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Various Artists: Legends - Crank It Up (SACD)
Various Artists Legends Crank It Up CD Album Review

Various Artists: Legends - Crank It Up

Classic Rock
4.0/5.0

Website (Label/Product Info)
Audio Fidelity / TimeLife.com / Rhino Custom Products
Words: Craig Hartranft    Added: 26.06.2014

Various Artists Legends Get It On CD Album Review

Various Artists: Legends - Get It On

Classic Rock
4.5/5.0

Website (Label/Product Info)
Audio Fidelity / TimeLife.com / Rhino Custom Products
Words: Craig Hartranft    Added: 26.06.2014

Remember informercials? Yeah, I know, they're still around, mostly these days hawking pills to enhance that certain male appendage. But I remember over the years those TimeLife commercials, usually late night or on Sunday afternoons when stations had nothing else to progam, where they pitched, usually by a semi-famous artist and a female co-host, great hits collections from big band to do-wop to classic rock to country to best love ballads. Well, it seems our friends over at Audio Fidelity, thanks to TimeLife, got the masters from their Legends classic rock series to translate into the Super Audio CD format. Specifically, Audio Fidelity have released Legends - Crank It Up and Legends - Get It On.

If you don't know what the SACD format is, it's basically a ramped up version of the digital audio quality of a song, often times allowing the listener to hear greater naunces. You need a SACD to enjoy these features, but the play just fine on a regular CD, sounding pretty terrific. Read more about the SACD format in this Wikipedia entry.

Now you'll have to forgive me if the rest of this review sounds like a press release. There's not much more to say about these two offerings. Look at the track listing at the right. If you like what you see and have a Super Audio CD player, then I suggest that you pick up each one. But you know me, I always have something to say.

Nevertheless, I've always been curious how songs have made certain compilation or, better, who didn't make the cut. If anything, both CDs cut a huge swath across the popular rock music from the Sixties to the Eighties. While certain songs aren't my favorite, like Stewart's Tonight's The Night or Ace's How Long, I can understand why they're here.

I'll admit I had more of preference for Get It On because the songs leanded more to the edgier, rowdier, side of classic hard rock. There's Smoke on the Water (sounds awesome), Slow Ride, School's Out, Smokin' in the Boy's Room, and Freebird, some real fun rockin' stuff. There's even a live version of Lola by The Kinks, that needs to be cranked up (the irony). However, some songs didn't seem to fit the motif, like the Dead's Casey Jones, Greenbuam's Spirit in the Sky, or Eric Bourdon's Spill the Wine. Either one could have been on the other album, or perhaps another Legends album called Trip Out Dude. Finally, it should be noted that there is one difference from the original TimeLife CD: Jethro Tull's Aqualung was dropped, likely do to permissions.

Bottom line: it's all good; if you have a SACD player, these two CDs would be a fine addition to your collection.


Alice Cooper - School's Out (1972)





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In Short

Look at the track listing below. If you like what you see and have a Super Audio CD player, then I suggest that you pick up each one.

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Alphabetical Index

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u v w x y z #
Track Listings

CRANK IT UP!
1. Chicago - Does Anybody Really Know
2. The Doobie Brothers - Listen To The Music
3. The Rascals - Good Lovin'
4. Rod Stewart - Tonight's The Night
5. Jackson Browne - Running On Empty
6. Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight
7. The Zombies - Time Of The Season
8. Ace - How Long
9. Little Feat - Dixie Chicken
10. Grateful Dead - Truckin'
11. Stephen Stills - Love The One You're With
12. Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth
13. America - Sister Golden Hair
14. The Pretenders - Back On The Chain Gang
15. Foreigner - Feels Like The First Time
16. Elton John - Daniel
17. The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin

GET IT ON!
1. The Troggs - Wild Thing
2. Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water
3. Norman Greenboum - Spirit In The Sky
4. T. Rex - Bang A Gong (Get It On)
5. Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way
6. Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Blinded By The Light
7. Eric Burdon And War - Spill The Wine
8. The Kinks - Lola (Live)
9. The Doors - Light My Fire
10. Foghat - Slow Ride
11. Alice Cooper - School's Out
12. Brownsville Station - Smokin' In The Boy's Room
13. The Doobie Brothers - China Grove
14. Foreigner - Hot Blooded
15. Bad Company - Can't Get Enough
16. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
17. Greatful Dead - Casey Jones