The Best of Lesley Gore: 20th Century Masters-(Millennium Collection)

Lesley Gore | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 26, 2000)
• Original Release Date: September 26, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island / Mercury
• ASIN: B00004YLPY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,193 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #4 in Music > Pop > Oldies > Girl Groups
  • #88 in Music > Rock > Oldies & Retro

Editorial Reviews

Over the course of 12 songs, this CD reveals how surprisingly versatile Lesley was. Her top hits- It's My Party; You Don't Own Me; She's a Fool; Judy's Turn to Cry; That's the Way the Boys Are; Maybe I Know; Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows -join rarely anthologized hits like Look of Love; My Town, My Guy and Me; California Nights , and more!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 75 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Music - Gruesome Mastering May 27, 2004

By John A. Kuczma

Format:Audio CD

Lesley Gore may have been the finest pure singer among the female vocalists of the early sixties. Her string of seven consecutive Top 40 releases in 1963 and 1964 (including four Top 10s and a Number 1) with four more following through 1967 indicate that she was certainly one of the most popular. Lesley was only 16 years of age when her first single, It's My Party, topped the charts. Her music matured with her, from the rather bubble-gummy sound of the aforementioned It's My Party and its successful follow-on, Judy's Turn to Cry, through the seminal feminist anthem You Don't Own Me and on to the rich and beautiful California Nights.

This CD contains all eleven of her Top 40 offerings plus a bonus track (Hey Now). All are original recordings. However, it must be noted that the recordings have been remastered, and therein lies the problem with this disk.

The remastering job is sloppy to say the least. The instrumental track is too strong, frequently interfering with and occasionally completely overpowering the vocals. The background vocals and harmonies are so subdued that they frequently just disappear.

Lesley's double-tracked leads sound just fine except as noted above, and they carry the disk to respectability. However, if you have a little time and a little more money to invest, there are much better sounding collections available.

Recommended, but only as a last resort.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Lesley Gore as the undisputed Queen of Sixties Adolescent Angst August 28, 2005

By Lawrance M. Bernabo HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

I saw Lesley Gore described as a "one-hit wonder," which certainly struck a wrong chord with me. While she hit #1 with her very first release "It's My Party" in 1963, she was had a lot more hits even if none of them made it all the way to the top. Her follow-up song, "Judy's Turn To Cry" made it to #5 and so did "She's a Fool." In 1964 "You Don't Own Me," the proto-feminist anthem that is arguably her best song, made it to #2. That same year "Maybe I Know" made it to #14 and "That's the Way the Boys Are" to #12. Even in the wake of the British Invasion ("I Want to Hold Your Hand" was #1 when "You Don't Own Me" was right behind it) she made it back to the Top 20 in 1967 with "Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows" and "California Nights."

You should not be surprised that she was this successful because Lesley Gore was one of the dominant female singers associated with the "girl group" sound in the early 1960s, who had Quincy Jones producing most of her early sessions and doing double-track vocals of songs written by Gerry Goffin & Carole King, Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry, and Marvin Hamlisch. The result is that Gore was as commercially successful a female solo singer as there was on the face of the planet during this period. Obviously we are not talking about the lady singing soul, but while other practitioners of the angst of adolescent yearning would come and go (e.g., Shelley Faberas and "Johnny Angel"), Gore personified the idea for several profitable years. The problem was that "It's My Party" and "Judy's Turn to Cry" started Gore out with the image of a whinny teenybopper and when you consider her entire catalogue those songs do not define the mainstream of her work which goes in the other direction as this hits collection amply proves....

There are only a dozen tracks on "20th Century Masters: The Best of Lesley Gore," and there are several Lesley Gore hit collections that have all of these songs and the proverbial much, much more. Consequently, they would be better buys, ergo the four-star rating. But in terms of limiting yourself to just a dozen Lesley Gore this list is perfect. That is because whoever picked the non-hits did a great job by selecting "The Look of Love," "Hey Now," and "My Town, My Guy and Me." ("I Don't Want to be a Loser" charted at #37 and "Hey Now" was at #76, so I guess I operationally define a hit as Top 40). This is a very good Lesley Gore hit collection given the limited number of tracks, but there are better out there to be found, so take that into account when deciding if this is the one you want to get it. Read more ›

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Anything by Lesley is excellent... June 11, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Audio CD

But I would like to put in a word for the Bear 5-C.D. set. This is where we all discovered there was much more to Lesley than hit singles. With Quincy Jones she recorded dozens and dozens of unique, riveting, insinuating songs with fabulous orchestrations and soaring vocals the hits only hinted at. She also did standard pop, jazz and a lot else that's surprising and along the way alternate versions of the hits no one ever heard. The impression one can get from the double-tracked hits is there is a small voice at work here, but in the Bear set you come to realize, nope, it's a big voice. It was just small in the context of the hits. Lesley was and is utterly unique and well worth discovering even at this late date.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Introduction to the Tenafly Teen Queen October 1, 2000

By James A. Allio

Format:Audio CD

Sonics are bright, crisp and clear on the Lesley Gore edition of Universal's ambitious Millenium series, highlighting her exuberant and expressive vocals. All the big hits are here, from the 1963 #1 "It's My Party" to 1967's Beach Boys homage, "California Nights," and for the casual fan who wants only the hits, this is probably the ticket. They're all here and sound as fresh as ever. A re-listen to "My Town, My Guy and Me," for example, the first hit Gore had a hand in writing, showcases what's so addictive about Lesley Gore's 1960s work: fierce drumming, relentless percussion, horns right out of The Drifters' "On Broadway," and Lesley's soaring powerhouse double-tracked vocals. It was 1965, and Petula Clark knew a place downtown where you could go, but Lesley had the official American repudiation to "Downtown." The women were facing off, because Lesley was just fine with her town and her guy...If you're new to Lesley Gore, get your wallet back out. This fine set will whet your appetite for the hard stuff to be found on the 2-CD or even 5-CD sets.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful May 14, 2007

By Steven Swan

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Many years ago, I would have never even considered purchasing this collection, but a broadening of musical horizons can be a good thing. Not sure what's going on but lately the 50's and 60's, plus every pioneering band or artist in many genres of music I have been seeking out.

Everyone knows "It's My Party", but it was a couple songs "I Don't Wanna Be A Loser", and "Judy's Turn To Cry", and then one day I heard "You Don't Own Me" on the radio and that was all it took for me seek out this best of set from Gore; and really I believe I like or love every song on here. I guess it's her vocal delivery, her voice is fine, but it's just the style...it almost fits into an early alternative perhaps vibe that struck me, like something fresh even in the years 2006 and 07 since I first starting to really listen to her music. To be honest I'm pretty much fed up with todays female pop and/or top 40....nothing really grabs me other than a handful like KT Tunstall, Amy Winehouse, Beth Hart, Alanis Morissette, Aimee Mann to name a few. I'm a fan of Liz Phair, and of course some old school like Janis Joplin, Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Suzi Quatro also, so female singers and musicians is a big musical interest also of course.

That Lesley was so young when she made these records is indeed a major factor, and her views seem cut right from todays world, these songs seem written especially for her, and she does make them her own even there were the songwriting teams even back then even, that was probably the thing that spoiled it a bit for me, but Lesley was something like 16 or 17 years old around the time of these recordings I think and it's classic stuff from the 60's, and I just can't get enough so I'll take it over many of todays acts.... Do yourself a favor and check her out, and hear some influential music from a different and sometimes not so different era, I did and really I'm glad I did.

Everything on here is amazing I think, not a subpar track to be found, all major hits for her, perfect if you want her chart toppers only, if you are brave I guess you could get an expanded version of her greatest all time minor hits also on another CD, but for my money this is all I need. 3 or 4 years ago I only new one song by her, and now I have 9 or 10 other favorites! Read more ›