Which of the 4 "best of" albums has the most popular tracks by the guess who? I would like to try these guys out, but I am not familiar with their music, so I dont know the names of the songs.

How about studio albums? Any must haves?

Which of the 4 "best of" albums has the most popular tracks by the guess who? I would like to try these guys out, but I am not familiar with their music, so I dont know the names of the songs.

How about studio albums? Any must haves?


Don't have any of their stuff (yet) but this website gives a good amount of information about just about any band or artist. Check it out.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll

"Canned Wheat" and "American Woman" are two of their best. RCA has a great two disc comp ("Track Record") that covers their career, although its missing the essential "Shaking All Over" single from 1965.

This is probably where I'd Start.

Review by Ronnie Lankford, Jr.

As far as late-'60s and early-'70s rock bands go, the Guess Who has been both blessed and cursed. Blessed because their songs are still played quite frequently on oldies radio stations, cursed because they're only remembered for those songs. Truth be told, the Guess Who was a darn good rock band: Burton Cummings's great rock & roll voice -- similar in power to Bad Company's Paul Rodgers -- keeps even the most overdone Guess Who song fresh, and Randy Bachman's underrated guitar work always serves the song's needs. "Undun"'s wonderful, jazzy riff, which fits the song perfectly, is associated with the overall sound of the Guess Who, not Bachman. 1969's cleverly-titled Canned Wheat introduced several of the band's most remembered songs: "Laughing," "Undun," and "No Time." The album also has six other keepers, including the mellow "6 A.M. or Nearer," complete with jazzy guitar and flute, and the lovely ballad "Minstrel Boy." The original version of "No Time" is fun, even if it isn't radically different; little nuances, like the fade out, shake the listener out of the "I've heard this song a thousand times" syndrome. There are a couple of throwaway bonus tracks, "Species Hawk" and "Silver Bird," that are nice to have, even if they aren't up to the other material. The liner notes are helpful, and it's funny to learn that radio stations ordered copies of "Undun" for airplay, not realizing that it was the B-side of "Laughing." Canned Wheat still sounds incredibly fresh, a product from the heyday of classic rock. For those who want to dig beneath the band's "oldie" status to find the real thing,
this album shouldn't be missed.

The first two albums, Canned Wheat and Wheatfield Soul, are most indicative of their early work. (Boy! Was that a statement of the obvious?)

After American Woman things changed considerably. That was a different genre of music.

My preference is the early work. Others disagree, their tastes are different.

With personnel changes, yes, the sound changed. As the band evolved, though, it still managed to work. I happen to like, very much, the Dominic Troiano tour de force, Power in the Music. Very different from the early stuff.

Rock, blues, ballads and prog, the Guess Who got around. My first Guess Who concert was August 18th, 1974. I still remember the date, because it was at that concert that I met the young lady who became my wife. In 10 days, we celebrate our 30th anniversary. We're still rocking, and so is the Guess Who.

It's hard to beat "The Best of" for their most popular tracks. American Woman is very good too.

The 'Runnin' Back Through Canada' reunion tour album did a pretty good job of capturing the stage performances.

... My first Guess Who concert was August 18th, 1974. I still remember the date, because it was at that concert that I met the young lady who became my wife. In 10 days, we celebrate our 30th anniversary. We're still rocking, and so is the Guess Who.

Ernie,

Congratulations on your up coming 30th, great story! My 18th will be in 10 days too! :thmbsp:

Congratulations to you, too!

Canned Wheat & American Woman, taken together, are about as definitive a statement by a band as you're likely to find. Everything about these two releases clicks, and Cummings' voice entered a whole new dimension. These are great albums, and I have worn out multiple 8-tracks, cassettes and at least a couple of LPs worth of each over the last 30 years.

The concert of which I spoke, was at an outdoor amphitheatre, behind the local community college. The students built it, a great earthen bowl, open behind the stage, with a ramp to walk up to the top. After two years of concerts, the bowl, named Gryphon Hollow, fell into disuse, and became a favourite neighbourhood toboggan run. A couple of years ago, the school was tearing the bowl down, to expand the classrooms, and build a residence. I was on the bus route to the college, the day demolition started. When I pulled my bus around to the back of the college, I was just in time to watch the excavator take the first big bite out of the side of the bowl. I stopped the bus, and watched, and shed a tear for the memory of that place. My only passenger was a woman who was about my age, and also watching intently, as the shovel did its work. I looked over, and noticed tracks down both her cheeks. She said to me, "I met my husband at a concert there, many years ago." "I met my wife there, a Guess Who concert." Turns out, both she AND her best friend married young men whom they met at that selfsame concert, and both those couples were still married, as of two years ago.

There really must be "Power in the Music"!

I like the lesser-known "Greatest Hits Vol. 2" which has 1971's "Raindance", "Albert Flasher", "Life in the Bloodstream", & "Orly". Only "Raindance" achieved any popularity in the States-and that's a shame, because I feel these songs are equal to the earlier work. "DonchawannaRainDancewithmeDonchawannaRainDancewith me...."

Not a best of, but Live At The Paramount has a 16 min American Woman and one helluva Got No Time. Plus These Eyes, New Mother Nature, and other standards. Sounds like they were really into it that night. Never tire of it.

The first two albums, Canned Wheat and Wheatfield Soul, are most indicative of their early work. (Boy! Was that a statement of the obvious?)

Well, uh, yeah :D



After American Woman things changed considerably. That was a different genre of music.

My preference is the early work. Others disagree, their tastes are different.

I pretty much like it all, but it is like at least three different bands - the great 60's pop band, the later somewhat proggish stuff, and the later yet retro rockers.

Oh, yeah - the two-disc "Track Record" is the one-purchase choice, for sure

Not a best of, but Live At The Paramount has a 16 min American Woman and one helluva Got No Time. Plus These Eyes, New Mother Nature, and other standards. Sounds like they were really into it that night. Never tire of it.

Isn't that the one with the live version of "Running Back to Saskatoon" on it???

I just heard that again last week; great tune!

Just get "So Long Bannatyne" and enjoy. Its my favorite Guess Who LP.

Enjoy,
Rich P

Great stuff.

Track record, at least on Amazon, is only available used. Seems to be PACKED with music, over 30 tracks for the 2 disc set. Should I try to pick one up used, or go for the new "the best of" or "Greatest Hits"

the best of track list:

1. These Eyes Listen Listen
2. Laughing Listen Listen
3. Undun Listen Listen
4. No Time Listen Listen
5. American Woman Listen Listen
6. No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature Listen Listen
7. Hand Me Down World Listen Listen
8. Bus Rider Listen Listen
9. Share The Land Listen Listen
10. Do You Miss Me Darlin'? Listen Listen
11. Hang On To Your Life Listen Listen

Greatest Hits:

1. These Eyes Listen Listen
2. Laughing Listen Listen
3. Undun Listen Listen
4. No Time Listen Listen
5. American Woman Listen Listen
6. No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature Listen Listen
7. Hand Me Down World Listen Listen
8. Share The Land Listen Listen
9. Hang On To Your Life Listen Listen
10. Albert Flasher Listen Listen
11. Rain Dance Listen Listen
12. Sour Suite Listen Listen
13. Heartbroken Bopper Listen Listen
14. Guns, Guns, Guns Listen Listen
15. Follow Your Daughter Home Listen Listen
16. Star Baby Listen Listen
17. Clap For The Wolfman Listen Listen
18. Dancin' Fool Listen Listen


Thanks:thmbsp:

Which of the 4 "best of" albums has the most popular tracks by the guess who? I would like to try these guys out, but I am not familiar with their music, so I dont know the names of the songs.

How about studio albums? Any must haves?Best of the guess Who is probablly a good all around choice,,, the album cover shows thr group in water under a pier the songs are,, these eyes,, laughing,,, undun,, no time,,, american woman,,,no sugar tonite,,, hand me down world,,,bus rider,,, share the land,,,, do you miss me darlin,,, and hang on to your life not a bad mix i think i,ll listen to it tonite

Just simply excellent tunes...and congratulations there Ernie--a worthy thread hijack!

Isn't that the one with the live version of "Running Back to Saskatoon" on it???

I just heard that again last week; great tune!


yup:

Pain Train
Albert Flasher
New Mother Nature
Runnin' Back to Saskatoon
Rain Dance
These Eyes
Glace Bay Blues
Sour Suite -
Hand Me Down World
American Woman
Truckin' off Across the Sky
Share the Land
No Time

The Guess Who: a guilty pleasure.
I have a weird "Greatest Hits" CD; a Canadian midline package, I think. I bought it 'cause it has my favorite Guess Who song on it (Heartbroken Bopper) as well as my co-favorite, No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature. Otherwise it's a pretty weird tracklist (see below).

It's on BMG and it's called "Guess Who at Their Best"

American Woman
Share the Land
Attila's Blues
Running Bear
Bus Rider
No Sugar...
Follow Your Daughter Home
Heartbroken Bopper
Albert Flasher
Rain Dance (another pretty cool song)

I wish it had "Hand Me Down World" on it... I like that one too.

That's all for now...

Interesting footie-note... "Canned Wheat" has the first version of "No Time", which I prefer simply because its longer and rocks harder.

OP-thanks for jogging my memory of a great band!! I have a recording of a concert in St. Louis circa 1972. It was recorded off of a broadcast of the famous KSHE-95 FM station there. Until your post I had forgotten about it and the great music this band put out.:thmbsp:

I don't think the Guess Who are a guilty pleasure at all, but then I'm a canuck. If you can get a mint copy of the Track Record double album, it would be worth it. If not my vote is for Wheatfield Soul.

I don't think the Guess Who are a guilty pleasure at all,

I don't feel guilty when I listen to them :music:

My fav Guess Who song is "One Divided" from So Long, Bannatyne... a jazzy number with Greg Leskiw on vocals. (Currently Leskiew fronts a Jazz band called SwingSoniq, if you're into Django Reinhardt with Tom Waits style vocals you'll love this band.

Incidently, Burton and Randy played last night in Winnipeg (their home town) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Walker Theater.. The boys still got it!

The concert of which I spoke, was at an outdoor amphitheatre, behind the local community college. The students built it, a great earthen bowl, open behind the stage, with a ramp to walk up to the top. After two years of concerts, the bowl, named Gryphon Hollow, fell into disuse, and became a favourite neighbourhood toboggan run. A couple of years ago, the school was tearing the bowl down, to expand the classrooms, and build a residence. I was on the bus route to the college, the day demolition started. When I pulled my bus around to the back of the college, I was just in time to watch the excavator take the first big bite out of the side of the bowl. I stopped the bus, and watched, and shed a tear for the memory of that place. My only passenger was a woman who was about my age, and also watching intently, as the shovel did its work. I looked over, and noticed tracks down both her cheeks. She said to me, "I met my husband at a concert there, many years ago." "I met my wife there, a Guess Who concert." Turns out, both she AND her best friend married young men whom they met at that selfsame concert, and both those couples were still married, as of two years ago.

There really must be "Power in the Music"!


I thought the woman on the bus was your wife?
A big congrats on 30 yrs,hopefully 30 more

Alan

I remember how they received their name.I am sure Ernie does too.

A young fellow by the name of Alex Trebek hosted an after school show on CBC called Music Hop. The Guess Who were forming and the CBC offered a contest to name the band.Someone wrote in to call them The Guess Who and the name became a Canadian Icon.


Alan

I still like the Guess Who.

Randy Bachman does an excellent show on CBC radio on Saturday nights. He plays all kinds of different songs for the shows' themes, and tells interesting little stories. He has his guitar hooked up too, and will bust off little riffs and explain things about songs.

I seem to have a quite a few Guess Who albums and several the best of albums look very much alike that it must of hurt sales. One of the best live bands in the day.