Farther on Down the Road - Joe Simon, Davis, Jesse Ed [Gu
Yours Love - Joe Simon, Howard, Harlan
Your Time to Cry - Joe Simon, Gerald, Raeford
Help Me Make It Through the Night - Joe Simon, Kristofferson, Kris
You're the One for Me - Joe Simon, Simon, Joe [1]
Drowning in the Sea of Love - Joe Simon, Gamble, Kenneth
Pool of Bad Luck - Joe Simon, Gamble, Kenneth
Power of Love - Joe Simon, Gamble, Kenneth
Trouble in My Home - Joe Simon, Gerald, Raeford
Step by Step - Joe Simon, Gerald, Raeford
Theme from Cleopatra Jones - Joe Simon, Simon, Joe [1]
River - Joe Simon, McDaniels, Gene
Carry Me - Joe Simon, Miller, Julie
Get Down, Get Down (Get on the Floor) - Joe Simon, Gerald, Raeford
Music in My Bones - Joe Simon, Gerald, Raeford
I Need You, You Need Me - Joe Simon, Gerald, Raeford
Joe Simon's best-of boasts a stack of hits that far outclasses its silly title. This largely uncelebrated baritone's career was artistically shaky at first, thanks to the hokey 1966 "Teenager's Prayer," but soon the Louisi... more »ana native was applying his rich baritone to classic midtempo ballads such as Nashville writer Harlan Howard's "Chokin' Kind" and the Gamble-Huff "Drowning in the Sea of Love." That cross of down-home and uptown sensibilities carried Simon through most of the '70s--and his own soundtrack single, "Theme from Cleopatra Jones"--before the chart action finally dried up. Simon's best tracks were as dramatic as anything the early '70s had to offer, with "Drowning" at the top of the stack. Pushing against the backing singers, the sheets of jazzy guitar licks, and the subtly driving orchestration, he conveys the sense of a man in love, in trouble, and not sure how to separate the two. There's uptempo, funkier stuff in Simon's bag, too; he even invokes the double bump in "Get Down, Get Down (Get on the Floor)." Though that disco nugget was ultimately his biggest pop breakthrough, it's the worried stuff that makes Music in My Bones such a strong testament. --Rickey Wright« less
Joe Simon's best-of boasts a stack of hits that far outclasses its silly title. This largely uncelebrated baritone's career was artistically shaky at first, thanks to the hokey 1966 "Teenager's Prayer," but soon the Louisiana native was applying his rich baritone to classic midtempo ballads such as Nashville writer Harlan Howard's "Chokin' Kind" and the Gamble-Huff "Drowning in the Sea of Love." That cross of down-home and uptown sensibilities carried Simon through most of the '70s--and his own soundtrack single, "Theme from Cleopatra Jones"--before the chart action finally dried up. Simon's best tracks were as dramatic as anything the early '70s had to offer, with "Drowning" at the top of the stack. Pushing against the backing singers, the sheets of jazzy guitar licks, and the subtly driving orchestration, he conveys the sense of a man in love, in trouble, and not sure how to separate the two. There's uptempo, funkier stuff in Simon's bag, too; he even invokes the double bump in "Get Down, Get Down (Get on the Floor)." Though that disco nugget was ultimately his biggest pop breakthrough, it's the worried stuff that makes Music in My Bones such a strong testament. --Rickey Wright
CD Reviews
(Joe) Simon Says
R. Mix | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 06/06/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Never a star on the order of Al Green or Marvin Gaye, Joe Simon was nevertheless a regular presence on r&b charts during the seventies, and even made the occasional dent in pop ones.
Possessing a dry alto much like the Chairmen of the Board's General Johnson, he hit with "The Chokin' Kind", "Drowning In the Sea Of Love", the theme from 'Cleopatra Jones' and the disco-era "Get Down Get Down (Get On The Floor)".
'Music In My Bones' is arranged chronologically, so it's easy to trace the evolution of Simon's career. And like Aretha before she arrived at Atlantic, it's obvious from the first nine tracks that Simon struggled to find the right setting for his voice.
But all that changed when he switched labels in the early-seventies. Beginning with "Drowning", 'Music In My Bones' becomes a river of righteous, rumbling funk. Beyond the hits listed earlier, "Pool of Bad Luck", "Trouble in My Home", "Carry Me" and the kinetic "Step By Step" reveal a Joe Simon I never knew existed.
While three stars may not seem very impressive, the second half of this disc easily rates four and-a-half. For anyone interested in seventies r&b, this is a treat. And done with Rhino's usual excellence, it becomes a must-have.
Simon says buy!
"
Greatest
B. Thomas | TN - USA | 04/20/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This cd is filled with Joe Simon's greatest hits. I love them all and so does my husband....Really, really great songs on this cd....
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1