Good compilation but missing essentials.3 Out Of 5 Stars
"The Best of Loggins and Messina: Sittin' In Again" was put together as something of a concert souvenir for the duo's 2005 reunion tour, but someone was asleep at the wheel. Two songs that should have been here and were substantial hits are missing; "My Music" (#16, 1973 ), "Thinking of You" (#18, 1973). There's also a serious over-dependence on the pair's first two albums, with six of the nine songs on their 1972 debut, "Sittin' In" here, and six of the 11 cuts from "Loggins and Messina." It completely ignores "Native Sons" or the covers album, "So Fine."
What you do get here is Loggins and Messina's finely crafted mix of soft rock and folksy pop. The big hits are represented, like "Your Mama Don't Dance" and songs that eventually became standards, like "House at Pooh Corner" and "Love Song" and "Danny's Song," ultimately big hits for Anne Murray. Several of the others were staples on seventies album rock stations, like "Angry Eyes" and "Vahevala." Given that the duo had basically a four year lifespan, the good stuff gives them a pretty high batting average.
What helped Loggins and Messina stand out over the many soft rockers of the period was that each man brought in individual strengths. Kenny Loggins already had a minor track record as a singer/songwriter ("Sittin' In" was originally set to be a Loggins solo album), while the writing, guitar and production skills came via Jim Messina's time with Poco. They had a vocal blend that only Seals and Crofts could rival during the 70's. "Sittin' In Again" has more songs and better song quality than 1976's "Best of Friends," but "Best of Friends," despite having a mere 10 songs, is a better representation of how the group was perceived in their time. You can pick between the two, or split the difference via downloads.
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