Tracks
Disk #1
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Disk #3
Disk #4
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Casual fans may wonder why Bruce Hornsby would release a boxed set, but his fans wonder why he hasn't released more of them. He has been an incredibly prolific musician, but he hasn't spent a lot of time focusing on making the Hot 100. Rather, he plays what he feels like playing, be it pop or jazz or country or folk or classical, or, more likely, some combination of the above. And those of us who follow him love him for it; this set is for us.
The four discs each have a different theme, somewhat encapsulating the different aspects of his music. Disc one is titled "Top 90 Time", and features all of his songs that managed to make it into the charts...in his case, in the top 90 tracks. This is the disc that is most accessible for casual fans, and is actually a very good entry point for newer fans of his music. Here you will find "The Way It Is", "Mandolin Rain", "The Valley Road" and other tracks that made the charts during the time when he was with Bruce Hornsby and the Range, which released three albums before Bruce disbanded them and went solo. There are a few possible surprises for casual fans, such as the inclusion of "Jacob's Ladder". This was a hit for Huey Lewis and the News, but the song was written by Hornsby, so he often performs it live. The version here is a live track. The same goes for "The End of the Innocence", which was a big hit for Don Henley. Hornsby wrote that one as well, he plays it live here. A couple of other songs are live versions, though they aren't billed as such, including a bit of a strange choice, "Look Out Any Window". I thought the single was always strong in production, and he was never able to do much with it live. I would have preferred the single here, but that's a minor complaint.
The second disc is "Solo Piano, Tribute Records, Country-Bluegrass, Movie Songs". He did a number of instrumentals, and wound up not actually naming them, but assigning them consecutive letters, hence we get "Song A", "Song B", etc. These were largely sessions that produced "Swan Song", so you can hear elements of that one in these (track 5 features Swan Song in the mix). There are also some bluegrass-influenced tracks here, most notable the fantastic "Crown of Jewels", the story of a fallen beauty queen. This is definitely crossover bluegrass, as it features his piano and a less fiddle-based sound, but is really a terrific song, and this is an outstanding live version. Also included are some tracks that appeared on tribute albums: "Madman Across the Water" from the Elton John "Two Rooms" Tribute, which is a bit more jazz-inspired version of the song, and "Jack Straw", a Grateful Dead cover that more than does justice to the original. The Dead also make an appearance here, playing on "The Valley Road", another live track.
The last two discs are titled "By Request". Like the Dead, Hornsby tours extensively, and no two setlists are the same. He does a lot of shows by audience request, hence the theme here. Three tracks from his Range days are here, including "Night on the Town" and "The Valley Road", which is the third version of this song on the boxed set. This is one of his most popular tunes, it did chart pretty well, and he plays a killer bluegrass version of it, so it fits into all three. This was done to really show his versatility, that he can do a lot with a song to play around with it, give it a different feel, keep it fresh. He sprinkles in some of the most popular songs from each of his albums, up through Halcyon Days. These tracks may not have charted, but they come up as some of his most popular songs in fan polls, and also some of the most requested of his songs.tracks
If you like a few of Hornsby's songs, this will be a wonderful entryway into his musical world. Even hardcore fans will find a lot of rarities and live versions to like here. It's a bit of a unique take on the boxed set, but that fits perfectly with the unique musician Hornsby is.
The four discs each have a different theme, somewhat encapsulating the different aspects of his music. Disc one is titled "Top 90 Time", and features all of his songs that managed to make it into the charts...in his case, in the top 90 tracks. This is the disc that is most accessible for casual fans, and is actually a very good entry point for newer fans of his music. Here you will find "The Way It Is", "Mandolin Rain", "The Valley Road" and other tracks that made the charts during the time when he was with Bruce Hornsby and the Range, which released three albums before Bruce disbanded them and went solo. There are a few possible surprises for casual fans, such as the inclusion of "Jacob's Ladder". This was a hit for Huey Lewis and the News, but the song was written by Hornsby, so he often performs it live. The version here is a live track. The same goes for "The End of the Innocence", which was a big hit for Don Henley. Hornsby wrote that one as well, he plays it live here. A couple of other songs are live versions, though they aren't billed as such, including a bit of a strange choice, "Look Out Any Window". I thought the single was always strong in production, and he was never able to do much with it live. I would have preferred the single here, but that's a minor complaint.
The second disc is "Solo Piano, Tribute Records, Country-Bluegrass, Movie Songs". He did a number of instrumentals, and wound up not actually naming them, but assigning them consecutive letters, hence we get "Song A", "Song B", etc. These were largely sessions that produced "Swan Song", so you can hear elements of that one in these (track 5 features Swan Song in the mix). There are also some bluegrass-influenced tracks here, most notable the fantastic "Crown of Jewels", the story of a fallen beauty queen. This is definitely crossover bluegrass, as it features his piano and a less fiddle-based sound, but is really a terrific song, and this is an outstanding live version. Also included are some tracks that appeared on tribute albums: "Madman Across the Water" from the Elton John "Two Rooms" Tribute, which is a bit more jazz-inspired version of the song, and "Jack Straw", a Grateful Dead cover that more than does justice to the original. The Dead also make an appearance here, playing on "The Valley Road", another live track.
The last two discs are titled "By Request". Like the Dead, Hornsby tours extensively, and no two setlists are the same. He does a lot of shows by audience request, hence the theme here. Three tracks from his Range days are here, including "Night on the Town" and "The Valley Road", which is the third version of this song on the boxed set. This is one of his most popular tunes, it did chart pretty well, and he plays a killer bluegrass version of it, so it fits into all three. This was done to really show his versatility, that he can do a lot with a song to play around with it, give it a different feel, keep it fresh. He sprinkles in some of the most popular songs from each of his albums, up through Halcyon Days. These tracks may not have charted, but they come up as some of his most popular songs in fan polls, and also some of the most requested of his songs.tracks
If you like a few of Hornsby's songs, this will be a wonderful entryway into his musical world. Even hardcore fans will find a lot of rarities and live versions to like here. It's a bit of a unique take on the boxed set, but that fits perfectly with the unique musician Hornsby is.