Spirit of '73: Rock for Choice

Various Artists - Rock

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 8, 1995)
• Original Release Date: 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002AYM
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review:
   

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    (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #191,184 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
It's best not to be overly critical of good intentions. Take, for instance, Spirit of '73, a benefit compilation for the music industry's pro-abortion-rights organization, Rock for Choice. The album concept: songs by female or female-led acts of the '70s, the period of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, redone by female or female-led acts of today, with profits going to help pro-choice groups. A neat idea, particularly if you support the cause. Hear Spirit of '73 for what it's worth and you'll surely get a kick out of its more inspired remakes: Maria Muldaur's "Midnight at the Oasis" done with the wild harmonies and jangly guitars of L.A.'s that dog, and Olivia Newton-John's "Have You Never Been Mellow" given an alterna-reading by Pet. And you'll also appreciate Rosanne Cash's classy performance of Joni Mitchell's "River" and Cassandra Wilson's surprisingly effective take on Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly with His Song." But if you can't restrain your cynicism, you may conclude that most of the songs are pale copies of the originals; that the "'70s segue bits" (like the sound of a hair dryer or a waterbed) sprinkled between songs are incredibly dumb and unauthentic; that the record's politics are well-meaning but naive ("Circulate a petition," it suggests, as if the signatures of a few dozen 16-year-olds will make Newt Gingrich quake); and that, except for tracks like the sisterhood anthem "We Are Family," most of the covers provoke the question "What's the point?"--Roni Sarig