Customer Reviews

Classic Masters

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Jackie DeShannon had a respectable run on the charts off and on during the 60's and 70's with two tunes going top-10, those being the Bacharach and David-penned "What The World Needs Now Is Love" and the pleading "Put A Little Love In Your Heart". As notable as her own recordings were, a good deal of her mark on pop music came in the form of versions of her tunes that made a bigger impact on the charts by other artists, the most remarkable being Kim Carnes' version of her co-written "Bette Davis Eyes".

DeShannon's recordings have been compiled not infrequently but have yet to be done comprehensively. This piece, being another in the EMI Classics Masters series of mid-priced basic compilations, also does not offer that elusive complete collection but, in its favor, it does contain a few tracks not found on other DeShannon CD's. It comes closer to being complete in that it offers 12 of the 13 charted singles DeShannon did while at Imperial/Liberty. The omitted track, the "You Keep Me Hangin' On / Hurt So Bad" medley may be excused for its lack of distinction but would it have been that traumatic to stretch this repertoire all the way to 13 tracks to squeeze it in? This minor grouse notwithstanding, this piece does offer a respectable collection highlighting most of DeShannon's notable recordings.

Sound quality is good with all tracks except 1,5 and 6 in stereo. Rounding out the set is a six-page flopover liner notes booklet with some brief notes on her recordings and career along with track details. Though not totally comprehensive, this is a good-bang-for-the-buck collection of DeShannon's musical contributions.

Jackie DeShannon is truly a wonderous original and unforgettable groundbreaking female Singer/Songwriter and this short but sweet collection clearly illustrate this...from major hits like the sixties generation defining athem "What The World Needs Now Is Love" which show that not only is Jackie a great Singer/Songwriter but an extraordinary vocalist who can make a memorable classic standard out of another composers work!!! This appropriately titled "Classic Masters" is a nice mix of Jackie the gifted singer of songs like definitive versions of "The Weight" and "I Can Make It With You" which are both brilliant soul-infused performances that are completely unmatched to great original singer/songwriter classics such as "When Your Walk In The Room" and the another 60's athem being her own mesmerizing version of "Put A Little Love In Your Heart" which is still the greatest ever! This amazing legend continues doing great things to this day and is really one of the most important of the great original female ground-breaking singer/songwriters over the past fifty years...this collection is a great introduction which will only wet ones appetite for more...don't miss the brilliant Limited Edition "Jackie Plus" filled with earthy and soulful performances, "New Arrangement" which is Jackie's ultimate singer/songwriter masterpiece or the lost but now thankfully found (RPM Import) awesome masterwork "Songs"...these timeless classic's will give hours of pure listening pleasure!!! All that is needed now is a complete reissue of the totally lost Jackie Masterpiece "To Be Free" which contains stunning originals plus the ultimate version of Leonard Cohen's "Bird On A Wire"...THANK YOU Jackie DeShannon for years of musical magic!!!

Remastering is usually a wonderful thing. It uses digital technology to expand the horizon of an analog recording, allowing us to hear what those in the recording studio heard in the fifties, sixties or seventies.
But in inexperienced hands, it's botched plastic surgery. It disfigures a recording, making it almost unrecognizable. And so it is with this edition of the Classic Masters Series.

Jackie DeShannon was a fine female vocalist, who hit with "What the World Needs Now Is Love" and "Put A Little Love in Your Heart" in the mid and late-sixties, respectively. Each connected with the vibe of the day, and were well-deserved hits. Especially the latter, an irresistable slice of blue-eyed soul every bit the equal of Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man".

But for someone hearing it here for the first time, they'd likely wonder how it ever became a hit. The master used here plods, and is cluttered by a remastering that puts every element of the recording equally high in the mix. It ignores the sonic proportions of the original completely, and is, in my humble opinion, a disaster. Even I know that when you roll pizza dough out too thinly, it tears. I remember the density, the mass and the tempo of the original, and the version presented here is definitely stretched too thin, and drags like a funeral dirge.

Some of these problems were encountered on the Joe South collection as well. Those were dense recordings with lots of instrumentation, and they've all been shoved way up in the mix. You have to wonder if Ron McMaster (ironic name, huh?) and Mark Chalecki (who remastered the South set) ever referenced the original recordings.

To be fair, editions in this series that contain newer music fare better, but be prepared to hear older recordings in this series as you've--ahem--never heard them before.

Jackie DeShannon is not only a gifted vocalist but also a respected songwriter. A pioneer, she was one of the first women to have this dual distinction. She wrote numerous songs made into hits by other artists. "When You Walk Into the Room" is one found on this collection, and it has been covered many times. The Byrds included her song "Don't Doubt Yourself Babe" on their masterpiece album "Mr. Tambourine Man". And, of course, the Kim Carnes record of "Bette Davis Eyes" was a monster hit, earning Jackie a Song of the Year Grammy.

She has another claim to fame: LOVE. Before Donovan brought us flower power, before Scott McKenzie directed us to San Francisco, Jackie, with her gorgeous 1965 gospel-inflected rendition of Bacharach & David's "What the World Needs Now Is Love", was one of the first to bring "love" into prominence in pop culture. Later, The Beatles followed up on this on "Rubber Soul" by declaring, "Have you heard? The Word is Love." And so it was. (In the Julia Roberts film "My Best Friend's Wedding", Jackie's recording is played at the climactic moment, to me the best part of a very good film.) In 1969, Jackie again insisted, "Put a Little Love in Your Heart", a song that she co-wrote. Of course, these 2 "love" songs are included on this CD too. Just to make sure we get the message, she next sings "Love Will Find a Way".

Jackie's voice in general is delicately expressive but has strength at the same time, and her many sides are revealed on this collection. "Faded Love" shows a touch of Brenda Lee, or maybe Patsy Cline, or both. "Needles and Pins" reminds me of the girl-groups of the period. "A Lifetime of Loneliness" and "Come and Get Me" are pleading love ballads in the style of Dusty Springfield and Dionne Warwick at the time. In "I Can Make It with You", she sounds stronger, more assured that the relationship she has will last. For "The Weight", she sounds funky and playful. "Brighton Hill", also co-written by Jackie, is yet another change of pace, reminding me of an up-tempo Laura Nyro tune. And "It's So Nice" is more light funk, sort of a prequel to Macy Gray's sound.

I would say that this artist is underappreciated. Like Laura Nyro, many people know her songs, but don't know who she is by name or by sight. That's a shame. Her contribution to the pop world has been significant, and she deserves recognition for it.

The original "Needles and Pins" and "When You Walk in the Room." The cd is worth it for those two tracks alone.

Un gran disco de coleccion, con las mas bonitas canciones de Jackie; sin faltar las maravillosas WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE y PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR HEART; tonadas muy maravillosas como FADED LOVE (lindos vilines), A LIFETIME OF LONELINESS y NEEDLES AND PINS; melodias que destacan por su estilo pop con sabor a country como WHEN YOU WALK IN THE ROOM, I CAN MAKE IT WITH YOU, COME AND GET ME, y ese sabor a pacifista que solo Jackie nos puede dar con esa voz tan preciosa que ella tiene...QUE CD MAS ENCANTADOR!!

If you are unfimiliar with Jackie DeShannon, you won't understand why after listening to this collection of her best work. I just can't imagin anyone not knowing the words to at least one of these classics. These recordings sound like they were made yesterday as the quality goes. As far as the music, it may be a bit dated but are still quite entertaining. Her silky vocals are pure ear candy and her melodies are unforgettable.
Treat yourself to a good listen.