Customer Reviews

Goin' Back: Very Best Of Dusty Springfield

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Although some may consider this one to be a bit pricey, in my opinion this CD is easily the best available Dusty Springfield collection on the market today. The 25 track single disc English import covers nearly all of Dusty's extraordinary career from the early days with the Springfields until her final chart appearance with Pet Shop Boys in 1987. Of course, you'll find just about all of her important solo hits as well including "The Look of Love", "I Only Want To Be With You" and the 1966 Top 20 smash "All I See Is You". Also included is the haunting Grammy award winning tune "The Windmills of Your Mind" from the spring of '69 and a number of terrific tunes that were big hits for Dusty in England but failed to catch on here in the States. Among these are "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself", "In The Middle of Nowhere" and Dusty's all-time favorite single "Some of Your Lovin'" which reached number 8 on the British charts in the summer of 1965. There are a couple of notable omissions including "Brand New Me" from the winter of 1969 and "Mama's Little Girl" which I believe was Dusty's finest recording during her brief stay at ABC/Dunhill in the early 70's. My kudos to the folks at Philips for a first rate remastering job. If I have any criticism of this collection at all it is the skimpy six page booklet. Given the stature of this artist it could have easily been 10 or 12 pages. But at this point I doubt you will ever find a better Dusty Springfield collection. Highly recommended.

This compilation includes many of Dusty's British and American hits, from her early folk-pop music as lead singer of the Springfields to her comeback in the late eighties, helped by the Pet shop boys. Some people will be disappointed that the tracks are not in chronological order but I've yet to see another collection that is as hit-laden as this one.

The Springfields had several UK hits, two of which (Island of dreams, Say I won't be there) made the top five. Silver threads and golden needles, an American top twenty hit, somehow missed the UK charts altogether but its American success has inspired a number of cover versions, notably by Linda Ronstadt, so some British listeners will be familiar with the song anyway. Those three songs are included here but three lesser UK hits (Bambino, Breakaway and Come on home) are omitted.

Dusty became much more successful when she went solo. All her classic British and American sixties hits are here. I only want to be with you, I just don't know what to do with myself, Some of your loving, Going back, You don't have to say you love me, I close my eyes and count to ten, Losing you, In the middle of nowhere, All I see is you and Son of a preacher man, all reached the top ten in sixties Britain. Stay awhile, Little by little and I'll try anything made the UK top twenty.

Wishing and hoping, which opens this set, was a top twenty American hit but was not a hit in Britain although the song was a UK hit for the Merseybeats. All cried out, Look of love and Windmills of your mind are other American hits that missed the UK charts but are included here.

Some lesser American hits (What's it gonna be, A brand new me) and some lesser British hits (Your hurting kind of love, Give me time, Am I the same girl, How can I be sure) are missing, but there isn't room for everything on a single CD that covers the sixties and the eighties.

The eighties are represented by In private, What have I done to deserve this (with the Pet shop boys), Reputation and Nothing has been proved.

If you are looking for a single CD covering Dusty's whole career, this is the strongest you will find. If you are just looking for her sixties solo music but you want all the hits, however minor, I recommend the Dutch double CD, Singles. If you want the other Springfields hits, you'll have to buy a Springfields compilation although none are in print as I write this.

This is an excellent compilation of Dusty Springfield's greatest hits, either UK hits or US hits, which not necessarily were always the same songs, besides her international smash hits, all of them made of her "the greatest british female singer" as it is today currently mentioned, not to forget that during some periods (since early 70s to late 80s) she remained practically forgotten, recording sporadically, enjoying some local success only, by the end of the 80s her duet with the Pet Shop Boys marked her definitive come-back to stardom. Listening to this Cd you'll be able to discover her vocal talent to sing many different music styles: early pop-rock, folk, her very particular approach to R&B/Soul, Italian ballads, dance/techno-pop, you'll find her versatility, her exemplary choices of songs and songwriters.
This CD is a good starting point to Dusty Springfield's musical legacy for those who still know few of her music, there are more to continue: "Something Special" is also a compilation, a double CD including no great hits other than "The Look of Love", but flip-sides of her singles, album tracks and ballads that didn't chart or were minor hits; her complete US or UK albums with bonus tracks are now all available, there are also many compilations of which I mention "Heart & Soul", the 3 CD Box "Anthology" (USA) and the 4 CD Box "Simply Dusty" (UK).

Before buying this CD, most of my memories of Dusty Springfield were from AM radio in the 60's. Hearing this CD on a good stereo will suprise you. Many of the arrangements (Son of a Preacher Man and the Look of Love, to name a few) are exquisite. This compilation is one of the few places to get most of her big hits on one CD. A fine anthology of one of the great pop singers of the 1960's. Recommended.

One of the most uneven careers belonged to a woman with one of the smoothest voices in pop. Pop? Dusty Springfield was equally at home doing soul, country, disco, and easy listening music. And though her heyday was 1962-1968, with a brief revival (1987-1990), the singer born Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien at one time was the Queen of British Pop in her first heyday.

Three songs during her time with Springfields, consisting of brother Tom and Tim Field are here. The UK #5 "Island Of Dreams" sports country-like harmonies, harmonica, and strings with her bandmates. The same sound is present in the US Top 20 "Silver Threads And Golden Needles", and given the theme of woman in sorrow while her man plays the cheating game, a steel guitar would complete its countrified feel. Stretched out vowels by Tom and Dusty and a folky sound is present in the UK #5 "Say I Won't Be There."

She went solo following the Springfields' dissolution, and she beat the odds in a world where male dominated groups ruled the charts. The upbeat and poppy UK #4 "I Only Want To Be With You" proved her worthiness, and hey, even Samantha Fox had a hit with it on her I Wanna Have Some Fun album.

Dusty though was best at singing soft songs. The title track of this compilation, written by the King/Goffin songwriting team, is a longing nostalgia for a purer and more innocent time, piano and flute, and a wall of sound Phil Spector would be proud of. This song of "thinking young and growing older" was also covered by the Byrds. However, it's another King/Goffin song, the soulful "Some Of Your Lovin'" that's her personal fave. Her rendition of the Bacharach/David breakup song "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" was one of her biggest, with Linda Ronstadt and The White Stripes (!!) covering it. It was also included on the soundtrack to Phil Collins' movie Buster.

Speaking of movies, one of her best ballads is the lilting song from the James Bond spoof Casino Royale, "The Look Of Love," which to me is Dusty at her vocal best. Another vocal highlight is "Windmills Of Your Mind" taken from her Dusty From Memphis, which has a light mellow Latin beat before strings sneak through in later verses and billow out in full strength.

Two of those ballads were originally based on Italian songs redone with English lyrics and done with a sometimes overdone symphony--they are the #9 UK "All I See Of You" and her signature tune "Io Che Non Vivo (Senzate)" a.k.a. "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me."

Thw 80's and 90's saw a comeback due entirely to Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, a.k.a. the Pet Shop Boys. Their duet "What Have I Done To Deserve This", a leisurely 80's disco song with horns and cheery synths, peaked at #2 on the UK charts. The title track to her 1990 Reputation album, produced by the PSB, strengthened her comeback and with the intense techno beats and strings, deserved better than its #38 UK peak. "In Private" from the same album, reached #14 despite having a slightly slower tempo. The final single, the ballad "Nothing Has Been Proved" was done over the closing credits of Scandal, and whose lyrics was a companion to the movie, an account of the Christine Keeler/John Profumo scandal that disgraced both parties and caused Harold MacMillan's government to fall from power.

Twenty-five songs spanning thirty-two years, although the 70's and early 80's were a sporadic period for Dusty. Still, a recommended one-disc compilation for Ms. Springfield.

Excellant CD. Dusty really knew how to pick the songs. Her voice is gold. There cannot be a "Very Best of Dusty Springfield", all her CD's are truly "solid gold". Each time I think I have found a favorite CD, I buy another one, and am just amazed how many songs she has sung that should have been selected to have air time and were not. She has alot of number one hits sitting there. Her fans need to do something to bring back these songs and get some air time, they still have a "life". Just becuase the CD in some peoples minds was not gold, doesn't mean individual songs will not soar to the top. Her music does not have an expiration date on them. This generation is missing some quality music.

If you want just one CD to give you all of Dusty's hits then this is it.

So why not 5 stars,well,I can never understand why CD producers choose not to put tracks in chronological order,also some earlier tracks are mono and do not have very good sound quality.The reason for this is the original master tapes have been lost,so with just a couple of exceptions,any Dusty compilation will suffer the same fate.

In my case I found a CD with these earlier tracks in stereo and bought it,however it only covers her earlier work,see "Stay Awhile-I Only Want to Be with You/Dusty Stay Awhile-I Only Want to Be with You/Dusty."

I have done a review of this CD,there are 2 version of it,you want the Taragon one,not the Philips one.With these 2 CDs,you will have all of Dusty's hits plus plenty more fabulous music and ALL IN HIGH QUALITY STEREO.

The Taragon CD is easier to find on the USA Amazon site,do see my other Dusty reviews.(I live in the UK,more reviews are on the .co.uk site)

With early tracks as a member of The Springfields, on to UK solo hits, US recordings and collaborating with The Pet Shop Boys, it's all here and the majority has passed the test of time.
The track with The Pet Shop Boys, What Have I Done To Deserve This, is excellent, Wishin' And Hoping' is an enjoyable song, just one of many.
However it's Goin' Back which tops the lot, very dreamy and looking back to a time of innocence, great song. It was also covered by The Byrds, different take, same result.
Dusty's fans may want more than 1 CD, but this would do for starters.