Search - Various Artists :: Have a Nice Day 9

+ 1/2 stars...Just Enough To Keep Things Interesting

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 02/27/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased volumes 1-23 of Rhino's Have a Nice Day series long before the current plethora of pay per download websites. If I hadn't, I probably would have gone that route where you can cherry pick the songs you want. Regardless, vol. 9 in the series continues the trend of featuring mostly minor artists (one- and two-hit wonders); some that had huge hits ("Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" sold a million copies and went to No. 1) and some that barely lurched into the Top 40 (Cashman & West's "American City Suite" peaked at #27).As I've pointed out in reviews of earlier volumes, Rhino's intent is not to give you the biggest hits of the year (in this case 1972), but to give you a wide range of hits--both major and minor.Two of the biggest hits are the instrumentals "Popcorn" and "Frankenstein," although the later is a truncated 3:28 single version as opposed to the 4:45 album version. Million-sellers included "I'd Love You To Want Me" and "Clair." But what has always set this series apart, is the inclusion of the rarely anthologized songs, like Rick Springfield's first hit, "Speak to the Sky" (almost ten years before his next hit "Jessie's Girl"), Gallery's follow-up hit "I Believe In Music," and Daniel Boone's "Beautiful Sunday."It's difficult to recommend these albums too highly because at twelve songs (ten on the cassette), you don't get much bang for your buck. And let's face it, no one's going to like every song on here. But there's just enough variety and surprises to keep the series interesting."

Not the best, but darn close!

John A. Kuczma | Marietta, GA USA | 07/06/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Volume 9 of the "Have a Nice Day" series is one of those rare discs that provides catchy, memorable tunes from all across the spectrum of 1970s rock/pop. There is something for just about everyone in these 12 tracks.For mainstream rock with a slightly hard edge, Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" takes center stage. Unfortunately, due to the format of the series, this is the commercial release short version, which edits out the excellent solo work in the center of the song. However, that is a very small distraction on an excellent compilation.For MOR pop, there is Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Claire", Looking Glass' classic "Brandy", and two very underated cuts, Daniel Boone's "Beautiful Sunday" and Gallery's "I Believe in Music." For those who prefer ballads, Lobo's "I'd Love You to Want Me" and Canadien crooner Austin Roberts' "Something's Wrong With Me" will fill the bill nicely. Finally, for afficianados of the instrumental, this disc includes Hot Butter's playful "Popcorn" and Gary Glitter's sports fan anthem "Rock 'n ' Roll, Part 2."No matter how you slice it, this volume delivers the whole pie. It is definitely one of the stars of the series. Highly recommended."

Decent CD of 70s Hits

William J. Irvin | 06/28/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First, the bad news--"Frankenstein" by the Edgar Winter Group has been brutally chopped up, deleting most of the solos. And some of the tracks included are hardly hits ("American City Suite" by Cashman & West?). Most of the tracks hold up well, though, and the elusive hit single "Speak to the Sky" by a young Rick Springfield makes the collection particularly attractive. All original versions."