World Famous Comics: The Guess Who - Greatest Hits
The Guess Who - Greatest Hits
By: The Guess Who Average Rating: Binding: Audio CD Format: Original recording remastered Label: RCA Number of Discs: 1 Release Date: February 23, 1999
Nice package, great song list, but ... One of my favorite bands from my youth. Cummings had one of the best voices of the era.
But... they really needed to find a way somehow to squeeze Pain Train and Running Back to Saskatoon in here.
Moose Jaw saw a few, Moosomin too Runnin' back to Saskatoon Red Deer, Terrace and a Medicine Hat Sing another prairie tune Sing another prairie tune
Not 100% Complete In Terms Of Their Greatest Hits - But Close Enough One reviewer bemoans the fact that Bus Rider was not included in this RCA release, but that can be explained by the title of the album which indicates these are their "greatest hits." In other words, those singles of theirs that made it into the Billboard Pop Hot 100 from 1969 to 1974 on RCA Victor. Bus Stop (which I also like very much) was the uncharted B-side to Share The Land, their 9th such hit and a # 10 in late 1970 on RCA Victor 0388.
I say 9th hit because, actually, the group did have their first back in 1965 with the # 22 Shakin' All Over (b/w Till We Kissed) on Scepter 1295, the label founded in 1959 by Florence Greenberg and the long-time home of Dionne Warwick. Up to that point the group had been known as Chad Allan & The Expressions, and when they submitted the demo tape they attached a note saying "Guess Who?" and it was at that point that their band name was changed. They likely penned that note because their rendition was almost an exact copy of the British hit by one major band over there that never became part of the British Invasion - Johnny Kidd & The Pirates.
But, this being an RCA release, it was unfortunately left out of this volume. Their first for RCA was These Eyes, a # 6 in May 1969 b/w Lightfoot on RCA Victor 0102, followed later that summer by the two-sided smash Laughing (# 10) and Undun (# 15 on the Adult Contemporary charts and # 22 Hot 100) on RCA Victor 0195. They then closed out that year with No Time, which peaked at # 5 in January 1970 b/w Proper Stranger on RCA Victor 0300. Then, that spring, they scored their second two-sided hit and only # 1 when American Woman reached the top spot on RCA Victor 0325 b/w No Sugar Tonight (regarded as a "follow-along" hit in the Billboard scheme of things).
To this point, the group (lead vocalist Burton Cummings, Chad "Chad Allen" Kobel, vocals and guitar), Jim Kale on bass, and drummer Gary Peterson), also included guitarist Randy Bachman, who left at this stage to form Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Before Cummings joined in 1966, the group also included pianist Bob Ashley. Bachman had two replacements - guitarists Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw.
Late in the summer of 1970 this new gathering scored with Hand Me Down World, a # 17 Hot 100 on RCA Victor 0367 b/w Runnin' Down The Street, followed in the late fall by the above-mentioned Share The Land/Bus Rider. In late January 1971, Hang On To Your Life began its climb to # 43, their lowest charter to date on RCA Victor 0414 b/w Do You Miss Me Darlin'? Then, in late spring, they had their third two-sided hit when Albert Flasher got to # 29 on RCA Victor 0458 b/w Broken, a # 55 and, for reasons known only to producer Paul Williams, omitted from this compilation.
Late that summer Rain Dance topped out at # 19 b/w One Divided on RCA Victor 0522, and in December, Sour Suite hit a bit of a sour note as it could only get to # 50 on RCA Victor 0578 b/w Life In The Bloodstream. The struggles continued into 1972 as Heartbroken Bopper could only manage a # 47 on RCA Victor 0659 b/w Arrivederci Girl, Guns, Guns, Guns could get no higher than # 70 in June on RCA Victor 0706 b/w Heaven Only Moved Once Yesterday, and that fall Runnin' Back To Saskatoon, recorded "live" in concert, just barely made the Hot 100 at # 96 on RCA Victor 0803 b/w New Mother Nature (the A-side is also left out of this volume).
Leaving the group in 1972 were Kale and Leskiw, replaced by guitarist Don McDougall and bass player Bill Wallace, but the changes showed only modest improvement in their hits fortunes as Follow Your Daughter Home stalled at # 61 in February b/w Bye Bye Babe on RCA Victor 0880 for their only hit in 1973, the same year that Domenic Troiano, former guitarist with The James Gang, replaced both Winter (who would pass away at age 51 in December 1997) and McDougall.
That paid dividends of sorts in early 1974 as they returned to the Top 40 for the first time in over a year when Star Baby peaked at # 39 b/w Musicione on RCA Victor 0217 and then, a few months later, Clap For The Wolfman - which included a few bits of dialogue by legendary DJ Wolfman Jack - hit # 6on RCA Victor 0324 b/w Road Food. Their final hit single then came late that year when Dancin' Fool finished at # 28 b/w Seems Like I Can't Live With You, But I Can't Live Without You on RCA Victor 10075.
The band disbanded in 1975. Much of this is detailed in the 5 pages of liner notes written by Michael Hill, although there is no proper discography of the contents (which is why I gave that extra information in this review).
With the exception of those two minor hits, this is how a "greatest hits" compilations needs to be done.
BRILLIANT ALL THE WAY This is the best greatest hit's collection so far from the guess who , these songs are pure classics you can't beat'em , A+++++++++++ , highly recommended.
The Guess Who, I guess This album enlightened me as to the magnitude of success that the Guess Who enjoyed. I only knew them for 'American Woman' and 'Those Eyes' before I bought this cd. There's a lot more here for anyone that is a fan of 60's music and anyone that listens to Classic Rock will find a lot more hits that they might not have been aware of before. Being only a casual fan of 'The Guess Who' I cannot attest to the completeness of this collection, but I was pleasatly surprised to find that about 70% of the songs are excellent. The remastering is a tremendous improvement to the sound. The only negative comment I would offer is that to someone that is not a huge fan of this era of music, this collection might sound dated, but still, anyone that likes blues-based rock will like the music on this cd very much.
Great first half The first 8 songs are fantastic, number 9 is OK, then it's way downhill fast. I don't think I'd heard most of these last songs before, and now I know why.
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