Customer Reviews

Doris Day - Greatest Hits

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I only bought this album to record a couple of tunes for my parents to play at home with others from the 40's and 50's. I was just stunned by that warm voice. So natural. So full of true old-fashioned romance. At first I was surprised that her singing still holds up. But it more than holds up. Every note, the sweet ones, the soft ones, the full ones. She goes from girl next door to street-wise to pro singer all in the same song. Every note has that touch from a time when people believed in hard work and true love. After hearing this record, I made it a point to see the movie "Lullaby of Broadway." Acting and dancing, too, beyond perfect. "Secret Love"-- one take only and she rode her bicycle back home from the studio! That's the greatest recording feat ever. I'm sold. I like music videos and rock and pop tunes. But I'll never listen to the modern artists the same way. I'll judge them by Doris Day's talent.

Being born in the fifties, one of the first songs I remember hearing on the radio was "Everybody Loves a Lover". Growing up in the 60's and 70's, Doris Day was about as un-cool as you could find on the American entertainment scene.

Fortunately, time has allowed many of us to see these pre-Elvis pop stars for their true talent. Of course, Doris Day was so much more than just a pop singer. Her acting talent combined with a girl-next-door wholesome beauty propelled her to the top of her field in the fifties and into the sixties.

Like some other singing actresses, I prefer listening to Miss Day on recordings, without the distraction of a movie plot. The CD transfer here is first-rate; I had this LP for many years and this sounds so much better.

It is unfortunate that so many will remember Doris Day for that awful TV series where she tried to play a character far too young for her. If nothing else, that show will remain famous for the amount of Vaseline they had to rub on the camera lens!

Listening to this CD will take the purchaser back to the time when entertainers actually dressed up to perform on stage. It also reveals to us what was lost in the Elvis revolution.

Doris Day deserves better than to be forgotten. Fortunately for us, her work is well-represented on CD and DVD. This album will be a valuable addition to anyone's mid-century music collection.

Doris Day first made her name in the heady days of the World War II big band era as "the girl singer" with the likes of Bob Crosby and the Bobcats and Les Brown and the Band of Renown. When her recording of "Sentimental Journey" became an instant classic, its popularity launched her to film stardom--and in some respects this is a pity, for although she would make a series of popular musicals through the 1940s and 1950s, once Day was established as a film star her work as vocalist took a back seat to the demands of film industry.

Even those who are generally knowledgeable of her vocal work tend to think of Day as a "light" singer. This is a great mistake, for there is absolutely nothing "light" about either the lady's voice or her technique. Her voice has tremendous power--but rather than simply belting her songs in the style of, say, Betty Hutton, Day elected for a combination of power and restraint, and the resulting sound is truly unique.

In a general sense, Day punctuates the opening note of a lyric with an unexpectedly sharp, intense tone and then suddenly and smoothly subverts it into an exceptionally well modulated, open-throated, velvety and glowing sound. That said, she is also a remarkably witty singer, endowing her lyrics with a sly wink where appropriate. The result is subtly glamorous and covertly sexy and quite unlike the sound created by any other singer then or now.

Unfortunately, Day's recordings are becoming harder and harder to come by, and she is most widely available via a series of so-so compilations that fail to give a listener the opportunity to assess either her interpretive range or skill. This "Greatest Hits" collection is typical: a handful of obvious titles and a few minor recordings largely culled from her film work and offered in poor sound condition.

Still, Doris Day is Doris Day whatever the circumstances. "It's Magic" is one of the great standards of the 1940s and very, very indicative of Day's unique combination of power and restraint; "A Guy Is A Guy" is delivered with her typically sly sense of humor, turning a minor song into a witty romp; "Secret Love" is justly famous, and although perhaps heard once too often for comfort "Que Serra, Serra" is charming.

But the best of Day's work here is heard in more unexpected cuts. "Teacher's Pet" is Day in what you might call her bouncy mode, charming and extremely energetic; the truly minor song "Shanghai" is transformed into a memorable example of Day operating at her big band sound best. "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" is quite possibly the finest version of that song ever recorded, "When I Fall In Love" pure elegance and all heart, and "Love Me or Leave Me" captures an unexpectedly tough sound.

Given the limitations of both the selection and sound quality on this CD, I find it difficult to recommend in a general sense--but if you are looking for an inexpensive introduction to Day as a vocalist, it would be a good starting point. Recommended more for the star herself than for the CD.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

This collection features 12 hit songs highlighted by two of the most beautiful songs to come out of the movies: "Secret Love" ("Calamity Jane") and "It's Magic" ("Romance on the High Seas"). "Secret Love" and "Que Sera, Sera" both won Academy Awards as best song of the year, and deservedly so. "Love Me or Leave Me" is another winner from the great film of the same name, and as for the remainder: there's not a loser in the bunch. Doris Day was one of the best-selling female vocalists of the 40's (with Les Brown's Band), 50's and 60's, and this collection will make a believer out of any good music lover!

This music and spectacular voice are so timeless that my 8 and 5 year old children enjoy it as much as I do. The CD is just a small sampling of some of her most popular hits. Once you listen to this CD, you will be begging to add to the collection. ENJOY - our entire family does!

Here is a woman, not a girl, who overcame adversity, broken legs and a dance career in ruins when she was only a teenager. But she went on... on to become a great singer-song stylist, dancer and actress. What ever the battles she had to fight, and like the rest of us she has had many, she managed to keep the joy of living in her heart. You can hear it in her voice. Inspirational to other superstars and, to we mere mortals. Thanks Doris!

I never even knew that I was a fan of Doris Day until I heard one of her songs in a recent popular movie. I bought the 'Greatest Hits' album, thinking the song would be on there, and it wasn't. It didn't matter - because I fell in love with the album anyway. I was never a fan of 'Fifties' music, however, this album has a timeless quality that anyone could love. It makes you feel like you should be in a dimly-lit night club with some brandy, a fine cigar, and a beautiful woman sitting atop a black baby grand. Enjoy!

Doris Day is a favorite "girl singer." (The others being Julie Andrews and Rosemary Clooney). Anyway, if you're just starting your collection of Doris Day music, or want to find out what she's all about, this is the CD for you. Every song on it is a keeper, and they pace the songs well, mixing ballads and upbeat numbers. I love this CD!

I bought this album on lp about 25 years ago and have continued to enjoy it ever since.

I also found a copy of what appears to be the album Mr. Waskiewicz's mother owned (see review below) at a yard sale about the same time. They *should* rerelease this one as well -- POSSESS ME was my favorite track.

For years, these were the only two Doris Day albums I could find.

I also grew up in the 60s and 70s, and first discovered the great 50s singers through my parents. I don't think music has ever been better than in this era, and Doris Day is one of the best of the best.

Fortunately over the last few years, the music from the early 50s has been getting a wide release on cds (The Bear Family offers just about every song Doris ever cut -- I'm saving up for it), and I'm finally getting to hear many of her songs for the first time.

As one reviewer noted below, the music from the early 50s appears to be slowly beginning to receive some of the recognition it has long deserved. Doris Day, Frankie Laine, Johnnie Ray, Patti Page, Kay Starr, Guy Mitchell, Georgia Gibbs, Eddie Fisher, Nat "King" Cole... that's the Pantheon of musical greats, IMHO.

This album offers a nice sampling of some of Doris Day's biggest hits from the 50s and, speaking from experience, is the perfect starter for a Doris Day collection.

Doris Day was a very high quality singer. Her voice intimated much , and had a certain humor in it. But above all it was silky smooth in her own unique way. Yet when she sang one of her greatest 'Love me or Love me ' it had an iron toughness. So too when she sang another of her biggies 'Que Sera, Sera' it took on a hard optimistic tone in contradiction to the fatalism of the lyric. She could have energy and bounce, but she sang Love songs with great feeling and convinction.
A truly unique talent whose voice lured and captivated.