Have A Nice Decade: The '70s Pop Culture Box

a. Some songs are cut
b. Some songs I would have liked to see(licensing would have been an issue on some) include
My Sharona by The Knack(biggest hit of 1979)
Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees
Bennie & the Jets by Elton John
Escape(The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes
I Think I Love You by The Partridge Family
Gonna Fly Now(Theme From Rocky)
Silly Love Songs by Paul McCartney and Wings
Beth by Kiss
If You Leave Me Now by Chicago
Dancing Queen by Abba
We've Only Just Begun by The Carpenters
(Take Me Home) Country Roads by John Denver
Nadia's Theme

All of the above were major top 10 hits(most were big number #1s)


This is one release that is hard to review   June 7, 2003
guillermoj (Washington, DC United States)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful

Rhino Records has tried to hit a home run and maybe only wound up getting to second or third base. Baseball analogy aside, this review cannot only focus on the music as it's not cheap. The packaging is amazing, the inserts are hilarious and informative, it includes timely sound bites of the era, and the 7 CDs do not skimp on the music.

Is it worth your time and money? Maybe. Out of the 7 CDs I wound up making a 4 CD mix (adding others that were not here)and I think it more than covers the best of this selection. My point here is that there is a lot of filler that is neither fun because it was great or because it was so cheesy. My best of would consist of the collections best songs and songs that although may not have been loved by the critics, were representative of the period.

So if money were not a consideration one could say go for it; however money is generally a consideration and it's not too fun to keep fastforwarding through songs that don't appeal to you. On the other hand the collection has songs that you'd be hard pressed to find elsewhere.

The are some serious problems in that some songs were cut off or butchered for either space consideration or due to the focus on the single edits. This is particularly annoying in the live songs on the 7th CD.

This may be one of my least persuasive reviews because there is a lot to like, but almost as much that should have been inlcuded or have been left out. I enjoyed it but all in all it's not worth the price unless you have a lot of disposable income and are a collector of box sets.


Decent Overview for Casual 70's Fans   December 8, 2002
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

"Have A Nice Decade" is a solid sampler for folks who are looking to recall some of their 70's music heydays. Virtually all of the selections are the radio edits, but the shorter song lengths won't bother the target audience for this collection. The little news blurbs in between some of the songs are an OK touch. Overall, a fun collection for casual fans. More comprehensive collectors will want to dig more deeply for full-length tracks and broader selection from many of the artists (although there are a number of one-hit wonders here that are likely exempt from that search).

However, I'm docking this box 2 stars for the travesty that is Disc 7. What was Rhino thinking by including the radio edits of "Do You Feel Like We Do", "Free Bird (live)", and "Ridin' The Storm Out (live)"? In the cases of the first two songs, while these were ubiquitous 70's tracks, they were absolutely definitive in their unabridged album form, and very few people who enjoy these songs could possibly want to hear the radio edits. Why not save some CD space for addtional songs by including "Show Me The Way" and "Sweet Home Alabama", songs from these artists that were much more popular on Top 40 radio anyway, and wouldn't need abridgement. As for the REO Speedwagon tune, it is also cut significantly, but, even more important, when it comes to Top 40 radio hits, REO Speedwagon just doesn't belong on a 70's collection (80's - absolutely). This is not to knock their 70's output, just saying that from a Top 40 perspective, the 70's weren't their era. Thus, nearly 16 minutes of Disc 7 are wasted needlessly.


Much to love (and loath) from the frivolous decade   March 31, 2003
Gary Gardner (Ellsworth, ME United States)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

Well, Rhino Records did it again....big time. Not merely content with releasing the 20+ volume "Have a Nice Day: Super Hits of the '70s" series throughout the Nineties, the quirky label has given us a total overview to add as a huge exclamation point with the boxed set.

To break down such a monumental set is not easy, so it behooves me to be as brief as possible. First, let's examine the set's finer points:

(1) The secondary title, "The '70s Pop Culture Box," should give the potential buyer some insight into what this collection is all about: a celebration, but also a sobering, view into what the '70s was all about. There are numerous soundbites spread throughout the discs to not only give a historical significance to the decade, but also are placed in front of certain songs to act as apt lead-ins. For instance, before Ray Stevens' "The Streak," a newscast story about the streaker who invaded the Oscar ceremony of 1974 introduces the novelty song.

(2) For the hard-core collector, there are a lot of tracks simply not to be found anywhere else. Whether from the Motown era, novelty department, funk, soul, disco, or just plain schlock, one can find just about anything of interest.

(3) The 89-page booklet (complete with a picture of a tacky, pine-green shag carpet with the ubiquitous smiley faces dotting the surface) contains a great article by Lisa Sutton on what the Seventies were all about. Each song features some excellent background on each song, helping to shed some light on the more obscure artists represented.

Now, for the lowlights:

(1) The tracks available are the 45 versions, not the full length. The three live tracks that begin Disc Seven ("Do You Feel Like We Do," "Free Bird" and "Ridin' the Storm Out") are expurgated; this was a source of irritation for me, as the full scope of these songs are rendered useless. Some songs (like "Ride Captain Ride" and "Signs") have the endings literally chopped off, even though the under-four-minute rule of 45 length is unaffected. VERY disappointing, as Hacksaw Reynolds would say. Some have the lousiest edits I've ever heard; ELO's "Evil Woman" and Jefferson Airplane's "Miracles" are just absolutely butchered.

(2) There are just so many flatulent songs here that are best left forgotten. A radio station in Boston once attacked a rival in an ad because the other station had a Sunday night program called "Lost 45's," hosted by Barry Scott. The ad summed up my point here by saying, "Those 45's aren't lost; somebody HID them."
Please, how many of you out there really want to hear Morris Albert's "Feelings," Helen Reddy's "I am Woman," Wayne Newton's "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast," or Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" ever again?

Still, the good outweighs the bad. For those who don't mind the editing, or really just liked the sound of AM radio anyway, you'll find so much to enjoy. Most artists who were representative of the period are not here, but as the booklet states, you probably have those songs on other collections. Agreed, but there were certainly tracks included that could have been just as judiciously left off (allowing, perhaps, more room on the discs for the full-length versions).

Keep in mind, too, that some other songs of value have been left off the boxed set, but may be found on the aforementioned "Have a Nice Day" series. Before spending too much on this boxed set, finding a few individual songs on collections like "Nice Day" makes better sense; besides, the price is reasonable for the individual volumes. Should you be willing to shell out the bucks for this extravaganza, you might find that the booklet, with a number of awesome pictures, illustrations, and beaucoup liner notes, will justify much of the expense.

Caution: This product may cause repeated flashbacks for listeners over the age of 40.