Customer Reviews

Cher - Greatest Hits [MCA]

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

 

 

This CD has all of Cher's greatest solo hits from 1971-1974 including 3 number 1 hits. I bought the original album back in 1974 , and the transfer to CD sounds fresh & vibrant. I like the sequencing of this album, and the lower charting hits are really good too. A good choice for her Kapp/MCA label hits.

I was extremely happy when I first stumbled upon this album on vinyl some years ago, as I never knew that there was such a compilation of Cher's 70's hits, and I enjoy "greatest hits" albums to begin with. But I have to agree with another reviewer: Overall, aside from the Top 10 hits "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves," "Half-Breed," "Dark Lady," and "The Way of Love" and possibly the searing "Train of Thought," the songs rounding out this collection make it a bit weak, especially [in my opinion] the two songs from the "Foxy Lady" album, which are "Living In A House Divided" and "Don't Hide Your Love." This album would have been better titled something like "The Best of Cher, 1971 - 1974," and left off some of the songs that reinforced her trampy image like "Carousel Man" and "Melody" in favor of songs that really showed her chops or interpretive powers like "David's Song" or "The Long And Winding Road" from "Half-Breed" or "What'll I Do" or "Make The Man Love Me" from "Dark Lady." Still, it does represent the period, and in that regard is a pretty faithful overview.

How much you like this greatest hits version of Cher's recordings will depend on which Cher era you most appreciated. I was not a fan of Sonny & Cher (although their t.v. variety show was pleasant enough), not have I been a fan of Cher, the rock goddess. I liked the Cher in between those two periods -- post-Sonny and pre-Goddess. So for me, this album is a gem, made up primarily of songs from the early 1970s. This was the time when Cher was closest to being a "vocalist", rather than a "rock singer", so it is here where (in my view) one gets the best idea about just how good a vocalist she really could be.

There's a nice variety of music here, produced by Snuff Garrett, and arranged primarily by Al Capps. Cher's pulsating pop hits are represented by "Half Breed", "Dark Lady", "Gypsies, Tramps, And Thieves", and "Carousel Man", all of which have that great sing-along quality that once made songs so likable. There are a couple of impressive ballads -- "The Way Of Love" and "Living In A House Divided". Two opposites are "Don't Hide Your Love", which is laid back and composed by Neil Sedaka, and "Train Of Thought", which is relentless in its beat. "Melody" is interesting; I sense she struggled a bit here with her slight tendency to be flat, but all in all it's a very pleasing vocal. Most interesting of all is the added track -- "Dixie Girl". This is closest to a slightly gentle country ballad, and perhaps her most pleasing vocal on the album.

An excellent collection in what I see as Cher's most classic-vocalist period.

More than one CD are linked to the title CHER - GREATEST HITS. My review concerns only the version with a front cover photo of Cher in white on a pink background.

This has always been a very weak album. There's a couple of high-charting songs here and a bunch of filler. The LIBERTY records BEST OF CHER, which contains her mid to late '60s stuff, is only somewhat better.

In 1974, Cher released her twelfth album entitled simply, GREATEST HITS, the tenth being BITTERSWEET WHITE LIGHT (1974) & the eleventh being DARK LADY (1974), which contains everything from 1971 to 1974. Not a bad collection, and it should be owned by the most die-hard Cher fans. If you are looking to get all of Cher's albums, then this album would be perdect to add to your Cher collection.

DARK LADY
From the album DARK LADY (1974). This song became Cher's final #1 hit before releasing the single, "Believe" in 1998. This is one hell of a song.

THE WAY OF LOVE
From the album GYPSYS, TRAMPS & THIEVES (1971). Great song.

HALF-BREED
From the album HALF-BREED (1973). Great song.

TRAIN OF THOUGHT
From the album DARK LADY (1973). Not bad.

GYPSYS, TRAMPS & THIEVES
From the album GYPSYS, TRAMPS & THIEVES (1971). Great song and Cher's first #1 hit.

I SAW A MAN AND HE DANCED WITH HIS WIFE
From the album DARK LADY (1974). Not bad.

CAROUSEL MAN
From the album HALF-BREED (1973). Not bad.

LIVING IN A HOUSE DIVIDED
From the album FOXY LADY (1972). Not bad.

MELODY
From the album HALF-BREED (1973). Not bad.

DIXIE GIRL
From the album DARK LADY (1974). Not bad.

This is an okay album, containing only Cher's fresh hits. So, pick up a copy and enjoy as Cher's early hits are revealed one by one.

Cher's early 70's Greatest Hits are here but still this album needs some other good cuts from her «Half Breed», «Foxy Lady», Dark Lady» & «Cher» albums. On the whole, this makes a good collection.

the review written by Rob Beattie talks of a 16 track compilation, which he claims includes the hits Oh No, Not My Baby, Whenever You're Near and I Got You Babe...

In actual fact the track listing on this site only has 10 tracks, none of which are "I Got You Babe"... I think someone's a little confused and has posted the wrong review for this album...

Thought you might like to know, so that you can correct this error...

A true Cher fan!!

There ain't one bad song on this album although some of them are a bit crazy, check out the forced rhyme; "he ordered his coffee black". Since this album was recorded in the 70s, it contains real music played by real musicians and real orchestras. All the hits are here and a wonderful song I'd never heard before called "Living in a house divided". Anyone know anything about it?