Emitt Rhodes - Listen, Listen: The Best of Emitt Rhodes (CD)

All Music Guide

Though Rhodes' '60s band the Merry-Go-Round is a better place to start, with either the 1967 AM LP The Merry-Go-Round or their posthumous best-of on Rhino, this 21-song overview begins with five tracks from that period and, more interestingly, documents his surprisingly, equally credible 1970-1973 solo work, not far removed from his earlier incarnation. Rhodes' sweet style aims for that place between the Byrds' folksy Rickenbackers and McCartney's thoughtful mid-period Beatles pop. Though the Merry-Go-Round never charted higher than number 63 with the opening track here, "Live" (which was covered by the Bangles on their first LP when they still had some guts to their sound), Rhodes carried on with this mellifluous, better-than-bubblegum, dense, melodic power pop, right through the Badfinger/Big Star era, on the underappreciated Dunhill LPs represented here: Emitt Rhodes, The American Dream, Mirror, and Farewell to Paradise. This is lovely, crafted, humble stuff -- the title of "She Lau...ghed Loud" is the answer to the singer's request for a date -- and softly connects. - Jack Rabid, All Music Guide Read more Less