Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The only John Hiatt-compilation worth while, 6 Dec 2002
John Hiatt's thirty-year legacy is too vast for any compilation to fully do him justice, but if you really don't want to buy the albums, this is the only compilation worth your while.
Hiatt plays a mixture of rock, blues, folk and country which sometimes seems to be all and none of the above at the same time, but which is unmistakably American - and unmistakably John Hiatt.If I could give 4½ stars I would, because songs like "You May Already Be A Winner" and "Straight Outta Time" are missing.
But this compilation does have most of his best songs (most of them!), such as the wry "Perfectly Good Guitar", "Buffalo River Home", "Lipstick Sunset", "She Loves The Jerk", and Hiatt's Elvis-tribute "Ridin' With The King" (yes, that is a John Hiatt song).
And until they give us a box set, this double album is the definitive word on one of America's greatest songwriters.
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As perfect a summation of John Hiatt's career through 2001 as one could hope for, 5 Sep 2007
I consider John Hiatt one of the most important American songwriters of the last 30 years.
This 2-CD set includes 40 songs spanning 15 of Hiatt's albums recorded for various record labels (Epic, MCA, Geffen, A&M, Capitol and Vanguard.)
The collection under review highlights Hiatt's brilliant solo career from its beginning in 1974, to more than a decade running through various styles. He went through rock & roll, new wave pop before finally settling on a rootsy fusion of rock & roll, country, blues, and folk with his 1987 album "Bring the Family." This was his first album to reach the charts.
This journey through Hiatt's past meanders through original versions of songs covered by a musical Who's Who: from Rosanne Cash and Bonnie Raitt to Johnny Adams, B.B. King, Eric Clapton and even Dylan himself.
What is most striking is that, in a vast majority of the cases, the originals are the best.
With his edgy, nuanced-filled voice and phrasing, Hiatt articulates his lyrics, rich with humour and personal reflection, better than almost anyone does.
Each disc includes about 78 minutes of music. The 16-page booklet is well made and annotated (although it would have been nice to have a list of the personnel for each track.)
What we have here is the definitive portrait of one of America's most talented, respected, and eclectic songwriters up to 2001.
|
|
|
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent summary and first choice, 15 Nov 2001
By A Customer
I know Hiatt only from 'Have a little faith in me'. This terrific compilation features brilliant remastering, great booklet, 40 best album tracks taken from his entire carreer '73-2000. One of my favorites: "Riding with the King", a tribute song to Elvis.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
See all 22 tracks on this disc
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home