No, these are NOT the greatest hits of the 1970s. But this 8 CD box set was a tremendous value (I bought it for $5!). There’s a lot of marginal music here, but there are lots of wonderful songs, too. I remember many of the One-Hit-Wonders like Golden Earring’s “Radar Love.” But many of these songs must have been hits in Europe because I had no recollection of the songs or the groups–have you heard of Atomic Rooster? Do you see any songs here from the Seventies that you’re fond of? GRADE: B
TRACK LIST
Disc 1
1. It’s A Heartache /Bonnie Tyler
2. Back Home /Golden Earring
3. Ready To Go /Generation X
4. No More Heroes /The Stranglers
5. Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t ‘Ve?) /Buzzcocks
6. My Sharona /The Knack
7. Tomorrow Night /Atomic Rooster
8. Showdown /E.L.O.
9. Hello Suzie /The Move
10. Up Against The Wall /Tom Robinson Band
11. Man From Manhattan /Eddie Howell
12. Silver Lady /David Soul
13. Baby Jump /Mungo Jerry
14. On My Radio /The Selecter
15. Message To Rudy /The Specials featuring Rico
16. (You’ve Gotta Walk) Don’t Look Back /Peter Tosh
17. Second Time Around /Shalamar
18. Bimbo Jet / El Bimbo
Disc 2
19. Spanish Stroll /Mink DeVille
20. Dyna-Mite /Mud
21. Magic /Pilot
22. Dancing On A Saturday Night /Barry Blue
23. You To Me Are Everything /Real Thing
24. And The Beat Goes On /The Whispers
25. Rapper’s Delight /Sugarhill Gang
26. Whodunit /Tavares
27. Grease Lightnin’ /John Travolta
28. Roll Over Beethoven /E.L.O.
29. Kung Fu Fighting /Carl Douglas
30. Dreams Are Ten A Penny /Kincade
31. Freedom Come, Freedom Go /Fortunes
32. Donna /10CC
33. Sugar Candy Kisses /Mac & Katie Kissoon
34. Beach Baby /First Class
35. Brother Louie . /Hot Chocolate
36. Be Good To Yourself /Frankie Miller
Disc 3
37. Child In Time /Deep Purple
38. Dance With The Devil /Cozy Powell
39. Long Cool Woman In Black Dress /The Hollies
40. Radar Love /Golden Earring
41. Silver Machine /Hawkwind
42. Milk And Alcohol /Dr. Feelgood
43. Motor Bikin’ /Chris Spedding
44. 2-4-6-8 Motorway /Tom Robinson Band
45. Rubber Bullets /10CC
46. Nutbush City Limits /Ike & Tina Turner
47. Your Generation /Generation X
48. Isn’t It Time /The Babies
49. Peaches /The Stranglers
50. Sylvia /Focus
51. This Perfect Day /The Saints
52. Cotton Fields /The Beach Boys
53. Here Comes The Sun /Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
54. He’s Gonna Step On You Again /John Kongos
Disc 4
55. Air That I Breathe /The Hollies
56. Don’t Throw It All Away /Gary Benson
57. When You Are In Love With A Beautiful Woman /Dr. Hook
58. Please Don’t Go /KC & The Sunshine Band
59. Loving You /Minnie Riperton
60. Tired Of Toein’ The Line /Rocky Burnette
61. Dancing In The City /Marshall Hain
62. Norma Jean Wants To Be A Movie Star /Cunningham
63. If You Can’t Give Me Love /Suzi Quatro
64. Hot Child In The City /Nick Gilder
65. Wall Street Shuffle /10CC
66. Popcorn /Hot Butter
67. Una Paloma Blanca /George Baker Selection
68. Lay Your Love On Me /Racey
69. Mexico /Les Humphries Singers
70. Darlin’ /Frankie Miller
71. If I Had Words /Scott Fitzgerald & Yvonne Kesley
72. Don’t Let It Die /Hurricane Smith
Disc 5
73. Hocus Pocus /Focus
74. Tears Of A Clown /The Beat
75. Something Better Change /The Stranglers
76. Little Girl /The Banned
77. Valley Of The Dolls /Generation X
78. Straw Dogs /Stiff Little Fingers
79. Judy Teen /Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
80. Tell Me Your Plans /The Shirts
81. 7 Teen /The Regents
82. Homicide /999
83. Brontosaurus /The Move
84. Don’t Take No For An Answer /Tom Robinson Band
85. Walk In The Park /Nick Straker Band
86. I Go To Pieces /Cotton, Lloyd & Christian
87. Don’t Give Up On Us /David Soul
88. Girls /Moments & Whatnauts
89. Boogie On Top /Rokotto
90. Ain’t Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman) /Joe Tex
Disc 6
91. Tiger Feet /Mud
92. Day That Curly Billy Shot Crazy Sam Mcgee /The Hollies
93. Proud Mary /Ike & Tina Turner
94. One Last Kiss /J. Geils Band
95. Money In My Pocket /Dennis Brown
96. O.K. Fred /Errol Dunkley
97. Midnight Rider /Paul Davidson
98. Cocaine /Dillinger
99. Sideshow /Barry Biggs
100. Gangsters /Special A.K.A.
101. Bad Bad Leroy Brown /Jim Croce
102. There’s A Lot Whole Loving /Guys & Dolls
103. Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel /Tavares
104. Emma /Hot Chocolate
105. Can You Feel The Force /Real Thing
106. American Pie /Don McLean
107. Sad Sweet Dreamer /Sweet Sensaton
108. Be Thankful For What You’ve Got /William De Vaughn
Disc 7
109. Wild Places /Duncan Browne
110. Make Me Smile /Cockney Rebel
111. Lost In France /Bonnie Tyler
112. Alright, Alright, Alright /Mungo Jerry
113. Touch Too Much /Arrows
114. Indian Reservation /Don Fardon
115. Man Who Sold The World /Lulu & David Bowe
116. Streets Of London /Ralph McTell
117. Give Up Your Guns /The Buoys
118. Piece Of The Action /The Babys
119. Rich Kids /Rich Kids
120. Knock On Wood /Amil Steward
121. Where Is The Love /Delegaton
122. Shame, Shame, Shame /Shirley & Company
123. Gonna Make You An Offer You Can’t Refuse /Jimmy Helms
124. Shannon /Henry Gross
125. Memories /Memories
126. Time In A Bottle /Jim Croce
Disc 8
127. More Than A Woman /Tavares
128. That’s The Way I Like It /KC & The Sunshine Band
129. So You Win Again /Hot Chocolate
130. Swing Your Daddy /Jim Gilstrap
131. Rock Your Baby /George McCrae
132. Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu) /Al Martino
133. Calendar Song /Trinidad Oil Company
134. Can’t Get By Without You /Real Thing
135. Uptown Festival /Shalamar
136. You’re My Everything /Lee Garrett
137. Don’t Do It Baby /Mac & Katie Kissoon
138. Misty Blue /Dorothy Moore
139. Nice And Slow /Jesse Green
140. Boogie Oogie Oogie /A Taste of Honey
141. Gonna Get Along Without You Now /Viola Willis
142. Get Off /Foxy
143. I Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet /Gonzales
144. Movin’ /Brass Constructon
Atomic Rooster was a British band. Some good stuff here Stranglers, Buzzcocks, The Move, Mink Deville but way too much crap and a good number I have never heard of esp on the last cd. I would say this was a British production due to the inclusion of such bands as 999, The Move and Stiff Little Fingers. Who needs John Travolta, David Soul, Lee Garrett. Saw The Shirts open for Ian Hunter/Mick Ronson. The lead singer Annie Golden had a major role in the movie version of Hair.
Steve, as you say there’s a lot of dreck on these discs, but there’s a lot of Good Stuff, too. For $5 this set was worth it!
Their 70s were not my 70s.
Jerry, I have to admit, I hadn’t heard over a dozen of these songs before I played these CDs.
What a bizarre selection of songs… just all over the map. My initial responses as I read contents:
VOLARE was not a hit in the 1970s!
Pilot (“Magic”) played at my high school Homecoming Dance, circa 1973.
My two favorite songs here are the Buzzcocks’ EVER FALLEN IN LOVE (Fine Young Cannibals also did a good version) and ELO’s SHOWDOWN.
I would have traded RADAR LOVE for Golden Earring’s more obscure, but imho infinitely better, TWILIGHT ZONE.
David Soul was every bit as good a singer as he was an actor.
Deb, I forgot all about David Soul’s hits from the 1970s. I’m impressed that Pilot played your high school Homecoming Dance in 1973!
George, what was it really like listening to music way back then? I keep hearing references to things I never heard of, like “8-Track” “Cassette” and something about playing music on “Radio.”
Dan, the music was better even though the devices we heard them on are now considered “antiques.”
Deb is wrong about “Radar Love.” It’s a great song and definitely should have been included. Even with the dreck, $5 is a bargain price for this collection.
Bill, just the line from “RADAR LOVE” about “Brenda Lee’s comin’ on strong” is worth the price of admission!
8 CDs for $5? How can you go wrong?
A few comments:
Jackie likes Ami Stewart’s version of “Knock on Wood.” Of course, the Eddie Floyd original is the key one.
Henry Gross was the youngest person (at 18) on stage at Woodstock, as the lead singer of Sha Na Na. “Shannon” was inspired by the death of a dog, apparently Dennis Wilson’s Irish setter, according to Wikipedia.
David Soul? Yuck.
The problem is, you need to get through a lot of dross to get to the few gems.
Jeff, there are a lot of surprises on these CDs. Like Ami Stewart!
For Deb – It’s Magic!.
I “for sure” knew about 16 of these songs. I had never heard of the Beach Boys song, and I thought I’d heard all of them. I remember loving Knock on Wood by Eddie Floyd and Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson, so not sure of the ones listed here
My favorites from these is probably Heart ache, Long Cool Woman and Proud Mary
Maggie, this set is a mixed-bag of music. But, the price was right!
In the early ’70s I was listening to a fair amount of country for a couple of years, but by the middle of the decade had switched to oldies on WCBS-FM, which still played the ’50s stuff back then. They had Don K. Reed’s Do Wop Shop on Sunday nights, as well as the great Norm N. Nite, who seemed to know every song ever written.
As Bill would say, I miss the old days.
And you kids, get off my lawn!
Jeff, most of what I remember about the 1970s is Disco!
I remember The Ramones, The Clash, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Television, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, Blondie, Tom Petty. Disco was not much on my radar.
Steve, the local radio stations in the 1970s played a lot of Disco: The Bee Gees, Donna Summer, KC & The Sunshine Band, Chic, Earth, Wind & Fire, etc.
Scrolling through the track list, I recognized just a dozen songs. Some, like the ELO, quite good, but that less than half of the dozen. I would have saved my $5 for something else.
Rick, as you know, I’m into volume.
What a crazy compilation!
I know just about one song per CD – of course Nutbush City Limits /Ike & Tina Turner and Cotton Fields by the Beach Boys. Most of the artists/groups are total unknowns to me as a European, though I listened to a lot of music while driving in those days.
And I did more than 10 000km every year all around Germany for business and almost another 10 000 with our little Volkswagen van on holidays to Spain, Italy Greece etc …
Wolf, many of these “hits” were NOT hits in the U.S. This compilation might be British or European.
All this for only $5.00? You got burned!
I think 1975 was the year I stopped listening to new stuff.
Bob, I think Disco started around 1975!
George-I didn’t listen much to top 40 stations . I preferred listening (when I could find one) to college stations or alternative formats.
Loved this version of Tears of a Clown by the Beat(The English Beat in the U.S. as there already a band names that in the USA). A band I saw several times-once opening for U2.
Cotton Fields by the Beach Boys? Probably their worst recording ever.
Steve, I preferred “alternative” radio stations, too. We’re on the Canadian border so I listen to a lot of CBC stations. But the pop stations played a lot of Disco back in the Seventies.
But have you ever heard the Beach Boys do “Johnny Carson,” Steve? I kid you not. A new low.
Jeff, the Beach Boys are coming to Western NY to play a concert next month. No, I did not buy tickets!
Without Brian they are not the real Beach Boys.
Steve, I agree. Brian Wilson was heart of the Beach Boys.