Quad LP/Tape Poll Orlando, Tony, & Dawn: Greatest Hits [CD-4/Q8]

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Rate "Greatest Hits"


  • Total voters
    7

EMB

2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Since 2002/2003
Joined
Feb 8, 2004
Messages
4,101
Location
The Top 40 Radio of My Mind
1975 compilation of group's better known Bell singles.

Side 1:

1. Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree
2. Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose?
3. You're A Lady
4. Who's In The Strawberry Patch With Sally
5. You Say The Sweetest Things
6. Steppin' Out, I'm Gonna Boogie Tonight

Side 2:

1. Candida
2. Knock Three Times
3. What Are You Doing Sunday
4. Summer Sand
5. Look In My Eyes Pretty Woman

Note: The Q8 has "Sally" opening Side 2, so as to even the timings of the programs.

ED :)
 
This one rates right up there with the Tommy James Q8. Several songs, most notably Candida did not come from a multitrack. Candida is actually the mono single with a little bit of EQ fudging going on. It's been a while since I listened to it but a few other songs on here also sound like they came from mono or stereo masters and were given the Quad treatment. Very noticeable on my Quadscilloscope. Now it might be my alzhymers kicking in, but I also think Knock Three Times is missing parts as I seem to recall when they say "Knock Three Times" they used to stomp or hit a piece of wood as they said those words. If it is happening on this album, it's buried in the mix. The twice on the pipes "clang clang" must also have been panned by hand as for the first two times it's in the rear, the third time it appears up front and then moves back again. I also seem to recall a vocal panning error on one other song. I'll have to fire it in the player tonight. I've had this Q8 for a while now but due to it not being very discrete, I've listened to it a handful of times and was less impressed by each subsequent playing.
 
Gave this a 2. Yellow Ribbon, Candida and Knock are the only great tracks here. As to sound, this CD-4 makes a great case for releasing things in mono. "Now that they're on Elektra, lets do a Quad of TO & Dawn." When Bell became Arista, they dropped them. Were both of these Clive Davis' idea? I never had this one in the day and got a used copy 10 years ago. Sonically, it ain't much better than Coltrane Live in Japan, mono which was synthesized into QS Quad.

Forget this one.
Linda
 
Forget this one.
Linda

Which is a shame, because a) it's a Greatest Hits Comp and would be one of those albums you could listen to end to end and enjoy each moment b) it's a Greatest Hits Comp in Quad!

High Profile album like this should be done correctly.
 
This is one of those albums that you think that it's a great thing that it's available in quad, but there's no way you would ever listen to it because of the content. I file it under the "How could then not release __<good album>__ in quad when they released this? What a joke"
 
There are lots of rock greatest hits in Quad that are fake Quad. Many exclusively on Q8. I bought them all. The music was good, but they were a sonic bringdown.

Linda

This is one of those albums that you think that it's a great thing that it's available in quad, but there's no way you would ever listen to it because of the content. I file it under the "How could then not release __<good album>__ in quad when they released this? What a joke"
 
Hehe, the way the title of this thread appears, it looks like it would be a two guy, one girl group.

You know, like, "Hey, tonight, Tony and Dawn sounded pretty good but Orlando sounded sluggish."

:D

Doug
 
Make that five...:D

A little background. Tony Orlando got his first break as a post-payola teen idol who had two hits in 1961: "Halfway To Paradise" (probably better known for Bobby Vinton's later version) and "Bless You" (the bigger hit). And then the long drought, despite the fact that Orlando had not only been discovered by Brill Building main man Don Kirshner, but had, for a few years, Carole King as his arranger (and of course he recorded Goffin-King songs, too). He recorded for Epic, the Columbia subsidiary label; everything looked pretty good. But like many young guys with modest talent and material, he was off the charts about as fast as he'd arrived. He kept plugging along for years, moving from label to label--no further success.

But then, in 1969, he got his second 'wind' with Wind, which was, typical for the '60s, not a group but a gathering of studio personnel--session cats, backing singers, and Orlando, the anonymous lead singer. Like Ron Dante (The Archies, Cuff Links), Orlando got a hit by proxy when "Make Believe" hit the Top 40 that fall. But after a few more failures, the end of Wind, and the beginning of Dawn. Born in NYC and loaded with connections, Orlando's next gig was with The Tokens, who beyond their own catalog of music, did a lot of moonlighting as songwriters, arrangers and producers long after the Brill Building concept had waned. So to the Bell label in 1970 and "Candida." That record was credited only to Dawn, and was slow to sell, but eventually became a big hit, as did its rewrite, the superior (and cute) "Knock Three Times." Then came the first album, CANDIDA, and if not for a 'Special thanks to Tony Orlando,' you might never have thought that it was him doing the singing (didn't occur to me at the time, and I owned several of his Epic singles, and a few Wind 45's as well).

As 1970/71 bubblegum goes, Dawn wasn't exactly awful (their equally contrived female counterpart, Dawn, actually had a few singles on Bell that were better, but they never had an album, and so none of their material was ever issued in stereo, let alone quad). But as time went on, and chart numbers became more erratic, so did their sound. They were all but moribund in 1972, but in early '73 and the risible "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" they were back. The single not only sold a million, but its infernal ribbon went on to be one of those sickening, maudlin tokens of love and devotion that literally millions of (I hope, only) Americans seem to think to this day a gesture equal to saluting the flag. Overall, the Orlando/Dawn catalog is fluff at best, wretched bullshit at worst, exemplified by such faux-retro nonsense as "Gypsy Rose" "Sally," while "Steppin' Out," which must have been the inspiration for the story that became the film Saturday Night Fever, has to be some kind of '70s summit of camp.

And they put this BS brew into quad...:rolleyes::yikes

More later; for now I'm stunned just thinking about the ramifications of hearing this one again. Whether in mono, stereo or quad, this is uphill climb on a sweltering summer afternoon with a backpack and a bladder full o' urine....:mad:@:


ED :)
 
Make that five...:D

A little background. Tony Orlando got his first break as a post-payola teen idol who had two hits in 1961: "Halfway To Paradise" (probably better known for Bobby Vinton's later version) and "Bless You" (the bigger hit). And then the long drought, despite the fact that Orlando had not only been discovered by Brill Building main man Don Kirshner, but had, for a few years, Carole King as his arranger (and of course he recorded Goffin-King songs, too). He recorded for Epic, the Columbia subsidiary label; everything looked pretty good. But like many young guys with modest talent and material, he was off the charts about as fast as he'd arrived. He kept plugging along for years, moving from label to label--no further success.

But then, in 1969, he got his second 'wind' with Wind, which was, typical for the '60s, not a group but a gathering of studio personnel--session cats, backing singers, and Orlando, the anonymous lead singer. Like Ron Dante (The Archies, Cuff Links), Orlando got a hit by proxy when "Make Believe" hit the Top 40 that fall. But after a few more failures, the end of Wind, and the beginning of Dawn. Born in NYC and loaded with connections, Orlando's next gig was with The Tokens, who beyond their own catalog of music, did a lot of moonlighting as songwriters, arrangers and producers long after the Brill Building concept had waned. So to the Bell label in 1970 and "Candida." That record was credited only to Dawn, and was slow to sell, but eventually became a big hit, as did its rewrite, the superior (and cute) "Knock Three Times." Then came the first album, CANDIDA, and if not for a 'Special thanks to Tony Orlando,' you might never have thought that it was him doing the singing (didn't occur to me at the time, and I owned several of his Epic singles, and a few Wind 45's as well).

As 1970/71 bubblegum goes, Dawn wasn't exactly awful (their equally contrived female counterpart, Dawn, actually had a few singles on Bell that were better, but they never had an album, and so none of their material was ever issued in stereo, let alone quad). But as time went on, and chart numbers became more erratic, so did their sound. They were all but moribund in 1972, but in early '73 and the risible "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" they were back. The single not only sold a million, but its infernal ribbon went on to be one of those sickening, maudlin tokens of love and devotion that literally millions of (I hope, only) Americans seem to think to this day a gesture equal to saluting the flag. Overall, the Orlando/Dawn catalog is fluff at best, wretched bullshit at worst, exemplified by such faux-retro nonsense as "Gypsy Rose" "Sally," while "Steppin' Out," which must have been the inspiration for the story that became the film Saturday Night Fever, has to be some kind of '70s summit of camp.

And they put this BS brew into quad...:rolleyes::yikes

More later; for now I'm stunned just thinking about the ramifications of hearing this one again. Whether in mono, stereo or quad, this is uphill climb on a sweltering summer afternoon with a backpack and a bladder full o' urine....:mad:@:


ED :)

No, please, tell us how you REALLY feel. :)
 
More later; for now I'm stunned just thinking about the ramifications of hearing this one again. Whether in mono, stereo or quad, this is uphill climb on a sweltering summer afternoon with a backpack and a bladder full o' urine....:mad:@:


ED :)

I'm now having second thoughts about revisiting my CD-4 L.P. of this. Though from what I remember, only Candida was mono/quad. The rest seemed to be fairly discrete. Maybe it's safe to double-check now that summer is over. Maybe.

Nice background information nontheless.
 
I don't have my vinyl here, but yes, that is how I remember it too. But "Candida" should not have gotten the treatment "I Think We're Alone Now" or "Hanky Panky" did, if only because, whereas the former's session tape was for a long time MIA (it was eventually found, mislabeled, IIRC) and the latter mono only, "Candida" was in stereo on the trio's debut album of the same name. True, it was the mono 45 mix on the Arista Hits Lp, but someone there shoulda been able to at least track down the stereo master reel and do some kind of faux quad thing that might have been respectable, if not discrete.

My problem isn't so much with the mix of many of these tracks, which I too remember as being discrete. But beyond the lousy, stupefying songs (and note that one sizable hit--their third, "I Play And Sing"--does not appear on this comp), the mixes weren't made with a lot of thought, pretty much what you'd expect from a pop album anyway, I guess.

As for a rating...'4', tops, but a weak 4 at that. Coulda been a lot better, and no excuse for not tracking down a better source for the first hit.

ED :)
 
If you want to play this, limit yourself to the first 3 cuts on Side 2. And that's only for the music - the mix is :p

All of Side 1 is dreck.
 
When I was a kid, I loved all of Tony Orlando and Dawn's hits, and watched their TV show every week. When I bought the CD-4 of Greatest Hits a couple of years ago, I was surprised to find that there was no experience of nostalgia upon hearing these songs again. I won't call them terrible, but they were no longer to my taste. I thought it was just me, but reading this thread I see that I'm not alone.

I would comment on the mix, but that would mean having to listen to this album again. I refuse.

J. D.
 
I just bought the Q8 out of nostalgic interest and in a word booooorrrrriiiiing pap. Even if the mix was decent this would still be crap. Tommy James Greatest shines compared to this. The only song that is even pleasant is Knock three times and even now after about 35 years i've heard it too often. I don't really know why I bought this thing.... completism maybe.

ken from northern canada
 
After all the negative reviews of this title, I wasn't holding out much hope for this one. But, I have many guilty pleasures, and K-tel compilations is one of those, of which Tony Orlando and Dawn appear on quite a few of, so I do enjoy some of these songs. It is a shame that Candida is faked from mono, and not faked all that well, but the rest of this is not bad. Something weird happens at the end of Tie A Yellow Ribbon, a very sloppy edit that then changes the fade from the original, and I think there were some differences in Knock Three Times. May not have been the greatest quad mix, but not bad either, definitely some noticeable discreet quad, the cd-4 doesn't have any playback issues, and worth having if you like the music, which it seems most around here don't. Which is fine, that made for less competition on the ebay auction.
 
Make that five...:D

A little background. Tony Orlando got his first break as a post-payola teen idol who had two hits in 1961: "Halfway To Paradise" (probably better known for Bobby Vinton's later version) and "Bless You" (the bigger hit). And then the long drought, despite the fact that Orlando had not only been discovered by Brill Building main man Don Kirshner, but had, for a few years, Carole King as his arranger (and of course he recorded Goffin-King songs, too). He recorded for Epic, the Columbia subsidiary label; everything looked pretty good. But like many young guys with modest talent and material, he was off the charts about as fast as he'd arrived. He kept plugging along for years, moving from label to label--no further success.

But then, in 1969, he got his second 'wind' with Wind, which was, typical for the '60s, not a group but a gathering of studio personnel--session cats, backing singers, and Orlando, the anonymous lead singer. Like Ron Dante (The Archies, Cuff Links), Orlando got a hit by proxy when "Make Believe" hit the Top 40 that fall. But after a few more failures, the end of Wind, and the beginning of Dawn. Born in NYC and loaded with connections, Orlando's next gig was with The Tokens, who beyond their own catalog of music, did a lot of moonlighting as songwriters, arrangers and producers long after the Brill Building concept had waned. So to the Bell label in 1970 and "Candida." That record was credited only to Dawn, and was slow to sell, but eventually became a big hit, as did its rewrite, the superior (and cute) "Knock Three Times." Then came the first album, CANDIDA, and if not for a 'Special thanks to Tony Orlando,' you might never have thought that it was him doing the singing (didn't occur to me at the time, and I owned several of his Epic singles, and a few Wind 45's as well).

As 1970/71 bubblegum goes, Dawn wasn't exactly awful (their equally contrived female counterpart, Dawn, actually had a few singles on Bell that were better, but they never had an album, and so none of their material was ever issued in stereo, let alone quad). But as time went on, and chart numbers became more erratic, so did their sound. They were all but moribund in 1972, but in early '73 and the risible "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" they were back. The single not only sold a million, but its infernal ribbon went on to be one of those sickening, maudlin tokens of love and devotion that literally millions of (I hope, only) Americans seem to think to this day a gesture equal to saluting the flag. Overall, the Orlando/Dawn catalog is fluff at best, wretched bullshit at worst, exemplified by such faux-retro nonsense as "Gypsy Rose" "Sally," while "Steppin' Out," which must have been the inspiration for the story that became the film Saturday Night Fever, has to be some kind of '70s summit of camp.

And they put this BS brew into quad...:rolleyes::yikes

More later; for now I'm stunned just thinking about the ramifications of hearing this one again. Whether in mono, stereo or quad, this is uphill climb on a sweltering summer afternoon with a backpack and a bladder full o' urine....:mad:@:


ED :)

Nice recap of Orlando's career. Thanks for that! But no mention of the mid-70s TV variety show? It was the icing on the fluff cake, IMO.

As far as "Yellow Ribbon" and it becoming a modern-day gesture equal to saluting the flag....I've always thought that was interesting being that the original lyrics are about a man returning home from PRISON, not war....
 
Nice recap of Orlando's career. Thanks for that! But no mention of the mid-70s TV variety show? It was the icing on the fluff cake, IMO.

As far as "Yellow Ribbon" and it becoming a modern-day gesture equal to saluting the flag....I've always thought that was interesting being that the original lyrics are about a man returning home from PRISON, not war....

Well, yes, "I'm coming home, I've done my time" and the years mentioned suggest incarceration, not a journey to 'Nam, though one could argue they were in those days one and the same....

Records like that always bug me, though--tugging at the heartstrings, reekingly sentimental...though why a guy in stir for years would have to come home to find out if his lady still wanted him--didn't she go visit him at San Quentin on occasion, or what? :D--is worth pondering, though pop swill like this is beyond criticism, particularly when it sold a few million copies. It's the worst offender on an album that is nothing but swill, and you have to be a very forgiving--or nostalgic and sentimental--listener to enjoy any of these calorie-laden confections today, and I couldn't stand them back then, so....

ED :)
 
Well, yes, "I'm coming home, I've done my time" and the years mentioned suggest incarceration, not a journey to 'Nam, though one could argue they were in those days one and the same....

And the word "prison" is specifically used. Although, yes, one could probably argue that "my heart is still in prison" could be a metaphor to Vietnam, but I really don't think the song was that deep, ya know?

Yes, it is swill. I had several of their singles as a kid (including Yellow Ribbon), but unlike much of the pop music I listened to as a kid, I have no desire to relive these songs. Other than perhaps the early "Candida" and "Knock Three Times", which were released before their career turned into what was little more than an attempt to cash in on the Roaring 20s/flapper-era/vaudeville nostalgia that was in vogue for a few years in the 70s.
 
Back
Top