Customer Reviews

Collection

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The first thing to say about this collection is that there is one very obvious omission - Never can say goodbye, her first hit. Being her second most famous song, it is a very strange omission but, to me, it doesn't spoil the collection that much as I've got the track somewhere else on a various artists compilation.

Gloria often took old songs and adapted them to her style of seventies disco music. I remember being particularly impressed by How high the moon. I hadn't heard the song before (it was first recorded by Benny Goodman in 1940) but I thought it was a great song, superbly performed by Gloria. Even though I've heard a few other versions of the song since than (including one by Emmylou Harris), I still love Gloria's version. It wasn't the only really old song that Gloria covered - this collection also includes Tonight (originally from West Side Story) and I've got you under my skin (a Cole Porter classic - I wonder what Cole would have made of Gloria's cover). Gloria also covered sixties classics including Walk on by (Dionne Warwick), Going out of my head (Little Anthony) and Reach out I'll be there (Four Tops), the latter being a huge hit for her.

Another notable cover is Substitute. First recorded by the Righteous Brothers, it became a major hit all over Europe in 1978 (number two in the UK but number one in some other countries) when covered by the South African all-female group, Clout. The song didn't do much for Clout in America, so Gloria's version was released as a single. I suspect that the single would have done well for Gloria, but before it had much chance to climb the chart, the record was flipped over to expose the B-side, an original song titled I will survive. It may seem incredible now, but I'm not surprised that it was originally a B-side. While Substitute is a song with some substance, I will survive is lyrically very limited. Both are danceable tunes but it's easy to see why nobody thought much of I will survive. Once the record was flipped, it became Gloria's biggest ever hit, making number one in Britain and America. With hindsight, it's easy to understand the record's popular - it is very anthemic with a simple but effective message. The repetitive nature of the lyrics reinforced the anthemic quality of the record. So we will never know whether Substitute would have been a big American hit for Gloria, but it wouldn't have been as big a hit as I will survive.

Generally, the original songs here are not as strong as the covers - no matter, because this is a fine collection of Gloria's music. It would be an even better collection if it included Never can say goodbye but, as I write this, there doesn't seem to be a collection with all the interesting tracks on it. So buy this then look for a various artists compilation for the missing track. Find it by doing a music search by song title.

This extensive collection with its 18 tracks provides a good overview of Gaynor's career but inexplicably omits two of her greatest hits: I Am What I Am and Never Can Say Goodbye. It does contain her other great hits: the anthemic I Will Survive, Reach Out I'll Be There and How High The Moon plus minor successes like Let Me Know (I Have A Right) and Anybody Wanna Party. Gaynor's recipe for success was her powerful rousing voice, the right melodic songs and that addictive disco beat. Not all the other tracks here are equally memorable although I like her cover of Walk On By and tracks like Can't Fight The Feeling, Honey Bee and This Love Affair. The album Ten Best is a better buy as it contains all the greatest hits, including the aforementioned I Am What I Am and Never Say Goodbye. Otherwise The Collection is fine as it showcases one of the great singers of the disco era whose work has stood the test of time.