Bachman-Turner Overdrive: Bachman-Turner Overdrive II CD Track Listing

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Bachman-Turner Overdrive Bachman-Turner Overdrive II (1973)
Originally Released December 1973\nCD Edition Released July 3, 1989\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Released when Mercury Records was still located in Chicago, IL, back in 1973, the second album from Bachman-Turner Overdrive was the first to break through in a big way. First the hit single "Let It Ride" went Top 25 circa March of 1974, then the anthem "Taking Care of Business" went Top 15 the summer of that year. By October they would top the charts with "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" from the follow-up LP, 1974's Not Fragile, but their seven chart songs were all made possible by this album and these two songs, "Let It Ride" and "Takin' Care of Business," in particular. "Let It Ride" features one of C.F. Turner's best vocals; keeping that gargle-with-Draino diesel sound down to a minimum, the song has two major guitar riffs, one a strum, the other from Led Zeppelin's 1970 "Immigrant Song," an inverted mutation of Randy Bachman's own "American Woman" riff which also hit in 1970. That "Takin' Care of Business," which was written solely by Randy Bachman and contains his vocals, as well as the Turner/Bachman co-write "Takin' Care of Business," are light years ahead of the other six songs on this album is an understatement. Putting their minds to it and crafting hooky, radio-friendly music was something Bachman and Turner were quite capable of, but Tim Bachman's voice and writing on "Blown" and "I Don't Have to Hide" leave much to be desired. Randy Bachman sings on "Tramp," co-written with drummer Robbie Bachman, and "Welcome Home," both songs having the merit that he always cleverly injects, while "Stonegates" and "Give It Time" are total C.F. Turner singing his heavy essays. By the time Randy Bachman departed for 1978's Street Action and 1979's Rock N' Roll Nights, Turner's music was really all that was left, and it never progressed from these sludgy workouts. What is most fascinating about Bachman-Turner Overdrive II and the Guess Who's #10 is that both Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings were showing their propensity for self-indulgence. Without the balance each provided the other, Bachman's "Tramp" and Cummings' "Glamour Boy" failed to climb the charts substantially. Bachman-Turner Overdrive and the Bachman-less Guess Who both got seven songs each onto the Top 40 (with the Guess Who actually accruing six additional songs which should have got onto mainstream radio), all found on The Best of the Guess Who, Vol. 2. Still, Randy Bachman's work and musical intuition cannot be denied, and when he chose to chart, he did so in a big way. The two hits on this album and their follow-up, "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," are staples on classic rock radio. The Guess Who went further into a light, poppy direction while Randy Bachman and company descended into heavy depths, the schizophrenia so obvious when listening to a disc like Bachman-Turner Overdrive II. -- Joe Viglione \n\nHalf.com Album Credits\nBuzz Richmond, Engineer\nMarc Sterling, Engineer\nRandy Bachman, Producer\n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel: C.F. Turner (bass, vocals), Randy Bachman (lead guitar, vocals), Tim Bachman (lead guitar, vocals), Rob Bachman (drums, percussion).\n\nAdditional personnel: Norman Durkee (piano on "Takin' Care Of Business").\n\nRecorded at Kaye-Smith Studios, Seattle, Washington.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe essential BTO album, June 21, 2005\nReviewer: Jason A. Farris (Flippin, AR USA) \nIn 1970, Randy Bachman left the Guess Who because of clashes between him and other members. He converted to Mormonism and was in disdain with the band's environment. Three years later, he formed BTO and their first album flopped. Their sophomore record, aptly titled BTO II, was a commercial breakthrough and revived Bachman's career. It is considered an essential album and no classic rock collection is complete without it. I would highly recommend this and the Guess Who albums with Bachman. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\n4.5 stars - a solid sophomore effort, March 24, 2005\nReviewer: Der Kommissar (Las Vegas, NV (USA)) \nBachman-Turner Overdrive II (1973.) Bachman-Turner Overdrive's second album. \n\nDespite Randy Bachman's initial post-Guess Who projects bombing, by the mid-seventies he had settled in a band that was destined to do well - the aptly-named Bachman-Turner Overdrive. The group evolved from Brave Belt, an early post-Guess Who Bachman band. When Randy Bachman joined forces with C.F. Turner, the results were astonishing. The new version of the group released their debut in 1973. Despite being a commercial failure (although the music was good), the group endured. Bachman-Turner Overdrive II, the group's second album, was released before the end of the year, and it fared better commercially, spawning some big hits. Read on for my review of it. \n\nThe first BTO album was excellent, but tanked commercially. With this album, the band created an album that was both excellent and well-received by the public. People who hadn't heard Bachman since his Guess Who days were beginning to rediscover the forgotten rocker - this was, in more ways than not, his comeback album. The band's style, which fused elements of American southern-style rock, rhythm and blues, and pop rock, peaked on this album. Two huge hits came from this album - the down-to-earth, gritty classic rock of Let It Ride, and the classic pop-rock anthem, Takin' Care Of Business (the latter has since become the band's biggest hit.) But as with the releases most rock and roll artists put out, you've gotta go beyond the hits to get the most out of the album. The classic rock of the opening track, Blown, really must be heard to be appreciated. Also not to be overlooked is the Creedence Clearwater Revival-style rock of Stonegate. A minor hit for the group, the hard rocker Welcome Home, is one of the album's strongest tracks. Bachman serves up some of his best riffs here. Give It Time and I Don't Have To Hide are underrated gems that must not be overlooked. My personal favorite song on the album, though, would have to be Tramp. This hard rocker comes from a hobo's point of view. Sound silly? Yeah, it is. The lyrics in this track, at times, are laughable, but in my opinion they add to its charm. And the instrumentation is what matters most, as the track demonstrates. There's not a single weak track here. If you like Bachman-Turner Overdrive and you only want to get one of their albums, this would be a fine choice. \n\nSadly, the Bachman-Turner Overdrive catalogue (with the exception of some hits compilations and the Not Fragile album) seems to be fading from store shelves. This stuff is long overdue for reissuing! Remasters with expanded liner notes and bonus tracks are LONG overdue. What's the record company waiting for? \n\nIn the end, this stands strong as one of the band's best albums of all - and it's the ideal place for any new fan to start their collection. Of all of the albums Randy Bachman released in the seventies, this is arguably the best one of all. If you're a fan of classic rock, your classic rock collection is far from complete without this album. If you like classic rock and/or Randy Bachman, don't hesitate to pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nW H E W ! ! ! ! ! THIS ONE LEAVES YA EXHAUSTED....., November 11, 2004\nReviewer: N. N Wahlert "nnwahler" (seattle, wa United States) \nBTO's big break in the states........early '74 saw the release of the three-and-a-half-minute single version of "Let It Ride" (this disc's got the full version, with C.F.'s supersonic screaming intact). And "Takin' Care Of Business" saw us all through the summer of '74. \n\nBut there's a lot more to this effort--in fact, see if you can make it thru the album's first half without being totally pooped. In fact, the opener, "Blown"--a real "window-smasher" of a rocker--gets the adrenaline pumping right away, to say the least........Randy Bachman's famous "Long-Kamm Slide" is the icing on the cake with this track. It's amazing "Blown," which was the most-played album track on FM stations 30 years back, hasn't made it onto today's rigid Classic Rock playlists. \n\nA Randy Bachman composition, "Welcome Home," is an indication of how wily the man could be; it's not for nothing that he's considered one of rock's great robbers.....hear, for instance, his amusing jazz guitar solo which rounds out the track (after he's all done yelling the song's title at the very top of his lungs for the umpteenth time. \n\n"Stonegates" is five-and-a-half minutes of solid fun. The album begins to sputter and fritz a bit with "Give It Time" and "Tramp" (it hurts that they're both the same tempo and beat); but overall, this is great stuff, still a helluva lotta fun today.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nRushed 2nd album still has plenty of gems, September 18, 1999\nReviewer: Francis King "Frank King" (Whitby, ON Canada) \nBTO pushed this effort out just a few months after it's debut, and it showed. But for every forgettable number like Tramp or I Don't Have To Hide (definitely BTO's worst song), there's a killer rock classic like Blown, Stonegates (hear the similarity to the Allman Brothers' Ramblin' Man?) and Let It Ride.\n\nROLLING STONE REVIEW\nThis four-man band from Vancouver may be short on flamboyance, but producer-guitarist Randy Bachman (formerly a mainstay of the Guess Who) has a sure sense of dynamics and tone. He brought B.T.O. from nowhere nine months ago with a pair of singles ("Blue Collar" and "Let It Ride") and two good-selling albums, while everyone followed flashier stars.\n\nGuitar sounds dominate their albums, as they reverberate meanly and crash through the group's uncomplicated material. Bachman plays lead with imagination and power, while brother Tim is growing into a solid second guitarist (a third brother, Rob, is the drummer, and bassist Fred Turner rounds out the group). Together, they sound like a more explosive but less articulate Creedence; Turner, Randy and Tim all seem to be using John Fogerty as their vocal model.\n\nThis album's "Welcome Home" (written and sung by Randy) is the band's most ambitious song. A musician's-eye view of the long-touring road to success and his mixed feelings when that success begins to come, it is alternately dominated by jazz-influenced picking and shattering chords. For the most part, B.T.O. is more noteworthy for the way it sounds than for what it says. Still, it's quite a sound. (RS 159 - Apr 25, 1974) -- BUD SCOPPA
This rock cd contains 8 tracks and runs 39min 8sec.
Freedb: 64092a08
Buy: from Amazon.com

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