Search - Joan Armatrading :: Love & Affection: Classics 1975-1983

+5... One of the best cult favorites of the 1970s

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 04/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At last! The all-encompassing Joan Armatrading retrospective I've been hoping for ever since I made my first Armatrading best-of tape, back in the early '80s. One of the exemplary voices of the genre-bending eclecticism of the 1970s, Great Britain's Armatrading fused rock, funk, pop, folk, reggae and blues, all bound together by her inviting, expressive vocals, and emotional/confessional songwriting style. This 2-CD set spans the breadth of her stint with A&M Records, from her awkward, jazz-inflected second album, through her late-'70s glory years, and into her faltering stabs at mainstream musicmaking as the New Wave era pushed the '70s sounds aside. This collection does a first-rate job capturing Armatrading at her best, particularly the first disc, which picks all the right tunes from all her best albums. The second CD is devoted to her '80s work, and lingers, perhaps, a bit too long on 1980's "Me Myself And I" (I prefer the frothier delights of the subsequent album from 1981, "Walk Under Ladders," a synth-heavy guilty pleasure, featuring keyboards by Thomas Dolby, and slick, poppy production by Steve Lillywhite, which only rates about half as many songs on this collection...) But, oh! those early years! Her self-titled 1976 album is a masterpiece, as was the follow-up in '77, "Show Some Emotion," each a mix of tender acoustic balladry and tough, vigorous rock riffs. These albums brought Armatrading into the pantheon of '70s singer-songwriter greats, alongside Cat Stevens, Elton John, Bill Withers and Joni Mitchell, artists whose strength as composers, emotional range and stylistic diversity keep their work as fresh today as when the songs were first recorded, all those years ago. This is definitely the best collection around for anyone who wants to check this groundbreaking gal out... HIGHLY recommended."

A great collection of Joan's early work.

Roy Brian Thomas | Potown USA | 05/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This double CD package is a great collection of Joan's work with selections from "Back to the Night" up through "Track Record".The first CD is especially wonderful. Lots of early gems included here. Its great to have tunes from "Back to the Night" and "To the Limit" as these CDs are out of print and almost impossible to find these days. The 2 live recordings from "Steppin Out" on CD 1 (Mama Mercy and Steppin Out) are a real treat...they sound incredibly fresh and Joan plays an amazing guitar solo on "Steppin Out" and it makes you hope that the "Steppin Out" album will be released on CD as well.CD2 starts out with the 4 tunes from the "How Cruel" CD - this is the only Joan collection where you find all of these songs included. The rest of the CD is a fun collection of tunes from "Me, Myself I" through "The Key" and the 2 original tunes from "Track Record". For those looking for a great collection of Joan's early work, this is the one to get. The only thing missing - any tunes from her first CD "Whatevers for Us"."

Many lows but lots of compensatory highs

martin | Baton Rouge, LA United States | 06/19/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know how I got into JA's music. I think I read a review of a concert she gave in Dallas back in 1995, and in the body of the review the writer listed some of Joan's song titles, and the titles, themselves, intrigued me. I went out and bought her then new CD, The Shouting Stage, and thought it was really horrible. Fast forward to last year when I somewhat capriciously decided to pick up her one disc greatest hits CD. I instantly fell in love with how unique some of the songs such as Cool Blue Stole My Heart, Heaven, and Love and Affection were. This 2 CD set has a lot of songs devoid of any hooks or brilliant lyrics (Simon, How Cruel, Temptation) but it has a lot of great songs that are exclusive to this CD. The track "I Must Be Going" is the most brilliant track I have ever heard and only available on CD format here...."