Best of

Yvonne Elliman | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 22, 1997)
• Original Release Date: April 22, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B000001F00
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,142 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Varied, Underrated Voice, June 19, 2001

By 

Martin A Hogan "Marty From SF" (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules)) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

Yvonne Elliman is one of those singers that you recognize on the radio, but can't place. This Hawaiian born singer first achieved status with "Jesus Christ Superstar" as Mary singing, "I Don't Know How To Love Him" and "Everythings Alright". She later ventured into other areas of pop with a cover of "I Can't Explain" and a nice rendition of "Moment By Moment" from a forgettable film (John Travolta and Lily Tomlin as lovers? Gay on Gay?) Anyway, Ms. Elliman got her biggest hits from the Gibb Brothers with her covers of "If I Can't Have You" (#1) and "Love Me". "Hello Stranger" was also a big hit with a trendy beat and since everyone was 'doing disco' at the time, Ms. Elliman did a great job on "Love Pains", one of the more popular 'listenable' dance songs of the era. This is a great collection and a sad one, knowing that this may be her swan song, but, oh, what a great one it is.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Unfortunately Overlooked Singer, January 2, 2001

By 

Rudy Palma "The Writing Fiend" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

Yvonne Elliman is one of the best singers of the past 30 years, and it's a shame so few know this.

This compilation includes "Everything's Alright" and "I Don't Know How To Love Him" from "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Can't Find My Way Home" from her self-titled album, "I Can't Explain" from 1973's "Food of Love," "From the Inside," "Best of My Love," and "Somewhere In the Night" from 1975's "The Rising Sun," "Love Me," "Hello Stranger," and "I Can't Get You Out of My Mind" from her 1976 album "Love Me," "Baby, Don't Let It Mess Your Mind" and "If I Can't Have You" from "Night Flight," as well as "Love Pains" and "Savannah" from her final album, 1979's "Yvonne," as well as "Can't Find My Way Home (Version 2)," a previously unreleased track.

In the early 80s Elliman phased out. Even though this CD is titled "The Best of", there are some wonderful songs not included that truly belong her, such as "More Than One, Less Than Five," "Love's Bringing Me Down," "Without You," "I Keep Hanging On," "In a Stranger's Arms" and, by far her best song not included, "I'll Be Around".

Some of those songs and more are available on other compilations.

Yvonne Elliman's voice was greatly taken for granted, and due to that there are hardly any who remember her by name at this point. If you enjoy hearing wonderful singing do yourself a favor and purchase this album or one of her other compilations ("The Yvonne Elliman Collection" is also very good). This is a singer who you cannot afford to miss.

You will not regret purchasing one of her compilations at all. I guarantee it!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile CD by good '70's singer, October 26, 2001

By 

Jeff Pearlman (Lakeland, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

Enough carping over the disco cuts here. Can't you people dance? Just think: without the draw of "If I Can't Have You," a non-Bee-Gee-performed #1 hit from "Saturday Night Fever," this compilation might never have been made. But that doesn't diminish the impressive range of material Yvonne Elliman sings so well here. She's powerful and intelligent on "I Don't Know How To Love Him" and yearning and seductive on "Love Me." Love the mellow wah-wah guitar bubbling away on the latter, by the way--great soft-disco hit written by Barry and Robin Gibb.

My favorite surprise on this disc is Pete Townshend himself powerchording away on Yvonne's version of his "I Can't Explain." Second favorite is that she belts it out rather than go mellow like Judy Collins covering Dylan. I also liked "Savannah," a rock-oriented album track from 1979.

Most people won't be able to follow this from Jesus Christ Superstar, the Who, and Blind Faith to the Eagles and Bee Gees pop-disco without disliking something. I like this era and enjoyed pretty much the whole record. I've read that Ms. Elliman still performs as a session musician; I'm pretty sure her name has graced the credits of lots of yours and my records from the years since she stopped recording as a soloist. This is a fine "Chronicle" of her time in the pop spotlight, not bad to remain a chart playa from roughly '71 to '79.