"Harry Belafonte - All Time Greatest Hits, Vol. 1"

Harry Belafonte | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000002WAL
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,004 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #7 in Music > World Music > Caribbean & Cuba > Calypso
  • #32 in Music > World Music > Caribbean & Cuba > General AAS
  • #33 in Music > World Music > Caribbean & Cuba > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sublime--BRAVO, HARRY BELAFONTE !!!, June 6, 2008

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: "Harry Belafonte - All Time Greatest Hits, Vol. 1" (Audio CD)

Harry Belafonte - All Time Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 is a fine introductory type of CD to Harry Belafonte. True blue fans will probably have these numbers in their collections already; but there are always newcomers to Harry Belafonte and this CD will be perfect for them. The quality of the sound is quite good and the artwork is nicely done as well.

"Day O" was one of Harry Belafonte's best known calypso hits ever. Harry sings this to perfection with a strong male choir behind him to bolster his performance. "Day O" is a wonderful calypso song that will always remain a Harry Belafonte classic and he sings this with his usual uncanny sense of timing and his excellent diction as well. "Day O" makes a strong start for this album. There's also "Don't Ever Love Me;" this touching ballad really impresses me and the tune is very beautiful. It sounds somewhat like "Yellowbird" but make no mistake about it--"Don't Ever Love Me" is a stunning number that will have you loving Belafonte if you haven't loved his singing yet! Harry never sounded better! "Jump In The Line" has great percussion to help carry the melody and Harry Belafonte sings this very well with some male backup singers to enhance the natural beauty of this number--not that Belafonte needed it. At the time, however, many songs were recorded with a background chorus; that was simply the style at the time. Of course, this number may have always been recorded with a chorus; it works very well in any event.

"Scarlet Ribbons" is probably one of my very favorite numbers by Harry Belafonte; and only Harry could sing this ballad this well. Harry's rendition of "Scarlet Ribbons" is clearly THE definitive rendition of this classic, gorgeous ballad. "Scarlet Ribbons" tells a most interesting and touching story of a girl who hopes against hope that her poor family can afford to give her scarlet ribbons for her hair--and just how she gets them remains somewhat of a mystery. "Michael Row The Boat Ashore" gets the royal treatment from Harry Belafonte who delivers this flawlessly; and the best is quite good, too.

"Island In The Sun" has a very pretty calypso melody that I could never tire of hearing; and Harry sings this with great sensitivity. I love it! The music fits in wonderfully with Belafonte's singing, too. "Abraham Martin And John" is an excellent ballad that Belafonte delivers with lots of feeling and that's incredible.

"Hallelujah I Love Her So" is an excellent love ballad that Harry Belafonte delivers with panache. I have heard Peggy Lee sing this number often; but Harry's version shines just as brightly! "Mary's Boy Child" has another very sweet melody that I love; and listen for "Jamaica Farewell." "Jamaica Farewell" ends the album very well and the guitar fits well with Harry Belafonte's singing.

Harry Belafonte was one of the best male vocalists of the entire twentieth century; and we are all better off for his sharing his gifts with us. I highly recommend this for his fans who don't yet have these numbers in their collections. However, I think that they will have these tunes so this CD is probably best suited toward the newcomer or casual fan.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, May 24, 2000

By 

"pspa" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: "Harry Belafonte - All Time Greatest Hits, Vol. 1" (Audio CD)

A great selection of Belafonte's music, showing his ability to sing everything from touching ballads (Scarlet Ribbons) to Calypso (Mama Look a Boo Boo) to American traditional (John Henry). He has a great voice and can convey an astonishing range of emotions, from humor to pathos. And it is all capped by one of the great songs of all time Jamaica Farewell. Very good sound quality too.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Super Singer, March 21, 2002

By 

W. Grandy (windsor, nova scotia Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: "Harry Belafonte - All Time Greatest Hits, Vol. 1" (Audio CD)

I still remember the Carnegie Hall performance by Harry Belafonte. It was an excellent recording. This Vol 1 greatest package is very very good. 'Dayo' and 'Island in the Sun' are of course included. If you only want one Belafonte recording, make it this one.