Classic Rock Greatest Hits (2003)

This generous collection (clocking in at a disc-stuffing 76:55) is filled with the radio candy that kept ears glued to the dial throughout the 70s. It may very well represent the last great gasp of top-40 radio, wherein the experimental sounds of 60s FM progressive rock were strained through the pop sensibilities of the AM hit single machine. These twenty selections focus on the rock hits of the 70s, eschewing other movements like disco, teen pop, and singer/songwriters (some of which are covered on other volumes of this series). ¶ From Boston’s intricately layered "More Than a Feeling" to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s anthemic "Sweet Home Alabama," the electric guitar was rock radio’s focal point, with outsized riffs (courtesy of Mick Ralphs, Paul Kossoff, Steve Miller, Carlos Santana, and Duane Allman, among others) topped by swaggering vocals from the likes of Paul Rodgers (Bad Company and Free) and Lou Gramm (Foreigner). The result filled arenas and summer days-on-the-green around the world. ¶ Even acoustic numbers like Kansas’ "Dust in the Wind" and novelties like Brownsville Station’s "Smokin’ in the Boys Room" resound with the era’s allegiance to the overboard. Covers by Santana ("Black Magic Woman," originally waxed by Fleetwood Mac) and Nazareth ("Love Hurts," originally a hit for the Everly Brothers) became amped-up icons that buried the earlier incarnations for many listeners. ¶ Though twenty tracks barely scratches the surface -- even in this relatively narrow swath of 70s hit music -- this is a solid hour-plus of party music that’s sure to revive a few memories. It’s like listening to your favorite Classic Rock station without the commercials!
 
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