This compilation is nice enough (of course, wes didn't do much nonsense), but it gets slightly slick, especially toward the end. I don't know if this is due to the recordings beeing selected from the newest recordings... I had the same feeling about the Joan Baez "Greatest hits" from the same label.
K
December 12, 2007Marvelous guitar and orchestra presentation of pop music from the sixties in the unique style of the late Wes Montgomery. If you like jazz, the Beatles, and other music that will be around forever, you'll enjoy this!
June 2, 2007 |  | Wes' "Greatest Hits"? - well, yes, "hits".. |  |
It is nice to see people digging Wes - no matter what the venue. Popular songs made Wes accessable to a larger audience, and it made him some well deserved bread in the process. His style became defined (some might say diluted as well) and, much like with Antonio Carlos Jobim, the style that was boiled down from this genius CREATED the genre now known as "elevator/dentist office music". That said, it doesn't mean his 'greatest hits' is his greatest work. It emphatically is not...in my opinion. If you dig this CD you may or may not dig "Smokin' at the Half Note", or "Boss Guitar". But I'll bet you will, and you owe it to yourself and to Wes to check them out along with his debut LP entitled "The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery". All in all, again, I love to see people loving Wes Montgomery under any and all banners - be they 'pop hits' or jazz classics.
July 5, 2003| | | Wes' "Greatest Hits"? - well, yes, "hits".. | |
It is nice to see people digging Wes - no matter what the venue. Popular songs made Wes accessable to a larger audience, and it made him some well deserved bread in the process. His style became defined (some might say diluted as well) and, much like with Antonio Carlos Jobim, the style that was boiled down from this genius CREATED the genre now known as "elevator/dentist office music". That said, it doesn't mean his 'greatest hits' is his greatest work. It emphatically is not...in my opinion. If you dig this CD you may or may not dig "Smokin' at the Half Note", or "Boss Guitar". But I'll bet you will, and you owe it to yourself and to Wes to check them out along with his debut LP entitled "The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery". All in all, again, I love to see people loving Wes Montgomery under any and all banners - be they 'pop hits' or jazz classics.
July 5, 2003| | | Good, but nowhere close to Wes' best | |
If you're buying this to introduce yourself to Wes' playing, do yourself a favor and pick up Incredible Jazz Guitar, Full House, and Smokin' at the Half Note. These albums are much more exciting, and they give Wes space to strech out while improvising. This greatest hits collection from his time with A&M is more pop-oriented, and, as another reviewer said, much of the material sounds like elevator music. Wes was, IMHO, the greatest jazz guitarist ever, and all of his recordings are worth listening to, but there are better albums to have.
December 3, 2002More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(8 reviews)