Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not enough memorable material? Tell that to his fans!, July 20, 2005
My only complaint about there "not being enough memorable material" on this collection to warrant a double CD release is that there most ceratinly IS enough memorable material. The fact that several songs are missing from collection ("Bruce", a hilarious track about mistaken identity, is also a top notch rock & roll song in its own right)...and I fail to see Mr. Springfield's material as being the least bit bland. Listen to "Affair of the Heart" and "Love Somebody" on a really good car stereo or home theater system and I defy you to even think of the word "bland". Better yet, go see him in concert. This is a show full of energy and joy, one of the most self-effacing and funny, not to mention one of the most energetic performers in rock & roll to this day.
I do agree with the other reviwer who said Springfield doesn't get enough credit for what he's done over the years. Oprah herself is one of the guilty parties here...the story is that she was doing a show about "one-hit wonders" and gave Rick a call to ask if he'd do the show. Rick Springfield has had over 15 top 40 hits in his career, and to ignore all of them except "Jessie's Girl" is just plain ignorance, as is calling the man's music "bland and unmemorable". Rick deserves plenty of credit for making music that's made him a lot of friends and exploded out of a lot of radios over the past three decades.
This is a fine collection...but a three-disc collection (and there is definitely enough material for that) would tell the COMPLETE story with a few more B-sides and live or rare tracks. "Tripe"? I think NOT!
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
+ 1/2 stars...More Than Just Another Pretty Face, April 26, 2005
With the success of his 1972 hit "Speak to the Sky," Capitol Records tried to market Rick Springfield as the next Donny Osmond. As a result, it would be nine years before his breakout hit--the million-selling chart topper "Jessie's Girl"--made him one of the most popular artists of the Eighties.
During that decade, Springfield would land sixteen songs in the Top 40, including hits like "I've Done Everything for You," "Don't Talk to Strangers," Affair of the Heart" and "Love Somebody." And he wrote nearly all of his own material. [The only hit he didn't write himself was the Sammy Hagar-penned "I've Done Everything for You."]
While nearly all of his hits were recorded for RCA, this anthology also includes his Capitol hit "Speak to the Sky," as well as material from his Columbia and Chelsea albums. There's even a cover of the Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" from 1970 by his first band Zoot. Zoot also recorded "Speak to the Sky," which went to No. 1 in his native Australia, but he rerecorded the song for release in America. [The only missing hit is the 1985 novelty hit "Bruce" (recorded in 1978), where Springfield expresses his concerns about being mistaken for Bruce Springsteen.]
While forty-two tracks may seem excessive, it's necessary to adequately cover the career of an artist whose recording career spans over three decades. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great collection from a great, underrated performer!, July 2, 2005
Rick Springfield doesn't get the credit he deserves. How do I know this? Well, being a frugal shopper, I always try to buy newly released CDs the week they come out because they are usually released at an introductory sale price significantly less than the regular retail price. Well, the Rick Springfield Anthology didn't receive such a release. I discovered the release of the CD accidentally (I forget exactly how) and I said to myself, "How did I miss this?" I missed it because it was relased with almost no fanfare. Well, I finally managed to pick it up the other day, and it was probably the first time in at least 5 years that I paid retail price for a CD. And it was well worth it.
The term "power pop" has been used to describe Rick Springfield's music, and that's an appropriate term. His songs are catchy, upbeat, and meticulously crafted, with choruses that you can't get out of your head. You probably remember more of his songs than you think. Everyone knows "Jessie's Girl" (his most popular and best song), but you most likely also know "I've Done Everything for You", "Don't Talk to Strangers", "Human Touch"(IMHO his 2nd best song, brilliantly composed with a fantastic chorus), and "Love Somebody". Even the songs you probably don't know are fantastic, and will be stuck in your head for moths to come once you hear them for the first time. I am particularly fond of "Speak to the Sky", a folksy early 70s pop song than I never heard before I got this album. Now, it's permanently etched in my brain.
Rick's more recent stuff is more introspective and a bit more subdued, but the music is composed and arranged with the same quality and attention to detail as his earlier stuff. Overall, this is a fantastic compilation by a fantastic singer, songwriter, and composer who does not get the recognition he deserves for his contributions to rock music. Get this album TODAY. You won't be sorry.
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