Customer Reviews

Laughter & Tears: The Best of Neil Sedaka

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Neil had more success as a songwriter than as a singer but he was a good singer too, as this collection of his seventies music shows.

Laughter in the rain is perhaps the most famous song here and it is typical of the kind of song that Neil was so good at - a bouncy pop song that seems lightweight but has something enduring about it. Another famous song here is Solitaire, which provided a hit for both the Carpenters and Andy Williams. It has also been covered by a lot of other singers and is surely the most-covered song of those here. Love will keep us together and Lonely night were both superbly covered by Captain and Tennille who took them both to number one in America, though they didn't do much in Britain. Breaking up is hard to do is a re-recording of one of Neil's sixties classics, taken at a much slower pace than his earlier version. Bad blood was an American number one hit for Neil.

Of the other songs, The other side of me, A little loving, Sing me, The hungry years, That's when the music takes me and Our last song together are all wonderful songs, some of which you've probably heard via covers even if you haven't heard the originals.

Special mention must be made of the song Betty Grable, a tribute to one of Hollywood's all-time greats written soon after she died, and The queen of 1964, a song with a story to tell. They may be among the more obscure songs here, but they are worth hearing.

There are many Neil Sedaka compilations on the market. Some cover his whole career while others focus on particular periods. As a collection of his seventies music, this is as good as you are likely to find.

The first Neil Sedaka CD that I bought - and became a fan - a huge fan!

Certainly one of Neil's best albums - very eclectic and the songs have a very sophisticated quality. The best of Neil Sedaka in the 70's is here: "Love Will Keep Us Together", "Laughter In The Rain", "Bad Blood (duet with Elton John)", "Our Last Song Together" and of course the slow version of "Breakign Up Is Hard To Do" which made Neil of of the very few artists to record and re-record a song and make both #1 hits.

Happy songs, sad songs, fast songs, slow songs - rock, ballad, jazz - it's all in here! It's a must for everyone who likes music.

I only recognized about four songs on this CD. I like his more familiar songs.