THE BABYS : ANTHOLOGY

 

  1. If You've Got the Time
  2. Head Above the Waves
  3. I Love How You Love Me
  4. Looking for Love
  5. Isn't It Time
  6. Give Me Your Love
  7. Silver Dreams
  8. Money
  9. Every Time I Think of You
  10. Head First
  11. Love Don't Prove I'm Right
  12. Back on My Feet Again
  13. Midnight Rendezvous
  14. Anytime
  15. Turn and Walk Away
  16. Sweet 17
  17. Gonna Be Somebody

Label : Chrysalis Records

Length : 56:48

Release Date : 2000

Review (AllMusic) : With a voice that was perfect for AOR, John Waite and his band the Babys shared the airwaves with groups like Journey and Foreigner in the late '70s and early '80s. His rock-tender vocals accompanied electric guitar and ample keyboards resulting in some appealing yet not overly flamboyant music. Anthology brings together ten of this band's best songs in a short but concise collection of the Babys' hits. All three of their charted songs are here, including "Isn't It Time" and "Every Time I Think of You," which both peaked at number 13 in 1977 and the latter again two years afterwards. "Back on My Feet Again" also broke the Top 40, hitting number 33 for three weeks in 1980. Each of their five albums are represented on this hits package, and the inclusion of Jonathan Cain on keyboards for 1980's Back on My Feet Again greatly enhanced their music, adding some texture and dimension. Cain, who replaced Mike Corby and bass player Rick Phillips, went on to play with San Francisco's Journey, where his keyboard artistry was better utilized. Although the songs are simply arranged and the lyrics are plain, there is still some music worth hearing among this set, such as the previously unreleased "Money" and the honest sounding "If You've Got the Time." "Turn and Walk Away" has some smooth background singing from Anne Marie Leclerc, and "Head First" is a catchy tune with Waite showing off his clean voice. Even though John Waite had greater success as a solo artist, hitting number one with "Missing You" in 1984, his work with the Babys showcases his talents within a band atmosphere.

Review (Wikipedia) : Anthology is a greatest-hits collection spanning the Babys' recording career from 1976 to 1980. It was originally issued on Chrysalis Records in October 1981 and later remastered and reissued with bonus material on Capitol Records in 2000, at which point it reached number 138 on the Billboard 200. This expanded edition adds extra tracks not present on the original ten-song LP, drawn from across the same five Chrysalis-era albums, including live and previously rarer material alongside the well-known singles. Unusually for a compilation, one of its songs, a cover of the Motown standard "Money," had never actually appeared on any of the band's studio albums, making its inclusion here its first official release. Although none of the Babys' original albums had been huge sellers on their own, the compilation format let listeners hear the singles and standout album tracks side by side, and it has remained the band's most enduring and widely available release in the decades since, long after the group itself split up and frontman John Waite moved on to a successful solo career.