Back in 1990, Time-Life brought out a 2-CD set called Guitar Rock. I can’t discern any real difference between the songs on DISC A and those songs on DISC B. Some artists like Rod Stewart and Eric Clapton show up on both CDs. I’m familiar with all the songs on these CDs. Obviously, Time-Life played it safe and selected songs that reached the top of the BILLBOARD charts and proved to be favorites on Oldies radio stations.
How many of these songs do you remember? Any favorites? GRADE: B (for both)
Guitar Rock Disc A TRACK LIST:
| 1 | The Jimi Hendrix Experience– | Purple Haze |
| 2 | Bad Company (3)– | Feel Like Makin’ Love |
| 3 | T. Rex– | Bang A Gong |
| 4 | Bachman-Turner Overdrive– | You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet |
| 5 | Mott The Hoople– | All The Young Dudes |
| 6 | The Kinks– | You Really Got Me |
| 7 | Elton John– | The Bitch Is Back |
| 8 | The Doobie Brothers– | China Grove |
| 9 | Grand Funk Railroad– | We’re An American Band |
| 10 | Eric Clapton– | I Shot The Sheriff |
| 11 | Foreigner– | Hot Blooded |
| 12 | Rick Derringer– | Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo |
| 13 | Rod Stewart– | Maggie May |
| 14 | Mountain– | Mississippi Queen |
| 15 | Lynyrd Skynyrd– | Sweet Home Alabama |
| 16 | The Bobby Fuller Four– | I Fought The Law |
| 17 | The Allman Brothers Band– | Ramblin’ Man |
| 18 | Peter Frampton– | Show Me The Way |
| 19 | Derek & The Dominos– | Layla |
Guitar Rock Disc B TRACK LIST:
| 1 | The Moody Blues– | I’m Just A Singer | 4:15 |
| 2 | Rod Stewart– | I’m Losing You | 3:41 |
| 3 | Deep Purple– | Smoke On The Water | 3:57 |
| 4 | Eric Clapton– | After Midnight | 2:53 |
| 5 | Golden Earring– | Radar Love | 5:06 |
| 6 | Brownsville Station– | Smokin’ In The Boys’ Room | 2:58 |
| 7 | Alice Cooper– | Eighteen | 2:57 |
| 8 | Joe Cocker– | She Came In Through The Bathroom Window | 2:39 |
| 9 | Stephen Stills– | Love The One You’re With | 3:06 |
| 10 | The Allman Brothers Band– | Whipping Post | 5:21 |
| 11 | The Guess Who– | American Woman | 3:53 |
| 12 | Cream (2)– | Sunshine Of Your Love | 4:12 |
| 13 | Canned Heat– | On The Road Again | 3:25 |
| 14 | Free– | All Right Now | 3:48 |
| 15 | The Yardbirds– | Heart Full Of Soul | 2:28 |
| 16 | Bachman-Turner Overdrive– | Takin’ Care Of Business | 4:53 |
| 17 | Joe Walsh– | Rocky Mountain Way | 5:12 |
| 18 | James Gang– | Funk #49 | 3:55 |
| 19 | Lynyrd Skynyrd– | Free Bird | 4:41 |
Not bad. Certainly if you’d looked at my mid-to-late 1970s collection of LPs & 45s, many of these songs would have been there. But how odd is it, in the midst of all this 70s stuff, to encounter “I Fought the Law”—and not the Clash’s cover version? Seems like a case of, one of these things is not like the others.
Y’know, for some reason I remember hearing Bobby Fuller’s version on Top 40 radio ca. 1975, probably because Sam Neely’s version was a minor hit at the time. Garbage tv documentaries might want (and probably have) to gin up Cursed Song coverage, given how Fuller and Neely died youngish, and Sonny Curt is wrote and recorded it with the Crickets after taking Buddy Holly’s slot in that band. I’m guessing Sony wanted more money for the Clash cover than whoever was renting out Fuller’s.
Deb, I know what you mean. “I Fought the Law” is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets but the Bobby Fuller Top 10 hit from 1966 is the one that showed up on GUITAR ROCK. “Just six months after the song made its first appearance on the Billboard Top 100 chart, Fuller was found dead from asphyxiation in his mother’s car in a parking lot near his Los Angeles apartment. The police declared the death an apparent suicide, but others believe that he was murdered.”
Most of them. Your music collection must rival your books.
Patti, while many hundreds of books have left my basement in 2023, more music CDs have flowed in to replace them. Diane is not happy with the situation.
I like Deep Purple will enough (for “Hush,” though), Cream, the Kinks, Guess Who . . . the James Gang and Bobby Fuller selections have nostalgic value . . . “All Right Now” is one of those annoying ear-worm songs.
Fred, plenty of “ear-worm” songs on both of these CDs!
Yeah, but what does it have to do with Guitar Rock? I mean, “Maggie May” is a good song but guitar? I don’t think anyone listens to it for that. On the first CD, besides that, I like “You Really Got Me” and “Mississippi Queen” – I had the first Mountain album, CLIMBING! and played it a lot in 1970 – and yes, “I Fought the Law.”
I’m on the record with my dislike of “Show Me the Way.”
On the second, I like “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” and “On the Road Again” (love Canned Heat) and “Smokin’ in the Boys Room” and “Rocky Mountain Way,” which Joe Walsh does with the Eagles. in concert
Jeff, you make a good point. Other than these songs are backed up by guitars, there doesn’t seem to be any common theme.
I can agree with Jeff on all of his assessments Except that of Mountain, a band I hate about as much as I do the Guess Who…and both only marginally less than the Bee Gees. Don’t hate the Frampton but it ain’t very good. Cut out also the Moody Blues (this most popular version) and you have a good enough anthology.
BS’s original “Smokin’ in t he Boy’s Room” was the first 45rpm single I bough for myself.
And while some memory is fainter than others in a few cases, I could at least hum just about all of these…
Todd, you always remember your first record buy! Mine was Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited
My first record buy was Ray Charles: What’d I say
I still remember how some people looked at me when I played this …
Back to the CDs:
I know many of them obviously, but not too many I really like.
Wolf, with these CD compilations, it’s always a matter of availability…and price.
I don’t remember which of several was my first record I picked out and was paid for out of parental largess and/or allowance (lawn mowing mostly). Count Basie’s CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, the Beach Boys’ SURFER GIRL on Pickwick, an Audio-Fidelity Mussorgsky/Ravel PICTURES A AN EXHIBITION, and the Brownsville Station 45 (backed w/their cover of “Barefootin'”) all in 1973…”Boy’s Room” was Single #1!
Todd, my sisters bought a lot of 45s (mostly Beatles songs and later, The Monkees) but I was an album guy all the way! My first movie soundtrack purchase was GOLDFINGER! I must have played it a thousand times!
Jackie started younger than the rest of us. Her first record was “Tequila.”
Mine was probably “The Chipmunk Song,” but that was from my parents. The first I remember buying was “Let’s Twist Again” or “Mashed Potato Time.”
Yes, I’m old.
Jeff, my sisters bought just about every Beatles 45 rpm record there was. I wished they’d kept them! Those are worth Big Bucks today!
Wonderful album, Wolf…some people Never Dig.
Brownsvile Station was a local band fronted by Cud Koda. He had an incredible collection of vivyl. I was at his house once. He has since passed away. Odd that the flip side of Smokin was a cover of Barefootin which was also recorded by a loval ban The Rationals.
CD’s are not bad but I am not of fan of The Guess Whgo, Frampton, Bad Company of Foreigner.
An album of guitar rock without Duane Eddy is a fraud! Still, there are a bunch of decent songs on this one!
Bob, I may have to dig out my Duane Eddy CD and feature it on a future Music Thursday!
Some good songs and some forgettable songs here, but I doubt O would have shelled out some cash for this compliation.
Naytheless, you are the king of record compilations, George! I look forward to your eventual review of FLUGELHORN ROCK, VOLUMES ONE-SEVEN!
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Jerry, I’ve had many of these compilation CDs for many years and now I’m just getting around to listening to them! Glad you and some of the commentators on this blog enjoy them! I have hundreds to go!