Bread released a total of five albums during their original lifetime, and these are all collected here. After a breakup, they did one additional reunion album, Lost Without Your Love, which was inferior to the original string, and which is not included….
Rare enough edition of the best hits of Bread from Pickwick International. Bread were the melodic soft-rock band, best known for the hits "If" and "Make it with You". The band were formed by singer/keyboard player/producer David Gates and singer guitarist James Griffin in 1968, originally the idea had been to continue Griffin's, already established, solo career, by having producer-Gates work on Griffin's next album. However, when another guitarist Robb Royer was brought onboard, Bread were formed. They released their self-titled debut album in 1968, which showcased the soft rock sound that the band became famous for, however sales were slow and they would have to wait for the follow-up for success. The next album On the Waters included "Make it with You" which topped the US charts, the band added a drummer, Mike Botts, to the line-up and took to the road. The album became the bands' first gold-seller.
The reputation of Bread as a soft rock band isn't quite accurate. Yes, all of the bit hits were ballads by David Gates BUT there were rock songs that weren't released as singles that are the albums by the other two songwriters in the band–the late Jimmy Griffith and Rob Royer (who collaborated on a number of songs together). The band is certainly underrated due to all of the hit ballads by Gates but the albums themselves exhibit strong song craft, precision playing and production…
The mellow soft rock magic and universal pop sensibilities of Bread's timeless sound have never sounded better than on Rhino's Definitive Collection, the most comprehensive 2-disc retrospective of their hugely popular work ever assembled. Elegantly crafted and effortlessly melodic, Bread's signature sound was powered by the songwriting finesse and soulful vocals of David Gates. This new compilation offers 30 delicious slices of musical artistry from one of the biggest acts of the 70's.
Guitar Man is a classy album from Bread which provided David Gates with reason enough to go solo. Just listen to "Aubrey" to hear how the producer/singer/songwriter could create a strong track with little or no help from his fellow musicians. On the other hand, two of his strongest songs, "Sweet Surrender" and "The Guitar Man," are totally products of a band in a groove. The three hits failed to break the Top Ten, though the title track came close, one notch away. It and the sublime "Sweet Surrender" both topped the adult contemporary charts in 1972, while "Aubrey" followed those two titles, going Top 15 itself in early 1973.
Baby I'm-A Want You is Bread's best album, showcasing its soft and hard sides (yes, Bread had a hard side) at their respective peaks. "Mother Freedom," with its crunchy James Griffin guitar solo, and the superb soft rocker "Baby I'm-A Want You" made a brilliant opening which the rest of the album had a hard time matching. The songs range from wistful sentimentality ("Diary") to spirited protest ("This Isn't What the Government," a poor man's "Taxman" with an anti-war slant). The high points outnumber the flat spots, and the playing is very polished (with unexpected hard rock flourishes on "Dream Lady"), but this is still a '70s period piece.
Lost Without Your Love is the sixth and final studio album by Bread, released in 1977. The title track of this LP became the group's sixth and final Top 10 hit, reaching number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1977. "Hooked on You," the follow-up single, subsequently reached number 60. This was the end of the line for Bread. David Gates reunited one last time with James Griffin after a four-year hiatus spawned by a power dispute between the two lead songwriters. The band returned to form pretty well intact, with the Gates power ballad "Lost Without Your Love" cracking the Top Ten. It would be their last hit single. By 1977, the Bread formula was starting to sound dated, but despite the unevenness, completists and heartier Bread fans should seek and find this record.
Bread broke big with their second album, thanks to David Gates' sentimental soft pop classic, "Make It With You" – the song that set the standard for sensitive mellow pop ballads for the '70s and for years to come. Its pull is strong, but it's a bit misleading, since the group hardly just turns out a series of these lovely, luxurious pop tunes throughout the record. In fact, with the considerable assistance of Robb Royer and James Griffin, the group actually rocks it harder than Crosby Stills & Nash (if not CSNY, true enough), and they continue to show that the diversity and range of material they demonstrated on their debut was no fluke. If anything, "Make It With You" doesn't set the pace for the rest of the record, since even the softer moments, such as "Look What You've Done," isn't as lushly mellow as that – there is more coloring through the guitars, and the songwriting has more edge and melody than that.