Audio CD review:
Chris Farlowe - Rock 'n' Roll Soldier: Anthology 1970-2004

Chris Farlowe - Rock 'n' Roll Soldier: Anthology 1970-2004

Band: Chris Farlowe Title: Rock 'n' Roll Soldier: Anthology 1970-2004 Rating: Release Date: 2004-04-26 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Where Do We Go From Here 2: Black Sheep 3: Mama Rosa 4: After Midnight 5: Mandy 6: Only Women Bleed 7: Thrill Has Gone 8: Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City 9: One Night Stand 10: Born Again 11: Never Too Old To Rock 12: Rock N Roll Soldier 13: On The Beach 14: Some Mothers Son 15: Chris's Shuffle 16: Stormy Monday 17: Giving It Up For Your Love 18: Bewitched (Rogers/Hart) 19: As Time Goes By 20: These Foolish Things 21: Language Of The Heart 22: Handbags & Gladrags 23: All Or Nothing 24: Miss You Fever 25: Tough On Me, Tough On You 26: Glory Bound 27: Trouble (Ahlers/Dillon) 28: Let's Get Together 29: Ain't No Big Deal 30: Don't Wanna Sing The Blues No More 31: Lonesome Road 32: My Foundation 33: Out Of Time 34: I'll Leave The Light On 35: Man Of The World 36: One Night Stand 37: Looking For Love In A Stranger 38: Stand By Me 39: Tired Of Being Alone 40: Tin Soldier (Previously Unreleased) 41: Crazy Mama (Previously Unreleased) 42: Remind Me (Previously Unreleased) 43: Feel The Power Of Love 44: Circles Round The Sun 45: Medicated Goo 46: We Can Work It Out

Only one * to get your attention S. Be aware that this particular U. release of 'Rock 'n' Roll Soldier: Anthology 1970-2004 is a stripped down version of the far more elaborate 2004 Import which goes by the same name (also avail on Amazon). The superior 2004 Import has 3 cd's worth of music. . . 46 tracks, compared to the 16 trks on this single disk. And I would venture a guess that this 2006 truncated version culled the liner notes as well. The tracks here have been "selected" from that 2004 Import. Why the U. S. release has an identical cover photo and title beats me. It is misleading. For a few more dollars why not get the real deal in the format it was meant to be? THAT release is a labour of love. "Rock N Soul" Soldier is more like it. Known primarily outside the USA, Chris Farlowe(CF) has cut several albums for himself over the years, as well as vocal work for numerous musicians in all kinds of styles. Chris Farlowe is one of those great 'voices' which came out of the music scene during the 1960's, from London, and to this day still performs. Though primarily an R&B stylist in the same vein as early Eric Burden (Animals), he has taken on such venues as vocalist for Colosseum (jazzy progressive art rock)and Atomic Rooster (heavy rock) . What we have here is an excellent overview of significant work that he's done from 1970-2004. Nobody can belt out the tunes like CF, the only other artist somewhat comparable for sheer power is Tom Jones (whom I also think is great), but CF remains unique in his presentation and music choices. Among the tunes he covers here along with original stuff is music by Traffic,Al Green,Beatles,Rolling Stones,Peter Green,Faces,Alice Cooper,JJ Cale,Ray Davies,BB King,Barry Manilow,Charlie Byrd, and Paul Revere and the Raiders (to name a few). The big difference between say CF and Tom Jones is that CF is grounded in R&B/Rock/Soul, whereas Tom Jones has more Pop and Entertainment sensibilities. Also,with CF there is almost equal importance on the music itself, rather than being only voice-driven. A solid but not hefty collection, 3cd's, each with a little over 66 min, for a total time of @ 3hrs 18min,including a sizeable amount of live material. Not bad at all. As an excellent compliment to whats here I recommend Chris Farlowe,the Immediate Anthology (2cd), which collects ALL of his recordings while with Immediate Records (considered his heyday), cica 1966-1969. Together you'll have a fine representation of one of the most underrated vocalists of all time. Recommended! . A true rock 'n' roll general For my money, his "Out of Time" is one of a handful of timelessly classic rock 'n' roll cuts from the sixties. Chris Farlowe is a (British) national treasure. Give it a listen through headphones if you haven't heard it in a while (or ever) -- a terrific blend of voice, London fatback soul sax (who knew there was such a thing?) and a Spector-like wall of sound. In the years since, Farlowe has had his downs and ups, but for the last decade he has been back with an artistic bang, giving exciting shows in tiny venues -- do yourself a favor, check him out if you're ever in Europe -- and producing one great blues-tinged album after another. It's a crying shame that he has to function out of the limelight as a cottage industry, because his recorded output since the early nineties deserves to be the envy of Ray, Nina, Aretha, Joe Cocker and even Clapton. How the guy manages such great song selection and production values on a shoestring budget is a mystery. "Rock 'n' Soldier" covers all the Chris Farlowe bases admirably. If it's too expensive for you, beg, borrow or steal a copy of the now hard-to-get "Waiting in the Wings. " . For Time Travellers. There's rock from the seventies and romantic songs from the nineties. The first two discs contain tracks selected from Chris' solo albums from the last three decades. Spicy hot stuff like "Miss You Fever" contrasts with the icy cold "Ain't No Big Deal". The third disc contains some live recordings and some previously unreleased tracks such as Peter Green's "Man of the World", and every Chris Farlowe fan will love to hear him sing this song. You can see a complete list of all Chris Farlowe discography, or go back to the Chris Farlowe tabs