Greatest Hits by Blood, Sweat & Tears (Vinyl record album review)

Record basics

Album name: Greatest Hits

Group name: Blood, Sweat & Tears

Year: 1972

Number of discs: one

Label: Columbia Records

Collection: Selman

Buy it on Amazon: $23.42

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I listened to Blood, Sweat & Tears (their 1968 debut record) a while ago and hated it.

What I expected

The other Blood, Sweat & Tears record was “brash,” so I assume this one will be similar, but I hope I’ll like it better.

What it was actually like

I strongly disliked this, but it was not as bad as their earlier record. The most “brash” songs were Go Down Gamblin’, Lisa, Listen To Me, Lucretia Mac Evil, Spinning Wheel (which I still recognized) and God Bless the Child – the latter with a Latin dance sound.

I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know had great guitar, but was still boring, and the saxophone killed it for me.

Hi-De-Ho was offensively bad and Sometimes In Winter was also terrible – with flute!

You’ve Made Me So Very Happy was a Temptations cover, and I’m not a fan of the original, but it was better than this version. Neither was terrible, though.

I Can’t Quit Her also wasn’t bad, and sounded a bit like a late era Beatles knockoff.

And When I Die was one of several from this compilation that was on their first record, but I hadn’t realized until now that it was a Laura Nyro song from The First Songs. Her version was way superior, and this was too Oompa-Loompa for my taste, but I did think the harmonica was good.

Grade

2/5: bad, but I was able to listen to the whole thing