Complete Anthology [Import]

Normie Rowe (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 24, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Festival
• ASIN: B000051TEB
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #512,425 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Que Sera Sera (What Will Be Will Be)

2. Shakin All Over

3. It Ain't Necessarily So

4. Tell Him I'n Not Home

5. I (Who Have Nothing)

6. Call On Me

7. Pride & Joy

8. Breaking Point

9. Stones That I Throw

10. Ooh La La

11. Ya Ya

12. Gonna Leave This Town

13. I Just Don't Understand

14. It's Not Easy

15. Ain't Nobody Home

16. Mary Mary

17. Going Home

18. I Don't Care

19. Sunshine Secret

20. But I Know

See all 61 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice guy....pity about the material, September 7, 2001

By 

n3_biker (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Anthology (Audio CD)

Normie Rowe was a cute looking and personable boy of 18 when he burst onto the Australian pop scene in 1965 with a reworking of Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So" from Porgy and Bess, which made the Top 10 and set him off on a couple of years of hits, including the follow-up, a cover of "I (Who Have Nothing)" and then "Que Sera Sera" which became his biggest success, lodging at the top of the charts for nearly three months. Searching for a wider audience he went to England in 1966 where, despite some great material and terrific productions, he failed to make a dent in the charts which were in the grip of the Beatles and their pals. The home market kept buying, but less and less. Then in 1967 Vietnam beckoned, and although material was issued during this time, Normie's pop career effectively went on hold for two years, and he was never able to regain the momentum afterwards.
This huge collection gathers everything of note and plenty of rubbish. Normie's vocal range was extremely limited and it shows on many of the tracks, but the voice is fresh and there's a charm and youthful exuberance which come across despite some fairly appalling material. The early Aussie hits are poorly produced but good fun, if unmemorable. The stand-outs are three of the recordings he made in London - "It's Not Easy", [a Mann/Weil song which may have been written with the Righteous Brothers in mind,] given a Spectorish production, and what was issued as a double A side single, "Going Home" and "I Don't Care". Terrific tunes with sparkling productions, where Normie's voice is pushed hard, giving it a darker hue and making him sound much more grown up.
So, this is really for those who were "there at the time" and want to wallow in a bit of nostalgia. Anyone looking for undiscovered gems will be disappointed.