Joe Simon Greatest Hits
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There is no questioning the deep rich voice that Joe Simon possesses and taken individually most tracks are good if not excellent. Looked at as a whole however I found the compilation rather tedious. Whether this is because Joe Simon lacks versatility or because his choice of material lacks variety I am not sure but in either event it wholly failed to inspire me. This album can be divided into two very distinct sections with the first fifteen tracks being Joe's early seventies 'soul' songs and the last ten representing his divergence into 'Disco'. Many of these tracks are typical bump and grind music which invite people to get out onto the dancefloor. The lyrics to these songs are repetitive and weak and illustrate how soul died during the mid to late seventies. The first section however is unquestionably better. Soul is usually characterised by heart wrenching vocals which pour out the heartaches of lost love. Joe however prefers to sing more upbeat numbers with only 'Your Time To Cry' and 'Trouble In My Home' dealing with the sadness of broken relationships. The other tracks celebrate the joy of romance, and this leads to a lack of emotional appeal that usually helps define soul music. Even the intervention of Gamble and Huff with their productions of 'Drowning In A Sea Of Love', 'Pool Of Bad Luck' and 'Power Of Love' do little to relieve the monotony. Their effort on 'I Found My Dad' however yields better results and is potentially the most interesting track on the set. It's all to do with Joe discovering a 'down and out' old man who he speculates could be his father. Even this track is spoiled however because for once the lyrics are not clearly sung. Most British soul fans will remember Joe for his crossover pop hit 'Step by Step' which is also on the compilation. An excellent record which typifies the 'Joe Simon Sound', but unfortunately too may of the other tracks sound similar. Joe undoubtedly has talent so the CD is good if you want to listen to it a few tracks at a time, but I certainly would not recommend playing it from start to finish. Track Listing:- Your Time To Cry Help Me Make It Through The Night You're The One For Me All My Hard Times Georgia Blue Drowning In The Sea Of Love Pool Of Bad Luck Power Of Love I Found My Dad Trouble In My Home Step by Step Theme From Cleopatra Jones River Carry Me The Best Time Of My Life Get Down, Get Down, (Get Down On The floor) Music In My Bones I Need You, You Need Me Come Get To This Easy To Love You Don't Have To Play No Games One Step At A Time For your Love, Love, Love
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Why Not visit the Authors other Website, 'The Alternative Blackpool Website' at http://www.localdial.com/users/jsyedu133/bpool This Site Last Updated 18/05/05
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