Sunday, November 13, 2011

V/A: Goodnight L.A. - The Best Of Westcoast (2011)



After realizing that my last compilation wasn't competent enough to be an ideal sampler for L.A. jazz pop "Westcoast" scene from 1973 through 1989, I went back to the drawing board and started from square one. And this time folks, I think I got it right. :P

This set of 24 songs covers Westcoast music from its era of commercial relevance while making room for the different stylistic variations that emerged in the genre during that period (blues-based, baroque, Hi-Tech, etc.) and even throws in a number of artists from here in the 21st century who are doing a fantastic job at keeping the fire alive (Ole BorudFrank ÅdahlJeff Pescetto).

If you hate jazz-inflected pop, you will find this compilation very trite indeed. If you have no romance in your soul, you will most certainly see no redeeming qualities whatsoever in these songs of broken bonds, city hustlin' and the occasional cosmic dalliance.

For the rest of you however, this is an ideal tape to throw down in casual settings amongst friends who aren't allergic to the 80's, killer grooves and smooth sensibilities, and in all likelihood it'll serve as a springboard to introduce them to many kickass artists they didn't know before.

Tracklist

1. 'Nice Nice, Very Nice' by Ambrosia
2. 'Jojo' by Boz Scaggs
3. 'Broken People' by Ole Børud
4. 'Last Plane Out' by Kevin Gilbert
5. 'Heart Hotels'  by Dan Fogelberg
6. 'These Chains' by Toto
7. 'Marooned' by Larry Lee
8. 'Heart To Heart' by Jeff Pescetto
9. 'Real Thing' by Bobby Caldwell
10. 'The Light Is On' by Christopher Cross
11. 'I Get This Feeling' by John Warren
12. 'Who Are You' by Bill Cantos
13. 'Out On The Streets' by Patrick Simmons
14. 'Marianne (I Was Only Joking)' by Eric Tagg
15. 'Hypnotized' by Fleetwood Mac
16. 'Roxann" by Warren Wiebe
17. 'Love Will Follow' by Kenny Loggins
18. 'Merry Go Round' by Phillip Bailey
19. 'Fly Away' by Robbie Dupree
20. 'Echo Park' by Time Gallery
21. 'If I Saw You Again' by Pages
22. 'Goin' Down' by Greg Guidry
23. 'Nothin' You Can Do About It' by Frank Ådahl
24. 'When This Love Affair Is Over' by Peter Allen



Try It (Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3)

4 comments:

  1. Is it just me or the the link is down already? Saludos.

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  2. Thanks Mr.Sinister. You didn't include any Rupert Holmes? It was a permanent fixture on local FM while I grew up. For good or bad it got branded in my subconscious forever. Thanks & saludos.

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  3. Oh, I like Rubert Holmes. Thing is though, I wanted to make a compilation of lesser known songs (and, to a degree, artists) who don't normally end up on Best Of collections. And as far as "soft rock" compilations go, Steely Dan, Andrew Gold and Rupert Holmes can be found on pretty much all of them. Thus, I decided to shift the spotlight onto different folks. :P

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