Quad LP/Tape Poll Bread: The Best of Bread [CD-4/Q8/QR]

[EMB]

Elektra EQ-5056, from 1973.

Side 1:

Make It With You
Everything I Own
Diary
Baby I'm-A Want You
It Don't Matter to Me
If

Side 2:

Mother Freedom
Down on My Knees
Too Much Love
Let Your Love Go
Look What You've Done
Truckin'




ED

 

[Quad Linda]

10. Essential. Nice mix, and not a bad tune in the bunch. Soft rock/pop at its' best. You NEED it.

 

[EMB]

And with "Let Your Love Go," "Mother Freedom" and "Truckin'" something one could say was a bit stronger than soft. Rated this one a '9' and almost a 10. Had the album also included "The Guitar Man" (the only essential single missing) it probably would've gotten that.

The band was loaded with veterans: David Gates, of course, veteran L.A. producer/writer/arranger/anything else needed; James Griffin, who did a lot of recording under his own name and with various bands; and Larry Knechtel, prolific L.A. session keyboardist who even got a major credit for his work on Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Robb Royer was an early member, Mike Botts their drummer. Gates, though, was the major talent as a songwriter, since he supplied their biggest love ballads (which was pretty much what the band was about, anyway). Great melodies and simple lyrics, from guys who'd been behind the scenes so long it must have been a little strange to finally get the spotlight for a time. That this album stayed on the charts for over two years after the band called it quits was, I believe, a testament to the durability of their finest work, most of which is here. The quad mixes do justice--and sometimes, add a little more--to the sound. Very impressive.

ED

 

[timbre4]

Nice details, thank you. Guitar Man came out shortly after the Best Of was issued is how I remember it.

 

[EMB]

Nice details, thank you. Guitar Man came out shortly after the Best Of was issued is how I remember it.

No, some months after. GUITAR MAN was 1972, BEST OF '73. Obviously they were saving some cuts for BEST OF VOL. II, where "Aubrey" and "Guitar Man" can be found. But that one wasn't issued in quad, unfortunately. And given the period it was released, the GUITAR MAN album itself would have been a sensible choice for quad. A real pity the labels didn't embrace the format as wholeheartedly as it needed to be. Can you imagine if Elektra had been more serious, what titles we might have gotten before the tapes went MIA? I'm still surprised that such successful albums as Harry Chapin's HEADS & TALES or VERITIES AND BALDERDASH, Carly's ANTICIPATION, Judy's WHALES & NIGHTINGALES, the Eagles' debut, something from Love, didn't get released. Given how progressive a label Elektra became as of 1966, how conservative it could be with quad. What we got was very good, just surprising there wasn't more.

ED

 

[timbre4]

Yes, that's how it went. They must've thought Bread had another decade on them! So much we didn't get...

 

[EMB]

With the Audio Fidelity release now the reference disc--great job!--we can now stare at our vinyl and orange Q8's with nostalgia, right?

ED

 

[Philip Spinner]

And our quad reels as well. I will still keep them though. Who knows, perhaps years from now my SACD will develop laser rot and I will be forced to go back to the tape.

 

[The Rang]

Most of the music is a snooze IMHO, but damn it sounds good, one of AF's best

 

[QuantumGuitar]

I am by no means anywhere near anything close to a fan of Bread's music... That being said the QR sounds FANTASTIC and the mix is exactly what it should be. I use this reel as my test reel and I always end up having their songs stuck in my head for weeks after...10

 

[par4ken]

I've had the CD-4 since it came out and the Quad Reel almost as long but for the best sound you should get the AF SACD! Don't understand how anyone could not but love these songs, I usually prefer harder edged music but this every track on this is great!