Customer Reviews

The Best of Patience and Prudence

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As I say in my title, this CD is good news and bad news both. One problem, of course, is that so little was recorded by these girls that "best of" is a misnomer; it is really ALL of their work. So it has to include good stuff and bad.

A significant problem, too, is that the liner notes have a significant omission as well as what seems to be a serious error. The omission? The liner notes talk of two demo recordings made (one for their grandmother and one for a family friend who sang professionally) but do not mention that the last two tracks on the CD are those demo recordings. I'm sure that is the case, but you couldn't tell that from what is actually written there. (The liner notes also say that "Tonight You Belong to Me" was a song the girls learned in camp under the title "They Say" but don't prepare you for the fact that the lyrics that go with that title are the ones they sang in the demo!)

The error (or at least it seems to be an error!) refers to the work that the girls did after their big hits. The notes state that the girls joined with another young artist named Mike Clifford, but the collaboration lasted only about a year; then five years later the girls (who up to then had recorded for Liberty Records) signed up with a different label, Chattahoochee Records. If this is correct, why are all the Chattahoochee tracks listed as "Mike Clifford and Patience and Prudence"? Something doesn't fit.

The CD divides into three parts. The first is the era of Patience and Prudence by themselves, on the Liberty label, including their three hits, "Tonight You Belong to Me," "Gonna Get along Without You Now," and "All I Do Is Dream of You." The other more obscure songs from this era (many written by Mark McIntyre, their father) still have the typical Patience & Prudence sound, and if you like the three big hits (as I do!), the others ought to sound good to you as well. This group constitutes about 2/3 of the CD, and is the "good news" part.

Then there are the "Mike Clifford and Patience and Prudence" tracks. They begin on Liberty and include all the Chattahoochee tracks; they seem to be an attempt to do Rock'n'Roll, with a big loud guitar that overpowers the girls' voices, and I just don't think that sound works. (This is the "bad news" (together with the problems with the kiner notes!)

And finally the CD ends with the two demos I referred to earlier. They are interesting to listen to, and nice to have, though clearly amateurish. I think I'm happy to have those two tracks, but wish that the liner notes would confirm my assumption that they are those demos the notes describe.

One thing that unifies the CD is that all three portions have one song in common, the girls' biggest hit, "Tonight You Belong to Me," in three quite different versions!

Patience McIntyre was quoted as saying that there would be two types of people interested in this CD: collectors who like it for their own reasons, and people who like it because it reminds them of a happy time in their life. I don't qualify on either count--I wasn't even born until 1961, never heard of Patience and Prudence until a few months ago, and since I haven't bought a music CD in ten years, I hardly qualify as a collector. One morning on my way to work, I happened to hear "Tonight You Belong To Me", and about six bars into the song, I realized I had a big smile on my face for no apparent reason. Then, a few weeks later, I heard "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" and had the same reaction. It's been a long time since a musician did that to me once, much less twice, so naturally I had to find out who that was, why I'd never heard them before, and whether there was more.

It wasn't easy. It took a call to the station and a lot of time with a search engine to find out who and what I was hearing and where I could get it, and since the rest of the tracks on the CD apparently didn't do well commercially, I wasn't sure whether I'd be disappointed when I found it. I decided that I wanted it anyway, even if only for the two big hits and the cover art (nice job, Patience), and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I really, really liked the whole thing. It could be their harmony, the gentle quality of their voices, the catchy pop arrangements, or the unpretentious style that does it for me, or maybe it's enough to say they made a unique and really nice sound together and just leave it at that. It's true that a couple of the songs are a bit lyrically challenged ("Should I comb my hair back, baby? Should I? Whaddya say?"), but even those sound good. This music is one of those things that exist just for pure sensory delight, like furry cats and ice cream sodas.

One hidden treat was probably not apparent to anyone but the recording engineer at the time: because the girl's voices were soft and gentle, they were miked very closely. The best part of that probably got lost on vinyl, but if you download the CD to your favorite MP3 player and listen to the earlier tracks through a pair of ear buds, the effect is like having the songs whispered in your ear. Delicious! On later tracks, you can hear their voices mature and mellow a bit, and although that's a slightly different sound, I think I like it even better. My favorites from this group were "Heavenly Angel" and "Whisper Whisper". Some people don't care for the more up-tempo rock and roll, but I found that I even liked that too. "Didn't I" and "How Can I Tell Him" always stay in my head for awhile after I've heard them.

My only real complaint? Pictures! We want pictures. I only found two with all that searching, one of which is a muddy reproduction from TIME magazine (March 1957) on microfilm. A clip of their TV appearance would be a real bonus.

I'll confess that I was a little disappointed when I found out that the two "kids" who made me smile that day are in their early sixties, mostly because it means that this collection is all there is and there isn't going to be any more. But I'm really pleased that both Patience and Prudence and their music are still with us. Thanks, ladies, for the smiles.

I remember listening to Patience and Prudence at my Grandmother's house. She had an album with various songs by various artists and I'd always play it when we visited. It brings back alot of good memories. This album is a gentle reminder of the way things used to be and I will always cherish it. Thanks so much for the trip down memory lane.

Few 50's rock duos left such an unforgettable impression on me as Patience and Prudence Mc Intyre. Their 1956 hit of "Tonight You Belong To Me" is of course the crown jewel of their repertoire with the gone but not forgotten, Liberty Records label. Unfortunately their recording career was short, but fortunately their entire discography for "Liberty" was preserved and now its available to those of us who remember and treasure it. I wish to thank the "Collectors" label for bringing back to us these wonderful recorded musical treasures of the fabulous 50's and of our favorite artists Patience and Prudence.

I am 64 now. Well, When I was 15 years old in 1958 I remember having been dancing with my first love and guess what I was listening to ... It was Dreamer's Bay sung by Prudence and Patience !!! So now that I bought this beautiful CD, I listen to this song and you can just imagine how I feel !

I love it !!! It was great that somebody with a good taste released at last this jewel of the 50's

I wanted to offer up 5 stars for K. Lloyd's poetic review of The Best of Patience and Prudence. Although everyone's life experience is vastly different, hopefully we can all appreciate the sentiment behind "a gentle reminder of the way things used to be." Thank you!

Patience and Prudence McIntyre scored a huge success with their awesome hit entitled "Tonight You Belong To Me." Rumors flew that they were really two grown women because their voices sounded just that good. However, after an appearance on The Perry Como Show, the public got their proof that Patience and Prudence were indeed little girls with big talent.

"Tonight You Belong To Me" starts off the CD; and this truly was their biggest hit. The sisters sing beautifully with a piano accompaniment; and they harmonize so well you will be stunned. Other sweet and cute songs follow this title track using the same formula: the two girls singing with relatively simple musical accompaniments to highlight the lovely sound of the two girls' voices. "A Smile And A Ribbon" makes good use of the chimes in the musical arrangement; and "The Money Tree" boasts an infectiously catchy melody. Their vocals were enhanced even further by an overdubbing of their voice to give the vocals a full, lush feeling. Many of these tracks also feature Ray Leatherwood on bass; Barney Kessel or Alan Reuss on guitar and either Alvin Stoller or Nick Fatool on drums.

Other gems on this CD include the gorgeous ballad "We Can't Sing Rhythm And Blues;" "All I Do Is Dream Of You" and "Over Here."

As time passed the girls' parents thought of mixing the girls with the rock arrangements of Mike Clifford. These tracks don't work as well for me--and they didn't score hits with the public, either. The sweet sounds of the girls' vocals and the really rockin' sounds of Mike Clifford create a type of cacophony that is unpleasant to the ear. I must take off a star for this to make this a four star review. Actually, it's really too bad I can't give it three and one-half stars because that's probably what its worth in my estimation. The singing sisters with Mike Clifford weigh down the album.

The CD ends with two previously unreleased and unedited versions of "A Smile And A Ribbon" and "Tonight You Belong To Me." This interests me because here we get the chance to hear what the girls actually sounded like before the mixing machines were used to enhance their vocals. The younger of the two, Prudence, occasionally sings a note or two flat and their vocal strength is lacking without studio mixing. Yet I liked to hear what they sounded like naturally anyway.

One reviewer notes that on this CD we get three versions of "Tonight You Belong To Me;" and they are right. The first commercially released version starts off the CD; then comes the version Patience and Prudence recorded with Mike Clifford and finally the CD ends with the unedited version of the song. Interesting indeed!

The liner notes include a lengthy essay about Patience and Prudence along with some discussion about their parents; this essay was written by Brian Gari. You get the song credits, too.

If you want a solid retrospective of Patience and Prudence, look no further: This CD is your best bet! I hope you enjoy it.

In responding to the review by Bruce R. Gilson, the association with Mike Clifford produced only two recordings on a 45 rpm, Should I and Whisper Whisper, released in 1959, according to a Tim Neely record price guide that I own. Their only Chattahoochie single is not listed as being sung with Mike Clifford, but was in fact from 1965. Aside from the demo recordings at the end of the cd, there are two recordings on this cd that are not listed in my 45 rpm price guide, Didn't I and Apples On The Lilac Tree. If these are actually unreleased recordings then it makes this cd that much more desirable. If the record price guide just made a mistake and accidentally doesnt list the record, then it obviously needs to be revised. However I am glad that Collectors Choice Music could see that there is still a market for this kind of music (unlike Universal Music Group who wont release cds by their aincent 1950's artists), this group also deserved to have a top notch collection put out, and i for one am glad to see it available, as it no doubt has quality sound and is from the original master tapes, licensed from EMI.

These two young teenagers hit it big with the catchy "Tonight You Belong to Me," but there are other enjoyable tunes to be heard here as well. I especially like "All I Do Is Dream of You" and a song I associate with Trini Lopez called "Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now." (The Bell Sisters sing that one, too, and quite well, but I prefer P&P's softer touch here.) The Mike Clifford tracks are all right, as he has a nice voice and style, but the girls blend so well with one another (as siblings often do) that some of the magic is lost when a "third party" joins in. The later recordings, with rock guitars in the mix, are not as sweet sounding as the early material. Still, I recommend this disc as a way to recapture some of the sweet innocence of a bygone era.

When we were little kids my sister and I used to sing together along with the two big hit songs of Patience and Prudence. As a surprise for her 60th Birthday, I ordered this CD. Hearing "Tonight You Belong to Me" and "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" brought back fabulous memories. Seeing the look on my sister's face when she opened this present was priceless. Baby Boomers take heed. This is a goodie.