All the Fun of the Fair/Gold & Ivory [Import]

David Essex | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 23, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Diablo Records UK
• ASIN: B0001CVBOG
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #359,919 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. All The Fun Of The Fair

2. Hold Me Close

3. Circles

4. If I Could

5. Rolling Stone

6. Won't Get Burned Again

7. Coconut Ice

8. Watch Out (Carolina)

9. Here It Comes Again

10. Funfair (Reprise)

11. Gold & Ivory

12. New Horizon

13. Good Morning (Darling)

14. Yesterday In L.A.

15. Lend Me Your Comb

16. Whole Lotta Monkey

17. Back Street Crawler

18. That Circle Keeps On Changing

19. Cool Out Tonight

20. You Virginia (And The Circus Sideshow)

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

UK twofer combines two of the British pop/rock star's 70s albums, 'All The Fun Of The Fair' (1975) & 'Gold & Ivory' (1977), featuring 23 tracks including 1 bonus track, 'Stay With Me Baby'. Edsel. 2004.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of Demon's David Essex reissues, February 28, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: All the Fun of the Fair/Gold & Ivory (Audio CD)

Demon has released David Essex's six CBS/Columbia albums in three separate sets. This package, which features his third and final albums for the company, is the best of the bunch, capturing two great discs and a fantastic bonus track. Plus the packaging is first rate, with a 12-page booklet and outstanding sound quality.

"All the Fun of the Fair" (1975) is a terrifically consistent disc, loosely based around a carnival theme. The title song is one of Essex's most atmospheric pieces, capturing the seedy glamor of a British funfair, complete with rollercoaster sound effects and a decidedly theatrical vocal. Some of Essex's most FM-rock-oriented tunes are found here, including the guitar-heavy "Circles," "Rolling Stone," "Won't Get Burned Again" and "Watch Out (Carolina)." Surprisingly, the huge hit to emerge from this disc was the U.K. No. 1 "Hold Me Close," a lightweight singalong which finds David in full Paul McCartney silly-love-song mode. Still, it's a charmer.

"Gold & Ivory" (1977) was Essex's last album for CBS before moving to Phonogram, but it ranks as one of his finest. He recorded it with his road band and it has a loose, playful feel that is hard to resist. His songwriting has rarely been sharper than on the title cut or the moving marriage-gone-wrong ballad "Good Morning (Darling)." On the flip side, the Dylan-esque "Lend Me Your Comb" is a pure romp that is one of the most fun things he has ever written or recorded. No clue why that track was not a single. The whole album is remarkably consistent and is rounded off with the wonderful bonus cut "Stay With Me Baby." Essex gives a great, goose-bumpy reading of the soul-man tune; strange it only scraped the British charts. Same thing with "Gold & Ivory," but the chart placing doesn't reflect the disc's timeless quality.

5.0 out of 5 stars David Essex Understated Talent, June 21, 2009

By 

I. Carew (Haverhill, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All the Fun of the Fair/Gold & Ivory (Audio CD)

I own the original vinyl recordings of both these CD's and bought this compilation to update my collection.

David Essex is amazing. I enjoy his vocal ability as well as his pop rock sound.

Both these CD's are fun and ecclectic, well written and orchestrated.

I highly reccomend the David Essex Collection too which features his renditions of popular stage songs from Evita.