Audio CD review:
Roger Daltrey - Moonlighting: The Anthology

Roger Daltrey - Moonlighting: The Anthology

Band: Roger Daltrey Title: Moonlighting: The Anthology Rating: Release Date: 2005-02-07 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: One Man Band - Roger Daltrey, Sayer 2: The Way of the World - Roger Daltrey, Courtney 3: Thinking - Roger Daltrey, Courtney 4: There Is Love - Roger Daltrey, Courtney 5: Giving It All Away - Roger Daltrey, Courtney 6: (Come And) Get Your Love - Roger Daltrey, Ballard 7: The World Over - Roger Daltrey, Korda 8: Proud - Roger Daltrey, Ballard 9: Dear John - Roger Daltrey, Courtney 10: Avenging Annie - Roger Daltrey, Pratt 11: One of the Boys - Roger Daltrey, Gibbons, Steve 12: Martyrs and Madmen - Roger Daltrey, Swindells 13: Say It Ain't So, Joe - Roger Daltrey, Head 14: Bitter and Twisted - Roger Daltrey, Swindells 15: Free Me - Roger Daltrey, Ballard 16: Without Your Love - Roger Daltrey, Nicholls 17: Waiting for a Friend - Roger Daltrey, Nicholls 18: Parting Would Be Painless - Roger Daltrey, Hain 19: After the Fire - Roger Daltrey, Townshend 20: Under a Raging Moon - Roger Daltrey, Downes 21: Behind Blues Eyes - Roger Daltrey, Townshend 22: Won't Get Fooled Again - Roger Daltrey, Townshend 23: Quicksilver Lightning - Roger Daltrey, Moroder 24: Lover's Storm - Roger Daltrey, Usher 25: Mack the Knife - Roger Daltrey, Weill 26: The Pig Must Die - Roger Daltrey, Batt 27: Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me - Roger Daltrey, John 28: Rock and Roll - Roger Daltrey, Page 29: Who's Gonna Walk On Water - Roger Daltrey, MacMahon 30: Love Is - Roger Daltrey, MacMahon 31: Blues Man's Road - Roger Daltrey, MacMahon 32: Baba O'Riley - Roger Daltrey, Townshend 33: Pinball Wizard - Roger Daltrey, Townshend 34: The Real Me - Roger Daltrey, Townshend 35: Child of Mine - Roger Daltrey, MacMahon 36: Born to Run - Roger Daltrey, Springsteen 37: A Second Out - Roger Daltrey, Daltrey

Really, 4.5 Stars Yes, as one reviewer pointed out, there is much horrendous 70s pop in Daltrey's history, but he manages to elevate some of those songs beyond what their writing deserves. I'll keep this relatively brief, because I think Thunderbird's review (from April '05) says what I'd like to say, and says it very well. I give Roger a break, though, because, to be honest, I'm a biased fan and most of the writing is beyond his control. On the other hand, Daltrey has a lot of great songs that just aren't given much attention, such as "After the Fire", "Under a Raging Moon", "Without Your Love", "Let Me Down Easy" and a few others. I rate this collection five stars because it includes all of those, plus some interesting soundtrack and live rarities I'd never heard before. "A Second Out" - released for the first time here - just might be the best song on Moonlighting. If possible, I would have rated this collection 4. 5 stars, because it leaves out two great songs - "Oceans Away" and "Days of Light", the latter being one of the best Friday-night/weekend songs you'll ever hear. Still, it's tough to put together a collection that includes everything for everyone, so I'll give Moonlighting the benefit of the doubt and round it up to five stars. Most of this collection is just plain lamb The cover songs and live Who stuff is good, but the rest is just that cheesy late seventies, eighties garbage with synthesizers and no rock or soul at all to the music. I'm sorry Roger and fans, but after the first 5 tracks on CD1, I can't listen to anything else. My suggestion is if you are a Who fan then just buy Rogers' first solo effort and leave it at that. Moonlighting: The Anthology For the Who he belted out some of rock and rolls greatest anthems, in his solo work proves he can also sing a more subdued melodic song just as well. Roger Daltrey has proved he is one of the best front men in Rock and Roll. Some of these songs are a departure from his work with the Who which I think is a good place to start when contemplating a solo album. I can honestly say there is only one track on the whole album I don't like. I will let you figure out which one it is (hint It is originally sung by the other blonde long haired front man who abs aren't nearly as nice as Rogers) If you are a fan of the Who or Roger Daltrey I highly suggest you pick it up. . A fine body of work from one of rock's great frontmen It also proves that like any good singer, he can shift his voice into anything he bloody well wants. It is true that Roger's solo work will always take a back seat to the Who (same goes for Entwistle's, and much of Townshend's), but this 2-CD collection is a great examination of Daltrey's evolution as a singer, from the Who to his own stuff. The first CD covers his early solo stuff, up to "Under A Raging Moon. " While I didn't care much for the quality of the earliest work, being Leo Sayer and Dave Courtenay's tunes, Daltrey showed he had a softer, more sensitive side that did not get much of a workout in the Who. "Giving It All Away" was a top five hit in the UK in '73, and was a very good song, considering the source. Roger digs a bit more into the rock world with Russ Ballard's "Come And Get Your Love," and stuff like "Avenging Annie. " All good, though I think a few songs are missing. . . his cutting of "You Put Something Better Inside Me" and "Oceans Away" (which you can find on '82's "Best Bits" collection) were both pretty solid tunes, and they really should be here. The author notes a few other B-sides are missing that I'd like to have heard about, especially in the later work. In any case, CD #2 takes from one of the '85 mini-tour shows (I used to have a killer bootleg of that), the "Daltrey Sings Townshend" shows and "Rocks In The Head," Roger's very best solo job (he wrote most of the tunes, and Townshend gave his endorsement to them!). Again, missing is one good song, "Days of Light," from that album. Also liked the performance of "Mack the Knife" from the Threepenny Opera (eat your heart out, Bobby Darin!), and "The Pig Must Die. " Proves Roger can indeed sing anything. Some of the soundtrack work is here, like "Quicksilver Lightning," a song more memorable than the movie, and I must admit I was a bit stunned at the other covers. "Rock and Roll" was handled well by Daltrey for a tennis players' benefit CD, and Jon McEnroe and Pat Cash on guitars (?!?) was interesting. . . though I see why the studio pro's slide guitar washed a lot of their work out! The cover of "Born to Run" was good, even with Daltrey forgetting the first line! "A Second Out" was unreleased til now. . . good song. . . and I'm damn glad Daltrey is exploring his ability as a writer. In any case, this collection is very good and covers the bases well. . . now. . . I am in suspense of Who-2 and just what Pete and Roger are gonna get together in the near future. Moonlighting: Anthology - Roger Daltrey This puts Rhino's compilation (which is out-of-print) to shame. This compilation is quite amazing. The remastered sound quality will blow you away. What thrilled me the most, is the inclusion of the album version of Under a Raging Moon. Without a doubt, Roger Daltey's vocals are mesmerizing; he still the best rock vocalist that I've ever heard. The songs chosen for this compilation are all great rockers and ballads; even Roger's solo versions of The Who material are great. In fact, some of his early solo material, I thought were originally The Who; that's how good they are. Definitely get this, if you're a Who fan or a Classic Rock fan, you won't be disappointed. You can see a complete list of all Roger Daltrey discography, or go back to the Roger Daltrey tabs