The Guess Who - So Long, Bannatyne/#10

All RIGHT

YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #10 has FINALLY been put on CD!!!!!

GOD I love this album. Look, I wasn't around back in 1973, but this album is truly fantastic. I am so happy people can finally get the chance to hear this extremely underrated album from the Guess Who. My aunt gave me this album 10 years ago, and it was one of the best albums in her collection.

I will make a promise to you right now: if you like some of the Guess Who's more quiet and softer numbers, you will LOVE the song "Take It Off My Shoulders". That is a really good song. "Musicione" is a really fast frantic guitar-driven track with a catchy chorus coming in occasionally.

I really love the one song that goes "I think it will be alright, ah AH, I think it will be alright, ah ah. Think it will be alright". GREAT song. It also has funny lyrics about "being a woman tonight". You'll love it though because it's really melodic.

Everything on side 2 is just as good as Side 1. Many times a band will put weaker material on the second side of an album- not in this case! I think "Cardboard Empire" is the highlight for me. I seriously don't know what it is about this song that gives me the creeps. Even though I wasn't around in the 70's, the music really takes me there. I don't know what it is about the demanding guitar blended in with the soothing and uplifting vocal melody that both come together to deliver something truly fantastic. Honestly, the song reminds me of my childhood in the early 80's, but I can't explain why. It really feels like an important song that was meant to be remembered years later.

I should also note that it's not just the vocal melodies themselves that make me love this album- it's the fact that the Guess Who were a mix of blues, pop, and a little bit of roots rock that all comes together and makes the experience golden and memorable. A great band that apparently only got greater as the years went on, and unfortunately most people won't know that when they're listening to "American Woman" or many of their other classic hits.

If you like the Guess Who from the songs you've heard on the radio, PLEASE buy this collection of songs. You won't be sorry. May 13, 2007

Mixed Bag

It's worth buying because both albums had many brilliant moments. They also had some lame moments which were still, at the least, pleasureable. This averages out to 3 stars. February 21, 2006

A Great Pair of . . . . . . . . . . .!

If you don't want to read a review from a huge Guess Who fan, then take a walk - cuz this one's comin' from a diehard. I can still be objective despite being a big fan of Burton and the boys, but I love these two albums and I'm not gonna criticize something I like (a lot). Everyone already knows how great 'Rain Dance' and 'Sour Suite' are from SO LONG BANNATYNE, so no need beatin' my drum about those songs. The true test of an album is whether its worth listening to after you get past the hits that make it onto the multi-numerous Guess Who re-packagings that appear in the marketplace year-after-year. These two albums pass the test easily. BANNATYNE boasts some great songs like 'She might Have Been a Nice Girl' - 'Pain Train' - the title track - 'Grey Day' - and 'Life in the Bloodstream.' Even 'Fiddlin' and 'One Man Army' -- albeit sort of goofy, are fun songs.

#10 is an album that is greatly underrated, and is my personal favorite Guess Who album. 'Glamour Boy' is an outstanding track, with Burton lashing out at the state of the music industry in 1973. David Bowie was championing androgyny at the time and Burton (probably decked out in a flannel shirt or hockey jersey) laments the ability to make the big bucks by "looking like a woman tonight." I've never really understood the "Ricky & the Balloons" interlude in the middle of the song, which seems to make it lose its momentum, but still a great track. 'Take it Off My Shoulders' and 'Lie Down' are terrific country-influenced tunes. The real gem on this album, however, is 'Miss Frizzy.' Frizzy is a fast-paced rocker that is totally infectious and a fun listen. Check this one out folks, it's great! I even love the cover of #10 - finally a plain & simple photo of the band, with Burton Cummings the centerpiece (which is only right; afterall, B.C.'s voice is what that band was all about anyway). #10 finishes up with the great 'Just Let Me Sing' which is probably all Cummings ever wanted to do.

Don't miss this two-pack folks - it's well worth what you'll pay for it. April 16, 2005

Two great albums in an odd pairing

Personally, I wish So Long Banatyne would have been paired with Rockin', and #10 with either Artificial Paradise or Road Food. Nevertheless, it's great to see this stuff back in print. I have to address #10 - this LP was in the $1.99 bins about a year after it came out, not due to the failure of the Guess Who, but more likely due to the failure of RCA records. #10 is an excellent album - as the other reviewer said the vocal harmonies shine. Some of the material is country tinged (with pedal steel) such as Lie Down and Take it off my shoulders and some of it is funky/rockin/jazzy such as Musicione and Self-Pity. One of the most amazing songs is Cardboard Empire which I believe was written by Kurt Winter & Billy Wallace. The lyrics are bizarre and the looping guitars are very spacy. I love #10 - it should have been a huge success. So Long Banatyne is another favorite of mine. Pain Train is another Kurt Winter showcase - Sour Suite is a beatiful ballad - introspective almost depressed sounding Cummings. Rain Dance is another reason to buy this collection. I think these are two of the more perfect Guess Who albums, so I heartily recommend this 2-fer. August 7, 2004

great deal great music

Gotta love this package , showcases how great burton cummings and kurt winter are canadas best songwriters. June 25, 2004

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