Customer Reviews

Just Patty: Best of

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a compilation of Patty Duke's short lived singing career. All songs are in true stereo except for the three "theme" songs. The back of the CD states "Mastered from the original 4-track master session tapes, except tracks 1,13,14". The last track (15) is three minutes of studio chatter while Patty practices the intro to "Don't Just Stand There". Tempo of these songs is ballad to slow rock. "Everything But Love" was the flipside to the original 45 of "Don't Just Stand There" and is my favorite.

All the other posters here wrote some entertaining things (I even enjoyed the negative posts, for this kind of disc truly warrants a mixed reaction!). The truth is, much of Patty Duke's musical output is quite wonderful. She didn't have a voice, true, but she had spunk and verve, personality and a tomboyish sparkle that is unmistakable in her recordings. The best song here, "Everything But Love", was a B-side but is incredibly well done. The bonus track, "Patty in the Studio", is also terrific, displaying some of the in-studio chaos in trying to get a Patty Duke record in the can. The pop songs here are mild, but enjoyable, effervescent fun. Nothing but NOTHING is taken from Patty's self-recorded "Valley of The Dolls" album--I agree that it's pretty bad, her voice wavers all over the place--but I was so happy when I finally found that album that I didn't care. What is missing is "Tell Me Mama" from Patty's TV show (a super song) and Patty's song from "The Daydreamer", a Rankin/Bass cartoon feature which featured a nice vocal from Duke (although steeped heavily in Over-Dubsville). This compilation is well worth having for P.D. fans or '60's nostalgia buffs; one listen and you'll know which one you are.

If you were a teenager in the mid-60's,you watched The Patty Duke Show! You listened to "Please Just Don't Stand There" on the radio! You saw the movie, "Billie!" Bring back those great times & purchase this special Patty Duke CD!

First off, Patty Duke is not a singer. Academy-Award winning actress, yes; singer, not. She did not want to embark on a recording career but the studio felt her popularity on ABC's "The Patty Duke Show" would translate well to vinyl, so they forced her into recording. Her albums are campy artifacts and collectors' items nowadays, and I am the proud owner of all of them. But since I no longer use my turntable, it's a treat that the best of those recordings have been remastered here.

Surprisingly, Patty did rack up a couple of hit singles with "Don't Just Stand There", and "Say Something Funny", both of which were among the Top 100 Hits of 1965.

Those two tracks are two of the best reasons to get "The Best of Patty Duke: Just Patty".

Another stand-out is the lush, Phil Spectorish "Everything But Love".

The songs she performed in the 1965 motion picture "Billie" appear on this CD in their full versions: "Funny Little Butterflies", "Lonely Little In-Between" and "A Girl is a Girl is a Girl".

Another reason to pick this up is the inclusion of BOTH versions of the "Patty Duke" theme song, the original boisterous big-band version (used for Seasons 1 and 2 of the show) and the third season version with the Bossa-Nova beat. These have been remastered and sound amazing, compared to the old version with tape hiss that was available on "Television's Greatest Hits: Volume One".

While Patty certainly hasn't the pipes of a Lesley Gore or Barbara Lewis, here she does no worse than say, Shelley Fabares, Millie Small or Diane Renay. The songs sound great and the cover photo is one of my favorites shots of Ms. Duke.

For most of us, to be a Patty Duke fan means to have discovered her indomitable spirit when she was just a teenager in the movies THE MIRACLE WORKER and BILLIE and on TV in her own show. When she sang in BILLIE or on the LPs she released on United Artists, we responded to her spirit. She doesn't have an amazing singing voice. It doesn't matter. She has always attacked everything put before her with the utmost enthusiasm and it is evident here. Here are her "hits", a few "misses" and a rare opportunity to hear Patty in the studio trying to make sense out of what she was being asked to do. So, I give her recording 5 stars for her courage, her spirit, and her willingness to satisfy those of us who couldn't get enough of her and wanted anything the studios would give us. The songs are enjoyable, too!!! To this day, if Patty Duke's in it - I'm there. If that's you too- you MUST have this recording!

This is the only Cd to buy if you want the BEST recordings of Patty Dukes singles released from both her albums and the "Billie" soundtrack.

I never followed Patty Duke's musical career but as a collector of TV themes and soundtracks, this CD is a MUST HAVE. Not only does it include both season's Main and End Titles but it also includes the second season's main and end title master backing track (refered to as the sing-a-long track). It's rare that CD producers do this but I wish they'd do it more often. The CD would probably sell to a wider demographic. It's too bad that the first season's main and end title master backing track wasn't included as well.

Patty had a shortived singibg career and that is too bad! Her albums from the 60's were great and there are so many other songs that could have been included here! A forgotten LP "Patty Duke Sings Songs From "Valley Of The Dolls" and other Selections" contained some great stuff! A must for her FANS!

Patty Duke really has a style all her own! This disc has some of her better material, but wastes alot of space with 4 or 5 versions of the theme from her show. She had recorded a number of LPs and some of that material would have been better. Patty's voice is sweet and melodic! A must buy if you can find it!

As much as I absolutely love Patty Duke as an actress, I can't honestly say that I am a big fan of her records. "Don't Just Stand There" is a great song which could have been sung so much better by someone who had a voice. But it is true that back in the 60s, studios were pulling all of their television stars into recording booths, mostly to exploit them to further the success of the television shows that were popular at that time.

I remember Shelley Fabares saying that she only used her own voice on 50% of "Johnny Angel" because she could not carry a tune. Of all the teenage stars in the 60s, including Hayley Mills, Paul Petersen, et al, the only one who truly had singing talent was Johnny Crawford - of course it didn't hurt that he was also very easy on the eyes.

I would also like to mention to the one poster who listed a lyric from Patty's "Don't Just Stand There," that it is not, "tell me what, what, what, what should I do," but "tell me what, what, what, what's on your mind."

One last comment to the poster who believes that "Patty Duke Sings the Theme from 'Valley of the Dolls' and Other Selections" is a great album - please, please listen to something else - anything else! Patty herself stated some years ago that United Artists was forcing her to fulfill her contract by recording one last album, to which she agreed, and purposely made it sound awful. United Artists, even though they knew they had a stinker, released it anyway. In my opinion, it is one of the worst albums ever recorded. If she would have stopped at the Theme from "Valley of the Dolls" it may not have been so bad - but it was the "Other Selections" that really ruined it.

Thanks,
Mike