Search - Poppy Family :: Good Thing Lost: 1968-73

A happy re-discovery

Harry Gene Neyhart | Sunny Central Florida, USA | 09/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone around in 1969-1970 could hardly escape the sounds of The Poppy Family. They were played everywhere as their hit "Which Way You Goin' Billy?" soared to the top of the charts. A followup hit of "That's where I Went Wrong" didn't do as well, but it got airplay as well. After that, their single releases largely went nowhere here in the US, but those of us who remember them, do so fondly.Buried in my large collection of LPs, it was just recently that I found both of The Poppy Family's albums. They did two: WHICH WAY YOU GOIN'BILLY and POPPY SEEDS. The first is fairly common, while the second one is much more rare. As I spun those LPs, happily re-discovering the treasures they had on them, I found a yearning to seek these tunes out on CD.After research, I found that this collection being offered on Amazon is currently the only CD release of the great music of The Poppy Family. A GOOD THING LOST is a retrospective of the period of time in which Susan and Terry Jacks recorded together as The Poppy Family. This CD collects 10 out of 12 songs from their first album, and 6 out of 12 from their second album. In addition there's a further 5 tracks that the duo recorded -- 3 from what would've been a third album, 1 early recording, and the US single version of "That's Where I Went Wrong". It's quite a bargain and truly provides most of the best tunes these two did. Like the Carpenters who scored most of their hits with Karen singing lead, The Poppy Family did likewise with Susan Jacks' vocals out in front. Susan's vocals are equally as expressive as Karen's, and there are times that the similarity between the two is inescapable. Quite often in this collection, you'll hear overdubs of Susan and Terry doing their own backing vocals, and the great bulk of the composing of the songs was done by Terry himself.For this collection, Terry Jacks went back to the original recordings and expertly remastered each and every song here to bring out the best that modern sound reproduction can offer, and the songs have never sounded better.For whatever reasons, The Poppy Family is largely forgotten about today, and this CD is all that's out there to remember them by. I recommend it highly."

21 Savory Golden Pop Nugget Delicacies

Walter Janaro | Front Royal, VA USA | 07/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is no justice in this world when songs as good as these lie buried beneath a mountain of mediocre music as we listen over and over and over again to the same 300 tunes on "oldies" radio!



I recently took a chance on this CD having only an introductory knowledge of the Poppy Family (the one megahit and the three tiny followup hits). Boy, did I hit the jackpot!



There are two great things about the Poppy Family:



First, that voice! Susan Jacks, I apologize on behalf of all music lovers that we do not speak your name in the same sentence as Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, Carly Simon, Karen Carpenter, etc. when discussing talented women of song.



And second, those arrangements! With almost all of the nuggets clocking in at under three minutes, Terry Jacks brilliantly succeeds at crafting some of the most unusual, haunting, and beautiful melodies that I have heard in years. Yes, you can think about the insightful lyrics but you can also contemplate the music itself and that is a rare thing in popland (the Left Banke comes to mind).



I love all of the tracks on this collection. If I was going to be stranded at sea and could only bring three tracks with me, they would be: "You Took My Moonlight Away", "I Was Wondering", and "I'll See You There" (apparently Terry's favorite song according to the liner notes).



Those savory pop nuggets are just a click away!"

When Joey died, Marie went maaaaad.

KSG | New York, NY United States | 01/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am so glad that I discovered this little known collection from the late 60's - early 70's. Almost every single cut, out of the 21 included, is brilliant. The songs are catchy and sometimes really strange. I could see this appealing to fans of Sousixie and the Banshees as well those of Abba. There is a lot of Indian influence, sitars and tablas. Evil overcoming innocence is a theme that occurs over and over. My favorite cuts are, Shadows on the Wall - a tribute to a child's bedtime thoughts, Beyond the Clouds - where a seed planted in the singers "garden" doesn't grow, There's No Blood in Bone - the song in which Marie goes maaaaaad and Where Evil Grows - "I should have steered clear of you, everytime I look at you evil grows in me". Great riffing guitars, catchy bass lines and cool tom-tom beats will hook you. The lead singer Susan Pesklevits was working the bare mid-riff long before J-Lo. I have played this CD for numerous friends and they all love it."