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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the 70s best kept secrets., 2 Nov 2001
By A Customer
The 70s music scene was riven with mysteries. Why did "It Never Rains In Southern California" never get Albert Hammond into the chart, despite being on every radio station all the time? Why did the Doobie Brothers never sustain big-time singles chart success, and most mysterious of all why did the Sutherland Brothers never really hit the big time? Listen to this excellent collection, look me in the eyes and tell me it's not a mystery. See, you can't! All the way from their 1968 origins as A New Generation - getting copious airplay for their single "Smokie Blues Away" (based on Dvorak New World Symphony main theme), through the sublime "Dream Kid" in 1971, onwards to the excellent "Ice In The Fire". Then, came "Arms of Mary" and their persistance was rewarded with their only top ten hit - but it never happened for them. "Secrets" (the next one out of the stable, featured here) peaked at 35, and that was that. They tried and tried to make an impression as a straight-down the middle pop/rock singles band: I even remember seeing them do "Ice In The Fire" on children's TV show Crackerjack for heaven sakes! They WERE trying really hard. And yet, Gallagher and Lyle who had a similar sound to the Sutherlands (on their singles at least) charted top ten several times. Yep, it's a mystery all right. This collection features some of the Sutherlands most melodic and commercial work - yet none of the tracks ever made it to the top 30, despite about half of them being put out as singles by CBS (honest, I still have the A label records!). Take a listen, revel in the Slipstream, and wonder at the mystery.
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