What A Disappointment - Reviewed on 2007-09-20
3 customers found this review helpful, 2 did not.
When the initial CD release of this original 1971 vinyl album first came out in 1989, the novelty of the new format made up for the fact that there were a meagre 11 tracks with neither liner notes nor discography. Furthermore, even the vinyl LP had been stretching things a bit by including Bus Rider and Do You Miss Me Darlin' which were technically not among their "best" since both were uncharted B-sides - the first b/o Share The Land [# 10 Billboard Pop Hot 100 in late 1970] and the second b/o Hang On To Your Life [a minor # 43 in early 1971].
It wasn't too long, however, before the major players like RCA/BMG, etc. were confronted by overseas distributors such as Ace of London, Jasmine, and Bear Family, not to mention North American top-notch North American outfits like Eric Records, Rhino, Varese-Sarabande, Collector's Choice, and Collectables, which not only provided upwards of 30 tracks with each release, but also copious background notes and discographies of the contents.
So what does RCA do? They re-release this with .... gasp ... all of three additional tracks: Albert Flasher [# 29 in June 1971 and its flipside, Broken, which a;so charted at a low # 55] and Rain Dance [# 19 in September 1971. And still nothing in the way of substantial liner notes. As if a major operation like that could not have gone to 21 tracks and included Shakin' All Over, their first hit which reached # 22 in June 1965 before they changed their name from Chad Allen & The Expressions (yes, I know, that was released by Scepter, but I'm sure arrangements could have been made). At the very least they should have provided for Clap For The Wolfman which, at # 6 in August 1974, was their third-best hit ever (in a tie with These Eyes).
I agree with some of the other reviewers that these cheap releases by the majors are no longer acceptable.