Customer Reviews

Falling in Love Again

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's worth it just to get "Falling in Love Again" and "Lili Marlene", but there are other good ones here too. The "Live in London" CD is the other one I'd recommend: between the two of them, all the classic Dietrich songs are there. Yes, she's an acquired taste, definitely one of a kind, and they don't make 'em like that anymore. The remastering is quite good on most tracks, and the mono sound is very atmospheric.

This CD is fun but these are old recordings so the sound quality isn't super. I recommend the Die Grossen Erfolge [IMPORT] Marlene Dietrich for the real music lover that wants the most from Marlene more.

The best one to buy if you must have only one. I own many but love this compilation because the emotion of the originals is there and the sound quality is very good, which is something that cannot be said for all Dietrich CDs.

A great deal of this album was released previously as "The Marlene Dietrich Collection." Since that must be out of print, here's your best bet. It features Dietrich from 1939 to the early 60s. I think that the later recordings are better, though. This is quite possibly the best Dietrich CD. She sings in English and French (she musta been intellygent!), and does both equally well. This CD is a must to add to your collection.

Dietrich's heavily accented vocals definitely require some getting used to, but they're also what make her performances so unique and evocative of their era. Whatever her shortcomings in English and French pronunciations, Dietrich could purr sensuous lines like "My past that makes you hate me/makes you love me too" or "I gently untie the past" like no one else, and she offers up dozens of them here. The first eleven songs on this album sound like the ultimate romantic World War II movie soundtrack, from the joyous nihilism of "The Boys in the Backroom" to more bittersweet ballads like "Illusions" and the title track, and straight up love songs like "You've Got That Look" and "Symphonie." Tucked neatly into the mix is the more subversive "Black Market," which is open to interpretation and then some, and the classic "Lili Marlene," with which Dietrich reportedly brought soldiers on both sides of the lines to tears in her USO shows during the war. The fuzzy but surprisingly consistent sound quality (the recording dates range from 1939-1957) and distinctive orchestration add to the sense of atmosphere, to the point where you can almost imagine being in the audience in a battle-scarred nightclub in wartime Berlin, with Marlene and the band on stage just a few feet away.

But the collection stumbles badly with what I'm guessing were the B-sides to her two 1957 singles. The awkward rock-and-roll arrangements of "Near You" and "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" were originally released on the same record label that gave us Pat Boone, and they sound every bit the part. (Ironically, the flip sides of those singles, "Another Spring, Another Love" and "I May Never Go Home Anymore," are terrific.) The collection recovers its footing somewhat with the two final songs from 1965. "If He Swing by the String" and "Such Trying Times" don't quite measure up to the glory of the earlier recordings, but they're a nice enough ending to the album and certainly more in keeping with its overall style.

I suspect the folks at MCA were aiming for a sampler of Dietrich's singing career regardless of context and how well the songs fit together. This would be a five star collection if they had opted for consistency rather than completeness. But in the era of skip-buttons, it's still worthy.

Marlene Dietrich is not everyones cup of tea but this CD can change some minds. Her classic songs are all here but what I like best are the songs at the end of the track, the songs are different from what I've heard her sing before and are upbeat fun songs. If I had to choose one Marlene Dietrich CD to buy it would be this one.

This cd highlights Dietrich at the top of her game. From her pre-war comeback to songs made during the war and post-war mega-hits!

Bravo! You folks know how to make me happy!! I did 'Fall in love again." Very affordable, and in excellent condition! Thank you so much. I'll be happy to purchase from you again!

These selections cover her English language recordings made after she came to America, with some old favorites represented. Maybe this should have been a two-disc album, to include her earlier work in German.