This Review And 205 Others Is Available In My AMAZON E-Book
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FOLK & COUNTRY
And Genres Thereabouts
Your Guide To Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters
For the 1960s and 1970s
All Reviews In-Depth and from the Discs Themselves
(No Cut And Paste Crap)
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"...Comin' Down With Love... "
You might forgive a blind-from-birth North Carolina lad an ego-tripping-out moment in 1975 by issuing an album actually entitled "A Legend In My Time". But although (truth be told) Milsap means little in Rock circles - Robbinsville’s finest actually is a legend in others – namely Country Music.
Ronnie Milsap has clocked up an astonishing 35 No. 1 hits on the US Country Billboard charts and the multi-instrument playing prodigy has also placed as many as 18 of his 28 albums to date. Four are presented here from 1973, 1974 and 1975 when he was signed to RCA Victor, two of which crossed over into the Rock arena. There's a ton of stuff to wade through, so let's sing some overdue praises...
UK released 29 November 2019 - "Where My Heart Is/Pure Love/A Legend In My Time/Night Things" by RONNIE MILSAP on Beat Goes on Records BGOCD 1402 (Barcode 5017261214027) offers Four Albums On Two Discs from 1973, 1974 and 1975 all originally on RCA Victor Records and plays out as follows:
CD1 (56:34 minutes):
1. That Girl Who Waits On Tables [Side 1]
2. I Hate You
3. You're Stronger Than Me
4. Branded Man
5. Where Love Goes When It Dies
6. Brothers, Strangers And Friends [Side 2]
7. (All Together Now) Let's Fall Apart
8. Comin' Down With Love
9. Pass Me By
10. You're Drivin' Me Out Of Your Mind
Tracks 1 to 10 are his second studio album "Where My Heart Is" – released September 1973 in the USA on RCA Victor Records APL1-0338 and January 1974 in the UK on RCA Victor Records APL1-0338. Produced by JACK D. JOHNSON and TOM COLLINS – it peaked at No. 5 on the US Country LP charts (didn't chart UK). Guest Vocalists were The Jordanaires and The Nashville Edition.
11. My Love Is Deep, My Love Is Wide [Side 1]
12. Amazing Love
13. Pure Love
14. Four Walls
15. Streets Of Gold
16. Love The Second Time Around [Side 2]
17. Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends
18. All The Roads (Lead Back To You)
19. Behind Closed Doors
20. Blue Ridge Mountains Turnin' Green
Tracks 11 to 20 are his third studio album "Pure Love" – released April 1974 in the USA on RCA Victor APL1-0500 and June 1974 in the UK on RCA Victor APL1-0500. Produced by JACK D. JOHNSON and TOM COLLINS – it peaked at No. 8 on the US Country LP charts (didn't chart UK). Guest Vocalists were The Jordanaires and The Nashville Edition.
CD2 (59:40 minutes):
1. The Busiest Memory In Town [Side 1]
2. Too Late To Worry, Too Blue To Cry
3. (I'd be) A Legend In My Time
4. The Biggest Lie
5. Cookin' Country
6. She Came Here For The Change [Side 2]
7. I'll Leave This World Loving You
8. I'm Still Not Over You
9. I Honestly Love You
10. Clap Your Hands
Tracks 1 to 10 are his fourth studio album "A Legend In My Time" - released February 1975 in the USA on RCA Victor Records APL1-0846 and April 1975 in the UK on RCA Victor Records LSA 3209. Produced by JACK D. JOHNSON and TOM COLLINS - it peaked at No. 4 on US Country LP charts (peaked No. 138 on the Rock LP charts) - didn't chart UK. Guest Vocals were by The Nashville Edition.
11. (After Sweet Memories) Play Born To Lose Again [Side 1]
12. Who'll Turn Out The Lights (in Your World Tonight)
13. Daydreams About Night Things
14. I'm No Good At Goodbyes
15. Just In Case
16. Remember To Remind Me (I'm Leaving) [Side 2]
17. Borrowed Angel
18. Love Takes A Long Time To Die
19. (Lying Here With) Linda On My Mind
20. I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)
Tracks 11 to 20 are his sixth studio album "Night Things" - released November 1975 in the USA on RCA Victor Records APL1-1223 and March 1976 in the UK on RCA Victor Records LSA 3261. Produced by JACK D. JOHNSON and TOM COLLINS – it peaked at No. 2 on the US Country LP Charts (No. 191 on the Rock LP charts) - didn't chart UK. Guests included Guitarists Chip and Reggie Young, Harmonica by Charlie McCoy and Keyboardist Bobby Wood of The Memphis Boys.
Beats Goes On Records of the UK have been doing Folk, Folk Rock, Country and Country Rock reissues like this for many years now and they have it down to a fine art. The outer card slipcase lends the presentation a classy edge, whilst the 20-page booklet repro's the original LP credits and trumps up new liner notes from veteran writer JOHN O'REGAN that fills out Milsap's entire career and not just the Seventies LPs offered here. He also notes Internet Sources.
Then of course, there's the sheer value for money - four big-charting LPs from his primo period in the 70ts Remastered onto 2CDs by ANDREW THOMPSON (BGO's resident and much experienced Audio Engineer) - all of it sounding pucker and lickety-split. These were RCA Victor albums and so had very high production values in the first place and the Remaster has only brought this out. To the music...
By the time this 2CD set starts (April 1973) - Milsap had already been with Scepter Records since 1963 and Warner Brothers in the early Seventies - an old-hand on the Country scene in other words. RCA issued his first 45 in May 1973 - two sauntering cuts off the "Where My Heart Is" LP - "(All Together Now) Let's Fall Apart" b/w "I Hate You". Songs like "You're Drivin' Me Out Of Your Mind" and "Brothers, Strangers And Friends" are dripping in pedal steel guitar - heartaches, make-ups and kissing all the wrong girls thereafter are grist for the mill here.
Themes of worthiness fill "Amazing Love" with pathos even if the slightly cheesy piano fills threaten to schmaltz things up just a little too much. His prettiness with a melody shows in "Please Don't Tell How The Story Ends" where RM sounds not unlike Charlie Rich's younger brother (he covers "Behind Closed Doors"). More pedal steel, more toasts to her next-in-line broken-heart fill "The Busiest Memory In Town" while the popular ballad "I'll Leave This World Loving You" ratchets up the strings. And on it goes...
For sure there are many (especially in Rock circles) who will feel that much of this is cheesy music that hasn't worn the years well (it is like that in places). But if you're a fan, and you like Country tunes that weep and wail but eventually feel better - then once again England's BGO have done the business by his legacy - great presentation and above all great audio...
