The Best of Pat Boone: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection [Original recording remastered]

Pat Boone | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 5, 2000)
• Original Release Date: December 5, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000053GTY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,227 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The title of this collection seems to suggest that the new millennium is cause for a reexamination of Boone's musical contributions. And that may be the case, if only to remember that he rivaled the chart dominance of Elvis Presley during the early years of rock & roll, and that whereas Elvis popularized the stylings of unrecognized black artists, Boone "protected" suburban America from black R&B performers by offering tamer versions of their hits. As evidence, this collection offers his stilted, ultra-velvety takes on Fats Domino's "Ain't That a Shame," the Flamingos' "I'll Be Home," and Ivory Joe Hunter's "I Almost Lost My Mind," all of which provided hits for Pat. (Strangely absent, however, is his version of Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti.") To his credit, Boone was somehow able to extricate any sense of sexuality or danger from rock & roll -- no mean feat. Nevertheless, one can't dismiss the fact that Boone was a first-class pop crooner, and that when he wasn't committing offenses against rock & roll, he was rivaling the talents of Dean Martin and Eddie Fisher on such well-suited tracks as "Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)." -All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent selection and sound quality, September 22, 2003

By 

Candace Scott (Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of Pat Boone: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection (Audio CD)

This collection is an absolute gold mine for fans of the much-maligned Pat Boone. It's wonderful to see an assemblage of not only his greatest chart toppers, but lesser known material as well. It's something of a cottage industry to bash Pat Boone and remind everyone he didn't write his own songs, he patterned himself after Bing Crosby and he "desecrated" rock classics like Ain't That a Shame. But I challenge these naysayers to really listen to this collection of Pat's greatest hits. Pat had a natural talent and an easy style which makes for great listening, even after 45 years. Of course he sounds like Bing Crosby, but what's wrong with that? Bing influenced an entire generation of male singers, including Sinatra, Como and Dean Martin. But Pat branched out and became a truly good rock n' roll singer. If you don't believe me, listen to Bernadine, which is an outstanding rocker, and Don't Forbid Me, which sounds so much like a Presley recording you'll do a double take.

It's a shame that Pat Boone isn't played on oldies stations and is dismissed by rock's elite as something of a joke. I will guarantee you they haven't listened to these songs because they showcase an innate ability to casually croon and mightily entertain. My personal favorite here is Speedy Gonzalez, which is not politically correct anymore, but hilarious in its stereotypes and "inappropriate" humor. If you love Pat Boone, you'll love this disc no matter what. If you're not a Boone fan, you wouldn't be here in the first place. The sound quality of these remastered recordings is excellent, they sound even better than the original Dot releases. The collection comes with an informative little booklet which contains some interesting info on the various tracks. Highly recommended!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars entry level album geared toward the casual fan (three and 1/2 stars), March 4, 2008

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Best of Pat Boone: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection (Audio CD)

20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Pat Boone is a budget priced CD that gives us the bare essentials of Pat Boone's greatest hits. It really doesn't go far enough in my opinion; although the twelve tracks that we get are very well done by Pat Boone. The sound quality is rather good and the artwork is typical for this CD series.

"Ain't That A Shame" starts the CD off very strong as Pat sings this to perfection--and beyond! There's no doubt of Pat's talent when you hear him belt this one out! Pat sings this strong and his voice is quite solid. His excellent diction enhances his performance and I really like "Ain't That A Same." "I'll Be Home" features Pat's vocals squarely in the spotlight and the background vocals harmonize well. However, it's Pat's vocals that count here; and he never misses a beat.

"I Almost Lost My Mind" is a passionate torch song with a great horn arrangement to go along with Pat's singing. Pat sings this with all his heart and soul; and you can hear it when you listen to this tune. Impressive! I predict that you'll like "I Almost Lost My Mind" very much. "Don't Forbid Me" has a country flavor that works well while the beat has a twist of rock to make this shine brightly when Pat sings it!

"Love Letters In The Sand" is clearly a major highlight of this album; the song is sweeter than wine and Pat delivers this beautifully. Pat sings this straight from his heart and I always liked Pat singing "Love Letters In The Sand." "It's Too Soon To Know" again features pat's singing front and center while the music works very well to help the tune along. There's a mighty fine piano arrangement on "It's Too Soon To Know."

"Moody River" has a bouncy feel to it as Pat sings of being stood up and what happens as a result of that; the musical arrangement almost sounds upbeat despite the sadness of the story in this song. The CD ends with "Speedy Gonzalez;" Pat delivers this with a lot of positive energy and the guitar work really works well for this number.

Overall, this CD is great for the casual fan or people on a budget who still want to enjoy some of the best of Pat Boone. I don't care for the fact that the album runs way too short--they could have and should have given us at least one more song--and why not two? That disappoints me. However, what we do get reflects very high quality control.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pat Boone - the best, August 1, 2006

By 

[e-mail] "A quilter" (Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of Pat Boone: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection (Audio CD)

Born in the 40's and loved the music from Big Band to teen age Rock & Roll. This was my favourite singer - even when Elvis was everyone elses - and this CD brought back many great memories.