The Best Of Esther Phillips (1962-1970)

Esther Phillips | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 4, 1997)
• Original Release Date: March 4, 1997
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Rhino
• ASIN: B0000033Y8
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,238 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #58 in Music > Blues > Regional Blues > West Coast Blues

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Release Me

2. Am I That Easy to Forget?

3. I've Forgotten More Than You'll Ever Know About Him

4. No Headstone on My Grave

5. Hello Walls

6. Mojo Hannah

7. I Saw Me

8. Double Crossing Blues

9. It's Too Soon to Know

10. Out of the Blue

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. When a Woman Loves a Man

2. Try Me

3. When Love Comes to the Human Race

4. I'm Sorry

5. Please Send Me Someone to Love

6. Cry Me a River Blues

7. I'm Getting 'Long Alright

8. It Could Happen to You

9. Set Me Free

10. Brand New Day

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: PHILLIPS,ESTHER
Title: BEST OF (1962-1970)
Street Release Date: 03/04/1997
Domestic
Genre: JAZZ VOCALS

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Overview of an Aimless Period, November 20, 2002

By 

Randall E. Adams (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best Of Esther Phillips (1962-1970) (Audio CD)

Does it even the score if Atlantic was as misguided and directionless with the great Esther Phillips as Columbia was with Aretha Franklin?

The earliest work on here was recorded for independent label Lenox records under the tutelage of Kenny Rogers' brother Leland Rogers (later responsible for the 13th Floor Elevators!). This material is an excellent mix of country/soul in the style popularized by Ray Charles. If, like me, the only version of "Release Me" you have ever heard is the sappy Engelbert Humperdinck take, Esther's offering will be a revelation. Not even the terminally square Anita Kerr Singers in the background can damage this fantastic performance. However, once Atlantic got its mitts on Ms. Phillips she was put to work on lounge/supper club things with overblown showbiz backings. She's good at this material, but this is unquestionably NOT what Esther Phillips is all about. While the person writing the annotations seems to think that she transformed Lennon/MacCartney's "And I Love Him" and Jagger/Richards' "As Tears Go By," her versions sound very ill at ease. They make me want to go back and listen to "Release Me" again.

Things improve dramatically with the second disc. There's a smoking sex-changed version of Percy Sledge's signature song ("When a Woman Loves a Man"), a set of timeless live cuts that finally unleash all the blues in Esther's voice, and a perfect update on the country/soul approach with Bob Dylan's "Tonight, I'll Be Staying Here With You." Ah, but by the time of this last track, Esther had moved to Roulette Records and been reunited with Lelan Rogers who obviously had not forgotten how to produce her. Along the way, Esther places her inimitable stamp on "Moody's Mood for Love" and a string of really decent late 1960's/early 1970's singles. After hearing this occasionally bewildering collection, you have to marvel at how well her musical career was taken in hand by Creed Taylor in the 1970s.

The annotations are great and include some very funny stories about the woman. The sound quality is up to Rhino's usual excellent standard.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a discovery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, August 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Best Of Esther Phillips (1962-1970) (Audio CD)

Thanks to amazon.com I had ordered this beautiful CD thinking its just another obcure diva, but I can't stop playing it again and again, since this is realy awesome collection.She is like a little crazy sister of Dinah Washington, Nina Simone and Carmen McRae, possesed very strong, recognisable voice and a style that could be emoployed in very various musical settings.It is little painfull to listen how desperately her producers wanted to find right direction for her, because she was such a talent that couldn't be put in one category.I love her early country recordings and I think she was really great doing just that.But than comes the blues.And then disco.If she is still alive, who know what she could be up to?

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Collection From A Great Singer, October 23, 1998

By 

Leslie Lees (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best Of Esther Phillips (1962-1970) (Audio CD)

Esther Phillips is for me one of the best singers of all time. This collection showcases her development as a singer as she matures into one of the truly great jazz/blues singer.

It is especially welcome for including some really hard to find tracks, especially from her 1970 Live album. The booklet is also really informative.

5 Stars are insufficient for this album