Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
67 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The "Other Bruce", January 13, 2004
I can think of few artists who have changed so dramatically in the course of their careers as has Bruce Hornsby. I'll be honest that I strongly prefer the piano-pop driven sound of his first two albums, "The Way It Is" and "Scenes From the Southside" (represented by 5 well known songs here). His later albums become increasingly jazzy and improvisational- his time spent with The Dead certainly had an influence (or was he chosen because of the direction his music was taking?). While I admire Hornsby for not pandering to a successful but ultimately predictiable forumla, I definitely find his earlier work more accessible. That's more a reflection of the limits of my tastes than it is of any problem with the artist. A third of this collection comes from those first two albums, and I think that's an adequate representation. The songs selected from the rest of his catalog are very good, and arguably the most listenable of the bunch. Particularly good is "Fields of Grey" from his fourth album- it's probably his best song and one that should have gained much more airplay than it did. The live version of "End of the Innocence" is fair- Bruce's singing strips the song of much of its melody, and again, is much jazzier than the better known Don Henley rendition of the song. Overall, a highly enjoyable greatest hits album that does a good job of capturing the various phases of an artist with quite a varied career. If you're looking for 15 piano-driven ballads topped with that 80s synth sound, you're not going to find it. But be open-minded and take a listen to what Hornsby has to say. And the remastering job on the older songs is spectacular- I wish they'd go back and touch up the sound on the original albums.
|
|
|
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Wonderful Accidents", February 23, 2004
"Wonderful accidents" is the phrase that Bruce Hornsby uses to describe the songs that comprise his latest CD, a compilation of his greatest radio hits from his decade and a half long career.
Spanning classics mostly from his first three albums plus one each from his previous four, "Greatest Radio Hits" serves as an excellent introduction to Bruce Hornsby's music. The obvious hits such as "The Way It Is", "Mandolin Rain", "Every Little Kiss", "The Valley Road" and "Across The River" are all included here. Additionally, there are three 'new' but familiar tracks included on this compilation including a live bluegrass/zydeco take on "Jacob's Ladder" (his #1 smash for Huey Lewis and the News), an extended live version of "The End Of The Innocence" (a Hornsby-penned hit for Don Henley) and a new studio version of "Go Back To Your Woods" originally recorded by The Band's Robbie Robertson.
The CD booklet includes extensive and biographical liner notes with contributions from Bruce Hornsby himself. It's quite amazing that in the midst of the popularity of synth-pop and hairband Metal, Bruce was having hits amongst them. While many of the musical fads have come and gone, his songs still get played on the radio as if they were brand new and fresh. Granted, this is timeless music from a great pianist and songsmith. I am extremely thankful that Bruce was able to have these 'wonderful accidents' and compile them onto one album.
To hear Bruce Hornsby's more ecclectic diverse style, check out his later work from 1993's "Harbor Lights" onwards (a period which is underplayed on this CD).
|
|
|
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Talent, Sophistication and Integrity, March 10, 2004
I was never into Bruce Hornsby's albums -- not even his monster-selling 1986 debut The Way It Is. But his songs always really appealed to me whenever I heard them on the radio and I kept hoping he'd release a greatest hits album someday. Well, after buying Greatest Radio Hits, I wasn't disappointed. In my opinion there are only three studio tracks ("Lost Soul," "Set Me In Motion," "Walk In the Sun") on this CD that aren't absolute knockouts, but even they're listenable. I can also live without the two live tracks ("Jacob's Ladder," which was a hit for Huey Lewis and the News, and "The End of the Innocence," which is a wonderful song but I'm too used to Don Henley's excellent version), but I suppose they needed to be included since Hornsby had a hand in writing them. Bottom line: if you enjoy sophisticated piano-based rock by a musician with a lot of talent and integrity that's reminiscent of artists such as Leon Russell (BTW, I remember hearing Hornsby say one time how much he admired Leon), Jackson Browne, Billy Joel and Elton John, you should buy this CD!
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
~ Marc Cohn
~ Bruce Hornsby And the Range
~ Bruce Hornsby
~ Bruce Hornsby
~ Bruce Hornsby And the Range
is one of Bruce Hornsby's 
