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Classic Album Reviews: The Babys | Anthology / Little River Band | Greatest Hits

These came out in 2000 – or at least that’s when I got ’em. Here’s what I said about them back then (with some minor editing):

 


It is one of the sad truths of rock ‘n’ roll: Some great bands never get their due, while other mediocre acts end up household names.

Cases in point: The Babys and Little River Band, two outfits that plied their respective trades in the late ’70s and early ’80s with decidedly different outcomes. The Babys, starring a pre-Missing You John Waite, issued five albums of catchy, guitar-based arena-rock — each of which seemed to sink with nary a trace. Thankfully, the compilation Anthology, an expanded version of an earlier hits set, rides to the rescue, unearthing buried rock treasures such as Sweet 17, Head First and Midnight Rendezvous, along with their poppy, minor hits Isn’t It Time and Back on My Feet Again. Why these guys never hit it big and Little River Band did is anybody’s guess. An Aussie group that specialized in California pop, this sextet led by pint-sized singer Glenn Shorrock couldn’t rock a chair, yet reeled off chart-toppers seemingly at will: Lonesome Loser, Help Is On Its Way, Reminiscing, The Night Owls, Lady, Happy Anniversary … On their best-of set Greatest Hits, the list goes on, with each song wimpier than the next. Yet to this day, LRB are a light-rock FM staple while The Babys can’t even rate a VH1 Behind the Music episode. As Alanis might say, isn’t it ironic?