Hard to Get: Best of Gisele Mackenzie on Rca

Gisele MacKenzie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 21, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collector's Choice
• ASIN: B00000395R
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,821 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Hard To Get

2. The Boston Fancy

3. Unchained Melody

4. Two Hearts, Two Kisses (Make One Love)

5. Play Me Hearts And Flowers (I Wanna Cry)

6. Beyond The Sea

7. The Star You Wished Upon Last Night

8. Dinner For One Please, James

9. The River Seine

10. Ebb Tide

11. Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White

12. This I Know

13. Song From Moulin Rouge

14. Too Young

15. Tell Me That You Love Me

16. Answer Me, My Love

17. Learnin' The Blues

18. Slowpoke

19. Hey There

20. Pepper Hot Baby

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gisele MacKenzie...at last on CD in the US, June 23, 1998

By 

James R. Stewar (Near Tucson, Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hard to Get: Best of Gisele Mackenzie on Rca (Audio CD)

50's & 60's TV Favorite, Gisele MacKenzie, has finally been represented on CD in the U.S. "Hard to Get...The Best of Gisele MacKenzie" is a fine collection of the tunes Miss MacKenzie cut for RCA and its numberous subdivisions from the mid to late 50's. Always showcased with the BEST arrangers and conductors, Gisele's backup on this disc is represented by Neil Hefti, Richard Maltby, Axel Stordahl, George Siravo, etc. "Hard to Get" remains Gisele's biggest hit to date, and still ranks in the top 200 hits of the rock era, beating out many of the hits by the likes of The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Recorded for RCA's label "X" the song was featured on a TV drama starring Gisele and became an immediate hit. In fact, Gisele is THE only star of the famous radio and TV show "Your Hit Parade" to ever get to sing his/her own charting hit while starring on the show. An impressive record, considering Hit Parade stars have included Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, The Andrews Sisters, etc. The selections on this disc represent a wide variety of Gisele's efforts housed in the RCA vaults. From the blues oriented title tune to the rock oriented "Pepper Hot Baby" and "Two Hearts, Two Kisses" to the dramatic ballad "This I Know," Gisele handles each tune with her engagingly pure contralto voice..and a gift of perfect pitch. Gisele's French-Canadian connection is presented with french language versions of "The River Sein" and "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White." The producer of the CD wisely selected the Living Stereo mixes of tunes like "Learnin' the Blues," "Slowpoke," and "Hey There." The gem of the 20 gems is Gisele's near operatic rendering of "Ebb Tide" with the sweeping strings of Axel Stordahl's orchestra. If you 'met' Gisele via her own TV show, as a star of the very popular "Your Hit Parade," as Jack Benny's fiddling sidekick, in live summer stock shows ("! ;King and I," "Hello Dolly," "Mame," "Unsinkable Molly Brown," etc) or at sellout performances at the best nightclubs, this album captures the magic that is Gisele MacKenzie. Although Gisele has been represented via several CD releases in Japan, this is her complete CD album debute in the United States. Perhaps this will lead to collections of her fabulous recordings with Capitol, Mercury, Everest and the like. Gisele is still active in showbiz and recently sold out a week's worth of shows at Atlantic City's Resorts International. Sit back and enjoy one of the most talented performers to come out of the 50's.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gisele MacKenzie - One of the BEST!, November 28, 1999

By 

PaulP (Harrisburg, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hard to Get: Best of Gisele Mackenzie on Rca (Audio CD)

Hats off to Collector's Choice for releasing this Gisele MacKenzie compilation of RCA's VIK and label X material. Now if only Capitol Records and Polygram (Mercury)would follow suit and release Gisele's pre and post RCA material...that would be too cool! As Peggy Lee, Kay Starr, Jo Stafford and Rose Mary Clooney, Gisele defined the genre of jazz oriented pop vocals of the 1950's. This Hard to Get compilation, as great as it is, is only the tip of the ice berg. Gisele's 1957 RCA Christmas LP is awesome. She was and still is a musician's musician!....Master of her craft. The 1962-63 LP on Mercury, Loser's Lullabies is the ultimate...unfortunately, it is not yet on CD however the Japanese and European labels are miles ahead of the USA on great jazz-vocal releases and as all of Gisele's RCA material is available in those countries....we keep hoping for an import release of Loser's Lullabies on Mercury. But for now, this CD is a sight for sore eyes (and ears)!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly fine collection, May 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hard to Get: Best of Gisele Mackenzie on Rca (Audio CD)

What more can I say about this CD which was so nicely reviewed in the first listener's comments. I would like to point out a track which I feel to be one of Giselle's best-Dinner For One Please, James--although never a hit here in the USA, this is probably one of my favs by this lovely talented lady !