One of the better discs in the series
Probably the 3 biggest songs here in terms of recognition will be Melanie's chart-topping novelty "Brand New Key" (most recently featured in the soundtrack to the movie BOOGIE NIGHTS), snappy midtempo strutter "Do You Know What I Mean?" and wedding ballad "Precious and Few".

Beyond those are 5 other delights most of whom may not be familiar to more than 70s pop diehards but are worth the listen. Sweathog turns in a surging rocker with "Hallelujah", a zippy acoustic guitar propels Jonathan Edwards' "Sunshine", and "Joy" is a nice Mooged out version of the classical "Ode to Joy". Most people know Redbone as a one hit wonder for the pleasant "Come and Get Your Love" but didn't know about the spooky swamp-pop "Witch Queen of New Orleans". You'll be glad to find it. Moog plays a key role in 1 other track, the bouncy "Son of my Father". Disco svengali Giorgio Moroder is the artist (as simply "Giorgio") using a Jew's harp sounding tone and phased drums to create one of the catchier "near misses" of 70s pop.


BOTTOM LINE:
Ignore those pooh-poohing this release and listen to the samples. This is a great collection of undersong 70s pop.

Super Hits of the '70's
I bought this because of one song. I'm happy to find it after 30
years!

great memories from 1971-1972
A near-perfect compilation! Because if you turned on your radio during January-March,1972, you would have heard EVERY one of these tunes being played! Everyone must be reminded that with this series of CDs, RHINO must obtain licenses from the copyrighted labels in order to re-release them, and not all labels, or Artists, are willing to participate. (Sorry, no Badfinger, T. Rex, Three Dog Night, Neil Young, Harry Nilsson, Carole King, Carpenters, etc.) So how can you be too critical of these recordings? For those of us that were around in those days, AM radio played the TOP 100, not just the "top 10", "top 30", etc. That is why those somewhat forgotten tunes pop up on this series. But I remember every one of them, because everyone of them was being played on the radio. That includes "Son Of My Father", which caught our attention because it was one of the first pop records which arrangement was totally dominated by the MOOG synthesizer

Another great installment of the Have a Nice Day series
Bridging the years 1971 and 1972, Vol. 7 of Rhino's Have a Nice Day series once again compiles a number of obscure and unheard hits of the 70s. A few misses here, but the hits are better.

The hot: Lee Michaels' "Do You Know What I Mean" almost becomes irritating because of that terrible organ in the background, but his goofy lyrics kept me listening. Before KOTTER, Sweathog was a band that created a cool rock hit with "Hallelujah". This one doesn't get much radio play these days, but it's a pretty cool rocker. It's pure 1971, and that's why Coven's "One Tin Soldier" is so gosh darn good. There's a reason it kept shooting back up the charts every year! That reason was probably BILLY JACK and its constant re-releases by Tom Laughlin, but it's still a great peace anthem. Jonathan Edwards' "Sunshine" was recently in ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF BURGUNDY, and is a great folk rock tune in the tradition of Richie Havens. Bullet's "White Lies, Blue Eyes" is simply awesome!! It sounds like something that Journey or Styx would have done in the late 70s, early 80s, but as it hit in 1972, it's that much cooler. Redbone's "Witch Queen of New Orleans" isn't as good as their later "Come and Get Your Love", but it's got some great creepy vocals. Pre-dating the disco craze, Apollo 100's "Joy" epitomizes the 70s. When else could you create a dance hit with Beethoven's "Ode to Joy"? Walter Murphy would attempt the same, with more succesful results, with "A Fifth of Beethoven" in 1975, but in '72, "Joy" was the ultimate. "Softly Whispering I Love You" is a real trip! Opening with a boys choir and erupting into a Richard Harris sound-a-like singing wretchedly pining lyrics, one has to wonder if the producers of this record were intending a tongue-in-cheek spoof of this brand of music. Add electric guitar and a rock beat to this, and you've got an incredible relic no one would dare play on oldies stations today. Giorgio's "Son of My Father" has progressive-sounding keyboards (Giorgio, aka Giorgio Moroder, would perfect this sound by the disco era), and not much else, but is a fun listen. Sounds nothing like 1972, except maybe for the phasing.

The not so hot: Poor Melanie. "Brand New Key" is kinda cute, but despite hitting #1, it was more harmful to her career than anything else. Listen to her album LAY DOWN, with an incredible mix of songs and consistenly strong vocals, and then listen to this bubblegum sexual innuendo monstrosity. There is no real comparison. It's cute but not essential. Today's Soft Rock stations play Beverly Bremmer's "Don't Say You Don't Remember" a lot these days, but it's practically the dictionary definition of lame. It sounds more like Donny Osmond like its main inspiration, The Carpenters, and that's a whole different level of cheesiness. Why all the love for Climax's "Precious and Few"? An over-produced piece of fluff sounding like The Partridge Family meets The Brooklyn Bridge, but with none of the kitsch value. It was probably a great make-out hit then, but it doesn't hold up today.

In summary, a very good selection of early 70s hits well worth picking up!

Some Weak Spots, But Some Gems, Too
You have to keep reminding yourself that the function of Rhino's Have a Nice Day series is not to present the biggest hits of the decade. If it were, you'd have to include songs like "Maggie May," "American Pie" and "Family Affair," all No. 1 hits in 1971-72 (the period covered by vol. 7). Instead, what Rhino offers is some of the more obscure songs along with a few recognizable hits to give the listener a more accurate picture of the decade.

Admittedly, they sometimes go to the extreme. For example, "Son of My Father" didn't even dent the Top 40. [Who the heck is Giorgio?!!] But it's nice to have Lee Michael's classic "Do You Know What I Mean." And what teenage boy didn't have a crush on Melanie? Her childlike vocals on the million-seller "Brand New Key" still gives me a rush. [Note: This is the only No. 1 song on vol. 7.] In addition it's nice to hear Redbone's earlier hit "Witch Queen of New Orleans." [See? They weren't a one-hit wonder!] Although more than half of these artists hit the Top 40 only once: Sweathog's "Hallelujah" and Coven's "One Tin Soldier" among them. But like I said, all this does is give the listener a broader perspective of the musical tastes (good and bad) of the Seventies. If you were a teenager during this period, many of this songs will bring back fond memories. Enjoy in moderation.