Customer Reviews

RCA Country Legends: Sylvia

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First of all let me say that I love Sylvia! I can remeber back in 1982, I must've been about 8 years old, and my mother bought me my first record. It was "Just Sylvia". I drove my sisters, as well as everyone else around me absolutely crazy with that album. "Nobody" was and still is my all time favorite song. It has been hard to find anything on her lately, though. That's why I was so glad to see that RCA has finally added her to the Country Legends line. It has been long overdue for her. This compilation has 16 songs, all of which are great! There are 4 songs never before released. "No news is good news" is reminiscent of her drifter days, a beautiful song. I was glad to see my favorite from the "Snapshot" album, "Tonight, Im getting friendly with the blues" is on here. All in all, for any fan of Syliva's this is one to have! Again, thank you RCA for finally including Sylvia in this line and giving her long time fans something to look for! Maybe someday soon there can be a re-release of her old CD's.

As a Sylvia fan from the "Drifter" days, I was pleased to see RCA finally saw fit to release a compilation CD of this talented, but sadly forgotten singer from the early '80's country scene. Best known for the bouncy crossover hit "Nobody" and western-themed tunes like "Tumbleweed" and "The Matador," this golden-voiced beauty from Kokomo, Indiana had a seven or eight year string of country-pop hits in the 80's before disappearing from the scene in 1987, capping her career by winning the 1983 ACM Female Vocalist of the Year award, right before Reba McEntire's reign as top country vocalist. Personal favorites include "I Never Quite Got Back (From Loving You)," "Nobody," and "Tumbleweed," which are included on this collection, along with "Sweet Yesterday," "Mirage," and "Heart on the Mend," which are not. If I have one complaint, it is that this CD leaves out a gem like "Sweet Yesterday" and includes the uninspired piece of fluff "The Boy Gets Around," which Sylvia herself seemed to deride in the liner notes to her much superior, and less incomplete "Anthology" CD. But I'm thrilled that they included my favorite album track "Bobby's in Vicksburg" from the "Snapshot" collection. And after years of asking if Sylvia's music was available on CD and receiving blank stares and "who?"'s from clerks who were infants when Sylvia had her string of hits, I must say this Country Legends CD was a most welcome surprise when I found it online.

I doth protest too much, however, because it is obvious that RCA and liner notes writer Rich Kienzle took great care in presenting a fine sampler of Sylvia's talent instead of just a generic greatest hits compilation. Now how about releasing Sylvia's entire RCA catelog on CD? After all, she deserves better than she has received from a label that has refused to acknowledge her existence for 15 years after the advent of the CD format. Until then, may I recommend this collection and the aforementioned (but unfortunately presently unavailable) "Anthology" as terrific companion pieces that celebrate the career of this wonderful recording artist.

As a child who was born in the late 70's this was the first record I remember getting besdies Michael Jacksons ''Thriller''. I have been looking and looking for the cd for years and finally figured out it didn't exist. The only song I think that should have been added to this Cd is "SNAPSHOT" I remember dancing around in my room to that song. Although, that song is on her Greatest Hits CD.
Im so happy it finally is here !
THANKS COUNRTY MUSIC

Wow! I can't put into words how LONG-AWAITED this collection is! RCA
sadly overlooked Sylvia for their "Essential Series" a few years ago and
more recently, their "Super Hits" series and quite frankly, have not
done a good job at all with keeping her music in the stores for such a
long time!

To say the very least... it's ABOUT time RCA released something, anything
on Sylvia! This is extra, extra special and exciting, because it's her
first major label release since her,"Greatest Hits" album in 1987, with
the exception of a "Hits" collection, that was only released in Canada
in the early nineties.

I've kept up with Sylvia's career since the very beginning and have
really missed her being in the mainstream spotlight, releasing new
albums, singles and videos on a regular basis. Now, if we could only
hear her on the radio again with new releases, or even a few from this
collection. I think, "Come To Me" and "Makes You Wanna Slow Down", would
make excellent singles. It would be so amazing to follow the chart life
of a single by Sylvia for the first time in way too many years!

My favorites on this CD are, "Anytime, Anyplace", "Come To Me", "No News
Is Good News", and "Makes You Wanna Slow Down", all of which previously
never have been released on any album collection. I have all of those on
scratchy 45 rpm. singles, but it's so nice to finally have them in
crystal, clear quality on CD. Unfortunately, the cover photo that they
chose is the same one from her "Anthology" collection, which is very
disappointing. I just don't understand why RCA wouldn't want it to have
it's own identity. I was hoping they'd use a rare photo from the
"Drifter" days. Also they got her birth year incorrect.

Aside from that, the booklet is nice to have and very interesting to
read. This is an EXCELLENT collection, full of some very rare Sylvia
gems! Most definitely a MUST HAVE!

Thank you RCA for finally sharing some of Sylvia's great music with the
public and not just keeping it locked in the archives! I sure hope this
collection paves the way for a lot MORE Sylvia music in the near future
and especially her previously unreleased tracks!

For Sylvia's more recent music... check out her very nice "Where In The World"
CD.

Thanks for reading.

I want to start off stating that Sylvia charted 18 Top-40 hits in the '80s, but only a handful are here. Of course, you get the pop-country classic "Nobody," as well as the hits "Drifter" and "Tumbleweed," among other chart-toppers. But what's kind of curious here is that some of Sylvia's biggest hits (like the enormous hits "Snapshot" and "Like Nothing Ever Happened") are edged out of this collection by b-sides and some obscure album tracks. However, nearly every song is a winner, and Sylvia's voice sounds wonderful on each track. And while Sylvia is not as "country" as, say, Dolly Parton or as "pop" as more successful contemporary Juice Newton, the music featured on this collection does blend classic country and early '80s pop styles extremely well.

I strongly urge fans of the "urban cowboy" years of country music to pick up this collection. Another great Sylvia CD is "Anthology." It contains ALL her hits plus some choice tracks that she hand-picked. Also, it includes terrific, brutally honest liner notes by Sylvia herself. However, because the "Anthology" CD is out of print, "Country Legends" is the only Sylvia "best of" collection currently in print, so snatch it up. She's a talented lady!

The definitive greatest hits collection was titled Anthology and released by Renaissance records under licence from BMG (the owners of RCA). For that reason, the compilers of this collection decided to include a few choice B-sides and album tracks, while also including some hits to appeal to those who had missed out on Anthology. Renaissance records no longer exists, so all releases on that label are out of print.

The big hits here are Tumbleweed, Nobody, Drifter, Cry just a little bit and The boy gets around. If, like me, you were lucky enough to buy Anthology while it was available, you will already have these tracks on CD.

Cry baby cry, No news is good news, Anytime anyplace, So complete, True blue, Eyes like mine and Makes you wanna slow down were all B-sides to singles of which the A-sides can all be found on Anthology whether they are on this set or not.

Bobby's in Vicksburg and Tonight I'm getting friendly with the blues were originally released on the Snapshot album.

So, this is a slightly odd selection of tracks, but the songs are well chosen. I used to have the original albums on vinyl, but some of the B-sides never appeared on any album, so I'd never heard them. I'm very pleased with this collection, but I think BMG should reissue Anthology for those who didn't buy it when it was available.

I bought Sylvia's cassette entitled "Just Sylvia" back in 1984. Wow, what a great set of songs (material)!! Unfortunately,I no longer have that particular cassette because I wore it out. I wish it would be re-released on CD. I have not even been able to locate a cassette to purchase on-line. While raising my children, we traveled a lot. Sylvia was one of my favorite traveling tapes and now, is my daughter's favorite. Together, we have been searching for a replacement. How disappointing we have not been able to locate one. Every song on this particular tape was just "fabulous"!!! Thank you Sylvia!!

I recently bought this album cause I only have Sylvia's material on vinyl LP's. But I am biased cause I love all her material. Sylvia was definitely ahead of her time! Unique voice and fantastic interpretations & arrangements of the songs! I wish RCA would release the early albums like "Surprise" .. which is my favourite album!

I have been a fan of Sylvia for years. I have some of her stuff on cassette, but have been trying for years to find CD's of Sylvia. Apparently there isn't much out there hopefully someday it will be released. But as fas as this collection goes, it is great. It contains many b- sides which I had never heard but hold up just as well as the singles. I just recently purchased this Cd and have listened to it everyday since I received it last week. I love her voice and this songs are just as great today as twenty years ago. Fans will enjoy this compilation.

Great CD..
Great voice, great sound, great vintage stuff..

Bobby's in Vickburg is a personal fave..
Country music when story telling was still a major part of the music sheets. Sadly I lost my CD, need to purchase another soon.