Buried Treasure
Erstwhile | The Old South | 01/07/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I was originally introduced to this band in the mid 70's as a member of the RCA (now BMG) record club. I guess I was about 14 years old. During that time their album "You Broke My Heart, So I Busted Your Jaw" was offered as a selection in my preferred genre (Hard Rock of course)...and I simply could not escape the title...I had to have it! I had no idea what to expect, but fortunately it turned out to contain some great songs such as: "Cotton Growing Man", "Old As I Was Born" and "Self Seeking Man". Actually, the music on this album was endearing enough for me to develop an affinity for this band, and as a result I began to dig deeper into their substantial...yet elusive back catalog which contains riches far beyond the splendor of these. Certainly, "You Broke My Heart..." is a solid effort (especially by today's standards). ...Is it is a classic? Not in the same since as "Spooky Two". I would recommend instead "That Was Only Yesterday". Though not as complete as a "Best Of" should be (it has nothing from "Witness" or "The Mirror"), still it contains most of "Spooky Two" (excluding only "I've Got Enough Heartaches") and all the highlights from "It's All About", and "The Last Puff". It also includes (an edited) "Prayer" which is a snippet from "Ceremony" (and probably all you need) and last but not least: "Cotton Growing Man"."
Never disregard history!
Erstwhile | 08/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album was the first I ever heard that combined Heavy Metal with killer Keyboards. Wonderful rhythms. I first listened to this on 8-track in a friends nasty car for 4 hours while I waited for him to finish waiting on tables in 1974. Of course, anyone who's ever heard of Gary Wright will recognise the roots. I'm so glad I ordered this cd. It's still fabulous, maybe even more so than it was then. Especially if you love Bass. Real Bass. This is such good stuff. This album is sooo worth the price!
Robb Allyn"
Album with a Slightly Split Personality
Orange Newt | Bandon, OR USA | 08/26/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I recently read an opinion that the 70's were a time when "music had no boundaries." Sounds nice in the abstract, but I think I would have found this 1973 album more focused and enjoyable if a few lines had been drawn. The original release (the copy I'm listening to doesn't have the bonus track) has six pretty decent blues-rock tunes backed by organ, but the other two songs are piano ballads that could be by a different group entirely--or from a solo album by singer/keyboard player Gary Wright: it's just him and piano on "Times Have Changed" and the same with a backing chorus on "Holy Water." Well--the album's likely worth having just for "Cotton Growing Man" and "This Time Around", but if it's the band's rock side that attracts you, you'll probably want to skip over the piano tracks after the first listen. Also, a few points off because while the musical part of "Moriah" rolls along pretty nicely, its over-six-minute length is padded out by a minute and a half of unneeded and annoying whooshing wind and church bells; and --they give the album that title and don't write a song to go with it? What a letdown!"
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1