Various Artists - Greatest Hits of the 70s, Volume One (2001)

Read the fine print: "All selections are new studio recordings performed by the original artists or one or more members of the original group." Ha! Joke's on me! Of the ten songs on this CD, only three are original recordings. I've marked them below with an asterisk. This is volume one; I don't own subsequent volumes.

Tracks:

• The Night Chicago Died - Paper Lace
  The lyrics - totally fictional, the music - totally lame. Now I can't listen to this song without thinking of Jack Black singing it in the movie High Fidelity. "The night Laura's daddy died. Sha na na na na na na na na! Brother what a night it really was. Mother what a night it really... angina's tough! Glory be!"
• Sooner or Later - Grass Roots
  Wasn't that great in 1971; 40 years hasn't improved it.
• One Toke Over The Line - Brewer & Shipley
  I never was a fan of folk rock. I wonder what this song is about?
• If You Don't Know Me By Now - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
  I love soul music and, in my mind, the songwriting team of Gamble & Huff can do no wrong, but Simply Red's 1989 cover pretty much ruined this song for me. The tempo on this remake is dreadfully slow.
• Midnight At The Oasis - Maria Muldaur
  Ignore the stupid lyrics; I love this song. When I finally get around to recording my covers album (tentatively titled Songs In The Key Of Mark), this song will be on it. Maybe I'll throw in a flugelhorn solo for good measure.
• Help Me Make It Through The Night* - Sammi Smith
  Country? I'll pass.
• Get Dancin'* - Disco Tex & The Sexolettes
  I remember the song, but had not known who performed it. That group name is awesome and I will steal it and use it for my personal amusement at some point in the future. The song is typical disco, which I always like because it's easy to listen to.
• My Maria - B.W. Stevenson
  I don't remember this song. Either that or I have blocked it out of my memory.
• Don't Pull Your Love - Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
  Even though I generally stay away from country, this country-rock song brings back good memories of growing up in the Chihuahuan Desert.
• Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian)* - Paul Revere & Mark Lindsay (Formerly of Paul Revere & The Raiders)
  While lyrics tell the sad story about the Trail of Tears, the music is hokey.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I bought this CD for $1 before I made a trip back to Odessa in March, 2008. I went to do some research on the school where I attended grades 1-6. I've always thought it easier to write about my elementary school years while listening to music from that time period, so that's why I bought this CD. I found out yesterday that my article written about that '08 trip will be published later this year (yes, that's how slow the academic publishing world operates), so I thought it was a good time to get out some '70s music.