Little River Band – The big box

Little River Band are an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1975. Over the course of the last 40+ years they’ve sold over 30 million records and had 13 US Top 40 hits.  As you’d expect over the years the lineup has changed significantly as members leave and are replaced and they in turn get replaced, so the Little River band of today contains no original members.  Their best known former member John Farnham went on to have solo success after leaving the band.

It’s an interesting selection of albums.  Typically on a box set of albums you’d get the first 5 or 6 albums, whereas this box set is more recent, and dates back only as far as the band’s re-lauch in the late 90’s, which sort of makes sense, but the choice of albums is odd.
The first album is the 2000 studio album “Where we started from”.  Next is the 2002 live album “One night in Mississippi”.  We also get the next studio album – 2004’s “Test of time” and 2006’s “Re-arranged” which is a collection of new recordings of old songs, then there’s “Revisited”, a 2016 release that is a collection of new recordings of old songs (sound familiar), and finally we have “Bustin’ out” and 40th anniversary tour DVD.
I’m not sure the inclusion of both “Re-arranged” and “Revisited” was a good choice – at best include one of them but not both especially given the significant overlap with 7 songs appearing on both. I’d have thought replacing one of them with the 2013 studio album  “Cuts like a diamond” would have been a better choice.

There’s no doubting the quality of the songs – “Reminiscing” is one of the most frequently played songs in the history of American radio, and these albums are packed with top quality soft-rock songs.

If you haven’t got anything by Little River Band in your music collection then this box set is certainly well worth considering, but at £49.99 it’s not exactly cheap, especially since there are various greatest hits type albums available, as well as a box set of 6 albums from the 1979-1986 period, so it really does depend what you want.  I see this box set appealing to people who have seen the current incarnation of the band on tour in the last few years, rather than fans of the early years of the band.  Personally I’d give this collection a miss – the high price coupled with the fact that two of the albums are just re-recorded versions of old songs (and they overlap significantly) just makes it poor value for money, even with the inclusion of a DVD.  At a lower price then I’d happily recommend it.

The Big Box will be released on 28th April 2017 through Store For Music.

Track listings:

Where we started from

1. Where we started from
2. This place
3. Magazine girl
4. Just you and I
5. The night owls
6. I think I left my heart with you
7. Who made the moon
8. Look in your eyes
9. American way
10. Lead me to water
11. Cool change

One night in Mississippi

1. Man on your mind
2. This place
3. Take it easy on me
4. Lonesome loser
5. Where we started from
6. Reminiscing
7. Happy anniversary
8. Who made the moon
9. The night owls
10. Help is on it’s way
11. It’s not a wonder
12. I think I left my heart with you
13. Cool change
14. Lady

Test of time

1. The long goodbye
2. Should I go
3. Back in your arms tonight
4. Old money
5. Hold on
6. Enlighten me
7. Forever now
8. Can’t get you outta my heart
9. I’ve met love before
10. I’m waiting
11. There’s a bus leaving

Re-Arranged

1. It’s a long way there
2. Man on your mind
3. This place
4. Take it easy on me
5. Happy anniversary
6. Forever blue
7. The other guy
8. Reminiscing
9. Should I go
10. We two / Down on the border
11. Help is on the way
12. The night owls
13. Cool change
14. Lonesome loser
15. Lady

The Hits – Revisited

1. Help is on the way
2. Reminiscing
3. Lady
4. Lonesome loser
5. Cool change
6. The night owls
7. Take it easy on me
8. Man on your mind
9. We Two
10. You saved me
11. All the young faces

Bustin’ Out

1. The night owls
2. Take it easy on me
3. The other guy
4. We two
5. The lost and the lonely
6. I’m an island
7. Clean the water
Extra content:
Prodigal son (Audio only)
Interview with Little River band members