The music of B.J Thomas has been quite resilient over the decades since they were first recorded. The fact that Real Gone Music is releasing a collected set of Thomas classics is clearly indicative of that. And how many of you remember hearing the fast arriving hits from B.J. Thomas as the songs played through car radios and tiny AM units? Plenty of you, I know. I was one of them.
On the 2CD collected Scepter (Thomas’ label) set, you will discover a whopping 46 tracks, all compiled from the issued singles released on Scepter Records. Many of these singles are memorable classics including B. J. Thomas’ best known, “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head”. That one was a #1 hit, largely due to the Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid film. But if you found Thomas early on, like I had, you might have been a fan before that hit spilled from radios everywhere.
“The Eyes Of A New York Woman” was a charted hit in 1968, followed closely by the bigger hit, “Hooked On A Feeling”, which reached #5. After Raindrops, a very close string of hits rewarded B. J. Thomas with enough excellence including “Everybody’s Out Of Town” ; “I Just Can’t Help Believing”; “Most Of All”; “No Love At All”; “Mighty Clouds Of Joy”; “Long Ago Tomorrow”; a personal favorite of my own, “Rock And Roll Lullaby”, which showcases Thomas’ incredible vocal range and talent; and “That’s What Friends Are For”.
The rest of the songs found on The Complete Scepter Singles include early and later hits not mentioned, some obscure and some just as well charted as those previously mentioned. Some of them represent B-sides. All represent the vocal work of a timeless artist.
The 2CD set is rounded out by a well assembled 12-page glossy stock booklet that is home to a 5-page essay, photos, and a complete track-list with full credits.
Billy Joel Thomas would continue his hits after his Scepter years with “(Hey, Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Did Somebody Wrong Song” and an excellent string of Gospel albums. But leading up to these, Thomas’ Scepter years were rich with great songs that still please effortlessly.
This set is a treasure to have.
Release Date: June 19, 2012
–Matt Rowe