Best of [Import]

Tommy Steele | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 6, 2000)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Spectrum Audio UK
• ASIN: B00004NJNC
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #521,511 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Rock With The Caveman

2. Singing The Blues

3. Knee Deep In The Blues

4. Butter Fingers

5. Water Water

6. Handful Of Songs

7. Shiralee

8. Hey You

9. Nairobi

10. Happy Guitar

11. Only Man On The Island

12. Come On Let's Go

13. Tallahassee Lassie

14. Give Give Give

15. Little White Bull

16. What A Mouth (What A North And South)

17. Writing On The Wall

18. Half A Sixpence

19. Sweet Georgia Brown

20. Must Be Santa

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just the hits of the first British rock star, October 9, 2004

By 

Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

Tommy's place in British rock history has been largely ignored, possibly because he was always more interested in being an all-round family entertainer, something at which he became hugely successful in the sixties and beyond. As a singer-actor, he appeared in several successful West end plays and also appeared in several movies, including Finian's rainbow alongside Fred Astaire and Petula Clark.

Nevertheless, Tommy's earliest successes were as a singer - he was Britain's first indigenous rock'n'roll star. Although some of his hits were covers of American songs (the prevailing fashion in fifties Britain), he did not rely entirely on those. Indeed, he wrote some of his own songs.

His first British chart success was with Rock with the caveman, a typical slice of rock'n'roll. His biggest success (and only number one hit) was with a cover of Singing the blues. Curiously, Tommy's version and Guy Mitchell's version both reached number one in Britain - they swapped places at the top of the charts. Many people think that Guy's version was the original, but actually both were covers - Marty Robbins recorded the original version. Both Guy and Tommy also covered another Marty original, Knee deep in the blues.

As time went by, Tommy's desire to be an all-round entertainer was reflected in the diversity of material that he recorded. Among his other British hits were Butterfly (but it was Andy Williams who topped the charts with it), Handful of songs, Water water, Shiralee, Nairobi, Happy guitar and the children's song Little white bull.

This 20-track collection has all Tommy's UK hits and just two of his other recordings, these being Half a sixpence and Sweet Georgia Brown. Every song here, including those two, is available on the 68-track double CD, Decca years 1956-1963. So if you just want Tommy's hits, buy this. If you want to explore his music in greater depth, go for the double-CD instead.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars No Hit record, January 19, 2006

By 

H D. MEIJ "Herman van der Meij" (Jipsinghuizen, Holland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

The best of Tommy Steele without his single HIT RECORD.
I can't believe my eyes and ears for that.
That's why I give only 3 stars.