Customer Reviews

Duets

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This Cd is well worth the purchase if only for the brand new duet by Petula and Dusty (that history is written about in another review, I won't bore you with it again) but I will bore with HOW GREAT IT IS! While I am tempted to be sad there are not 11 more duets by Dusty and Petula on this cd, I will rave about this great song and it's great singers. The balance of cd is also nice, but the Duet with Dusty is grand.

A product such as this is clearly aimed at the diehards market. A collection of rarities comprising mostly live duets with other established artistes from 60s and 70s TV, "Corner Of The Sky" is the standout track here. Dusty Springfield is in top form, her vocals from a 1974 recording session as gorgeous and perfectly nuanced as ever. Petula Clark added her own vocals over Dusty's incomplete recording quite recently to fulfill a deeply held desire to have sung with Dusty while she was still alive and the result is - barring some awkward phrasing by Petula on the first chorus - simply smashing.

"Baby It's Cold Outside" (with Rod McKuen) is also great - it works so much better than Rod's duet of the same song with Dusty on his late 70s Christmas TV special because this kind of song suits Petula so much better than Dusty. Other special highlights for me include the incredibly gritty "Can't Get You To Love Me" with Gilbert O'Sullivan which proves Petula's situational rock credibility and her well matched duet of "I'm A Woman/Wedding Bell Blues" with the late great Peggy Lee.

There're other good stuff with Harry Belafonte and Bobby Darin, but I'd be lying if I said the album is devoid of turkeys - the Andy Williams number in particular is a low point.

All in, "Duets" is a must buy for Petula diehard fans.

Grammy award winner Petula Clark is the most successful female singer to emerge from the British invasion of America in the 1960s. She racked up 15 consecutive Top 40 U.S. hits and has performed with many other music legends over the past few decades.

* This special collection brings together many historical pairings from Petula's television specials and previously unreleased gems from 1967-2006.
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I am delighted to have this wonderful new CD by Petula. The high point for me is the newly created duet with Dusty Springfield on "Corner of the Sky," the hit song from the Broadway musical "Pippin." To have the two biggest and best British female superstars on the same track is a joy, and fans of both ladies will be pleased. I was pleasantly surprised by the 1997 studio duet with Anthony Newley on his "People Tree." It's playful and fun. They sound like they had fun recording it! Another favorite is the duet with Gilbert O'Sullivan on which she gets to let loose with her rockin' side. And the medley with Dean Martin exemplifies the special chemistry he and Petula had in all of their unique duets. I'm also amazed to have the rare '70s single "Lead Me on" with French star Sacha Distel-- well worth the wait. I could go on and on, obviously, but I'll close by saying this is a brilliant project, put together with thought and care. The sound quality is excellent and consistent, despite the varying sources of the material. The six studio tracks start and end the collection, with the duets from televison rounding out the middle. But it is beautifully cohesive. So -- Britain's top all-time female singer duetting with 16 American, British, and French legendary superstars on top-notch material -- PURE JOY!

The first track on this CD is worth the purchase. The duet of "Corner Of The Sky" with Dusty Springfield. It reminds us once again of the wonders of modern technology. The blending of two amazing voices with vocals recorded 32 years apart. Dusty in 1974.....Petula in 2006. Mixed together in an amazing duet. The sound quality is amazing on the CD considering the age and source of the material. Other outstanding tracks are with Gilbert O'Sullivan, Dean Martin, Oscar Peterson,and Peggy Lee. It is a joy to have these songs on CD.It is a must-have for everyone, especially collectors. Once again, thank you Jim Pierson, for another amazing project.

Michael Dortch

Well this CD gets a highest recommendation off the bat just for having "Corner of the Sky," the duet between 1974 Dusty Springfield (via an incomplete track from her ABC Dunhill recordings) and 2007 Petula Clark. I mean, it really is that spectacular, and truly like a dream that begins when Dusty joins in in the second line of the song. When Petula sings the last lyrics, you feel like the dream is over and back to reality.

But let it not be said that the rest of the CD is anything to sneeze at. As always, with Petula you're usually getting quality music in general, and her musical guests fit in nicely. My favorite is her and Peggy Lee with a customized version of "I'm A Woman," and "Wedding Bell Blues." There's also her famous duet with Harry Belafonte from NBC, and a version of "Baby It's Cold Outside" with Rod McKuen, which interestingly enough, uses the same instrumental as his duet of the same song with...Dusty Springfield.

What are you waiting for? Find this and buy it now!

THIS NEWLY RELEASED "DUETS" CD OF PETULA CLARK DOCUMENTS AND CELEBRATES SOME OF HER BEST PERFORMANCES WITH OTHER LEGENDARY ARTISTS. SPANNING FROM THE 60S TO THE PRESENT TIME, THESE TRACKS WERE CAREFULLY SELECTED AND REMASTERED FOR OPTIMUM LISTENING PLEASURE. THE SOUND QUALITY IS AMAZING! THE TRANSITION FROM TRACK-TO-TRACK AND THE BLENDING OF SOME LIVE APPLAUSE GIVES THE LISTENER THE FEELING OF BEING THERE. MANY OF THE AMERICAN LEGENDS OF SHOW BUSINESS ARE THERE INCLUDING DEAN MARTIN, PEGGY LEE, ANDY WILLIAMS , AND BOBBY DARIN AS WELL AS THE BRITISH AND EUROPEAN LEGENDS LIKE DUSTY SPRINGFIELD, ANTHONY NEWLEY, AND SACHA DISTEL. PETULA'S DUET WITH DUSTY SPRINGFIELD ALONE IS WORTH THE PRICE OF THE CD. THIS "NOT TO BE MISSED" CD IS FULL OF CLASSIC SONGS WRITTEN BY FAMOUS COMPOSERS SUCH AS FRANK LOESSER, STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (OF "WICKED" FAME), SAMMY KAHN, AND PETULA CLARK HERSELF. THE DELUXE 8 PAGE BOOKLET HAS PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS FROM MISS CLARK FOR EACH TRACK AS WELL AS COLOR AND B/W PHOTOS THROUGHOUT OF PETULA WITH HER FAMOUS SINGING PARTNERS. KUDOS TO ALL INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT (INCLUDING MISS CLARK) FOR BRINGING US A TRUELY UNIQUE AND ENJOYABLE LISTENING EXPERIENCE. BUY THIS CD AND IT WILL BECOME A PERMANENT SELECTION ON YOUR CD PLAYER.

This is a must have for any fan of Petula Clark. This represents some of her finest work. Her ability to harmonize with the partner solidifies her place among the finest recording artists of all time. While all the tracks are exceptional, the #s with Dusty Springfield, Peggy Lee, and Andy Williams are Grammy material. She actually wrote the song with Andy just this last year. What a talent....

Nothing Petula Clark does can be wrong. From her very beginnings she was way ahead of the crowd making versions of continental hits a specialty of the European hit parade, transcending borders and gaining fame and recognition everywhere except-where else?!?- the US... Even though she was already well established in the rest of the world as one of England's top chanteuses in the early 60's , it was'nt until "DOWTOWN" that she finally became a household name in Peoria. This collection will most likely appeal to her fans only, though there are plenty of other well known artists here to appeal to a wide audience-not just "Downtowners"

With her strong, bell-like voice, perfect timing, clear diction and unique phrasing -- not
to mention natural acting talent -- Petula is the perfect duet partner, especially for
warm male voices like Dean Martin, Perry Como, Matt Monro, Andy Williams and even Michael
McDonald.

However, Petula shows she can also blend quite nicely with the ladies too. She and Peggy Lee
team up on a powerhouse rendition of "I'm A Woman" and Peggy mentioned years later how much
she adored working with Petula.

Probably most historic on this album of material -- nearly all of which is not available elsewhere --
is the pairing of two 1960s icons -- Petula with Dusty Springfield. Legendary producer Brooks Arthur
signed off on the completion of Dusty's unfinished 1974 recording of "Corner of The Sky" -- the
soulful favorite from the Broadway musical "Pippin'" (written by Stephen Schwartz), with Petula
singing the missing parts as well as harmonizing with Dusty. An incredible moment in pop music.

These songs span the 1960s through the 2000s, offering a special collection of musical memories
of one of the most important and beloved female singers -- a real treat!