Customer Reviews

Enlightnin'ment: The Best of Lou Christie

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Lou Christie predates the Beatles (at least in terms of initial popularity in the U.S.) and his soaring falsetto on "Two Faces Have I" in the spring of 1963 is one of my earliest pop music memories as an adolescent.

His first single earlier that year was "The Gypsy Cried," and like all of Christie's compositions was co-written with Twyla Herbert, a woman twice Christie's age when they first met when he was fifteen. [The liner notes refer to her a "psychic former concert pianist."] At any rate they were responsible for all but three of the songs on this collection, including the chart-topping million-seller "Lightnin' Strikes" and the follow-up "Rhapsody in the Rain." "Rhapsody" stalled at No. 16 when it was banned by a number of radio stations for its suggestive lyrics. Sample: "Because on our first date/ We were makin' out in the rain/ And in this car/ Our love went much too far." Tame, perhaps, by today's standards, but conservatism won out and it would be three years before Christie would crack the Top 40 one last time in 1969 with "I'm Gonna Make You Mine."

Along with Frankie Valli, Christie has one of the most recognizable falsetto voices of the Sixties and it's used to marvelous effect on this collection. Additional highlights include the never-before-released "Summer Snow," which was originally slated as Christie's third single.

If you enjoyed the hits, the rest of the material here will not disappoint. RECOMMENDED

This set of Lou Christie's tunes is a must for any music fan. All the hits are there, except "Are You Getting any Sunshine." My favorite track is "If My Car Could Only Talk." I was fortunate to catch Lou live in the summer of '98 at the Tennessee Valley Fair in Knoxville. His multi-octave range is still in top shape. He carried the whole show without any back-up singers, and was gracious to hang around to sign autographs and chat with fans. You can't go wrong with this collection.

How did he do it?

How did Lou Christie take a format which could so easily have slipped into the absurd--the 1950's arrangements, the adolescent lyrics, the falsetto--and turn out so many Pop classics?

"The Gypsy Cried," "Two Faces Have I," "Summer Snow," "Outside The Gates of Heaven," and "Trapeze" are all great; "Lightnin' Strikes" would have been a tight fit on a Ronettes LP, and "Shy Boy" out Beach-Boys the Beach Boys.

But there's still some junk here. "Self Expression" sounds like a bad Saturday morning cartoon theme. "Back to The Days of The Romans" is so bad it hurts, and I could do without the self-referential "Mr. Tenor Man" too.

The bad stuff tends to come from the last days of Christie's recording career, the mid to late 1960s, but one of my favorite Christie singles, "I'm Gonna Make You Mine," was actually recorded in 1969. It was a classic, CLASSIC 45, and it sounds even better all these years later on a clean CD. It was the perfect blend that Christie had seemed to strive for all during the 1960s, sounding like Franki Valli backed by the Ronettes; a catchy melody and a decent backing band.

Anyway, everyone should own this CD, because EVERYBODY secretly loves to sing along with the falsetto on "The Gypsy Cried" when they hear it in their car.

Admit it.

It's all been said, but Lou Christie, as shown in this compilation, reminds me of nobody but Lou Christie and the girl I dated, loved and lost in the early 1960s. (Okay, I'm 100). There was, to start, no revolutionary bands like the Beatles, no grimy protest songs, no cynicism. I wish you could have experienced it too. Play this queue of good music and imagine. You might be able to understand. RECOMMENDED.

Few people comment that "Two Faces Have I" is one of the earliest songs with a pure Jamaican reggae beat introduced in the USA. Just listen to the organ-- it could be Jimmy Cliff or Bob Marley, both of whom Lou pre-dated in popularity. I wonder if the Lou and Twyla were imitating the Jamaicans or vice versa?? Anyone know?

Well, it's Rhino, so how could it be bad? That aside, the man had (and still has) one of the most incredible vocal ranges known to man, ranking with Frankie Valli, Rod Temperton and other well-known castrata. And who could deny a hit like "I'm Gonna Make You Mine"? All the good stuff is here. I highly recommend.

I'm the child of Baby Boomers and I was often "forced" to listen to "Oldies". Usually, I protested, except when a song by Lou Christie came on the radio. This collection of his work may be the best out there (although something must also be said for the recently released compilation of Lou Christie & his proteges "The Tammys"). I highly recommend it!

PS - The liner notes are fantastic.

Lou Christie had a good deal of success back in the day and he still packs them in at concerts. This CD entitled Enlightnin'ment: The Best of Lou Christie certainly proves he has what it takes to be a hit maker! Lou sings rather well on this album and it's a must-have for his fans. The quality of the sound is excellent and the artwork is really nicely done.

"The Gypsy Cried" begins the track set; and Lou does this one up right! His falsetto voice sounds quite clear; and he never misses a single note. The female backup singers enhance the number even more; and the music makes good use of the percussion, guitars and drums. "The Gypsy Cried" is a fine starting number; and listen for ""Two Faces Have I." Although the arrangement is similar to "The Gypsy Cried," "Two Faces Have I" is distinctly different; Lou sings this with panache and I'm very impressed. Wow!

"Summer Snow" ranks high in my book as a classic Lou Christie song; this ballad has a great sound. You can hear that classic Lou Christie sound which is infectiously catchy and upbeat, too. Again, Lou uses female backup singers to make this song shine brighter than silver and gold combined! In addition, Lou does a splendid job on ""Mr. Tenor Man;" "Mr. Tenor Man" uses the drums well and Lou's vocal range is quite good for this tune. The early rock and roll flavor works well and "Mr. Tenor Man" is a highlight of this album.

"Self Expression (The Kids on the Street Will Never Give In)" has a very 1960s sound to it that holds its own very well; and "Outside The Gates Of Heaven" is another very well done number with guitars, drums and percussion. "Shy Boy" gets the royal treatment from Lou Christie as he sings this to perfection--and beyond! "Shy Boy" is one of my favorite Lou Christie numbers, actually; and it's nice to have it on this album.

"Lightnin' Strikes" is one of Lou's biggest hits ever; and just one listen will show you how all the stars were in all the right places when Lou recorded this number! It's a perfect example of just how well Lou Christie performs; and that's grand. "Lightnin' Strikes" also has a musical arrangement that perfectly complements Lou's vocals and I love it. "Rhapsody In The Rain" has a 1950s feel to it and this is a pretty good number; Lou sings this passionately and his excellent diction strengthens his performance a great deal. "Watch Your Heart After Dark" is a most romantic tune that Lou aces as effortlessly as if it were mere breathing; but it wasn't all that easy--Lou's talent always carries him through.

"Shake Hands And Walk Away Crying" is extremely poignant; Lou performs this faultlessly and I like this tune a great deal. "Shake Hands And Walk Away Crying" has a great beat and sound that belies the seriousness of the lyrics. "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" ends the album in a very strong way; Lou Christie does this beautifully and I always liked this tune a lot. It certainly made the airwaves sizzle back when it was originally released!

Lou Christie was and remains a fine artist; and this album gives us a lot of his excellent music to enjoy. This is a great CD for his fans; and people just discovering his artistry would do well to start with this album. Catch him in concert if you can!

If you liked Lou Christie's hits, he also shines on these other great songs.They may not have been hits, but the're far from filler. Lou is Lou.

This CD is nearly 20 years old now, so the sound needs to be upgraded. The sound quality on the new RPM CDs is much richer and sharper, with more bass. Also, this CD omits many of his best A-sides, such as "She Sold Me Magic", "Beyond The Blue Horizon", "Cryin' On My Knees", and "Guitars and Bongos", while including mediocre B-sides such as "Mr. Tenor Man" and "Du Ronda". For some reason, Rhino stopped at 1969 even though Lou has kept making great music since then, and they did not license any of the excellent Colpix material from 1964-65. Also, the songs are presented in chronological order, except that the hippie anthem "Self Expression" from 1967 is thrown in with the 1963 tracks, where it sounds totally out of place.
In sum, this is still a good purchase, and the best place to begin a Lou Christie collection, but it could be made much better. I would recommend getting other Lou Christie CDs and making your own Best of CD.