Customer Reviews

Essential Slim Whitman

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The Essential Slim Whitman contains an excellent range of Whitman recordings made over a long career. The originals of many of the 1950's hits are included such as `Rose Marie' (the original hit version). This set also contains many Whitman recordings on cd for the first time. However what makes this cd set stand out is the inclusion of several previously unreleased tracks. Included is the full version of `Red Wing' which was not released in any format previously. The falsetto at the end of the track is almost `haunting'. A lovely previously unreleased track `Here It All Began' is also here with others such as a later version of `Chime Bells'. Also included are the 5 rare South African recordings and these are a welcome inclusion as two tracks are sung in the Afrikaans language. Whitman fans and collectors will enjoy this cd set!

My dad loves Slim Whitman. This CD has all of the greats on it and he really enjoys it. Also, it shipped incredibly fast and in perfect condition.

Every few years in the CD era, EMI UK released a double or triple CD compilation of Slim Whitman's music, always containing the few songs that set up his career (albeit sometimes re-recorded versions, but this time by the originals) with plenty of songs that hadn't appeared on those earlier compilations. For whatever reason but maybe partly because he has a very small number of songs he is famous for compared to the amount of material he recorded, Slim Whitman is unique in being treated this way among singers who I am familiar with. So it is that a double or triple CD of his music always has plenty of long-lost treasures with just a few ultra-familiar songs, in contrast to comparable compilations of anybody else's music.

Here, the highlights among the rarities include the five 1965 tracks recorded in South Africa. Two of these are in Afrikaans, one of these being a version of the gospel classic Whispering hope. Two of the others are billed as duets with Virginia Lee (who I'd never heard of until I bought this set) although she only provides harmony vocals on Blue eyes crying in the rain. It's still an excellent cover of the Roy Acuff classic, which has also become a Willie Nelson classic. Virginia is more prominent on Tennessee yodel polka, which is a true duet with both singers making a significant contribution. The remaining South African track, That's how the yodel was born, is very typical of Slim Whitman. Anybody who enjoys his yodelling will love this.

There are other rarities too, some of which are alternative versions of songs that Slim recorded that have been made available previously, but they are no less welcome for that. One such song is Red wing, which is a song that I've heard before but I'm not sure that I've heard him sing it. Many tracks originally released on vinyl are appearing on CD for the first time. My vinyl collection mainly comprised the original albums released between 1976 and 1980, plus two or three others. Red River Valley and Home on the Range were released on CD as a twofer (and I think they are still available in that form) but the subsequent albums were not. Tracks from them have appeared on compilations and we get several more here including Puff the magic dragon and Lavender blue. There are also plenty new to CD from the sixties and early seventies, many of which I'd never heard Slim sing before, and only some of which I'm familiar with by other singers.

With many rarities and the original recordings of the few tracks that can truly be called essential, all superbly presented, this may be the best Slim Whitman compilation yet released on the EMI label. Bear Family's boxed sets are likely to be better, but they come at a somewhat higher price. If you're a dedicated Slim Whitman fan, the title is absolutely spot on, although those who are only casually interested in his music may wonder why a collection with so many hitherto rarities is titled essential.

At last a complete set of CD'S from the great man himself.A must for any one to add to there collection,

Là aussi, très longue compilation de cet artiste de country-music que peu doivent connaître. Je l'ai découvert depuis peu. Cela mérite que l'on s'attarde sur lui. Ses chansons sont agréables à écouter.