Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Various Artists - fye Selects, Vol. 1: Pop (2001)


A promo CD from the fye chain of entertainment media stores (evidently they're still a thing). My copy reads:
but there are retail stores currently selling them cheap. I enjoy most of the songs here, but as for a cohesive selection and sequencing - wow! What were they thinking?!? See for yourself:

Tracks:
  • What Is Hip? - Tower of Power, 1973 (#91 pop)
    Previously appeared on the blog on the CDs Cleveland Rocks! Music From The Drew Carey Show and Millennium Funk Party. This under-appreciated, hard-driving funk is a great album opener.
  • Baby I'm-A Want You - Bread, 1971 (#3 pop)
    Bread helped create the whole soft-rock genre, so they're okay with me. And what a smooth voice David Gates had.
  • Black Water - The Doobie Brothers, 1974 (#1 pop)
    Previously appeared on the blog on the CD The Very Best Of The Doobie Brothers. A classic from the wind chimes to the a capella breakdown. Will cause most anybody of my generation to sing along.
  • Chain Of Fools - Aretha Franklin, 1967 (#2 pop)
    The freakin' Queen of Soul. Especially fond of what she does with the bridge around 1:21. Woman gots pipes!
  • Giving Him Something He Can Feel - En Vogue, 1992 (#6 pop)
    They've got some nerve putting an Aretha cover immediately following Chain Of Fools. Still, I must admit that the vocal harmonies are tasty on this Curtis Mayfield-penned song. Get rid of that snare drum sound and this is a nice slow jam.
  • In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly, 1968 (#30 pop)
    A great guitar riff, not much more. We're given the 3 minute single edit here, not the 17 minute jam album version.
  • Love Don't Live Here Anymore - Rose Royce, 1978 (#32 pop)
    Great slow jam, great vocals by Gwen Dickey. Love the way the arrangement builds throughout. Just #32? Shame on you, America.
  • Elected - Alice Cooper, 1972 (#26 pop)
    Bridging the gap between the early Stones and early Ramones. Prefer both of those bands to Alice, but this is not his worst effort. In today's culture, Cooper could easily be elected.
  • Ride Like The Wind - Christopher Cross, 1980 (#2 pop)
    Previously appeared on the blog on the CD Christopher Cross, where I appropriately praised it. As many artists discovered, Michael McDonald can improve any song.
  • Someday Soon - Judy Collins, 1969 (#55 pop)
    Before this CD, I was unfamiliar with this Canadian country story-song. Pass.
  • Superfly - Curtis Mayfield, 1973 (#8 pop)
    Previously appeared on the blog on the CD Millennium Funk Party. More Curtis Mayfield? Yes, please. I don't know what I like more - the bass line, the syncopated horn parts, or the guitar scratch. Glad I don't have to choose.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  None

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1 comment:

  1. HERCAugust 25, 2015 at 7:46 PM

    Don't know if anyone else has noticed or commented but I like the new CD graphic in the background.

    If this is Vol. 1, could there be more? There are Folk and Urban Vols. 1 as well baseed on my limited research. Track selections on those are much worse than this Pop one.

    Anyone looking for an easy collection or possible blog post ideas, these sampler discs available at various retailers thoughout the last 25 years, are plentiful and cheap for the most part.

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