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3 Reviews
Ideal for a casual fan; provides more depth than the usual single-CD compilations, as well as some solo material. Not every song is essential, but your mileage may vary. There are a few lesser-known minor gems here. It's almost scary how David Gates wrote nearly all the good stuff; poor James Griffin, Robb Royer et. al. never really got it together, although they did write a hit or three for other acts. Basically, Bread was a vehicle for singer-songwriter Gates, with Griffin and Royer writing acceptable filler and the whole band playing really well, especially after Larry "played the piano on 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' " Knechtel* joined.
Anyway, there's a lot of good-timey, '70's soft-rock vibes here, and Gates is reasonably tasteful (apart from "Baby I'm-A Want You"). "Everything I Own", "If" and "Mother Freedom" are essential; quite a few of the other big hits are nice to have around; and a handful of album cuts like "The Chosen One" and "He's A Good Lad" make this nice to have if you like the softer side of '70s pop.
*surpassed perhaps only by Al "played the organ on 'Like A Rolling Stone' " Kooper in relative fame...
Quality of songs: 6/10
Quality of selection: 9/10
Overall: 7+/10
Anyway, there's a lot of good-timey, '70's soft-rock vibes here, and Gates is reasonably tasteful (apart from "Baby I'm-A Want You"). "Everything I Own", "If" and "Mother Freedom" are essential; quite a few of the other big hits are nice to have around; and a handful of album cuts like "The Chosen One" and "He's A Good Lad" make this nice to have if you like the softer side of '70s pop.
*surpassed perhaps only by Al "played the organ on 'Like A Rolling Stone' " Kooper in relative fame...
Quality of songs: 6/10
Quality of selection: 9/10
Overall: 7+/10
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Known for David Gates' pop ballads, Bread had a string of pop hits in the early to mid '70s. This compilation demonstrates that they were much more than that. The songwriting team of band members James Griffin and Robb Royer added some grit to the sound as well. Many of their tunes remind me of what Poco was doing at the time. The styles blended together quite well but created irreconcilable artistic differences between the writers that ended the band. By the same token, as the CD shows, there were a few cases of role reversal between the singer/songwriters. The liner notes are comprehensive with something on every song except for "Games of Magic" and comments from the band members - including an amusing observation from Larry Knechtel regarding the audience demographics. He recalled seeing "enchanted" women at the concerts and their boyfriends next to them "with their arms folded sort of pissed-off". Those who like strictly soft rock should stick to _..._ while those more adventurous should check this one out.
Published
A must for that 70,s somewhat under-rated band.
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Catalog
14 Feb 2023
19 Aug 2021
14 Oct 2017
22 Aug 2014
7 Jan 2013
4 Aug 2012
8 Apr 2012
7 May 2011
24 Mar 2011
7 Mar 2011
24 Feb 2011
11 Nov 2010
7 May 2009
22 Dec 2008
3 Aug 2008
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