Country rock greats deserved a much better package
Written: Mar 28 '05
Product Rating:
Pros: Two Lane Highway, Amie, Vince Gill vocals
Cons: Ignores PPl's best work. Poor representation of PPL legacy.
The Bottom Line: Worth hearing young Vince Gill,Two lane Highway and Amie, seek out PPl's earlier work, their best, this CD has 10 songs from PPL's last 2 Cd's.Bad portrayal of great group.
cowboytom's Full Review: Best of Pure Prairie League by Pure Prairie League
Fans unfamiliar with PPL must get very confused and with good reason, considering there are several CD’s out that supposedly represent the band’s best work. We have the GREATEST HITS, BEST OF PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE, AMIE: ENCORE COLLECTION, AMIE AND OTHER HITS, and two imports , PPL MASTERS and ANTHOLOGY. The fact is, due to various legalities , record label changes and a complete lack of effort on the part of RCA there is no CD on the market which truly represents PPL’s legacy, one which spans over a decade and includes 10 releases (including 1987 MEMENTOS). To accomplish that, a packaged set would be needed. Bands far less successful than PPL have them. Instead we get a variety of CD’s thrown together with little thought as to the music which fans bought, paid to see in concert and filled the airwaves, the music which made PPL a headline act nationwide for ten years while others of the genre struggled or faded away completely.
From 1974 through the early 80’s , PPL performed over 200 shows a year , not once during that time period was there ever a stretch where the band had trouble getting headline bookings: They were popular, whatever lineup they featured. They maintained a headline status throughout this period, a rarity in country rock. The band was far from obscure once their 1975 LP TWO LANE HIGHWAY went gold. From that point until the early 80’s, they were very much a presence in the music world, which is why we are here today writing and reading reviews about them. The same cannot be said, for example, of The New Riders , Poco , The Flying Burrito Bros., The Nitty Gritty Dirt band, and many others, all whom had extended periods, years in fact, where there was little demand for their music or were no longer a headline act. .PPL outsold them all. In fact, Poco, The New Riders were among acts who opened for PPL. People today tend to think of popularity in relation to the Eagles, but they were the extremely rare exception . The fact is a country rock band in the 70’s who could continually headline nationwide, year after year, maintain enough fan support to warrant recording contracts on a yearly basis , and do it for over a decade , was quite an accomplishment. PPL did just that and more, charting every LP released , a few gold records, as well as charting numerous singles on rock and country charts. The same cannot be said for the vast majority of country rock acts. Logic tells you there must have been some very good music during that time period to accomplish that feat , you don‘t sell out venues for a decade without some superb music. Unfortunately you would never know it if you relied strictly on the products referred to as their best , and without question that certainly includes this CD.
Pure Prairie League was at the top of the country rock class in the 70’s into the 80’s. Only the Eagles, who abandoned country rock in late 㣯 were obviously bigger than PPL in terms of country rock. And certainly their music wasn’t better, what was better was their “Hollywood “ LA connections, including promotions. PPL was very much a huge name in country rock , especially after breaking out in 1975 with the classic LP TWO LANE HIGHWAY, the bands highest charting LP. The LP actually brought BUSTIN‘ OUT off the RCA shelves and into the top 30 , almost three years after it‘s release. With it came AMIE, which was also propelled into the top 30 singles charts. Amazing. That‘s how good the TLH LP was. This CD has only 1 song from it ! The CD was hailed by ROLLING STONE as a classic of the genre, “a worthy companion to the BYRD’S SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO and other gems of the genre”. Again, only one song from it , their highest charting LP, their first gold record, on this supposedly Best collection. Does that make sense to anyone ? Of course not.
While PPL thrived , other big names in country rock suffered both in attendance and dwindling tour schedules from 75 into the 80‘s. PPL experienced the exact opposite. That‘s a statement of fact , not merely an opinion. Various PPL LP’s received high praise in ROLLING STONE, CIRCUS, BILLBOARD, VARIETY, and PEOPLE magazines and many other publications during these years. They were also mentioned in a book “ The 500 Greatest Bands Of All Time” as country rock pioneers. Several LP’s were highlighted. That’s very far from obscurity. Not many can claim the type of success PPL had consistently from 㥓 through 㥚. Certainly the bands I mentioned above cannot. And the music which accomplished all that for PPL for the most part is not here.
PPL sold it’s music through it’s constant touring. Their shows were always up tempo, a fine blend of bluegrass, country and country rock. Their trademark was their hot licks between guitars and pedal steel with some excellent keyboards. There basically is none of that here, a shame. What we have instead is the exact opposite of the so called GREATEST HITS CD ( not much more than the first two LP’s thrown together).
Of the first two tracks certainly AMIE is considered as PPL’s greatest. It needs no intro, a classic over 30 years later. It’s amazing to think if not for the success of the TWO LANE HIGHWAY personnel 3 years after it’s release, the song would have remained unknown. FALLING IN AND OUT OF LOVE is a fine Fuller song but is only on here due to AMIE, not on it’s own merit. Fuller has many others , however that should be here. What really shows you how ill conceived this project was is the fact that they put the song AFTER AMIE, when it’s a natural segue the other way around. Apparently everyone knows that except the people behind this project.. That should be enough to tell you what type of effort was made or how knowledgeable they are about PPL ! TWO LANE HIGHWAY was the title cut from the LP which, in effect, resurrected PPL in 1975. It received huge FM airplay and it exemplified what PPL was all about --superb vocals, tight harmonies, scorching pedal steel , terrific keyboards, and some driving country rock guitar work. It‘s pure country rock as opposed to some of the more pop oriented music featured here. It belongs in any country rock collection, it’s a winner. THAT‘LL BE THE DAY is a very good cover but as far as being on a best of collection ? Well, let‘s just say that for a group that had some incredible songwriters in it , fantastic musicians, it does not belong, not close, especially if you limit it to 14 tunes !.
What we are left with is the last two CD’s PPL released thrown together ! Tracks 5-14 feature 5 songs from FIRIN’ UP , tracks 5,6,7,10,nd 13. and 5 from SOMETHING IN THE NIGHT , tracks 8,9,11,12 and 14. Of these songs, the standouts are their top ten hit LET ME LOVE YOU TONIGHT , an easy going song with superb vocals by a young Vince Gill.; I’M ALMOST READY a more rock oriented tune, featuring some fine up tempo guitar ; I’LL BE DAMNED , a bluegrass tune more in the tradition of PPL, featuring some excellent guitar work by Gill. Of the remaining tracks the best is STILL RIGHT HERE IN MY HEART an easy going tune, very nice melody, again sung superbly by Gill.. The songs TELL ME ONE MORE TIME , YOU‘RE MINE TONIGHT, I CAN’T STOP THIS FEELING and JANNY LOU are four slow to mid tempo songs which basically showcase Gill’s vocals but certainly do not showcase PPL’s musical abilities.. Gill, as we know, has an incredible voice. The CD is too much on the mellow side which at this point, if you didn’t know PPL well, you would think that’s what they were all about, and that would be a huge mistake.They are nice songs but most have no business on a best of collection. The same with DON’T KEEP ME HANGING ( pure pop, probably the song which least exemplifies PPL). Putting this on a “ best of ” collection is absolutely absurd ! A truly horrid selection for a “best of ‘ PPL CD. This selection alone tells you what a poor effort was made. In some way, it’s almost as if they went out of their way to find the tunes that LEAST portrayed them as a top country rock group. Several songs here never even made their set lists in all their years of touring. That’s very odd if you have a true “ best of ” LP isn’t it ? They could just as easily , if they were looking for Gill tunes, choose from GOING AWAY , MISERY TRAIN, WHITE LINE, TOO MANY HEARTACHES IN PARADISE, or LIFETIME OF NIGHT TIME , all excellent upbeat country rock tunes, which showcase both Gill’s terrific guitar work as well as his vocals far more than these tunes selected do. And they also were much more representative of the PPL sound , not too mention fan favorites at PPL concerts.
So , what’s missing ?
How about Craig Fuller ? Only two songs from a guy considered to be one of the top singer/songwriter’s of the 70’s and 80’s. His work on BUSTIN” OUT has been hailed by some critics as the masterpiece of the country rock genre. He was a co-founder, along with George Powell and John Call, and an early country rock pioneer. TEARS, YOU’RE BETWEEN ME, EARLY MORNING RISER, BOULDER SKIES, just to mention a few , easily should replace some of these.
How about George Powell ? Incredibly, this co-founder, the guy who wrote and sang many of their top tunes from the 1st LP right the 7th LP DOES NOT HAVE ONE SONG ! A best of collection without a Powell tune ? Ridiculous. Songs he wrote or sang like COUNTRY SONG, RUNNER, LUCILLE CRAWFIELD, DANCE, HEART OF HER OWN, CAME THROUGH , PICKIN’ TO BEAT THE DEVIL and many others were perennial fan favorites and played at almost every show. When Fuller left Powell stepped into the spotlight as a major singer/songwriter. PPL fans know this; critics know this. To not include one song from him is further evidence that this CD in no way represents PPL’s best , that no thought was given. It’s really pathetic.
Much more can be stated as to what’s wrong : Larry Goshorn’s SUN SHONE LIGHTLY, ALL THE LONESOME COWBOYS, HARVEST, LOVE IS FALLING and several others are nowhere to be found here. These songs and others were staples at every PPL show for about 7 years ! John Call was the best pedal steel man on the country rock scene, his steel was a huge factor in PPL’s success from day 1, in fact, this co-founder of the band created a sound that exemplified what PPL was all about as much as any of the singer/songwriters in the band. His steel appears on two songs. Absolutely disgraceful when you consider the raves he received in Rolling Stone, Billboard, Variety and just about every critic who ever heard him.
Where are the driving up beat tunes that made people paid to see ? DARK COLORS, AREN’T YOU MINE, KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN , FLAT TIRE MERLE. are yet a few more examples , in addition to all those I just mentioned , of what PPL was doing all those years, it‘s what put PPL in the national spotlight and kept them there ! They were country ROCKERS, in every sense of the term, a rousing lively band.. You wouldn’t know it from this CD .This CD would have you believe PPL was an easy listening , mellow type band , and that is far from the case, it’s a very inaccurate picture painted here. They created a unique blend of bluegrass, country, and rock and molded it into an upbeat driving sound . They still put across some beautiful laid back tunes, but that style certainly didn‘t define them , not by a long shot. The exact opposite was the case. A PPL trademark throughout the years was the terrific “twin leads” of Call’s steel and the lead guitarist, Goshorn. They took an approach like no other country rock band and were very successful with it, as Call was truly incredible. You won’t find that here though.
When you only include 4 songs from a bands top three selling LP’s ( BUSTIN’ OUT, TWO LANE HIGHWAY, IF THE SHOE FITS, ) and one of those songs is a cover song (THAT’LL BE THE DAY ) and another is more known as a lead in as opposed to a great song in it’s own right ( FALLING IN AND OUT OF LOVE) , I think even the most casual fan can see something is wrong with the presentation.. This CD cannot remotely be looked upon as PPL’s finest work, or a true picture of a very successful band. Sadly, it isn’t even close. Some wonderful music but nowhere near PPL’s best, not a chance. PPL and it’s fans deserved a far better package than the sloppy , non-effort thrown at us here.
Like I said at the outset, there is no true “best of’ on the market. Make your own like I did. This band was, at the very least, deserving of a multiple set CD set for their greatest hits. The music on this CD is very enjoyable, it does have some very good things to offer. Certainly listening to a young Vince Gill is pure pleasure. Many of you will certainly find it very pleasing to the ear. In fact, some bands would be quite happy to have this music as their best. I’ll rate it highly simply for that reason and also because any CD with AMIE, TWO LANE HIGHWAY and I”LL BE DAMNED is a good one. But it doesn’t cut it as a best of for PPL , nowhere near it. And it’s very far from a decent representation of the music which made PPL a major force on the national music scene for so many years. Look into other PPL items, do not buy this with the notion that you are getting something which encompasses the bands’ best years or music. If you do that , you really will miss out on the best of PPL.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.