Customer Reviews

Greatest Hits of Petula Clark

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This is an fine one-disc collection of Petula Clark's mid-60s hits, covering her three hottest years for Warner Bros. in the mid-1960s. The set touches all her major singles, produced with Tony Hatch: the brassy #1 "Downtown" and its sort-of sequel "I Know A Place," the oddball, fun "Colour My World" (with its booming drum and sitar opening) her #1 "My Love," and, of course, her ballads "Kiss Me Goodbye" and Charles Chaplin's "This Is My Song." Her covers of hits from the period (Andy Williams' "Happy Heart," her reworking of Herb Alpert's "This Guy's In Love With You") are also included and, while all well sung, fall short of the originals.

The set as a whole also falls short of five stars for reasons beyond its control. GNP's handling of sound is not to the level of Uni's 2CD reissue, and the liner notes and cover photo are sloppily done. (This set had a bit more importance than, say, orchestral versions of Sci-Fi themes the label is known for.) That said, Petula Clark's hits are more than welcome in any CD collection, and highly recommended.

I should have listened to all the reviews here before I bought this collection. Good songs, but it was recorded directly from analogue to digital with no remastering done. This produces tinny glaring highs and muddled booming lows. It brings out all the defects of an analogue recording. I'd suggest buying "Downtown - The Greatest Hits Of Petula Clark". There are four less songs, but the recording was done with care.

This collection of 16 of her biggest hits would have rated 5 stars from me if GNP were able to obtain better tapes, but the tapes that GNP was able to obtain have been damaged. The CD does have major dropouts, many tracks have wavery sound quality, and everything else is wrong with this CD.

This could have been an excellent addition to my collection, but the sound quality is lousy. You have to blast your stereo to hear the songs and then they are barely audible. Too bad.

Stay away from this particular CD of Petula. The pressing is simply horrible. You would do much better picking another company's pressing of Petula's songs. . . .

Petula Clark was an accomplished performer long before she was recognized in the U.S. with her legendary hit, "Downtown." She has sold over 68 million records in her career, a testament to her universal and enduring appeal. This CD captures the boundless energy and optimism of her Top 40 hits of the mid to late 60's. Her music is most often soaring and infectious, yet she can also exhibit a lush and layered sensuality.

Part of the magic of her appeal is the quality of the composers, arrangers, and conductors who surround and accentuate her interpretive talents. Tony Hatch contributed to many of her hits, including "I Know a Place," "My Love," and "Round Every Corner." I found the musical accompaniment on this CD to be impeccable...sharp, clear brass; soaring strings; rich, deep bass; and rhythmic percussion that combine to form the beat and backdrop to a voice ringing with strength, clarity, and matchless beauty. There will never be another Petula Clark !

While this is a wonderful collection of her biggest U.S. hits, the sound quality is horrible! You think you were listening to a cassette tape, it's that bad! It's unfortunate, as if this had been remastered, it would have made an excellent addition to any collection.

Petula Clark produced many memorable hits that have become part of the popular culture, especially during the mid-1960's.

This CD contains many of the songs that made Miss Clark earn her rightful place as an established performer. Whether it's an invitation to enjoy the sights and sounds of the metropolis (Downtown), a wish to be reunited with a much missed loved one (Sailor), a bittersweet parting of ways (Kiss Me Goodbye), delving into the depth of a person's feeling (The Song Of My Life), it's all here. Add in the bounce of `Don't Sleep In The Subway', the optimism of `Happy Heart', the surrealism of Michel Legrand's `Windmills Of Your Mind', the bossa nova flavor of `Call Me', the sentimentality of `My Friend, The Sea', the coy playfulness of `The Grass Is Always Greener' and the heart-rending tenderness of Charlie Chaplin's "This Is My Song' and what have you got? A fine collection that gives you more than your money's worth.

You lazybones, don't waste your time reading rambling reviews like this one. Put on a pair of sneakers instead, run to the nearest record store and grab Petula Clark's Greatest Hits!

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I concur with everyone (except the person from Jersey who apparently likes CD's that sound two steps removed from 8-track cartridges) that the sound quality on this disc is wretched. For the longest time, this was the only Pet Clark collection available, and the only one without remakes. As such, it filled a void and did the world a service. But CD mastering technology has grown by leaps and bounds since 1986, and newer collections use first generation tapes and the sound explodes from the speakers. "The Ultimate Petula Clark" has more tracks (21) for about the same price.

This is a masterful selection of hits divided into pre-Downtown and post-Downtown recordings. Disc 2 has the 20 American chart hits in order of release. It's like reliving the 60s as each Pet recording brings the memories flowing back...in the order they happened! That, and Pet's big voice, make this a must have. Newcomers and big fans alike cannot go wrong with thiscollection.