Customer Reviews

The Best ...So Far

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Anne Murray - The Best...So Far is must for any serious music collection. Murray has been in the business more than 35 years, has sold more than 40 million records, and is still selling out concert halls today. The songs included are songs we all know by heart including her four Grammy winning songs (Love Song, You Needed Me, Could I Have This Dance, A Little Good News), the early RPM award winning songs (Snowbird, Danny's Song), her Duet of the Year with Dave Loggins (Nobody Loves Me Like You Do), and countless others.

The woman who has been named Female Vocalist of the Year more than 20 times by various awards shows and has won more JUNOs than anyone - EVER -has indeed put 20 of her finest tracks on this one CD. This includes one unreleased gem of a song - the sweetly sentimental Over You. Of course there will be some songs that weren't included on the CD that could have been there, but that's only because Murray had so many top-notch songs to choose from. Indeed, these 20 songs do represent Murray's incredible success in the business...so far. If it's not in your collection, add it right away. You won't be disappointed.

Distilled from the exhaustive 3CD set "Now and Forever," Anne Murray's "The Best...So Far" lives up to its title. It gleans some of the best pop/country crossover hits from one of music's most distinctive, reliable voices.

Influenced as much by the blue-eyed soul of Dusty Springfield and by 50s pop singers like Patti Page as folk or country, Murray conveys emotion and drama with minimal histrionics. Her versions of Kenny Loggins' "Danny's Song" and "A Love Song" are calm and reassuring where their author's vocals were Seventies singer-songwriter sweet.

Murray's 1978-81 string of hits ("Broken Hearted Me," "Could I Have This Dance," the elegant "You Needed Me") preserved adult MOR in years dominated by hard rock and disco ("You Needed Me" was Top 10 with "Boogie Oogie Oogie," and "Kiss You All Over"). She gives the same essential country/rock feel to the Beatles' "You Won't See Me" and to Jo Stafford's "Make Love To Me," recorded 20 years apart, hitting the mark each time.

Some song choices are contestable; her take of the Everlys' "Walk Right Back" would have been preferable to David Foster's "Now and Forever," as outdated musically as "A Little Good News" is lyrically (these days, few people watch Bryant Gumbel talk about anything). But overall, "The Best...So Far" is the Anne Murray collection to get for casual fans, summing her greatest hits in a portrait of what Carole King called "a very thorough professional." Highly recommended.

This compilation, concentrating as it does on the American hit singles, is not necessarily the best of Anne Murray. Two of my favorite Anne Murray tracks - Wintry feeling and Song for the Mira - were not released as singles, but I would certainly rate them more highly than some of the major hits. That said, this is a compilation of extremely high quality.

All the classics are here including Snowbird (the song that made her famous), You needed me (an American number one pop hit), Danny's song, You won't see me (a cover of a Beatles song), Daydream believer (a cover of a Monkees hit), Could I have this dance (from the Urban cowboy soundtrack) and A little good news (a political song, rare for Anne). Of the others, I particularly like Just another woman in love, Broken hearted me, Shadows in the moonlight and I just fall in love again.

While it is not possible to fit all of Anne's classic songs on one CD, this is an excellent collection. If you only want one CD of Anne's music, this is a good choice.

This collection of 18 of her biggest hits plus 2 more recently released tracks provides a great introduction to her music. If you wore out her original hits compilations, this CD is the perfect replacement of her previous collections as it contains the entire "Greatest Hits" album from 1980, which remains the best 10 song compilation of her music, several highlights from "Greatest Hits Vol. 2," such as "Now and Forever," "A Little Good News," "Time Don't Run Out on Me," "Blessed Are The Believers," etc. This collection also features "Make Love To Me" off of her Croonin' CD and a previously unreleased track, Over You, which features Anne's style and beautiful voice. Every song on this CD is great and is a must buy.

This album is probably my most valued posession in my cd collection. I have loved Anne Murray since I was a little girl. I would sneak my dad's old cassette which I believe was a compilation album because I can't find it anywhere, and sing along with her using my hair brush for a microphone, and I knew every word to all her songs by the time I was five years old. The good thing about this album is that it has all of her old favorites such as "Danny's song" and "Snowbird" and it also has some of the later ones like "Now and forever". My husband just recently got him and I tickets to see her in concert, and she sounds just as good today as she did twenty-five years ago. She put on one hell of a show. If you are a true fan like me, buy this album, I guarantee you will love it.

[One CD, with a running time of 65:02 minutes.] The golden tones of Anne Murray have been a companion of mine for many years, and with this CD that will continue. This CD has 20 songs totaling up to over an hours worth of Anne's great songs! Many old friends are here, such as Snowbird and Danny's Song, and there are some that I am not at all familiar with, such as Over You. Over You is a great addition, in that it was released as a single, and is not on any other album (as far as I know), including the three CD Now & Forever boxed set!

This is a great CD for any Anne Murray, or anyone who simply like listening to wonderful singing (dare I say, "crooning"?) Highly recommended!

I absolutely loved this fabulous CD from Anne Murray. It contains every single one of her classic hits. It is truly Anne Murray at her best. A MUST HAVE for any Anne Murray fan!

A career spanning 35 years, close to 50 million albums sold, charted hits in pop, rock, country (11 #1 Billboard songs !), easy listening, contemporary christian, as well as adult contemporary-who else has such a record ? Only Anne has the warm, smooth, silky voice to achieve such a distinguished feat in the international music scene. "Snowbird" is probably one of the best songs recorded ever. "You Won't See Me" prompted John Lennon to exclaim Anne had the best Beatles cover ever. Elvis' favorite female singer also shines on " a Love Song" , "Danny's Song" (both penned by Kenny Loggins). The Carole King penned " Time Don't Run out on Me" is her most powerful ever, with backing vocals from the lead singer of Mr Mr (Richard Paige). "A Little Good News" is as relevant as ever, especially since 9/11. Finally the new cut "Over You" showcases Anne's trademark ballad perfection with the David Foster produced track. No credible music fan can be without this one...

Anne Murray's best album is right here. There is no doubt about that this is the best album that is ever produced in the entire Anne Murray's career in music and she is still running strongly in this music industry. Again, it is extremely difficult not to get involved deeply in this album.

Unless you are strickly a country buff, this album has it all. Every song that charted in the top 50 on Billboards pop charts is here plus a few other gems. And, you get 20 songs. How many artists give you that today? Her smooth sultry voice is unmistakable and you can even understand all the lyrics. A beautiful album, you won't be disappointed!