GREATEST HITS WEEK (JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2015)
One morning around the turn of the century, I woke up with the song Giving It Up For Your Love in my head and ordered this CD with hopes of more songs like it. And, when it gets funky and bluesy, I enjoy the road house tunes. However, when McClinton leans more to the country side of things, I lose interest quickly. As a result, while some tracks have been ripped to my iTunes, this is only the second time the entire disc has been played. I'm only a casual fan (if that), so I'll have to go with Allmusic when they write
Hip-O's The Ultimate Collection comes very close to fulfilling the promise of its title. Over the course of 18 tracks, the compilation traces the evolution of Delbert McClinton's career, concentrating on his recordings for ABC, Capricorn, Capitol, and Rising Tide, while hitting almost all of the major highlights. True, there may be a personal favorite or two missing for hardcore fans, but there is no better introduction to this acclaimed Texas musician than this.Decent retrospective liner notes. Below, I've marked my favorites with a ✔ and tracks I skip with a ✘.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart
Tracks: 18 tracks, 61 minutes.
| Title | Year | Pop | |
| Giving It Up For Your Love | 1980 | 8 | ✔ |
| B-Movie Boxcar Blues | 1978 | ✔ | |
| Love Rustler | 1977 | ||
| Two More Bottles of Wine | 1975 | ✘ | |
| Victim of Life's Circumstances | 1975 | ✘ | |
| Honky Tonkin' (I Guess I Done Me Some) | 1975 | ||
| Special Love Song | 1976 | ✘ | |
| I'm Dyin' As Fast As I Can | 1976 | ✔ | |
| Lipstick, Powder & Paint | 1976 | ||
| Under Suspicion | 1977 | ||
| Take It Easy | 1978 | ||
| The Jealous Kind | 1980 | ||
| Shot From The Saddle | 1979 | ✔ | |
| Ain't What You Eat But How You Chew It | 1978 | ||
| Plain Old Makin' Love | 1979 | ||
| Sandy Beaches | 1981 | ||
| Heartbreak Radio | 1981 | ||
| You Were Never Mine | 1997 | ✘ |
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: The aforementioned Giving It Up For Your Love was a huge regional hit in the Houston area and I loved the funky groove every time it played on KILT-AM. The only other tune I was familiar with prior to purchasing this disc was B-Movie Boxcar Blues because the Blues Brothers had covered it.
Thanks to my Dad, I knew it was Delbert blowing harmonica on Bruce Channel's 1962 hit "Hey Baby" but it came as a surpirse to my father that Delbert was taking lead vocals on "Giving It Up For Your Love" which was also a huge hit on Fort Worth area radio, supporting homestate talent.
ReplyDeleteI like both songs above and feel that maybe our man Delbert deserves further exploration - this album is one of two dozen offered up on Spotify.