Raven Music

This is great, as are all her previous albums. If you like James Asher or Professor Trance, you will love this. If you have not idea who these folks are, but you want earthy primal rhythmic music to move you, you will still love this.

So much early John Hartford music on one CD. This CD captures the lust for adventure in all of us. I have every thing John Hartford has ever recorded. He is missed. This CD is great.

Ok, I am a John Hartford fan. Wish the CD quality was more "real" but I feel that way about a lot of these recent transfers. His talent shines through even the worst of the selections but don't look for star quality performances here. The highlight is John's writing, not his singing voice. And as a writer, he is poetic and profound.

I've loved and listened to John for years but never heard his early stuff which was recorded on vinyl and long out of print. If that's you, then this is the album you should buy. If you have never heard John singing such numbers as'Corn Cob Blues" or 'Shiny Rails of Steel' or the version of 'Gentle on my Mind' which are on this disc, then here's a treat in store for you. Highly recommended.

This release offers more tracks than the RCA Legends CD, many of which are not available elsewhere. This is from the time when many of us were introduced to John, plucking that banjo in the audience on the Glen Cambell show. No, it's not bluegrass. It's Jimmy Stewart meets Bob Dylan! I don't know what it is, but it's great listening. The Country Legends disc is probably stronger, song for song, but the quality here is good, and a lot of fans would probably want both CD's. My favorite album "Gentle on my Mind and other Originals" is well-represented here. Go for it.

Gotta say that this is, in my opinion, John's most important years as a songwriter. Many will argue that his most prolific material came during the Mark Twang and Steam Powered years. Not so!!! Given the era, the location, and the state of popular country music in the late sixties/early seventies, I would venture to say that these first few albums are nothing short of groundbreaking. He was accomplishing things with country and folk music that I don't think had ever been attempted up to that point in the Nashville recording scene. Long, string heavy orchestrations driven by banjo and fiddle tunes. Beat poetry to the backdrop old time mountain music. Three finger banjo fused with phsychedelia. It's all there and it's all phenominal. A must have for anyone that is a fan of John's music!!!

I was very happy with the experience and the cd. I had heard ever since "Dirty Looks" came out that it was only available on cassette tape - and since I used my copy so much that it finally snapped, I was hoping, at most, to replace the tape. Finding the compilation of "Dirty Looks" with "Old Flame" on cd was thrilling - and it was everything I had hoped it would be.

I also was very pleased to receive it in about half the time I expected it to take.

Thanks!

I love these 2 cds! They have always been 2 of my favorites! I love all her cds...This is a great deal and well worth it!

At first I was disappointed to find "Old Flame" and "Dirty Looks" released together - as I all ready had "Old Flame" on a cd for a good ten years now. I finally gave in and purchased the compilation, because I had been waiting for "Dirty Looks" to be released for years. I am happy to say, the higher quality of the cd, made it worth having another copy of "Old Flame" - it sounds much better on my ipod! Every song on "Old Flame" is a must have! This is pure Juice Newton. With "Dirty Looks", Juice experiments on more hardcore dance-to songs like "Dirty Looks", "Tell Her No" and "Don't Bother Me", but remains true to her roots with my favorites, "Runaway Hearts", "Stranger At My Door" and "Twenty Years Ago". Now we just need pre-"Angel of the Morning" Juice Newton LP's released to complete our collections.

To those who thought that Juice Newton would never re-release "Old Flame" (RCA Records, 1985), or "Dirty Looks" (Capitol Records, 1983), are in for a treat, as both of these single album releases are combined on a double CD format for the first time! For those who don't know, "Old Flame" was released by RCA Records twice in 1985, and once in 1988. The first RCA version in 1985 was the original release, the second RCA version in 1985 replaced "Let Your Woman Take Care Of You" with "Both To Each Other (Friends & Lovers)" duet with Eddie Rabbitt, and the third RCA version in 1988 didn't have the Eddie Rabbitt duet, and also took off the songs "One Touch" and "With You." Also, the beginning guitar riffs on the original 1985 CD version of "Cheap Love" were also cut off - now you can have all three versions of this great RCA release on one CD, which contained the hits "Cheap Love", "You Make Me Want To Make You Mine", "Hurt", "Old Flame", and "What Can I Do With My Heart", plus the remake of the classic pop song "Stuck In The Middle With You." As for "Dirty Looks", the title track was a minor pop hit, and Juice's remake of "Tell Her No" was her last top 40 pop hit. "Stranger At My Door" was a minor country hit, and the songs that later became hits for Restless Heart ("Till I Loved You"), and Kenny Rogers ("Twenty Years Ago") are also featured on this release, that I believe was never issued on CD before.

All in all, any Juice fan will just LOVE these two long forgotten releases brought back to CD for everyone to enjoy. Now if Raven Records can do the same with "Can't Wait All Night", "Emotion", and some of Juice's other out of print product, they will really be on to something big!

This is a CD with two great records, Old Flame (Country/rock) and Dirty Looks (rock). Both records are standouts
in Juice's career. Whether she is singing a country/rock ballad or an out and ourtrocker, she succeeds. This is
a great package tthat contains excellent sound quality coupled with great songs. This belongs in your collection
if you enjoy Juice, Great CD!

I wore out my LP of Aladdin years ago. Even the cover eventually
fell apart from extensive handling. What made this music so
desireable? One thin is the anthemic quality. You fell
like you are listening to songs of praise for a state of
consciousness in which you might not have had full citizenship,
but which you got to visit from time to time. It was an album
that made you fell good about your generation and its value.

The musical craftsmanship of this lovely album was also one of
the things that sustains it and makes it freshly appealing. The
work is fully orchestrated and musically ambitious. The themes
remain appealing. Don't you still want to take a ride in
the caravan? Wouldn't you love it if someone taught you how
to fly?

A lot of the psychedelic music of the sixties and seventies
seems remarkably childish today, but the Rotary Connection
remains a link with its feet on both sides of the time line.


--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the forthcoming novel bang BANG from Kunati Books.ISBN
9781601640005\

I love Rotary Connection Music. It's not for everybody. Combine Sly & Family Stone with the Fifth Dimension on Psychedelic steroids & add classical backround arrangements, 4 great harmonizing singers & you have an idea of what to expect. This album is the 2nd and 5th RC albums combined. I like their first album the best. The 2nd one which you get here (Aladdin) I liked all the way thru. It continues the psychedelic strain on the first album except these are originals & not covers. On the 5th album which you get here (dinner music) it seemed as though the band, because of a lack of commercial success were no longer sure what they wanted or were supposed to be doing. There are several songs I like a lot, but some I could take or leave. That is why I give this combined album disk 4 instead of 5 stars. In case you don't know Minnie Riperton is a singer in this band. It took me awhile to realize that what I thought was instrumentation at first is actually Minnie's 5 octave voice soaring where no voice has gone before. A great album by a wonderful group. They have a sound all their own. Worth a curious checking out.

When I first heard this CD it was in 1969 or 1970. I saw the group live in my college town of Carbondale, Il. Funny part of the album is that it is psychedelic keeping in tune with the 60's, then it seems to mellow out alot for the 70's when everyone, almost everyone, smoked a little reefer. All kidding aside, this cd is 30 years ahead of its time, and Minnie Riperton died soon after this release. I just found this cd, been looking for it for years. My LP is totally trashed from years of playing.

I thought about this for a long time and as it turns out it is really very simple. Aladdin is a wonderful album oozing with class and character. I had the pleasure of seeing these folks in concert shortly after Aladdin was released and to this day I consider their performance that evening one of my all time favorites. I don't know how it came to be that this album became lost in time, but I found it again and I am really glad I did.

Take an utterly beautiful, soulful band like the Fifth Dimension and add a heavy, professionally-crafted theatrical sheen, and you've got Rotary Connection. One of my amazingly astute and lively college companions/girlfriends was heavily into theatre - and was wild about them. If you like listening to music that's reminiscent of 'Hair' and/or 'Jesus Christ Superstar', RC will be right up your alley - they're definitely a very artistic/dramatic/appealing element of the late 60's counter-cultural ethos.
It's also notable that some of the instrumental breaks and harmonic underpinnings veer a bit in the direction of folks like Van Dyke Parks - quite an avant-garde touch, as it were, and quite flavorful, if that's were your tastes lie.

I love both of these albums. I have both my old LP of I Stand Alone, and the import CD (which is sonically much better than the LP). I only have my old LP of You Never Know Who Your Friends are, and I'd love to hear how this CD is remastered. If anyone who reads this has this release, PLEASE review it and let us know how the sound is! Meanwhile, if you know anything about Al Kooper and wonder about the quality of the music on these two LPs, don't hesitate. While not as strong or groundbreaking as the first BS&T LP, these are both great listens. Al comes up with (mostl)great originals and his choice and performance of the covers are top-notch. Definate thumbs up.

great to see two of Al Koopers masterpiece Albums offered in one package.
"I Stand alone" is a timeless classic,theres not many Albums that fall into that category,but "I Stand alone" is up there.
"you never know who your Friends are"..one of my favourites!..been listening to Al since 1970...the guy is a master musician.I couldn't in words do these Albums justice!!...so buy them,only you listening will do them the justice they deserve...have fun!.

I've waited so long for these to be available! And they're finally here! Thank you to whoever did this.
These are her two albums that I love the most. Of course, Higher and Higher, won her much acclaim, as it should have. But I have to admit that every track on these two is excellent.
The 'Delta Lady' anthology is nice, but to have these in addition to that is exceptional.
Rita has one of the smoothest voices I've ever heard. Soft, smoky, romantic. She does justice to every song here.
If you like slow rock from the 70's-80's, do yourself a favor and get this while it's available. She's one of the most highly underrated and irreplaceable artists that has ever been.

Great CD. I'm glad they made this CD. Anytime, Anywhere is one of Rita Coolidge's best albums ever.

I've never understood why A & M hasn't released Rita Coolidge's "Anytime, Anywhere" on CD. Or some of her other albums for that matter. I was very happy to purchase this disc and even happier to give it a listen. I'm a Coolidge fan, especially her work in the 1970s and early 1980s. Her cover of "Higher and Higher" is probably the best ever. But the disc also includes other great nuggets, like Sam Cooke's "Good Times," Danny Whitten's "I Don't Want to Talk About It," Christine McVie's "Songbird," and especially now ex-husband Kris Kristofferson's "Who's To Bless and Who's To Blame," which has a nice gospel feel. Coolidge knows how to pick the right songs to showcase her silky voice.

This CD is an absolute must for any Rita Coolidge fan. Now if only some of her other great albums would be released on CD, like "Nice Feelin'" and "The Lady's Not For Sale." Maybe someday....

WELL IT IS ABOUT TIME.............AND FROM THE LOOKS OF IT THE RELEASE IS
HOTT! AMAZON IS ALREADY OUT WITH MORE TO COME..............GLAD I PRE
ORDERED MINE................RITA COOLIDGE IS TALENT, BEAUTY, CLASS,
SOUL, INTELLIGENCE, AND THE AMAZING TALENT TO TURN ANY SONG INTO HER
VERY OWN...........YES ALL THE HITS ARE HERE BUT I AM SO EXCITED TO HAVE
"HUNGRY YEARS", "I FEEL THE BURDEN" "WHO'S TO BLESS AND WHO'S TO BLAME",
AND "ANYTIME ANYWHERE" MADE RITA A STAR.............BUT I HAVE BEEN A RITA
FAN RIGHT FROM THE STAR..............AND NOW "LOVE ME AGAIN" CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS RELEASED THE WAY RITA SINGS " HELLO LOVE GOODBYE",
"JEALOUS KIND", "LOVE ME AGAIN" I ALREADY HAVE " SATISFIED" as a IMPORT
BUT I AM WAITING FOR "lady's not for sale", "it's only love", "heartbreak radio" release them all.............rita coolidge is
good music, outstanding musicians, production, and thank you RAVEN for
releasing these 2 albums on 1 CD! I AM READY FOR MORE AND THANKS AMAZON FOR HAVING THIS GREAT RELEASE!

It's about time some of Rita Coolidge's large catalog makes it to CD! "Anytime...Anywhere" is the pinnacle of Rita's commercial success. The best tracks here are not the biggest hits, but other treasures: "The Hungry Years", "Southern Lady", and "Who's To Bless And Who's To Blame". Her vocals on this record are amazing. This album was originally released in 1977, but still sounds as good as it did on first listen all those years ago. "Love Me Again" the follow up to "Anytime...Anywhere" is filled with gorgeous, heartfelt vocals. Best cuts here are "Hello Love, Goodbye", the title track, and "It Just Keeps You Dancin'". Both records feature top notch musicians. Rita really is one of the pioneers of California Rock/Pop. It is nice to see some long overdue recognition, in the form of this reissue. Thanks to Raven records for this...now we just need Rita's first 3 albums made available on CD in America!! This item is a must for any music fan, Rita is an outstanding singer, and is still touring/recording today....may she sing for many years to come!

This is a great piece of work, from Sam's earlier years. If you're not familiar with her music, this will be a treat. If you are, it's still great music. Almost 80 minutes.

Great music from her virgin catalogue and such albums as The Indescribable Wow (1988), Cruel Inventions (1991), Martinis & Bikinis (1994) and Omnipop (1996). When Leslie Phillips ended her Christian singing career back in the late 80's she began a new career under nick name Sam. I was a fan of hers and had purchased all of her records and cassette tapes. As I heard she had sold hundreds of thousands of records as a contemporary Christian singer. I did not have any idea though that she had started making new records under Sam Phillips. I never seen them promoted, or in any record store. I found out years later by reading a review of one of her albums in Scene magazine (Cleveland). I read how she was saying her new music was not in any way commercial (meant to really sell), and that she felt betrayed by the Christian industry. It wasn't until YEARS later when the internet came along that i could listen and purchase these albums. And they are very good indeed, picking up where The Turning left off. But also covering new ground, intelligent lyrics, unique style, and Beatlesque style. Her virgin material is the best! I have to admit, I am not a big fan of her 2000 music since the switch to her new label and the stripped down tone of Fan Dance and subsequent releases. But this era with the release of The Turning and the Sam Phillips brand 88-96 was truly her BEST!

I recently fell in love with Sam Phillip's work. This is a great introduction to the music she made while with virgin records

I absolutely loved this disc the first time that I heard it, which is not usual for me. I will be the first to admit that I don't have enough technical knowledge about music to explain what makes virtually all of the songs on the disc so thoroughtly enjoyable. However, I do know what I like, and I like this disc--a lot. Highly recommended.

It's ridiculous that the wonderful songs of the sublime Sam Phillips are
not world-famous when so much trivial junk IS. This magical artist writes
and records thoughtful music that is fun listening, supported by top
musicians and production by the tasteful T Bone Burnett. Sam's tunes
are often like Salvador Dali paintings-- intriguing soundscapes with
startling word images, like a striking and bizarre dream around 5 a.m.
She shares often disconcerting views of love relationships, and how our
inner world is often at odds with the indifferent outer reality. Most of
the time, there is a tender compassion (missing from her "Omnipop" tunes).

Raven Records of Australia (is she a star Down Under?) has grouped hits
from all Sam's albums made prior to her three lovely "intimate cabaret"
CDs on Nonesuch Records. The inner booklet provides a history of the
earlier albums, with phrases like "failure to achieve commercial success"
being lamentably repeated. Sam Phillips does not release long CDs or
play long concerts; what you get is short but sweet, quality mattering
more than quantity. But this disc has both, a whopping 78:29! If you
don't know Sam, I think this CD could be "the beginning of a beautiful
friendship!"

The 1985 Stay Hard album was a rushed affair, recorded primarily to help get Raven off their old label (Neat Records). Almost all the songs were rejected material that didn't make the cut for earlier records. (Hard Ride, the lone exception, was originally released on Rock Until You Drop (1981). On Stay Hard it gets updated and sounds much better, in my opinion.) Despite the circumstances, Stay Hard is a solid outing by these British legends. It's not as heavy and ambitious as its predecessors, but the songs are catchy and the riffs get your head banging. In fact, "On and On" would turn out to be Raven's most commercially successful song, getting made into an MTV video. The true "classic Raven" tracks on Stay Hard, however, are the headbangers: "Get it Right", "Stay Hard," and "Extract the Action." The haunting ballad "Pray for the Sun" is not your typical Raven song, but it features John Gallagher's effects-laden bass providing the main riff for the verses. Over time it has become my favorite track off Stay Hard.

If you're looking to buy your first Raven CD, I recommend Life's a Bitch or All For One. But if you like those and dig Raven like I do, then pick up Stay Hard. It's essentially an album of "unreleased" tracks that were released for business purposes. Very cool album to own for the Raven fan.

STAYHARD is the heaviest! Z_rock in 1986 introduced me to them, very high energy metal with that tenacious irish bite! worth every penny!

A very good record, with good drums, bass and guitar. The songs are not wonderful, but is much better than "The Pack is Back".

barrage from 1985. Raven is/was a power trio that delivered mostly over-the-top heavy rock 'n roll with a glut of hooks. Believe it or not, Stay Hard is one of their more subdued records. For a true Raven attack, you gave got to get your hands on Live at the Inferno- it's an earth shattering live experience. But what we have at hand is very good indeed. Stay Hard is mostly mid-paced, riff heavy, and drum intensive. The vocals were hard to get used to in the beginning particularly because they are harsh. John Gallagher, who also plays bass, uses his vocal cords to their absolute fullest, belting out any and every kind of growl, snarl, and yelp he can. His style is not really unique as far as 80's metal bands go, but he definitely knows how to do this type of screaming better than most metal frontmen. Most songs here reflect classic metal riffery- "Hard Ride", "On & On", "When the Going Gets Tough." Nothing too progressive, just straight forward good hard rockin'. The main riff from "Restless Child" borrows (rips off?) the riff from Rainbow's "Starstruck." I can even hear a similarity to Saxon's "Dallas 1PM" in the Raven tune "Power and Glory." Oh well, let it pass, for the tracks really do rock. The solos on this record cook. As an added bonus, there are 2 extra tracks from Raven's "Mad" EP. "Gimme Just a Little" and "Do or Die" are really the highlights of an already fierce album. I find that Stay Hard is excellent cruising material. The band gives 100% on every track, something you don't normally hear from an established rock unit. -David Newman 1998

Originally released in 1985 as this was the hard rockin' trio's fifth effort.Although 'Stay Hard' probably isn't the best offering by Raven,it's still worth having.Decent heavy metal,however when you see the band play live,they seem a bit cartoonish.So,I've heard.Tracks here that I found myself turning the stereo to 'ten' were the title cut "Stay Hard","Get It Right","Pray For The Sun","Extract The Action" and "The Bottom Line".Line-up:John Gallagher-bass&vocals,Mark Gallagher-guitar and Wacko-drums.The CD reissue adds two good bonus tracks.Should appeal to most fans of W.A.S.P.,Overkill,Y&T,Guns N'Roses and Loudness.

While this cd contains music from both early and late periods of Fred's career, there are a few omissions and few rarely heard songs.

I to say I disagree with the other reviewer. this CD is the best mix you can get without buying the three best Fred Neil albums ("Tear down the Walls", "Bleeker and Macdougal", and "Fred Neil". Yes I left off "Sessions". It had some good songs but all in all wasn't one of his best. My problem with the 2 cd set "Many Sides of Fred Neil" is that is almost ignored Bleeker and Macdougal and was repetitive with several songs. It also didn't have any from Tear Down the Walls with Vince Martin, and a few of those are wonderful. So if you aren't willing to get all the individual cds, I think this one is the best.

Odd song selections on this "best of". The much better choice is "Many Sides". Some major songs are missing here and some minor ones are included. By no means an awful CD but one can do better for a cross section of songs by one of the best of his era.