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3614 Jackson Highway

Cher - 3614 Jackson Highway Audio CD

A fair review of the Cher "3614 Jackson Highway" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Cher reviews here, or go back to the Cher tabs.

Band: Cher
Title: 3614 Jackson Highway
Rating:

Release Date: 2009-06-23
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: For What It's Worth 2: (Just Enough To Keep Me) Hangin' On 3: (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay 4: Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You 5: I Threw It All Away 6: I Walk On Guilded Splinters 7: Lay, Baby, Lay 8: Please Don't Tell Me 9: Cry Like A Baby 10: Do Right Woman, Do Right Man 11: Save The Children

An undeservedly neglected gem... but know what you're getting
While the absence of the 12 bonus tracks from the Handmade version is a tremendous loss, what remains is still an outstanding album. Let me first state that the disc is NOT the Rhino Handmade version with the 23 tracks listed above, but is, instead, the Rhino Encore European re-release of just the original 11-track album.

"3614 Jackson Highway" is perhaps the album that most clearly shows the extent of Cher's true talent as a pop singer with an R&B tinge to her voice and interpretations. Comparisons with Dusty Springfield are spot-on. Each of the songs is sung in a straight-forward, appropriately instrumented and produced manner. It is interesting to imagine how Cher's career would have turned out if she had stayed on the trajectory established by this album, rather than going into the kitschy story songs, the campy sketch comedy of the her (and her and Sonny's) tv variety shows, the disco phase and her ultimate near-beatification as a gay icon. Instead, she would likely have been a highly respected singer, though not a tremendously popular one.

In any event, 3614 Jackson Highway is a necessity for any fan of Cher's or of soulful 60's pop/rock.

(Now if we could only get Rhino to release her other (albeit entirely different) neglected masterpiece, "Stars. ").

An unknown classic
Having been a real Cher fan for years, I was quite intrigued by this album - which basically came and went in 1969. I just bought this collection after hearing very little about it before. As many people (and the liner notes) have mentioned, this was the label's attempt to give Cher a "Dusty in Memphis" classic set. But just as that album was underappreciated for years, so too has 3614 Jackson Highway.

Let me say that some of the recordings sound a bit raw compared to the polished Cher singing we are all used to today. But how refreshing these young and passionate performances are! There are many covers (For What it's Worth, Lay Baby Lay, Yours Until Tomorrow, etc. ) but most of the tracks - especially I Threw it all Away, Please Don't Tell Me, You've Made me so very Happy - show a fire and simplicity missing from some of her later work.

If you love this era and Cher's voice, you must pick up a copy (you can find this as a used CD for a bit less than the high sticker price). While none of these recordings became hit singles, they definitely hold up well today and help show another facet to a truly amazing superstar.

Cher: 3614 Jackson Highway (1969)
We all know that Cher has made herself a star, when she and Sonny were a recording duo, as well as the stars of their television career. Cher, as we all know, has been one of the most talented and successful female artists of our time and before that. During that time, Cher had a solo career on the side. She has released the albums, ALL I REALLY WANT TO DO (1965), THE SONNY SIDE OF CHER (1966), CHER (1966), BACKSTAGE (1967), & WITH LOVE, CHER (1968). In 1969, Cher had released her fifth album entitled, 3614 JACKSON HIGHWAY. Now, this album really isn't what I had hoped for. Cher's music from the 60s was not all too great, but don't forget that Cher was still concentrating on her career with Sonny, so this album deserves more credit than people give it.

FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH
Not bad.

(JUST TO KEEP ME) HANGIN' ON
I usually love songs, where half of the title is enclosed in paranthesis, where the first half or the second half. This song turned out to be just great.

(SITTIN' ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY
Great song.

TONIGHT, I'LL BE STAYING HERE WITH YOU
Not bad, but good enough for the enjoyment.

I THREW IT ALL WAY
This is what most of do during or after a bad relationship. So, if you're in a bad relationship, or you have just got out of one, this is the song for you.

I WALK ON GUILDED SPLINTERS
Ouch! I'm never getting these splinters out of my feet. Just kidding. Great song.

LAY BABY LAY
Something every dating or married couple would like to do.

PLEASE DON'T TELL ME
Great song.

CRY LIKE A BABY
Men will not cry like babies when we lose our girlfriends, since we our smart enough to find more. Great song.

DO RIGHT WOMAN, DO RIGHT MAN
Not bad.

I gave this album a chance and I do not regret that I did because the album is pretty good, but it is not totally great. But if you would like to check this album out, then go right ahead.

One of Cher's Absolute Best
I would just like to add how powerful Cher's vocals are in this recording. A MUSIC FAN from Shefield Alabama was totally on the mark with his (or her) review. This is one of the few albums where Cher's voice is ABOVE the music and as a result is an instrument in and of itself. (As it is in her album with Gregg Allman: "Allman And Woman" and the UK release of "It's A Man's World". ) The fact that this bomb of a release is so majestic still today is 'living proof' of Cher's true talent: an incredibly gifted, soulful and expressive singer. Her cover of "Superstar" is what Leon Russell was writing - not the sappy cover Karen Carpenter turned in a few years later (beautiful - but not the real expression of a groupie which is what the song is about). The extra unreleased tracks are so dynamite you have to wonder what is not released from Cher's incredibly long and varied vocal career. 3614 via Rhino is better today then it was in '69. If you have any interest in this woman's singing this is a must.

Outstanding re-release shows grittier vocals by Cher
This re-release showcases Cher's earlier less refined talent and does so in fine fashion. Before pop creators had their way with Cher and transformed her into the pop diva she is today, she was a hard-singing vocalist with an emotional edge to her voice that was genuine. Her selections on this album provide the listener with an array of eclectic material, some hits and some misses. Cher's "Mama Look Sharp," a revolutionary war anthem from the musical "1776" is first-rate. Even her take on Superstar, which was a hit for the Carpenters, takes on a new glow. The CD boasts 22 tracks and superb liner notes that offer insight into this unique recording. Nearly half of the tracks on this CD were never released.

You can see a complete list of all Cher discography, or go back to the Cher tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.