Search - Stephen Bishop :: The Best of Stephen Bishop - 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection

Ken D. (kend) from MENTOR, OH
Reviewed on 11/10/2009...

I bought this CD because I wanted 2 of the songs that were on it. I really didn't care for the rest of the songs.

Terrific place to start with Stephen Bishop

Dave | United States | 09/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Stephen Bishop compilation is a great entry in the "20th Century Masters" series. If you're not that familiar with Bish, it's a great place to start because pretty much every track here ranks among his very best work--there isn't a weak track anywhere to be found on this CD. In addition, the remastering is truly superb--some of the songs seem to be taken from different masters than the ones used for the "On And On--The Hits Of Stephen Bishop" (also an excellent collection). The version of "Save It For A Rainy Day" here is the "Careless" album version opposed to the version that tends to show up on Bish comps (presumably the single version). However, I'm stumped as to what makes this version of "Looking For The Right One" an "alternate mix". All but the last 2 tracks on here are from the '70s, which is not at all a bad thing, because in the late '80s & '90s his music was often plagued with dull, generic sappiness, as well as some atrocious production values (particularly on "Bowling In Paris", his worst album). The one '90s tune that is included is a terrific acoustic guitar & vocal version of "Separate Lives" that lets the beauty of the song shine brightly (it blows away the Phil Collins-Marilyn Martin hit version). Also a blessing is the inclusion of the sumptuous "Tootsie" theme "It Might Be You" (the one song here Bish didn't write). Tracks like "On And On", "Never Letting Go", "Madge", & "One More Night" are all terrific examples of his impressively tuneful & resonating acoustic guitar-based soft rock. "Save It For A Rainy Day", though woefully marred by Chaka Khan's characteristically obnoxious "trying-to-steal-the-show" vocals on the fade, is otherwise a great pop song. There's also the lighthearted, enjoyable "Animal House"; the ultra-catchy uptempo tune "Everybody Needs Love"; the affecting orchestrated ballad "Looking For The Right One"; & the breezy, Italian-flavored, & wonderfully melodic "Little Italy". Bishop's terrific vocals are flexible & full of feeling. Certainly this isn't even close to the last word on Bishop--for starters, there isn't a single track from Bish's best album, 1980's "Red Cab To Manhattan"; there are a pile of other great songs missing as well. Still, with all the disc's positives, including its careful avoidance of any of his weaker material, there's certainly enough here to win you over & make you a Bish fan."

Odd choices but you can't argue with the music

A. Butterfield | UK | 03/05/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

".
This CD is mostly tracks from Bish's first two albums, plus a couple of themes from movies.Nothing wrong with that I guess. You can't argue with the quality of the music. Many of us grew up on those first two albums and hold them in great affection. They are, justifiably, classics.The theme from Animal House is hardly recognizable as Bish, and really just a novelty on here, while the theme from "Tootsie" fits in nicely, even if Bish didn't write it himself.Trouble is, this collection offers nothing new, so perhaps you'd be better sticking with the original albums while they're still available, or grabbing Bish's excellent new stuff from his website."