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Greatest Hits US Release
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Greatest Hits
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Price | New from | Used from |
MP3 Music, November 1, 1968
"Please retry" | $9.49 | — |
Vinyl, Limited Edition, September 23, 2022
"Please retry" | $35.98 | $15.95 |
Audio, Cassette, July 7, 1987
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Track Listings
1 | The Time It Is Today |
2 | Everything That Touches You |
3 | Like Always |
4 | Never My Love |
5 | Requiem for the Masses |
6 | Along Comes Mary |
7 | Enter the Young |
8 | No Fair at All |
9 | Time for Livin' |
10 | We Love |
11 | Cherish |
12 | Windy |
13 | Six Man Band |
Editorial Reviews
Includes Windy; Cherish; Along Comes Mary; Never My Love; Everything that Touches You; No Fair at All; Six Man Band all their biggest, soft-rockin' hits!
Product details
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- Product Dimensions : 4.88 x 5.59 x 0.47 inches; 3.17 ounces
- Manufacturer : Rhino/Warner Records
- Item model number : 1703163
- Original Release Date : 2004
- Date First Available : February 2, 2007
- Label : Rhino/Warner Records
- ASIN : B0002VEPH6
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #42,807 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #67 in Baroque Pop
- #20,271 in Rock (CDs & Vinyl)
- Customer Reviews:
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2023“The Association Greatest Hits” was released by Warner Brothers around the holidays in 1968 as the group’s dominance on the charts was ending. It became their biggest album, peaking at #4 and reaching double platinum status (sales over 2 million) in June, 1989. Most of those were vinyl sales and there were certainly many more bought in the CD era. The Warner Brothers CD release is an exact copy of the vinyl album with no added tracks. In that sense it’s very basic. Rhino, owned by Warner Brothers since 1998. put out the 2CD anthology in 2002, “Just the Right Sound” which gives a fuller account of the group’s work than just their hit singles and contains some rare tracks. That unfortunately has gone out of print and is usually expensive online, though I’m happy to note that Amazon offers a downloaded version for a reasonable price. Their individual albums are also available on CD. Big fans will want at least the double disc set but most people will be satisfied with the “Greatest Hits”, which contains all the hits of their 1966-68 heyday.
The Association rose out of the L.A folk music scene centered on the Troubadour, the famous folk club that launched many musical careers. This might surprise many fans as the band was known for their many hit singles which don’t sound at all like folk music. That side of the group is clear on their first album, “And Then…Along Comes the Association” though the way the songs are arranged, you’d call it folk rock. Their hit singles generally have them labeled Sunshine Pop, along with many of those groups from the Mamas & the Papas and the Lovin’ Spoonful to Spanky & our Gang also coming out of the folk scene. Association was full of little paradoxes like this. They were very countercultural in their personal outlook and were practically the house band on the politically controversial “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, but their dreamily romantic prom standards gave them a more retro reputation. They were called “The hardest partying band in L.A.” by no less than Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night, whose house had a reputation as the wildest party house in L.A. Yet their suited image gave them a square reputation by mid 1967. They were worn tongue in cheek, to fit the band’s name, looking like young members of J.F.K. ’s New Frontier, beamed in from 1962, but they should have abandoned that look by early1967 at least.
They were signed by a local indie label, Valiant, that had had three hits in the early sixties including “Rhythm of the Rain” but nothing since then. Their second single, “Along Comes Mary”, became a major national hit in the summer of ‘66, this despite the fact that this was when radio program directors were going crazy over possible drug references in songs that even brought Gary Lewis and the Playboys’ innocent “Green Grass” under scrutiny. The word “Mary” in the title set those people off, but the lyrics were so inscrutable that even the band members said they had no idea what it was about. It was written by up and coming songwriter Tandyn Almer, who went on to invent a popular bong named after himself, so you’re free to draw your own conclusions.
The song was different from anything else they would ever do. With its loud electric keyboard and bass intro and fast, pounding rhythm, many people thought they were a new rock group. But their next single, “Cherish”, changed that perception. The warm ballad was an instant hit in the autumn of that year, was #1 for three weeks and was probably played at every high school dance for years after. The label didn’t want them to release it, saying it was too old fashioned and would never be a hit, but the songs composer and leader of the group, Terry Kirkman, insisted and proved them wrong with one of the biggest hits of the decade.
After two big hits like this you’d think they’d be happy, but they thought producer Curt Boettcher had made them sound too slick and unlike the way they sounded on stage. Also, studio musicians were used as stipulated in their contract. Overall this is true, but you needed a professionally produced sound to stand out on the radio and make an album with professional sounding songs. I understand their wanting to be authentic in those days but studio musicians could make an album sound as perfect as it needed to be for playing over and over while most bands would need months to play that well. The band insisted, hiring member Jim Yester’s brother Jerry, of the Modern Folk Quartet to produce and with them playing the instruments themselves. The resulting album, “Renaissance”, was not bad in retrospect, but generally made them sound like any average band. The album flopped as did their follow up to “Cherish”, the wordy and dismal, “Pandora’s Golden Heebie Jeebies” which also flopped as even the excellent next single, “No Fair at All”. Only the latter is included here.
Meanwhile Warner Brothers bought Valiant for no other reason than to acquire the Association’s contract. After the previous failure the band accepted one of the best producers around, Bones Howe (who had produced the Mamas & Papas albums) and studio musicians from the Wrecking Crew. I can’t overestimate how important it was to have hit singles at this time. It would take until the late 60s and early 70s to establish an FM radio scene and an album oriented music fanbase. If you didn’t have hit singles, you’d vanish. They immediately came out with the jaunty and bright “Windy” that put them back in #1 again, right around the time “Sgt.” Pepper” was coming out. That was a real piece of luck, the song given to them by a friend, Ruthann Friedman. The Addrisi brothers wrote their next hit, another romantic ballad, “Never My Love”. Meanwhile they continued to write most of the non singles on their album, “Insight Out”, which was more sunshine pop than their first two.
They started 1968 out with a bang with Kirkman’s “Everything That Touches You”, a masterpiece of polyphony that showed what the band could really do. By this point they were the best around in vocals, sometimes in six part harmony. But 1968 got to them the way it got to a lot of performers. Everything changed. The year started out in paisley-suited psychedelia but ended with hard rock and blue jeans. Most of the big groups and performers of the mid 60s disappeared by the end of the year, including the Association. The next two singles of that year, “Time for Livin” and “Six Man Band” both had short lives on the charts and were the last most people heard of them. Warner Brothers was a good label that supported their performers and they put out three more albums through 1971’s “Stop Your Motor” before ending the contract. The band went on forever as a popular touring band and to my knowledge is still around with three original members.
This is a great sounding disc. There’s only one paragraph about the group, but the booklet has the lyrics of every song. The album tracks chosen are some of their best. I do wish Warner’s had released an updated version with a few more tracks. But for a quick sample of their mid 60s career, this has what you need.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2025Quality product as described
- Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2025Very good CD. I totally recommend
- Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2024Comfort music
- Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2024Same grat sounds. Great group
- Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2024To listen to
- Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2024I bought used, I'm very happy with it.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2024This seller is fantastic not only with selection of product-but customer service
Top reviews from other countries
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Arturo Hernández FonsecaReviewed in Mexico on April 29, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy bieno
La calidad de reproducción es excelente
- JaniceReviewed in Canada on November 28, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Great songs
I was surprised by the songs I didn’t know on this CD . Really enjoy their music .
- jurassicReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 5, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
Superb Album for those into sixties music
- L RReviewed in Australia on May 31, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast delivery
Goods as described
- Andreas BeaudoinReviewed in Germany on May 23, 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars Association Greatest hits
It is a great CD and I had the LP when I was younger and it is just like I remmber, but the sound is super remastered . And I would recomed this to anyone that is a lover of 60's music , and the Hippi movement.