Customer Reviews

Super Hits

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

 

 

The 10 tracks on this "Super Hits" CD are culled from Crystal's 3 albums for Columbia Records--there's three tracks from 1979's "Miss the Mississippi", three from 1980's "These Days", & four from 1981's "Hollywood, Tennessee". Indeed, it is essentially a reissue of her 1983 Columbia Records greatest hits album (featuring the exact same 10 songs). On the surface, it may seem like a cheap, dinky budget-line compilation, but it's actually quite useful, because these tracks generally get blown off on Crystal compilations (almost undoubtedly because of licensing problems, & she has an absolute TRUCKLOAD of compilations to choose from--seriously, there are a lot of them, & there's plenty of recycling of the same material over & over). So, it serves the useful purpose of filling in gaps left by other Crystal compilations. Additionally, the standard US CD versions of the albums these tracks are taken from have all gone out of print at this point--there has been a release that combines "Miss the Mississippi" & "These Days" on one CD, but don`t expect it to come cheap. Despite having moved to Columbia Records from United Artists, producer Allen Reynolds remained on board--he produced everything on here. Yes, this is the same Allen Reynolds who would eventually work with Garth Brooks--regardless of how you feel about Brooks though, there's no denying that Reynolds deserves respect for the large quantity of excellent work he produced for Crystal. This CD does a terrific job of representing an overall great period in Crystal's career--there's not a single weak track on here. The songwriting & performances are classy, & provide a perfect vantage point for the element that really steals the show--Crystal's vocals, which ooze so much vulnerability & emotion, they really grab at the heartstrings & just don't let go--the way she pulls off a tune like the somewhat jazz-flavored ballad "The Blue Side" is classic. Plus, she has an uncanny way of lending her vocals to different styles--she is truly an incredible vocalist. This CD stacks up great song after great song, whether it's catchy uptempo tracks like "Too Many Lovers" & the disco-flavored "Keepin' Power"; ballads like "The Blue Side", "Take It Easy", & the tear-jerking "If You Ever Change Your Mind"; & of course, the brilliant, exquisitely-melodic "Half the Way" which is a total classic. "You Never Gave Up On Me" is a tad sappy, but the chorus is simply gorgeous. The strongly country-flavored "Livin' In These Troubled Times" is infectious, & "The Woman In Me" is a lovely, tender ballad. Granted, there's certainly more excellent Crystal material to be found, even from just this period. The 23 track, 70+ minute "The Best of Crystal Gayle--Talking In Your Sleep" on the Castle Music label (made in England) doesn't gather all of it, but it does collect a bunch of tracks from this era, with only one track overlapping ("The Blue Side"), including must-haves like "Ain't No Love In The Heart of the City", "Crying in the Rain", & the lush, masterfully sung cover of "Ain't No Sunshine" just to name a few (although potential buyers should be aware that the version of "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" on that disc is a re-recording, not the 1977 hit version). This "Super Hits" does a great job though of scratching the surface, & everything's an original recording (no surprise re-recordings). Unfortunately, there do appear to be some mistakes in the credits--the first 3 tracks are said to be from 1978, 1979, & 1980 respectively, even though they are all on the 1979 album "Miss the Mississippi", & "You Never Gave Up On Me" is said to have been written by Allen Reynolds, which I believe to be a mistake. Still, with the disc itself being so uniformly excellent, & with the low list price, this CD is a great buy.

In between Crystal Gayle's successful and lengthy tenures at United Artists (1974-79) and Warner Brother/Elektra (1982-88)came a three album stint with Columbia: 1979's Miss The Mississippi, 1980's These Days, and 1981's Hollywood, Tennessee. This ten track best of - comprised of her singles -is all that remains in print from that period. It captures Crystal in her purest pop phase. The uptempo "Half The Way," "It's LIke We Never Said Goodbye," and "Too Many Lovers" are among the most infectious songs in her catalog while the ballads "If You Never Change Your Mind," "You Never Gave Up On Me," and "The Woman In Me" are among the most poignant. While it is easy to find fault with this cd's length (only ten tracks) and its depth ("Blue Side" and "Keepin' Power" wouldn't merit a place among her all-time best) it is an essential purchase for Gayle enthusiasts.

When I was little I ran across this tape in my dad's collection of music and I thought that Crystal Gayle was very pretty so I put the tape in and have loved it ever since. Needless to say I played the tape so many times that it doesn't work anymore so I bought the CD and was very happy by the clearness of the songs. Crystal's voice is wonderful and these are some great songs!

This great album is one of my favorite Crystal Gayle albums. This outstanding collection is definitely a "Greatest Hits" package containing some of Crystal Gayle's most memorable songs like "Livin' In These Troubled Times," "Half The Way," and "It's Like We Never Said Good-Bye." Those three songs I listed are three of my favorite songs by Crystal Gayle. This amazing masterpiece showcases a lot of musicality and great vocal talent by Crystal Gayle. This album is a winner!!!!!

Another thing of note is that this is essentially a remastered version of the "Crystal Gayle's Greatest Hits" album on Columbia from 1983 which contains the same 10 songs.

But how could this be considered a true "greatest hits" type collection, when it doesn't include some of her best songs, like "Hello, I Love You", "When I Dream", "Baby What About You"???

Nice album. Crystal Gayle's voice is hauntingly beautiful and that helps make these songs very nostalgic for me. They easily take me away to a simpler time; A time when country music was so much more soulful. I don't consider all of these songs "Super Hits" however. Anything by her labeled Super Hits should at least start with "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", but nevertheless, the album is okay. You will likely have to combine it with the "Certified Hits" album that is also out there to get your fill of Crystal Gayle, where Greatest Hits albums are concerned anyway.

In between Crystal Gayle's successful and lengthy tenures at United Artists (1974-79) and Warner Brother/Elektra (1982-88) came a three album stint with Columbia: 1979's Miss The Mississippi, 1980's These Days, and 1981's Hollywood, Tennessee. This ten track best of - comprised of her singles - is all that remains in print from that period. It captures Crystal in her purest pop phase. The uptempo "Half The Way," "It's LIke We Never Said Goodbye," and "Too Many Lovers" are among the most infectious songs in her catalog while the ballads "If You Never Change Your Mind," "You Never Gave Up On Me," and "The Woman In Me" are among the most poignant. While it is easy to find fault with this cd's length (only ten tracks) and its depth ("Blue Side" and "Keepin' Power" wouldn't merit a place among her all-time best) it is an essential purchase for Gayle enthusiasts.

Crystal Gayle's Super Hits album was the only album I found that had the song You Never Gave Up On Me. It also has the hit Half the Way. Unless you are a big Crystal Gayle fan you probably won't recognize many of the other songs. I really like this album. I love Crystal Gayle's voice. My advice is to listen to samples of the songs before you buy this one.

I am a consultant and have to travel away a lot for work. My wife who is from Nashville played "Half the Way" for me on our last anniversary. I got the message and was also introduced to a great artist. What an amazing voice.