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This 25-song collection is difficult to evaluate, for the critic if
not for the listener, because the sources of the material are so
indefinite. It's not a best-of anthology, but an anthology of,
apparently, previously unreleased material, with one probable
exception. It's necessary to beat around the bush because the liner
notes do too, not giving any recording dates, noting that
logistical problems prevent the compilation from being
representative Ward best-of, and inferring (but not quite spelling
out) that this Anthology is taken from unissued tapes. Anyway, an
educated guess would place most if not all of this material from
the 1970s and 1980s, when Ward was an active recording artist,
getting one hit in his native U.K. with the 1973 Top Ten single
"Gaye" (and remaining totally unknown in the U.S.). It's not fair,
perhaps, to judge the man on the basis of these tracks rather than
his proper discography. But what's here is the work of an average,
unexceptional singer/songwriter, a bit quirkier than many other
run-of-the-mill '70s singer/songwriters, but not one who's likely
to expand his small cult. It's mild, easygoing, gently
philosophical folk-rock/pop, pleasant but bland for the most part.
It's versatile, yes, and sometimes derivative. "All That Glitters
Is Not Gold" and "Love in Song" sound like Buddy Holly reinvented
as a mellow '70s singer/songwriter, "Jenny" sounds pretty close to
the Troggs' "Love Is All Around," "Escalator" is suburban Todd
Rundgren, "Attraction" is summery bossa nova, and "Thinking of
Something to Do" has the Paul McCartney bounce that infected much
lighthearted British pop of the late '60s and early '70s. Others
are a bit in the early Elton John mold. The sentimental ballad
"Gaye" is here too, and this Yankee will guess that it's not the
original hit recording, in the absence of any documentation in
support of its source in the package. Fans of the artist might well
find this heretical, but actually the most exciting item is "It's
Such a Pity," apparently taken from a 1966 single by his band the
Secrets, which is actually a pretty good if slightly outdated (by
late 1966) punchy, Merseybeat-ish rocker. ~ Richie Unterberger
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