The Essentials

The Essentials

by Harry Chapin

Overview

The Essentials

The Essentials more or less lives up to its name, gathering a dozen definitive Harry Chapin songs, including "Taxi," "W*O*L*D*," "Cat's in the Cradle," and "30,000 Pounds of Bananas." Other highlights include "Dreams Go By," "Dance Band on the Titanic," and "Better Place to Be." More in keeping with The Anthology of Harry Chapin than The Gold Medal Collection or The Story of a Life: The Harry Chapin Box in terms of its depth and breadth, Essentials offers a decent primer of Chapin's best-known work.

Product Details

Release Date: 07/02/2002
Label: Elektra / Wea
UPC: 0081227606121
catalogNumber: 76061
Rank: 7908

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The Essentials 5 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 1 reviews.
FantasyLover More than 1 year ago
I broke down and ordered this CD of Harry Chapin, because I can play it anywhere. Not like my vinyl recordings, which I can only play at home. What a great selection of some of his greatest hits, all on one CD. Harry "wrote songs as if he were making movies." His songs "display a vivid narrative sense", they tell stories that will move you to tears or laughter. His first hit, "Taxi", more than 6 minutes long, is an "atmospheric depiction" of a cabbie and his old girl friend, with a story line rooted in reality. "Sequel" continues that story. "W*O*L*D" is an interesting character sketch of an aging DJ. And the comical country tune "30,000 Thousand Pounds of Bananas" is a live recording on this CD, with several different endings. If you don't want to purchase all Harry's albums, this is the essential CD to have.