Three Dog Night

2005 and 2006 are going to be remembered as a golden era for fans of Three Dog Night – oh, not based on the then-current version of the group featuring Danny Hutton and Cory Wells (although they probably deserve credit for endurance if nothing else). Rather, it's the crop of audiophile-quality reissues of their original albums on the Gottdisc and Edsel labels that should excite admirers of their sound. This Edsel release is a case in point. Given the reputation of the two albums included, it should not be that good a CD.

Since Three Dog Night's albums were typically short, single-disc compilations that pair two of them together are not only logical but a good value, too. Case in point: this one, with 19 tracks from two of the band's releases from 1970, it clocks at just over 68 minutes. The sequencing of It Ain't Easy has been changed from the American edition that led off with the disc's biggest hit, "Mama Told Me Not to Come." That song appears here buried in the programming at cut seven, which changes the feel of the finished product. The easy rolling version of Paul Williams' "Out in the Country" was the only other charting nugget, although the first appearance of Elton John's "Your Song," which predated John's own version on his debut by a few months, proves how sharp the group's knack for finding great tunes was…

This album, while not their most successful, is one of Three Dog Night's most interesting. Cut during a period when they were still very hot but were almost on the downside of their career, this album has a very strong gospel feeling to it. This is most evident on the hit single "Shambala," one of the group's finest later period records. It's a masterful record that shows the factors that made the group successful - the counterpoint vocals of Wells, Negron, and Hutton surrounded by a very heavy hard rock backing. Guitarist Mike Allsup contributes a few good originals, too. The closing track, "Into My Life," continues the gospel feeling of the record and ends it on a high note. It's nice to know that with all of the debauchery and drugs, Three Dog Night still had their spiritual priorities in some order.

The last studio album from Three Dog Night to crack the Top 20, Hard Labor shows the growing cracks in the band's armor. Where on previous albums they had selected songs that highlighted their harmonic prowess, most of the tracks on Hard Labor are essentially solo efforts with group backing vocals. As a result, the band loses much of their soul and spirit. The lightweight hits, "Sure As I'm Sittin' Here" and "Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)," both with Cory Wells singing lead, are most representative of the record. However, the highlights are the Chuck Negron-sung "The Show Must Go On" (written and originally performed by Leo Sayer) and the dramatic, emotional ballad "I'd Be So Happy" (penned by Skip Prokop of Lighthouse fame).

Released shortly before their run of hit singles came to a close, 1974's Joy to the World provides a convenient greatest hits package for the casual Three Dog Night fan. It serves as a collection of hit singles rather than a historical overview of the band, and, to that end, it covers most of the necessary ground. There are some glaring omissions of the group's early tracks - their first hit, "Try a Little Tenderness," the Laura Nyro-penned "Eli's Coming," and the Randy Newman-written number one hit "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" being the most obvious - but anyone who's acutely aware of these absences is most likely going to spring for a more definitive greatest hits album anyway. Joy to the World is a decent compilation for those who prefer the band's later, less soulful work.

Combining Hollywood pizazz with soulful swagger, Three Dog Night sounded big and brassy even in their quietest moments. The bold, colorful blend of show biz savvy, punchy horns, and gutsy vocals gave Three Dog Night a remarkable string of Top Ten singles in the early 1970s, hits that helped define the dawning of post-hippie pop music.

The release of Harmony in the fall of 1971 gave Three Dog Night their seventh gold record in less than three years, yielding two Top Ten singles with Paul William's "Old Fashioned Love Song" (number four) and Hoyt Axton's "Never Been to Spain" (number five). In addition, William's "Family of Man" would just fail to crack the top of the charts, rising as high as number 12 by March of 1972. This continued commercial brilliance would, unfortunately, have negative repercussions on vocalist Chuck Negron's personal life with a car accident, following a substance-fuelled mixing session, signaling the beginning of his protracted slide into drug addiction and eventual transience.

Combining Hollywood pizazz with soulful swagger, Three Dog Night sounded big and brassy even in their quietest moments. The bold, colorful blend of show biz savvy, punchy horns, and gutsy vocals gave Three Dog Night a remarkable string of Top Ten singles in the early 1970s, hits that helped define the dawning of post-hippie pop music.

Released shortly before their run of hit singles came to a close, 1975’s Joy to the World provides a convenient greatest hits package for the casual Three Dog Night fan.