Customer Reviews

Das Beste Der Jahre 77-87

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I thought the songs on this cd were wonderful. Mireille Mathieu sounds good in any language - even though you may not understand the words. Her voice carries so much emotion that she can convey the meaning of the song to the listener without an understanding of the words.

You may find this hard to believe, but this CD is the equal of its cousin. If "Das beste aus Jahren 1970-78" (The Best of Years 1970-78) was exceptional, then "Das beste aus Jahren 1977-87" (The Best of Years 1977-87) is equally exceptional. It contains 16 songs which Mireille Mathieu recorded during the stated period, and the performances, musical arrangements, song quality, supporting musicianship and supporting singing is equal to its cousin CD. There is one major differnce. This CD contains more reframings of her French hits and covers of other peoples hits. For example, "Tranen wurden mir nichts stehn" (Tears do not Become Me) is a German version of "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". Like its cousin CD, this CD has a diverse assortment of songs, everything from waltzes to rock. It does not have "Winter im Canada", but it does have a song which may be just as good. That song is: "Geh bevor die nacht beginnt" (Go, Before the Night Begins) a powerful song of conflicting emotions. Additionally, it has songs which are nearly as good, such as "Chicano" with its Mexican beats and its Spanish chorus of "Que sera sera, no mas no mas no mas" in counter point to its German lyrics. And "Tage wie aus glas" (Like Days in the Past), a soulful song about love postponed. Among the reframed songs are "Nimm noch einmal die gitarre" (Pick up the Guitar Again) which uses the music from "Mille columbes", and "Santa Maria" which uses the music of "Santa Maria de la Mer". Among the covers are "Nur Du" which uses the music of the European hit "For You", and "Die liebe zu dir" (The Love of You) which uses the music from "Chariots of Fire". Overall, it is another exceptional German collection from Mireille.

This singer has a fine voice, but there is WAY too much kitsch on this album. As is often the case when a classically trained (at least she sounds classically trained) singer tries to sing German, the rolled "r" sound is overdone to my ears, making the language sound as harsh as stereotypes have led people to believe it is. I recommend listening to a true German singer to hear the difference - they know how make the "r" audible without lingering on the sound to the point of making it painful and obnoxious to the listener.

I could stomach the pieces on the CD that had a truly German flavor to them, but when listening to a Spanish, marimba-type song such as track 8, "Chicano," sung in German, it made for a painful listening experience. We're talking cheesey folks. And by track 13 "Die Liebe zu Dir," which made the sacrilege of putting garbage romantic lyrics to the brilliant Vangelis classic instrumental "Chariots of Fire," I knew it was time to shut this thing down. My sentiment is in no way critical toward the singer, she does sound good, but is clearly out of her element singing German kitsch on a lineup of songs that is annoying and banal.