The title of 1995's
The Best of John Stewart: Turning Music Into Gold
is actually a misnomer. This German release is actually two complete albums -- 1979's
Bombs Away Dream Babies
and 1980's
Dream Babies Go Hollywood
-- and two previously unreleased bonus tracks collected on one CD.
has been the biggest commercial success of
Stewart
's critically acclaimed solo career. This Top Ten effort included the Top Five hit
"Gold"
and two other Top 40 singles,
"Midnight Wind"
and
"Lost Her in the Sun."
Fleetwood Mac
's
Lindsey Buckingham
Stevie Nicks
were featured prominently on the album.
was the less successful follow-up. It duplicated the pop/rock leanings of its predecessor and its notable tracks include
"Hollywood Dreams,"
"Wind on the River,"
"Odin (Spirit of the Water),"
"Lady of Fame."
"Hard Time Town"
"Children of the Morning"
are the acoustic guitar-based bonus cuts. The former is driven by bright strumming while the latter, written by
's wife
Buffy Ford
, is based on sweet fingerpicking. The liner notes were assembled by
Peter O'Brien
, who compiled insightful
quotes from various interviews conducted between 1977 and 1984.
is invaluable for die-hard fans because
was still not available individually on CD as of mid-2000. ~ Bret Adams