Soft Rock Pop Music

You know those records that you heard when you were too young to place who the band was, but you remember the songs fondly and once you hear them again there's a memory shockwave that hits you? For some of us, Hat Trick was one of those.

For those of us young enough to ignore critics, we simply enjoyed the music.

Now for specifics: the album comes off a bit more polished than America's previous two efforts, and as their third album it is evident they started to hit a stride. The original three are all here on this one, no breakup had occurred yet.

Some don't like their version of Muskrat Love -- I much prefer theirs over the 'hit' version that came later from C&T. If you've never owned this record, there are classic songs here that you haven't heard on the radio, songs that America still plays in concert because they're that good. This is a classic album from a time when albums, not singles, were the way a band made their art.

I usually listen to an entirely different type of music than the kind these musicians make. Yet I find this album extremely enjoyable. This is especially odd because the title track is the oft ridiculed "Muskrat Love". But this song's supposed sentimentality doesn't bother me and blends in with the overall eclectic quality of the album.

Within a pop spectrum there is a little bit of everything on this album, including melancholy love songs, a bit of progressive rock, and the expected ballads. I bought this album for our anniversary and my wife and I both enjoyed it immensely. Definitely the best album of the band's first three.

In spite of "Muskrat Love" this is a great album. Hat Trick provides a continuous flow from one song to the other on side one of the original album and immediately picks up again with "Hat Trick". It is an inventive, melodic, mood-flowing creation that is a joy to listen to. For what it's worth, I even think "Muskrat Love" works in context of the album's entirety!

A solid album that may have been sterotyped by its first single, Muskrat Love. The album was produced by America and rivals their later work with George Martin. It was their third album (hence the name "Hat Trick") and was actually a bit of a let down after their first two albums (America and Homecoming) had been huge hits. This album was a moderate hit in the US in 1973 peaking at 28 on the album charts. This album was their most ambitous effort to date. They run the gammit on this one, from harder rock (Green Monkey), to soft pop (She's Going To Let You Down), to folk rock (Windwave) and everything in between (Hat Trick). They make more use of strings than on their any of their previous work. If you are an America fan this album is a must.

Music reviews are so subjective. It can be the greatest for one person and the worst for the next. Same music. It just wasn't what I was expecting and hoping for. Jimmy B. is an enjoyable musician who helps me feel I am on the water somewhere away from my problems. I would suggest reading the songs titles first and see if it is what you really want.

I met Buffett 25 Years Ago when I was a Newspaper Reporter. Since then he has never forgotten me giving me front row seats to concerts and his music is breathtaking. This brings back to the old Classics in a great sound. Proothead First, Deadhead secong. I miss jerry but thank God Jimmy is still around and continues to love to sing and write

I purchased this CD for the full length version of Driver's Seat (one of my favorite songs). I found other music on the CD that is very good also. I have been playing The Thrill of It All and Looking For You over and over with Driver's Seat.

I bought the album for drivers seat but there are also other songs that to me create a good balance of electric guitar and rock. The album cover is memorable and the albums sound is very clean for the 1979 period and cannot tell the difference in sound from when albums began to be available on compact disc. A good clean sounding copy overall and the band has a paradise/adventure feel to me.

DRIVER'S SEAT is easily one of the greatest 100 rock 'n roll songs songs EVER and certainly in the Top 10 of forgotten tracks. The CD would be worth getting DRIVER'S SEAT alone but unlike some other "one-hit wonders"*, this LP/CD is not full of fillers but instead offer up a fine collection of new wave/alternative rock tunes with plenty of excellent tracks. Every rock 'n roll fan should have this CD in their collection.

This album starts with the greatest version of Drivers Seat and just gets better from there!!! This album adds a whole new dimension to the band seldom heard unfortunately. Too bad they have been designated as a "One Hit Wonder" band. Listen to it LOUD!!! ---- Wheels

This was a great record when it originally came out and is a great CD. Pick it up while you can get it. The recording quality is absolutely outstanding. If you like early to mid 80's rock, this is a must have in your collection.

I absolutely love to hear Anne Murray sing. Her voice is so smooth, and to hear "Could I Have This Dance For The Rest Of My Life" makes you feel like you are just floating with the music. This is great to dance to, or to just listen and sing along. It isn't a collection of new songs, but her oldies and our favorites. I am so glad it was still available.

I've loved Anne Murray's music for as long as I can remember - her amazing voice, great lyrics, and memorable tunes tend to stick with you.

This particular CD has many of Anne's most memorable/known tracks - with a few exceptions.

Overall, I would highly recommend this CD to all the Anne Murray fans out there, as well as those who just like good love songs. I would categorize the music as easy listening/light country - if that sounds like something you'd be interested in, give this CD a shot - I think you'll be glad you did!

This may not be the Canadian songstress' most exhaustive hits collection but it provides great listening pleasure. Anne specialised in simple but moving pop and country songs that made her popular in The USA and worldwide.

The lovely Snowbird first brought her international fame but all the tracks are tuneful and memorable, like the Kenny Loggins composition Danny's Song and Love Song. Known as a country star, her repertoire included both that style and middle of the road pop.

My favourites here are Snowbird, Danny's Song, Shadows In The Moonlight, You Needed Me (which won her a Grammy Award) and her interpretation of The Monkees' Daydream Believer. Major omissions on this album include Let's Keep It That Way, He Thinks I Still Care (her first country number one), Let's Keep It That Way and her duet with Loggins, Nobody Loves Me Like You Do.

This Greatest Hits CD is perfect for the newcomer to Anne Murray but not comprehensive enough for her devoted fans.

Less acoustic than their previous LPs, way more commercial/disco, but I love every song on it.

I can't believe it. Finally, after many MANY years, Seals & Crofts "Takin' It Easy" album has been officially released!

I can't express how happy I am this album was finally released on CD. I've waited YEARS for this to happen!

This is one of the greatest songwriting albums ever made. I'm totally serious about that. I love Elton John, Deep Purple, Three Dog Night, the Blues Image, Norman Greenbaum, etc. I really honestly believe "Takin' It Easy" is right up there with the very best of them.

I can't put into words exactly how I feel when I listen to this album. It's like a mystical journey inside my mind combined with childhood feelings and memories that makes the album so delightful to listen to over and over again. It truly is a forgotten treasure. Diversity is important to me, and each song on this album is distinct from all the others.

When this album came out in the year 1978, the music scene was beginning to change as punk and new wave entered the scene. Fortunately, none of this affected Seals & Croft's consistently pleasing ability to write one memorable song after another. This album is *entirely excellent* and I truly mean that.

The title song really surprised me at first. I didn't think Seals & Croft's could EVER rock this hard! A really upbeat, energetic rocker. You know, funny story. I could have sworn in the chorus the words being sung were "hot diggin' it" which is a saying kids used to say back in the early 90's when I was only in 5th grade.

"One More Time" is a really pleasant ballad with memorable vocal lines. It reminds me of the Jefferson Starship song "Tumblin". The two songs are really pretty similar to each other. "Midnight Blue" is foot-stompin' music! I *love* the catchy verse melody, and you can seriously tap your foot to the beat of the tune. Highly enjoyable song. "You're the Love" is a disco song, and while I'm not a fan of disco (and probably never will be) I like when rock bands attempt some diverse styles without any fear.

Wow... "Sunrise". What can I possibly say about this brilliant song? Let me try to explain why I love this track so much. Memories are important to all of us when listening to music, whether we realize it or not. Memories help us appreciate music even more. Music can help us dream about faraway places, and peaceful settings. Music can put us in our own little world, if we allow it to happen. "Sunrise" is beyond brilliant for a variety of reasons. For one thing, the vocal melody immediately takes me back to when my mom used to drive me to a fabric store in a tiny town in southeast Pennsylvania. That store doesn't exist anymore, but the memories remain, and that's the important thing.

Also, the song reminds me of my childhood fasciation of wanting to be an astronomer when I grew older, and having a total blast looking into my telescope and watching the stars in outer space, and dreaming about what living things might possibly be out there. It's not just a childhood memory- it's also a dream I continue to experience with certain songs that allows my mind to open up and think about a really pleasant future for all of us. I love the dreamy verse melody, and the saxophone jam at the end. Sure, it sounds like 70's music, but that's NOT a bad thing!

"Breaking in a Brand New Love" is an extraordinary love song that reminds me of a popular song Joe Jackson would do five years later. "Magnolia Moon" took me a LONG time to appreciate, but I finally came around. Brilliant vocals. "Nobody Gets Over Lovin' You" is a magnificent ballad. Once again, let me state I don't care if the music is dated and sounds stuck in the 70's. To me that just means a music scene can never be repeated again.

"Forever Like a Rose" sounds like Crosby, Stills and Nash a little bit, specifically that popular song called "Our House". That's certainly not a bad thing at ALL. The final track is highly unusual in that it has a spectacularly unique vocal section in the beginning of the song before eventually progressing into a highly memorable vocal section that's very normal for anyone familiar with Seals & Crofts career.

Overall, I am extremely happy this album is available on CD finally. I can't believe it took this long, but I won't complain, because the point is- it happened!

I've anticipated this release for years, much as an antsy child waits for Christmas morning. It took way too long to arrive on CD.
Favorite amongst all is Sunrise - which seems to have originated in and floated down from heaven. What a treasure this song is.
Other favorites include the title track, and the maligned You're The Love.
Who really care what style a song is in? Who cares who wrote it or not? If a song sounds good to the listener and becomes a part of their life, you've successfully created an important song!
As we send our children out into the world, do we not do so with the hopes that someone will find them, love them and cherish them?
Mission accomplished!

This album is dominated by the disco (or disco-like) hit You're the Love, which is not your typical S&C song. There is an extended club mix of this too, which would have been a nice bonus track. The high quality of the production gives this song merit but I just can't get over the jaw-dropping sweep of strings that takes over in the middle. It makes me cringe every time. The high marks for this album are based on the other tunes. The title track fairly rocks. Dash's solo ballad One More Time is top notch. Forever Like the Rose is a really excellent showcase for their voices, once again. I do take issue with the other reviewer's take on Magnolia Moon. This is a deeply moving Deep South reverie. I love the keyboard work and Jimmy's vocal phrasing. And the lyrics fascinate with just the right hint of abstract meaning. Someone is being idolized and we don't know why. I also love the minor key guitar intro to Tribute To Abdu'l Bah'a and the unabashed devotion in the melody. This is an album to savor and reveals more with each listen.

In a sense, Seals & Crofts' 1978 album "Takin' It Easy" is the proper follow-up to 1976's "Get Closer". However, in between those two, the 1976 'live' album "Sudan Village" was released, as was the 1977 "One on One" soundtrack which Seals & Crofts were significantly involved in.

By the time "Takin' It Easy" was finally released, it seems that the record buying public had lost a lot of interest in the duo. Compared to the several gold-selling albums that preceeded it, "Takin' It Easy" was a commercial disappointment, peaking at (coincidentally enough) number 78 on the Billboard album charts.

One gets the sense that even during the recording of "Takin' It Easy", there was concern of how Seals & Crofts would be received in the midst of the changing musical climate, and there are some clear attemps at 'keeping up with the times'. The most notorious example is the disco-fied Top 20 hit "You're The Love", which Dash Crofts himself claims that he "Hated it!"; that's a somewhat understandable, albeit harsh and unfair critique, because it's not really THAT much of a disco tune, and beyond that, the song is upbeat, insanely catchy, and downright FUN. They also take a half-hearted stab at a New Wave-ish rocker with the album-opening title track--it's a passable tune, and it was a minor hit in its own right, but the guys don't sound like their hearts are really in it, and the result feels forced. Note that neither of these two songs were at all written by the duo ("You're The Love" was written by David Batteau and their producer Louie Shelton).

Apart from the two aforementioned singles though, Seals & Crofts basically stick with the tasteful soft-rock approach of their '76 masterpiece album "Get Closer", and they offer up a bunch of great songs in the process. The Dash Crofts vocal spotlight "One More Time" is a sublime ballad with a somewhat hard-to-define appeal--it seems a tad schlocky on the surface, sort of like it's waiting to be resurrected for American Idol (again, it wasn't at all written by the duo), but Dash totally puts it over with his fantastic vocals, which, in typical fashion, are commanding yet mellifluous at the same time, plus to be fair, the melody is really gorgeous, and the harmonious intro will have you instantly thinking, "Whoa, who put on The Beach Boys?" (it's not them, but those ethereal harmonies sure sound like prime Beach Boys, definitely a compliment). Likewise, the epic, philisophical ballad "Sunrise" has a load of atmosphere with its swirling electric piano and synthesizer textures, and it features an excellent saxophone solo from Jim Seals. The bouncy "Breakin' In A Brand New Love" is an absolutely brilliant pop-rock song, the kind of thing that's a joy to rediscover and gets you thinking, "Geez, why wasn't this a huge hit?" "Forever Like The Rose" is another one of their great, heartstring-tugging ballads along the lines of "Don't Fail".

Of the remaining tracks, "Midnight Blue" is quite good, with its moody, minor-keyed, country-blues feel, but it's somewhat annoying due to the overwrought, melodramatic story-song lyrics. "Nobody Gets Over Lovin' You" has a somewhat curious blend of tormented lyrics with an upbeat-sounding tune, and Jim hits a great vocal climax on the song's fade. "Magnolia Moon" is a pleasant low-key ballad, if rather forgettable. Likewise, the 5+ minute album-closer "A Tribute To Abdu'l-Baha'", though again loaded with atmosphere, and obviously very much from Jim & Dash's hearts, just fails to stick in the memory even after repeated listens.

On the whole, I wouldn't quite rank "Takin' It Easy" at masterpiece level, but any fan who seeks this album out definitely ought to get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Thanks to Wounded Bird Records for finally getting it out on CD.

I really enjoyed this CD, the music is reminiscent of odes from 15 years ago or more. I had a problem with the post office delivering it to me, but I finally did receive it. Thank you very much.!

Touching You, Touching Me is a very good, affordably priced CD with many "covers" performed by the awesome Neil Diamond. Neil's been around for decades and his talent is clearly the reason why. Neil can take a song and breathe new life into it in a way that very few other contemporary artists can; and he tackles many different types of songs which proves his versatility.

"Everybody's Talkin'," a song written by Fred Neill, starts the CD off with Neil Diamond doing a somewhat country variation on this ballad; Neil's excellent sense of timing and his fine diction bolster his performance very well and "Everybody's Talkin'" makes a strong start for this album. "Mr. Bojangles" is a song by Jerry Jeff Walker that many artists loved to sing and still love to sing; but when Neil does it he places his own stamp on this tune with his voice that is able to convey every emotion under the sun. "Mr. Bojangles" is clearly a major highlight of this album.

"Smokey Lady" has Neil rockin' hard and this works well for this tune; the electric guitar and the keyboard work fit in so well with Neil's vocals. What a great song for Neil to perform! Listen also for "Holly Holy;" I have always associated this song with Neil Diamond and the backup chorus is absolutely wonderful. "Holly Holy" is easily another huge highlight of this CD and I could never tire of hearing Neil perform this outstanding tune.

"And The Singer Sings His Song" sports some excellent guitar work as Neil sings this with all his heart and soul; and I really like "Ain't No Way." "Ain't No Way" has that great Neil Diamond sound and the backup singers harmonize to perfection--and beyond! "New York Boy" is a very pretty tune with a catchy melody and the CD ends well with Neil Diamond performing "Until It's Time For You To Go" written by Buffy Sainte-Marie. "Until It's Time For You To Go" is a most tender bittersweet love song that always touches me when I hear it; and it leaves me wanting more--which is a good sign that this album is a good one.

Overall, Neil Diamond can do just about any type of song he wants to do and make it come off as a masterpiece; this CD proves it. It's too bad that this CD couldn't have offered us a couple more songs, but then again it's well worth the comparatively low price of admission. Neil Diamond fans will like this. I suppose it's also a good CD for people just starting to know Neil Diamond if they want to begin with a budget priced CD.

Let's face it, some of the songs Neil Diamond performs on "Touching You Touching Me" were written by other artists:Mr. Bojangles (Jerry Jeff Walker), Everybody's Talkin'(Fred Neill), Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell) and Until It's Time For You To Go (Buffy Sainte-Marie). But, hey, when he sings them, he really makes them come to life! His compositions on this CD are better than the above mentioned songs, like the up-tempo "Smokey Lady", the religious "Holly Holy", the touching "And The Singer Sings His Song", and the country-bumpkin tones of "New York Boy". Every song's a winner here, which makes "Touching You Touching Me" a must buy.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R4CTAQVE47TM5 I hope you enjoy this video review!!! My name is Jeremy Gloff. I am a musician (check me out on Amazon!) and retro music enthusiast. If you enjoyed this review make sure to check out my Amazon user profile to check out my other reviews. I am always up for making new friends and discussing the music I love!!!

Her voice is definitely unique and very recognizable. Her hits "Circle In The Sand" and "I Get Weak" were some of the most memorable songs from the mid to late 80s. An excellent album that should never go out of print, but perhaps looks like it has from what I can tell here. Also, another great rendition of "I Get Weak" (another one of songwriting guru Diane Warren's excellent creations) is performed by rising young artist Jordan McCoy (discovered by P. Diddy), who does "I Get Weak" justice.

As I'm throwing out my old cassettes that have long ago been replaced by cds, I stumbled across this again and I love it still. There isn't a song on it that I dislike and it's the kind of cd that I can listen to over and over and not get tired of.
It's Belinda's second solo cd and to me, it's still the best of them all. It has fast funky songs on it and ballads too of course. My favourites on here are the title track Heaven Is A Place On Earth, Circle In The Sand, the boppy Fool For Love and Love Never Dies. Like I said earlier, I don't dislike any song, but these four stand out a little more to me. Belinda has a unique and stunning voice and that along with good songs really make this one of my favourite albums of all times. I love it still to this day and highly recommend it.

The best of the many solo albums recorded by the former lead singer of the Go-Gos, it's albums like this that terms like "perfect pop" were likely invented for. First released in Fall 1987 and dominant throughout much of '88, this album spawned the #1 smash "Heaven Is A Place On Earth," which was accompanied by a pretty cool video, the gorgeous "Circle In The Sand" with its beautiful guitar and synth riff at the beginning, and the un-aptly titled "I Get Weak" which is not weak at all but rather full of exuberant energy. Definitely an essential album for any serious fan of the 80s.

I'm waiting anxiously for a new 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION REMASTERED that MUST be released by Virgin Records still next year.
Check out new tracklist:


01. Heaven is a Place on Earth
02. Circle in the Sand
03. I Feel Free
04. Should I Let You In?
05. World Without You
06. I Get Weak
07. We Can Change
08. Fool For Love
09. Nobody Owns Me
10. Love Never Dies
11. In My Wildest Dreams (b-side)
12. Dancing in the City (b-side)
13. Private Lives (previously unreleased)
14. Some Hearts (previously unreleased)
15. Out Of My Hands (previously unreleased)
16. Waiting For A Star To Fall (previously unreleased)
17. Love Like Heaven (previously unreleased)
18. I Get Weak (extended version)


Let's hope that MCA/Virgin Records attend us finally after a lot of years waiting for this comemorative CD edition.

My friends laugh at me, but I seriously feel a profound sense of regret over never having seen Toto live. And this was the tour I really should not have missed -- no question this is the best line-up the band had since Jeff Porcaro's death in 1992. Don't be put off by the fact that several great songs are played as part of medleys: it works fine, it allows them to work in some interesting instrumental segments, and the transitions in several cases are terrific. Almost all your favorites will be here, and they also play several older tracks that did not appear on "Past to Present," including "Girl Goodbye," "Gift With a Golden Gun," "Waiting for Your Love," and "Afraid of Love," that are great tunes. Not everything is perfect, of course: David Paich practically talks his way through the verses in "Africa," and Steve Lukather's voice has roughened considerably. It's great to have Bobby Kimball here though. His voice is a little less sure than it was in 1982 -- occasionally he sounds a little off-pitch, and there's some noticeable strain -- but the voice actually has more character. He's more of a blue-eyed soul singer than just a light-voiced late 70's singer. Steve Lukather's guitar playing is another highlight -- he looks as if he has complete command. Having listened to this several times now, though, I have to say the most impressive contribution may be Mike Porcaro's on bass. "I Won't Hold You Back" I think is probably the best track on the disc, really nicely updated with a much different rhythmic feel, and it's largely because of Mike's bass line, which has this sweet melodic contour at the same that it punctuates the vocal line and serves as the underpinning for the harmony. I just took a look at a clip from the more recent DVD, "Falling in Between Live," and my first thought was "Who is that on bass?" No Mike, and that's a bummer. So this is the one to get. DVD production values are only so-so, I could care less about the extras, and the tunes taken from their album of covers released just before the tour aren't that interesting after the first listen. But it doesn't matter. This is the best version of the band we'll ever see in a concert video, and having missed them, I couldn't be happier to have this. Toto forever!

After youtubing the videos and hearing their great performances, I decided to buy the DVD. The video production is excellent, with amazingly high definition. Great lighting, camera work, and of course, with Porcaro producing, the sound mix is top notch. All those boys can still ROCK!

This was purchased as a gift for my son and he says that it is an incredible concert. He gave it 5 stars!

In this live concert DVD "Toto" looks and sounds better than ever. The picture is crystal clear and the 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound are incredible to say the least. Not only is Simon Phillips a great drummer, his mixing and producing skills are simply amazing. Bobby Kimball can still belt it out and Steve Lukather can still light it up on guitar. These guys can still rock and this live concert DVD proves it.

The "Toto" 25th Anniversary Live In Amsterdam DVD is a must for any Toto fan. Whether you're an old fan of Toto or just discovering them for the first time, you can't go wrong with this concert DVD. The Audio CD included is an added bonus, making this release an even better deal for "Toto" fans. As for the DVD extra's, you either like them or you don't. Fortunately the extra's don't take anything away from this awesome live concert performance. My only complaint is that (99) was not included in the song list.


DVD Features Include:
-The latest performances of Toto's greatest hits captured in hi-definition video
-Featuring 5.1 & DTS surround sound
-Exclusive footage shot on the "Through the Looking Glass" tour

Songs:
1. Girl Goodbye, Goodbye Elenore, Child's Anthem, I'll Supply the Love
2. Gift with a Golden Gun
3. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
4. Bodhisattva
5. Africa
6. David Paich - Solo
7. Dune/Don't Stop Me Now
8. Waiting for Your Love/Georgy Porgy/Lion/Hydra/English Eyes/Till the End
9. I Won't Hold You Back
10. Rosanna
11. Afraid of Love
12. Hold the Line
13. Next to You
14. Home of the Brave
15. White Sister

Just like with the Doobie Brothers "Live at Wolf Trap" DVD this one doesn't work with any of the DVD players I have at home nor with those at my friend's homes. I ordered these DVD's from Germany and - since this was clearly indicated - expect them to be playable on my equipment here. As with the Doobie Brothers I will send this back and ask for a refund.

I recently purchased 'Contribution' and 'Second Contribution' by Shawn Phillips. This music was beautiful and unique when I first heard it nearly 40 years ago and it has aged very well- I was confident that it would. There was nothing like it then, and there is certainly nothing that compares to it now. Phillips is a truly magnificent song writer and musician, but it's his vocals... wow.

Was very happy with the transaction. Cd arrived in perfect condition and in a timely fashion. Cd is excellent... I highly recommend it.

I actually still have my copy of this album, which I bought a couple years after its release. I've always considered Shawn Phillips one of the truest, most beautiful singer-songwriters there ever was, and the fact that he is not mainstream & never was (which he's probably grateful for) attests to the majority's lousy taste. ...But, upon listening to this recording recently, after so long, I was impressed at how beautiful I still found the songs. Expecting maybe my former passion for it attributable to youthful exhuberance and naivete, and maybe now finding it dated and pretentious, I was pleasently surprised to find it neither.(Blue Oyster Cult went RIGHT into the garbage, I listened to THAT??) Nostalgia aside, the songs are simply timeless. I still knew every word to "Lovely Lady", which best captures Phillips soaring vocals, and I still consider "L'Ballade", one of the most hauntingly beautiful love songs ever recorded. I am so happy to read that Shawn Phillips is still performing, I would definatley go to see him should he ever come my way. I, and many, do not measure an artist's success on how his last record sold or where he stands on Forbes Wealthiest Entertainers List. I measure them based on what they contributed to the beauty of the world around us, and, that being said, Shawn Phillips is vastly successful.

Passionate and unusually fine vocal. This album can move you and focus your thoughts.

What a disappointment! I want to kick the ... of those folks at AMG- All Music Guide, which used to be one of my favorite websites for giving this lousy album 4 stars. 4 STARS- HA! I bought this because the band Traffic plays throughout, but even Steve Winwood, etc can't save songs like "Withered Roses" when the ever-annoying Shawn starts with his silly vocal "contributions." What is the big deal about this guy's singing, anyway? The AMG site compared him to Donovan "with a better voice" in songs like "Lovely Lady." What a joke! Now, I can only appreciate Donovan more, and to the reviewer for this "artist" I do like songs by their own merit and not because they were hits (for instance, I love songs like "Sand and Foam" and "Celeste" by Donovan that are beautiful and not so fruity like Shawn buddy's tunes are here). You threw away your Blue Oyster Cults records, well some of that may have been suited for the garbage, but Shawn Philip's CONTRIBUTION is about to be a companion for the empty pizza box and used napkins I just tossed in the thrash can.

This is one of a series of twofers released in Britain coveringing Crystal Gayle's Columbia and Warner albums. Here you will find her second and third Warner albums (Cage the songbird, from 1983, and Nobody wants to be alone, from 1984). I do not play these albums as often as most of Crystal's other music but I always enjoy hearing them. They are high quality albums featuring the type of pop-country music that was popular on American country radio at the time, helping to maintain Crystal's position as one of the most important female singers in country music at the time, though she did not maintain that position for much longer.
The title track of Cage the Songbird is a cover of a relatively obscure but wonderful Elton John song. Other great songs include The sound of goodbye, I don't wanna lose your love and Turning away as well as fine covers of Victim or a fool (Rodney Crowell) and Take me home (Tom Waits).

The second album here, Nobody wants to be alone, is similar in style and quality. It includes more great songs such as A long and lasting love, Tonight tonight, the title track, Coming to the dance and Touch and go.

If you are a fan of Crystal's music, you will love these albums.

I really loved this Cd. I think it's great having 2 albums on one disc. Bring 'em on! I'd love it if Sylvia's albums were brought out the same way. These are two classic ladies of country!!!

Cage the Songbird is my favorite Crystal album. Produced by Jimmy Bowen, it is full of beautiful ballads and a few uptempos. I Don't Wanna Lose your Love is my favorite CG song and it, along with Sound of Goodbye, Turning Away, and Me Against the Night were all top 5 hits - the only time she managed that feat. The rest of the album is beautiful, esp the title track written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. This was also one of the first vinyl albums recorded digitally at the time.

Nobody Wants to Be Alone is not quite as good, but it still has some great songs. You Were There for Me, Tonight Tonight, and Coming to the Dance were all beautiful songs. The title track and Long and Lasting Love were both top 5 hits.

Definitely a cd you want to add to your Crystal collection.