Little River Band - Cuts Like A Diamond

[JKL2000]

[Trane]

You've got a great library! Given what you say you like above, start with:

1. LITTLE RIVER BAND - XL578H

2. SLEEPER CATCHER / TIME EXPOSURE - XL578K (focus on the Sleeper Cather disc)

3. DIAMANTINA COCKTAIL - XL578G

they should be there next week

(they're missing the second album, though)

[BravadoNJ]

if you can stomach John Farnham (Wayne Nelson sings 4 of the songs) 1986's NO REINS is a great album. all obscure songs but really good.

[Trane]

You've got a great library!

One of the best in the world, but it's about to collapse...

It's a national system, a bit separate (but similar) from the books, though my local antenna is a joined venture... and they send you the stuff in the reserves (all of LRB albums are in the central reserve)... It's relatively expensive to run (especially the trucks running around in every village one par week), that public subsidies are being cut, since most everyone now downloads and don't care for the physical medias... It was about to collapse some 5 years ago, and they cut down dramatically the costs (from €1.65 or 0.50 for a week) to pump back the clientèle , and it got a new lease on life, but even that proved to be temporary... They're experimenting with new avenues, but soon or later, this will be doomed.

[Rangershockey7]

LRB are pretty unique. I can’t really think of any band that sounded that much like them. I agree that the expanded “Greatest Hits” is a decent place to start, but this is a band that really deserves more than a single disc compilation. I would really like to see a 2 disc anthology that covered a bit more ground. Another good introduction to the band would be their live album from back in the day “Backstage Pass”. These guys could pull off their vocal harmonies as well live as they could in the studio and they were no slouches on their instruments either as the live album shows.
Steve Sly

I have a 2 disk set put out by Rino Records titled "Reminiscing: The Twentieth Anniversary Collection". It came out in 94 and covers all the hits I remember, and features a 32 page booklet. One of the highpoints is (I believe!!) the album cut of "Its a Long Way There"

Fantastic compilation, and you are right, a single disk just could not capture all of this.

[SteveSly]

I have a 2 disk set put out by Rino Records titled "Reminiscing: The Twentieth Anniversary Collection". It came out in 94 and covers all the hits I remember, and features a 32 page booklet. One of the highpoints is (I believe!!) the album cut of "Its a Long Way There"

Fantastic compilation, and you are right, a single disk just could not capture all of this.

Do you know if this is still available? I looked on Amazon and could not find it, but I would definitly be interested in it.

Steve Sly

[SteveSly]

Do you know if this is still available? I looked on Amazon and could not find it, but I would definitly be interested in it.

Steve Sly

After some more searching I found it. I did not even know this existed, but it looks like a great compilation. I just ordered it used.

Steve Sly

[Rangershockey7]

After some more searching I found it. I did not even know this existed, but it looks like a great compilation. I just ordered it used.

Steve Sly

Enjoy it!!! It is worth it if only for the booklet.

I always loved their second tier hits. Never liked "Reminiscing", "Lady", "Man on Your Mind" but loved the songs that made top 40 but not top 5. Songs like Home on Monday, Lonesome Loser, Cool Change, Its a long way there, Take it Easy on Me.

LRB was always a guilty pleasure pleasure for me.

[Trane]

Well, I heazrd the three CD I borrowed from the library.... outside those two long pieces, nothing in it for me

This only confirmed the image I had from these guys (especially that Time Exposure album from 81)....

AOR of little interest to these ears....

[Gerardo]

This is a band that sounded unremarkable to me. I remember when I lived in my home country of Puerto Rico, the djs of the local classic rock station, Alfa Rock, had a love affair with the Little River Band and played them to death. I could never remember any of their music after I had listened to them on the radio so I've never felt compelled to buy any of their music. The only thing I did own and later got rid of was a King Biscuit Flower Hour performance by them that a friend traded with me. I listened to it many times and, again, nothing stayed with me so I gave it away to a friend that was into them. Also, saw them live at a festival in St. Petersburg, FL in 2008 in a bill with ASIA Featuring John Payne and the Doobie Brothers and I recall enjoying their performance but it didn't change my mind about the band. That being said, I do like this new song from their upcoming album and I might buy this one after watching this new video:

[Trane]

^^^^

Yuuuuck!!!!!!!!!!!

No thanks!!

[Gerardo]

^^^^

Yuuuuck!!!!!!!!!!!

No thanks!!

Sorry you didn't like it Trane, LOL! As I said, I've always found this band's music unremarkable and unmemorable but, when I watched this video for the first time yesterday morning, it was the first time I could remember a Little River Band song right away. That and, since I'm a former member of the U.S. Armed Forces and a Veteran of the first Persian Gulf War, I connected with the song right away and appreciate their effort and dedicating it to those who serve in the military. I might buy this record just to have the song.

[Progbear]

Note that their debut also contains their version of “Statue of Liberty,” a song Glenn Shorrock originally wrote for and performed with his old band, Esperanto. Esperanto were one of the insane excesses of the prog era; take a typical quartet of guitar, keys, bass and drums, augment them with a string quartet and a quartet of vocalists, and have them hail from all over the world (Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Belgium, Italy, UK). Apparently getting all the band members together to rehearse was a logistical nightmare, and the four original singers (Shorrock, Joy Yates, Janice Slator and Brigette du Doit) decamped en masse midway through the recording of the second album (Danse Macabre) along with guitarist Brian Holloway. Their vocals (on the tracks that had them) were replaced with that of folk singer Keith Christmas, but the Si-Wan CD features acetate demos of several tracks featuring the original lineup. As much as I like the album in its released form, the demo versions are better.

-------------
MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

“It doesn't get any more...like this. Than this.” --Anders Lundquist

N.P.:“The Song (They Love to Sing)”-Barclay James Harvest/Eyes of the Universe

[Trane]

^^^^

I wasn't aware of the Esperanto link... but yeah, the string arrangements of LRB can be a hint.

[arturs]

^^^ Wow. I had never heard of Esperanto before. Insane prog excess is not far off the mark! So LRB does have a bona fide prog skeleton in their closet after all.

Here's a track I found on youtube. Shorrock is clearly the lead singer on this one. Trane, this may be more up your alley...

[Trane]

^^^ Wow. I had never heard of Esperanto before. Insane prog excess is not far off the mark! So LRB does have a bona fide prog skeleton in their closet after all.

Here's a track I found on youtube. Shorrock is clearly the lead singer on this one. Trane, this may be more up your alley...

Yeah, I'm fully aware of Esperanto... (prefer the last two over the deburt, though)

the backbone of the band (drums, bass, KB and lead violin) was Belgian (mostly from the city of Mons >> 30 km S-E of Lilles in France and 60 km S-E of Brussels)

[interbellum]

i think Steve Housden (guitarist) owns the rites to the name. he & Nelson joined the band in 1981.

Speaking of Stephen Housden: just played his wonderful solo-album New World Groove from 1993 again. If you love melodic instrumental guitar-stuff this is a CD to listen to.
Here's a nice review: https://www.guitar9.com/column/stephen-housden

The following track, Spanish Castle, is one of the songs from the album, but played here live in a different setting:



B.t.w. my only LRB-CD is Playing To Win, which has a lot of synthrock-influences.

[interbellum]

additional trivia: A few years ago he recorded his first solo instrumental album New World Groove. The opening track Celtic Warrior has been featured on the TV series Baywatch.

[SteveSly]

I never even knew he did a solo album, but I like what you posted.

[Yodelgoat]

Always liked "cool change" other than that... not much has caught my ear.

[SteveSly]

Always liked "cool change" other than that... not much has caught my ear.

If you dig into their albums, LRB did a lot of really good stuff. They were a fantastic live band too. I have always thought they were under rated.

[JJ88]

I have heard the long, album version of 'It's A Long Way There' and thought it was great.

[SteveSly]

I have heard the long, album version of 'It's A Long Way There' and thought it was great.

Great song. I liked it even better live;

[BravadoNJ]

^^^^ the version on their Backstage Pass double album was the best iive- with a symphony orchestra.
heavier on guitars and drums.



here's another one of their epics, more on the mellow side- great bass!

[interbellum]

I never even knew he did a solo album, but I like what you posted.

It's a realy fine CD with wonderful, melodic guitar-playing and you can get it very cheep at https://www.discogs.com/Stephen-Hous...elease/6620572
I know there are a lot of Phil Keaggy-fans over here, so this release might be worth searching for: https://www.discogs.com/Phil-Keaggy-...lease/11888860