Chuck’s Record Collection: “Today’s Super Greats”

When I think of “boxed sets” of LP’s, my mind usually goes to the ’80s and ’90s, often greatest-hits collections like Elton John’s To Be Continued … or concert sets like Bruce Springsteen’s Live 1975-1985.

But the earliest boxed set I remember was a K-tel set, Today’s Super Greats, from late 1973.

It was a collection of music from 1967-72, much of it available on earlier K-tel collections including “20 Power Hits,” the one I reviewed in this column’s first installment. And it was quite the pop feast: 40 songs by 39*, or 38*, or 37* different artists.

(Why all the asterisks? Well, there’s one track by the Osmonds and another by Donny Osmond –technically two different acts, but one essential to the success of the other. And then, there’s a track by Derek and the Dominos, and a separate track by Eric Clapton: Do they really count as two separate acts?
(Hmm … let’s get metaphysical.)

Whatever the case, you certainly were getting your money’s worth by buying this set. And because there were fewer songs pressed into the vinyl than the typical K-tel album, the listening experience might be a little closer to what you’d hear with these artists’ own releases, rather than what often sounded a bit speeded up, chopped up, or otherwise different from the experience of owning, say, The Raspberries on vinyl. (Not to mention that this collection didn’t make anyone pass out from its scent as that one did; a great Casey Kasem story.)

And let’s talk about that cover! K-tel’s covers were never groovier than this – a collection of
photos colored in a very watercolor-meets-Warhol style of, clockwise from upper left, Olivia Newton-John, Lobo, Sammy Davis Jr., Cher, and Mouth and MacNeal.

As to the guitar-slinging white guy in the upper right corner: from the songs collected, I’d have to guess at Jud Strunk? It’s certainly not Rod Stewart or Eric Clapton, and I don’t think Wayne Newton or Brian Hyland play guitar. (Honestly, I’d have guessed Rick Nelson, but “Garden Party” isn’t in this box, alas.) Your guess is as good as mine.

There are several versions of this collection out there. As with most of the K-tel collections, there’s a Canadian version that subs out some of the lesser hits with tracks from homegrown artists. In addition, the company provided single-disc versions of the three albums for those who didn’t want to shell out the $7.99 (I’m guessing) for the 3-disc set. The version heard on this Mixcloud podcast is disc two of the 3-disc boxed set:

https://www.mixcloud.com/VinylVoyageRadio/adventures-in-vinyl-todays- super-greats-part-2-1974

So how does this shake out in terms of quality? (You may have some déjà vu, as some of the “20 Power Hits” songs are here as well.)

Here’s my take:

Top-shelf:

• Wadsworth Mansion’s Sweet Mary
(side note to Aaron – K-tel must have realized “Family” was no longer relevant if it ever was; it’s not on this album cover);
• Brian Hyland’s Gypsy Woman
• Dawn’s Candida
• Shocking Blue’s Venus
• Freda Payne’s Band of Gold
• Dennis Coffey’s Scorpio
• Rod Stewart’s Maggie May
• Chairmen of the Board’s Gimme Just a Little More Time
• Joe Simon’s Power of Love
• James Brown’s Hot Pants
• Daniel Boone’s Beautiful Sunday
• Mouth and MacNeal’s How Do You Do?
• Raspberries’ Go All the Way
• Cher’s Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves
• Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds’ Don’t Pull Your Love
• Edison Lighthouse’s Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
• The Box Tops’ The Letter
• The Fortunes’ Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again
• Steam’s Na, Na, Hey, Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye
(I know that last one’s contentious, but I’m a Windy City boy from way back, so I will always defend it).

Decent:

• Dawn’s Knock Three Times
• Tee Set: Ma Belle Amie
• Gallery’s I Believe in Music
• Austin Roberts’ Something’s Wrong With Me
• Lighthouse’s Sunny Days
• Sammy Davis Jr.’s Candy Man
• Stampeders’ Sweet City Woman
• Olivia Newton-John’s If Not for You
• Derek & the Dominos’ (highly edited) Layla
• Jud Strunk’s Daisy a Day
• Rick Springfield’s Speak to the Sky
• Lobo’s Don’t Expect Me to Be Your Friend
• Eric Clapton’s Let It Rain
• The Osmonds’ Down by the Lazy River
• Wayne Newton’s Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast (there’s an entire column in this one someday).

Yuck:

• The Bells’ Stay Awhile
• Hurricane Smith’s Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?
• Donny Osmond’s Go Away Little Girl
• New Seekers’ Pinball Wizard/See Me, Feel Me

Question Marks:

• Skylark’s Wildflower – I liked it as a kid but find the “woman/child” dichotomy sexist and kind of creepy today. I guess that makes it a “yuck,” but a little less so than the songs in that category that I hated at age 10 and still hate.

• And Teegarden and Van Winkle’s God Love Rock ‘n’ Roll was a head-scratcher then and now. I feel like it’s trying to Make A Statement, but I’ll be darned if I know what it is, other than the shallow derivative of the “Lilies of the Field” “Amen” that it owns up to near the end.

The “Top-shelf” and the “Decent” command 34 of the 40 spots for a percentage of 85%, which is not bad by any means – it makes this a boxed set worth getting if you like your ‘70s Top 40 treats all in one place.

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