Jigsaw - Very Best of Jigsaw (CD)

All Music Guide

Poppy and quirky were perhaps two of the adjectives best used to describe the music of the group Jigsaw. They hit with a big one in the United States ("Sky High," included here), but had been slogging it out since 1966 in their native England working as a cross between a straight-up vaudeville act like the Bonzo Dog Band and a trippy late-'60s English band. Their entry to the American charts came when Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods covered their "Who Do You Think You Are" in 1974 (the original is collected here) and made the Top 20 with it. With strong songwriters in the group like Clive Scott and drummer/lead singer Des Dyers (who wrote all but two of the 23 songs collected up here), the group wrote pop tunes in a variety of styles, and would seemingly pursue almost any style currently in vogue in the process of chasing after a hit. Although a four piece rhythm section, Jigsaw's records were frequently laden with strings and horn charts, giving many of their biggest tunes a feel that y...ou're listening to a much bigger band, like a Chicago or Blood, Sweat and Tears. A great little collection of well-constructed pop songs by a group who deserve better than their one-hit-wonder status. - Cub Koda, All Music Guide Read more Less