One Hit Wonders [PGD] (CD - 1995)

The term one-hit wonder is usually used derisively, as in "Why did you only have one hit, huh?" Anyone who feels this way ought to take a moment and reflect on just how difficult it is to get that one hit. One-hit wonders are really success stories, not failures. Some of the best pop is created by people who only reach the big time once. Check out One Hit Wonders for proof. It's a budget collection so there are only ten tracks, but there are some real winners here: Bobby Bloom's rollicking "Montego Bay," Keith's transcendent "98.6," Marmalade's blue-eyed soul classic "Reflections of My Life," Friend & Lover's groovy, goofy "Reach Out in the Darkness," and Every Mother's Son's funky sweet "Come On Down to My Boat." These are the kind of classics that kept AM radio afloat in the late '60s and early '70s. Of course, some one-hit wonders were just silly novelty songs and there are a couple of those here, like Coven's overwrought "One Tin Soldier (The Legend of Billy Jack)" and the Singing Nun's "Dominique." Nothing wrong with that, however. They can't all be classics. Still, at only ten songs, this disc -- while enjoyable -- is ultimately too brief to be of much use. ~ Tim Sendra minimize