Search - The Guess Who, James Taylor, Norman Greenbaum :: Have A Nice Decade: The '70s Pop Culture Box

Much to love (and loath) from the frivolous decade

Gary Gardner | Ellsworth, ME United States | 03/30/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Well, Rhino Records did it again....big time. Not merely content with releasing the 20+ volume "Have a Nice Day: Super Hits of the '70s" series throughout the Nineties, the quirky label has given us a total overview to add as a huge exclamation point with the boxed set. To break down such a monumental set is not easy, so it behooves me to be as brief as possible. First, let's examine the set's finer points: (1) The secondary title, "The '70s Pop Culture Box," should give the potential buyer some insight into what this collection is all about: a celebration, but also a sobering, view into what the '70s was all about. There are numerous soundbites spread throughout the discs to not only give a historical significance to the decade, but also are placed in front of certain songs to act as apt lead-ins. For instance, before Ray Stevens' "The Streak," a newscast story about the streaker who invaded the Oscar ceremony of 1974 introduces the novelty song. (2) For the hard-core collector, there are a lot of tracks simply not to be found anywhere else. Whether from the Motown era, novelty department, funk, soul, disco, or just plain schlock, one can find just about anything of interest. (3) The 89-page booklet (complete with a picture of a tacky, pine-green shag carpet with the ubiquitous smiley faces dotting the surface) contains a great article by Lisa Sutton on what the Seventies were all about. Each song features some excellent background on each song, helping to shed some light on the more obscure artists represented. Now, for the lowlights: (1) The tracks available are the 45 versions, not the full length. The three live tracks that begin Disc Seven ("Do You Feel Like We Do," "Free Bird" and "Ridin' the Storm Out") are expurgated; this was a source of irritation for me, as the full scope of these songs are rendered useless. Some songs (like "Ride Captain Ride" and "Signs") have the endings literally chopped off, even though the under-four-minute rule of 45 length is unaffected. VERY disappointing, as Hacksaw Reynolds would say. Some have the lousiest edits I've ever heard; ELO's "Evil Woman" and Jefferson Airplane's "Miracles" are just absolutely butchered. (2) There are just so many flatulent songs here that are best left forgotten. A radio station in Boston once attacked a rival in an ad because the other station had a Sunday night program called "Lost 45's," hosted by Barry Scott. The ad summed up my point here by saying, "Those 45's aren't lost; somebody HID them."
Please, how many of you out there really want to hear Morris Albert's "Feelings," Helen Reddy's "I am Woman," Wayne Newton's "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast," or Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" ever again? Still, the good outweighs the bad. For those who don't mind the editing, or really just liked the sound of AM radio anyway, you'll find so much to enjoy. Most artists who were representative of the period are not here, but as the booklet states, you probably have those songs on other collections. Agreed, but there were certainly tracks included that could have been just as judiciously left off (allowing, perhaps, more room on the discs for the full-length versions).

Keep in mind, too, that some other songs of value have been left off the boxed set, but may be found on the aforementioned "Have a Nice Day" series. Before spending too much on this boxed set, finding a few individual songs on collections like "Nice Day" makes better sense; besides, the price is reasonable for the individual volumes. Should you be willing to shell out the bucks for this extravaganza, you might find that the booklet, with a number of awesome pictures, illustrations, and beaucoup liner notes, will justify much of the expense.Caution: This product may cause repeated flashbacks for listeners over the age of 40."

Decent Overview for Casual 70's Fans

prymel | Anaheim, CA USA | 12/08/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

""Have A Nice Decade" is a solid sampler for folks who are looking to recall some of their 70's music heydays. Virtually all of the selections are the radio edits, but the shorter song lengths won't bother the target audience for this collection. The little news blurbs in between some of the songs are an OK touch. Overall, a fun collection for casual fans. More comprehensive collectors will want to dig more deeply for full-length tracks and broader selection from many of the artists (although there are a number of one-hit wonders here that are likely exempt from that search).However, I'm docking this box 2 stars for the travesty that is Disc 7. What was Rhino thinking by including the radio edits of "Do You Feel Like We Do", "Free Bird (live)", and "Ridin' The Storm Out (live)"? In the cases of the first two songs, while these were ubiquitous 70's tracks, they were absolutely definitive in their unabridged album form, and very few people who enjoy these songs could possibly want to hear the radio edits. Why not save some CD space for addtional songs by including "Show Me The Way" and "Sweet Home Alabama", songs from these artists that were much more popular on Top 40 radio anyway, and wouldn't need abridgement. As for the REO Speedwagon tune, it is also cut significantly, but, even more important, when it comes to Top 40 radio hits, REO Speedwagon just doesn't belong on a 70's collection (80's - absolutely). This is not to knock their 70's output, just saying that from a Top 40 perspective, the 70's weren't their era. Thus, nearly 16 minutes of Disc 7 are wasted needlessly."