more as they created two fantastic albums featuring him (ladies, he was sweetly chunky with long beautiful dark brown hair and beautiful green eyes and you would have loved him like you do now anyway - heaven knows I did).

That said, there are only 3 small problems with this album, which honestly folks, do not stop it from being a MUST OWN for every country music fan. Here are the problems...the first one is a crucial mistake to me and should be to all true PPL fans.

1) Helloooooo? The song, "Fallin' In and Out of Love" should come immediately before "Amie" and NOT, no NEVER, after it?!?! Is it possible that the original members of PPL had nothing to do with the release of this compilation? Why in the world did the producers put these songs in the WRONG order when they got it right on every other PPL album?

2) Even though I consider myself a HUGE PPL fan, I have always HATED their version of "That'll Be the Day" so I have to program my CD player to skip it after I program it to play the #1 & #2 tracks in the appropriate order (see 1 above).

3) You cannot call this the best of PPL and leave out "I'll Fix Your Flat Tire Merle". The great song that puts the phenomenal egoed, once-great Merle Haggard gently and humorously in his place is sorely missing from this compilation and other "Greatest Hits" treatments for this band.

Otherwise and ANYWAY, buy this album! Vince Gill never sounded better than on "Still Right Here In My Heart" and "I'll Be Damned" (although Janny Lou is a little embarrassing nowadays since the name Amy Grant doesn't rhyme in the same way). "Amie" and "Two Lane Highway" are still fabulous after all these years and not even retro-vintage fabulous, but just plain fabulous in their own rights.

Finally, let me just say that the wanna be bands out there like Alabama and Lone Star could have learned a thing or two from the obvious joy PPL took in doing what they did so well regardless of whether the money rolled in or not. It is a crying shame for those of us who love PPL and could have truly enjoyed a greater volume of their music that they were poorly handled and marketed when they were at their peak. So, bottom line? Enjoy this stuff folks. It's all there is and it doesn't get any better than this!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Are You Serious???, November 13, 2008

By	Colorado (Anderson Twp) - See all my reviews

I can't believe they had the nerve to release this cd. As a previous reviewer stated I doubt any of the PPL members had anything to do with this release. Do you realize out of their 1st 7 studio albums they only put 4 songs on this cd? And the most idiotic thing I have seen in a long time is putting `Amie' before `Falling In and Out of Love'. And again as a previous reviewer stated how can you leave `I'll Change Your Flat Tire Merle' off of this cd. I got this as a gift and opened it before looking at the songs so I can't take it back to the store. I will however send it back to Mercury Records and demand a refund for the one that bought it. It appears that the record companies as usual care only for themselves and the almighty dollar. Good grief what a waste. I would recommend just trying to buy their studio cds used. Their sound was so much different before Vince got there. No disrespect to him. They were so much more of a true country/rock group on their 1st 6 studio albums. Get those first.