Customer Reviews

Ev'Rything's Coming Up Dusty (+ Bonus Tracks)

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Dusty Springfield has one of the most beautiful, vulnerable and flexible voices in pop music history. Combined with her innate ear for music and a gift for soul and rhythm, she is unparalleled.

This 1965 LP, re-issued in a remastered version with several juicy bonus tracks, is a MUST for collectors as well as curious 60's music fans.

All tracks are wonderful, but stand-outs are a rousing gospel-tinged "Won't Be Long", a perfectly delivered, but rather obscure Bacharach/David tune called "Long After Tonight Is All Over" and the most curiously fun song, "Doodlin'."

Dusty knows how to pick material and this LP shows her voice and all her qualities in the best of all lights.

The most impressive track however, is the most quiet. "I've Been Wrong Before" is the most heartbreaking version of a breathtakingly beautiful Randy Newman song. The melody is so simple, the orchestration is so minimal, but Dusty's vulnerable touch i! s exactly what brings the song to it's full fruition. Don't listen to this track if you've just had your heartbroken, it could be what pushes you over that edge.

All in all, this LP is a wonderful early effort for Miss Springfield, and has hints of what glorious music was yet to come in her career...

In terms of early 60's pop music, it doesn't get better than this.

...or at least a close second. Although this album appeared in England in 1965, a year after my discovery of Dusty, it has remained my personal favorite, even over the highly acclaimed 'Dusty in Memphis.' The reason; the choice of songs on this album are consistently first-rate.

This 1998 digitally remastered reissue of the original British album is the one to own. After the album's last track, "Packin' Up," follow eight excellent bonus tracks, recorded in New York around the same vintage. Two of these were minor US hits and four were used for the 1965 UK EP 'Dusty In New York.' The wonderful pictures from the original book-style album are all nicely reproduced.

In the sixties, it was normal to leave hit singles off original albums, it being assumed that anybody who bought the album already had the singles, which sold in fat bigger quantities in those days. With eight bonus tracks added to the thirteen on the original vinyl release, hits could have been included but weren't - it presumably being assumed that anybody now buying this already has a greatest hits collection of Dusty's music. (If you don't have one, buy one of those before worrying about this - there are plenty to choose from.) So this album contains no hits but has plenty to offer sixties pop fans generally and Dusty fans in particular.

Of the eight bonus tracks (all recorded in New York), four were released as an EP in the UK while Don't say it baby was a UK B-side. The other three tracks are making their UK debut here. In America, Live it up and Guess who were the two sides of an American single. Both sides in turn bubbled under the top 100 without making the main chart - that's the nearest you get to a Dusty hit in this collection. Here she comes was another American B-side.

Among the tracks here are Dusty's covers of Oh no not my baby (originally an American hit for Maxine Brown, it was a UK hit in 1965 for Manfred Mann and a bigger UK hit in 1973 for Rod Stewart), La Bamba (originally an American hit for Ritchie Valens, it didn't make the UK charts until 1987, when Los Lobos took it all the way to number one), Who can I turn to (a theatrical song that was an American hit for Tony Bennett), Doodling (another theatrical song), It was easier to hurt him (a minor UK hit for Wayne Fontana), I've been wrong before (a UK hit for Cilla Black).

There are many other great songs here, some of which are also covers, but it really doesn't matter whether they are or not. Won't be long (a brilliant up-tempo song), Long after tonight is over (a Bacharach-David song) and That's how heartaches are made (a superb ballad) are among the other highlights.

If you enjoy Dusty's music and want to go beyond her hit singles, you will love this.

Everything's Coming Up Dusty is a roller coaster ride, it dips and it dives, it shoots over the rooftops. If you are looking for the same raw, snap, crackle and pop of her debut album (A Girl Called Dusty)you will definitely be surprised, but equally, delighted by this her phenomenal second album.
For the thrill of the party there is her version of "La Bamba" and the heady heights of "Live It Up" (not to be confused with a song of the same title on her BBC DVD). For pure pop, the foot tapping, hand clapping "Now That You're My Baby" is mysterious only in that it was not released as a single in the UK. Dusty's smooth interpretation of "Oh No! Not My Baby" may leave you wondering if you will ever picture Rod Stewart singing it ever again.
There's the usual mix of smoochy ballads. On "That's How Heartaches Are Made", for once the backing singers are not quite so noticeable, giving rein to Dusty's husky vocals. Wonderfully gentle is "I Had A Talk With My Man Last Night", whilst so moving are the lyrics on "I've Been Wrong Before", that they reduced her to tears in the recording studio. Then there's the heart rending "Who Can I Turn To? (When Nobody Needs Me") and equally so "I Wanna Make You Happy" through to the sultry tension of "Don't Say It Baby". One ballad that starts out slowly then takes off is "Long After Tonight Is Over", highly intoxicating.
As with most Dusty albums there's a couple of tracks that break the mould, not quite pop/ballad or smooch. "If It Don't Work Out" written by Rod Argent 'specially for Dusty is in that category, as well as my favourite track "Doodlin'", a bluesy number with a deliberately rolling, stuttering beat, it takes a little getting used to until you realise that in other hands this could go off at all angles, Dusty delivers this superbly.
1965 the year that Dusty Springfield was nominated Top British Female Artist by a NME poll,and first place for World Female Singer, the same year this, her second album went to number 6, and still the magic continues.

when it was re-released as 'ev'rything's coming up dusty' it took some warming up to on my behalf. in fact, i hardly listened to it after i bought it.

but how could i ignore the genius of dusty springfield on tracks like 'oh no not my baby' and 'i've been wrong before'? i couldn't! so i listened more and came to appreciate her versions of 'that's now heartaches are made' and 'who can i turn to' and got a huge kick out of 'if it don't work out'

and so with this second release, we can enjoy 'live it up', 'guess who' and 'now that you're my baby' and these are a girl group-style dusty springfield that reminds us that she was a very young woman when she was experimenting with the americanized pop styles she would master so quickly after a few more songs.

so, the best way to appreciate this cd is to take it as a firm and sure step in a progression that would give us some of the best soul music recorded in the 20th century.

As a fan of the voice Dusty Springfield and her great hit-singles, especially "Son of a Preacher" Man", years back I bought a compilation of her hits as well as her much acclaimed "Dusty in Memphis" and her debut "A Girl Called Dusty" .

Having read a portrait article about her, renewed my interest, and I thought her second album "Everything's Coming up Dusty" would be the logical next buy.

I expected it to be much in the same vein as her debut; and in some ways it is; and somehow it's also pretty different. Dusty's voice of course is all over it, and it's mostly great. My objections towards this album compared to her debut is that several tracks suffer from heavy orchestration and that the songs are generally not quite up to the high standards of her debut.

There are exceptions of, course. A song that I always disliked with the Manfred Mann is "Oh No, Not My Baby", but Dusty's version here is great. Rod Argent's Motown inspired "If It Don't Work Out" written for Dusty, is another stand-out. Try listening to the Zombies own version, which is at least just as fine.

"It Was Easier to Hurt Him" is classic Dusty; a great song and great performance.

The bonus tracks are good, but really no more; none of them made any strong impression.