Customer Reviews

Osmondmania: Osmond Family Greatest Hits

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3 star:		(3)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

With a majority of the Osmonds biggest hits from the 70's comes this 28 song collection in cronological order. Although the the sticker says all of their charted hits from the 70's are here, 18 charted hits (UK and US) are still missing in action! Missing are all of Jimmy's hits including the top 40 hit Long Haired Lover From Liverpool. Marie's last top 40 hit, This Is The Way That I Feel, Donny's hits I Have A Dream (Top 50 US hit) and You've Got Me Dangling On A String (US #109 hit, his last in the 70's), and We Can Make It Together was a #68 hit in 1972 for The Osmonds featuring Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, have never seen the light of day on CD! However, Donny's hit remake of I Knew You When is included for the first time.

The sound quality is good and the information provided by Robyn Flans is interesting, but I still would like to know what the original offensive lyric was for Love Me For A Reason! Most of the pictures are black and white except for the awesome colored inlay pic of all the Osmonds!

With all the collections that are out there, including a Box Set, this one is great. Most of the tracks have been released several times for several different collections. I hope there will be a follow-up collection with the "rarities" including the tracks mentioned and perhaps The Donny & Marie themes May Tomorrow Be A Perfect Day and A Little Bit Country. I could think of at least 22 Osmond tracks!

It's difficult to listen to the Osmonds' hits without initially hearing a bubblegum version of the Jackson 5. But given how catchy their songs were (and how much the Jackson's early hits leaned towards bubblegum in the first place), that's more of a compliment than a criticism. The Osmonds were a hugely talented clan, and they spent a decade sharpening their act as a family unit before pop stardom came calling. Ensemble songs like "One Bad Apple" and "Down By the Lazy River" show off their high-wattage star power, and the solo works of Donny and Marie successfully expanded the family's catalog into teen pop and country.

Donny's adolescent voice held many of the same charms as Michael Jackson's, and his Mormon upbringing brought a rather interesting twist to songs such as "Sweet and Innocent," in which he sings "I love the little wiggle in your walk / the way you cuddle on my shoulder / but you're too young to know the score / so come back when you're older" (one has to wonder how much younger the song's object of affection could be than the 13-year old singer!). His hits tended to ballads, including a #1 remake of Steve Lawrence's 1963 hit "Go Away Little Girl" (written by Brill Building legends Gerry Goffin and Carole King), a Teen Beat ready renewal of Freddie Scott's "Hey Girl," adolescent-voiced takes of Johnny Mathis' signature "The Twelfth of Never" and Sonny James' classic "Young Love," and an unusually double-tracked vocal reworking of Nat "King" Cole's 1951 hit, "Too Young." Marie Osmond worked the pop and adult contemporary charts in a country vein with "Paper Roses" and a cover of Connie Francis late '50s hit, "Who's Sorry Now." She even found crossover success on the country charts with "In My Own Little Corner of the World." Throughout the entire Osmonds' catalog the productions are sharp, with lively horn charts, well-crafted string arrangements, and, most naturally, perfectly sung backing vocals.

This disc's generous track count does a stellar job of collecting the family's "Osmondmania" chart highlights. Included are all ten of The Osmonds hits (including self-penned songs like "Down by the Lazy River," "Crazy Horses," and the surprisingly heavy "Hold Her Tight" and "Crazy Horses"), Donny's chart run from 1971-73 (missing are his 1976 recording of "C'mon Marianne" and his 1989 comeback "Soldier of Love"), Marie's successes from 1973-75 (missing is her 1977 hit "This is the Way That I Feel"), and Donny & Marie's duet successes from 1974-76 (missing are 1976's "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," and 1978's "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" and "On the Shelf"). Two noteworthy omissions: Little Jimmy Osmond's lone hit, "Long Haired Lover From Liverpool," and Donny & Marie's signature (though non-charting) songs from their variety show, "I'm a Little Bit Country / I'm a Little Bit Rock 'n' Roll" and "May Tomorrow Be A Perfect Day." With a running time of 79:55, however, there was simply no room for bonus tracks!

The chronological track ordering shows just how impressively the Osmond's interwove success in different combinations. Donny and Marie were recording solo hits at the same time they were scoring with duets, and Donny was still helping power The Osmonds on the charts. Robyn Flan's liner notes include generous helpings of quotes from Alan and Donny Osmond, and additional notes by Alan provide some interesting tidbits from the inside of Osmondmania. It all adds up to a stellar single disc Osmonds collection!

Sure, I love all of these songs. I love the Osmond family but what is here that hasn't been available before? I want the original albums or at least a compilation of songs from 1976-1979. This is great for newcomer fans but what about the people who really are interested in Osmond music! It's amazing that you can purchase original albums from one or two hit wonders but when it comes to a family who have an all-around entertainment background can't get the proper respect and recognition they deserve!

The Osmond family's greatest hits are showcased very, very nicely on this CD bursting with a generous twenty seven (yes, twenty seven) tracks. The sound is excellent; and this CD is not one that Osmond fans will give up easily. Bubblegum music fans will also enjoy this album.

We get a slew of great hits from The Osmonds: "One Bad Apple" sounds as fresh and exciting today as it did all those years ago. The Osmonds make their rendition of "One Bad Apple" THE definitive rendition. The group gets its energy from all the singers; and little Danny Osmond carries his own very well. "Go Away Little Girl" is sweet and catchy; and I wonder, as another reviewer wondered, just how young WAS that little girl if a thirteen year old Donny Osmond was singing to her! "Too Young" also makes you wonder about the age of little Donny's girlfriend, too. SMILE

"Down By The Lazy River" showcases how well these guys would bat an early 70s light rock number straight out of the ballpark for a grand slam homerun! "Down By The Lazy River" is bound to make you want to dance; and the guitars are great! Whoo-ooo!

Of course, there are several other beautiful ballads with elegant arrangements that make for great songs all these decades later. Just a few of these would have to include "Too Young;" "Puppy Love;" "Lonely Boy;" "The Twelfth Of Never" and "I'm Leaving It All Up To You."

Of course, one could say that these fine young artists primarily covered a lot of songs made famous by other singers; but that would be misunderstanding the group. Sure, some songs on this CD are covers; but WOW are they ever great covers! The Osmond Family could take a song and make it their own using exceptional talent to make ballads new, exciting and bright. Listen closely and you'll hear just how well The Osmonds tweaked excellent melodies to enhance them with care and love.

For example, "Who's Sorry Now" shows how the Osmonds made a famous tune all their own through subtle tweaking and embellishments. In addition, Marie sings "Who's Sorry Now" with extra grace and flair; her timing is slightly different from Connie Francis's version and the musical arrangement seems lighter with more emphasis on a background choir and extra strings. Great! Donny and Marie perform "Deep Purple" as they sing this with a bubblegum twist and a sped-up tempo; Marie Osmond's extra spoken vocals create an extra degree of magic that just wasn't there in the original version.

The liner notes have an informative essay by Robyn Flans; and Alan Osmond adds extra notes--great!

The Osmonds remain well known not just for their work on The Andy Williams Show but also for their fine accomplishments as a group in their own right. This album showcases The Osmonds as a great family group that made hit after hit after hit using their singular ability to create good music and deliver emotionally fresh covers of songs released by other artists.

I highly recommend this CD for Osmond fans, people who enjoy light rock from the early 1970s and those of us who enjoy a "bubblegum" type of light rock.

Great job, everyone!

This was the one I was willing to spring for; the inclusion of Joe South's "I Knew You When" made the difference. A single disk collection has to include all of the key hits from their primary chart run. This one does. It also leaves off material from the lower rungs of the charts that would be better suited to a more in-depth compilation.

While this won't fill the gaps in the catalog for those who want a comprehensive series of reissues, you won't find a better single disk compilation of the Osmonds. Unlike some of the earlier cheapie compilations the packaging is as well-done, informative and respectful as anything you might find on the Rhino label. One small detail that makes me smile - the typeface used on the booklet song listing is reminiscent of the typeface on the cover of the Osmonds' self-titled debut.

This is the best complation album I have ever heard. It has all the songs that I have lost over the years. The only thing it is missing is Jimmy's music,but I don't mind not having it.
There needs to be an Osmondmania 2 to get some of the more recent hits.

The Osmonds are timeless and the music is just as good today as it was 20 yrs. ago.

This is the same old thing that has already been released on CD from the Osmond Family(they already have a boxed set!). I wish they would release the original albums(especially the Donny & Marie albums). Nothing from 1976 on is represented here. Every pop music fan needs an Osmond compilation CD and this may as well be it for now. They are extremely talented singers and entertainers and deserve more respect than they have been given by critics and so called music know-it-alls through the years. There is a variety of music styles represented here but Jimmy fans are out of luck because they didn't include anything from him. Alan Osmond has comments in the liner notes. Good price for all the top 40 songs that they included!

When will we get a cd compilation of songs that includes album cuts and rarities? Donny made a wonderful album in 1978 called "Donald Clark Osmond" that is not on cd, and no cuts have ever been released on compilations such as this. The songs on this cd are wonderful in their own right, but we all have these. What about "This is the Way That I Feel" by Marie? Not only is the song wonderful but the album had many, many beautiful songs on it! The Osmond Brothers made an album, I think in 1980 called "Steppin Out" where are songs from that album? Their catalog is way deep and needs to be represented on cd! Ok, here I go, these are songs that I think should be on the next compilation. I'm interested in knowing if anybody else feels this way!
1. Winning Combination - Donny & Marie (from "Winning Combination")
2. I Can't Stand It - Donny (from "Donald Clark Osmond")
3. Check it Out - The Osmonds (from "Brainstorm")
4. Emily - The Osmonds (from "Steppin Out")
5. Certified Honey - Donny & Marie (b-side of "On the Shelf")
6. Didn't I Love You Boy? - Marie (from "This is the way....")
7. Old Man Auctioneer - Donny (from "Disco Train")
8. A Bad Case of You - Marie (single released in 1982 on Elektra)
9. I, I, I - The Osmonds (from "Steppin Out")
10. Together - Donny & Marie (from "Make the World Go Awy")
11. The More I Live, The More I Love - Donny (from Donald Clark Osmond)

THIS ANTHOLOGY IS VERY COMPLETE, ALTHOUGH SOMEBODY IN THE REVIEWS SAYS THAT DONNY SOUNDS "RARE", IT'S NOT TRUE, YOU HAVE TO GET USED TO LISTEN TO IT ON CD & DIGITALLY REMASTERED (CLARER & LOUDER SOUND), THIS CD CONTAIS ALL THE HITS BY THE OSMONDS, DONNY & MARY, DUO & SOLO RECORDINGS, ORIGINAL VERSIONS, THE BEST GREATEST HITS BY THE OSMOND FAMILY AVAILABLE BY NOW, NICE THAT THE CD HAS THE ORIGINAL LABEL OF MGM PRINTED ON IT.

Actually you are being unjustly hard on the Osmond Family. They are not in control of releasing the CDs; Mike Curb is, as he controls the copyright...... We've been all thru this on the OsmondForums on their website. So it's Mike Curb you want to communicate with. He also has a web site.. Go to it and voice your concerns there... I agree... I wish HE would re-release other Osmond albums and not the compliations with nothing new... -Kris Brunkhorst-Osmond Fan for over 31 years!.