Garrett
New Member
Registered: 23-Jun-2004
Total Posts: 11
Currently Offline
|
 posted on 20-Aug-2004 7:58:50 PM
|
Is Barbara Mandrell's ABC/MCA back-catalog EVER going to see the light of day again? She ranks right up there with the likes of Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris in terms of her importance to country music. She was the VERY FIRST artist to win the Country Music Association's "Entertainer of the Year" award two years in a row! Her television show in the early '80s brought country music to the masses and helped make country "cool", like the words to her signature song says. And her live shows put everyone else to shame in terms of entertianment value and showmanship. She's a living legend, yet I'm afraid she is fading into obscurity.
It seems that these days when you go into a record store all you find (if you even find her at all) are the re-hashed Greatest Hits collections. While those are great (I have them) she had such a prolific recording carrer and I think her best work was done while she was recording for MCA Records back in the '70s and '80s yet I don't believe any of those albums were EVER released on CD. I would love to see her entire catalog released (it's not as large as you think) but the albums below are definitely "Essential Mandrell"
1. THIS IS BARBARA MANDRELL - This was her first album on ABC. It's sound, with the exception of "Love is Thin Ice", is pure early '70s country. Standout tracks like "Standing Room Only" and "Can't Help But Wonder" and "The Beginning of the End" showcase her sexy, smoky voice.
2. MOODS - This is her classic 1978 album that gave us "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed" and her sensous reading of the R&B; standard "If Loving You is Wrong I Don't Want To Be Right." By this time artists like Olivia Newton-John and Linda Ronstadt (and even Dolly by '78) were having great success with the country-pop sound and Barbara masters it on this album
3. LIVE - This is a 1981 concert album recorded on the heels of the popularity of her NBC variety show. It features the first appearence of what would be her signature song, "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool." You know there has to be a ton of songs that didn't make the final cut of the album back in '81 so there should be plenty of material to pull in as bonus cuts!
4. IN BLACK AND WHITE - Although "Til You're Gone" was a #1 hit on the country charts, this is a pure pop album. The title song is a classic along with "Rolling Stone" and her version of B.B. King's blues hit "The Thrill is Gone" (B.B. even lends a hand on guitar on that one.) Great cover photos too! Very sexy!
5. SPUN GOLD - This 1983 album is a fan favorite and feature the #1 country hit "One of a Kind Pair of Fools" along with "In Times Like These", "A Man's Not A Man Til He's Loved By A Woman" and a great duet with Steve Wariner called "Overnight Sensation." This one should be re-issued for the back cover photo alone!
The rest...
MIDNIGHT ANGEL (1976) hit single: "Married But Not To Each Other"
LOVERS, FRIENDS AND STRANGERS (1977) includes her Grammy-nomiated version of "After The Lovin'"
LOVE'S UPS AND DOWNS (1977) Her version of the R&B; song "Woman To Woman" actually crossed over onto the R&B; charts when it was originally released. Also includes "Your Love Has Lifted Me Higher and Higher" and "How Long (Has This Been Goin' On)"
JUST FOR THE RECORD (1979) Another late-'70s classic. Includes the #1 hit "Years" plus her disco-flavored hit "Fooled By A Feeling"
LOVE IS FAIR (1980) Barbara covers Michael Jackson(!) on "He's Out of My Life" a duet with her former band member, Randy Wright.
CLEAN CUT (1984) Good collection of songs including "Only A Lonely Heart Knows" and "Look What Love Has Done"
GET TO THE HEART (1985) Her first album after recovering from a near-fatal car accident. Includes her versions of Neil Diamonds "I'm A Beliver" (yes, the same song originally made popular by the Monkees) and her hits "Angel in Your Arms" and "Fast Lanes and Country Roads"
MOMENTS (1986) Her last album with MCA which was kind of ignored by the company upon its original release but is a good album. Includes her hit single "No One Mends A Broken Heart Like You"
Can you tell I've given this some thought? 
|
|
Who's Online Now
= new posts 
= more than 15 posts or 100 views
= no new posts 
= more than 15 posts or 100 views 
= closed thread