Ultimate Collection

Dusty Springfield | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 4, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1962
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hip-O Records
• ASIN: B00005RZY1
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,278 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #17 in Music > Pop > Oldies > Girl Groups
  • #49 in Music > R&B > Soul > Blue-Eyed Soul

Editorial Reviews

The best single-disc Dusty collection ever compiled, covering not just her Philips material but also her recordings for Atlantic, ABC Dunhill, A&M and EMI-Manhattan for a total of 25 years of hits! Includes Silver Threads and Golden Needles Springfields; I Only Want to Be with You; Wishin' and Hopin'; You Don't Have to Say You Love Me; Stay Awhile; The Look of Love; All I See Is You; Son of a Preacher Man; The Windmills of Your Mind ; the rare duet with Richard Carpenter, Something in Your Eyes; A Brand New Me , and more. 20 tracks with great pix and notes by Dusty devotee Jim Pierson.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Catch it if you can, February 6, 2005

By 

Peter Reeve (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ultimate Collection (Audio CD)

It is not always wise to revisit old loves, because nostalgia can be treacherous. But not this time. As an adolescent in the 60s, I, like many of my peers, fell in love with Dusty Springfield. Forty years later, I listened to this collection, and I am in love with her all over again, only more so. Her voice was very special. From the country-style folk of The Springfields, through the romantic standards, to soulful R&B, she could do it all, and all exquisitely.

There are nuances to her singing and a depth of emotion to her voice that I missed first time round. Listen to the unique phrasing on The Son of a Preacher Man, a song that she made her own, and the delicious seductiveness of Breakfast in Bed (which I heard for the first time on this CD) and you will see what I mean.

Her life had tragedy in it. In many ways, the sixties were not as permissive as you might think and the British tabloid press were vicious when they caught the rumor that Dusty was a lesbian. This helped destroy her UK career and after that she spent most of her time in the US and the Netherlands. By nature insecure, she could not come to terms with her relative loss of celebrity and resorted to drug and alcohol abuse and even a suicide attempt. Just when she was making a comeback following her collaboration with The Pet Shop Boys and an appearance on the Jools Holland TV show (what a hero that man is; when are we going to have his show highlights on DVD?) she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which ultimately killed her.

Among the divas of twentieth century British popular music, she is supreme, and was one of the very few to achieve real success in the US also.

It was good to hear The Look of Love on the Catch Me If You Can soundtrack. It will help keep her voice alive for a new generation. That track is on this CD and is just one gem among many. They repay close listening.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Ultimate"? "Simply Dusty" Is The Ultimate Collection!, November 5, 2005

By 

Music Maven "R Keating" (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Collection (Audio CD)

If Dusty had as many albums in life as this endless stream of compilations after her untimely death, the music world would have been a much better place for all of us. The only thing special about this offering is that it's Dusty Springfield - by far the greatest English pop singer of all time!

That said, if you really want the "ultimate" Dusty Springfield compilation, save your money and buy "Simply Dusty" - a 98-song musical treasure chest which was put together, oddly enough, BEFORE she died. "Simply Dusty" has 98 of her very best offerings and displays her incredible musical range - moving from genre to genre with an ease never witnessed in any other pop singer of the 20th Century. She goes from folk with The Springfields; to bubble gum pop with "I Only Want To Be With You"; to the soulful and magnificent cuts from "Dusty In Memphis" and "A Brand New Me"; to the movie theme ballads of "It Goes Like It Goes" from "Norma Rae"; to the techno pop of the Pet Shop Boys; to the funky country soul of "A Very Fine Love"; to a heartbreaking piano-voice-only partial rendition of Gershwin's "Someone To Watch Over Me"(her very last recording).

It's maddening that all these record companies who dumped Dusty in life are cashing in on her in death. She may have been a tad "difficult" to record; but, the end product was always worth the extra effort. Don't believe me? Have a listen to "Dusty In Memphis" and tell me that it's not one of the best albums you've ever heard.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Dusty will never be forgotten...British Invasion", December 4, 2001

By 

J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ultimate Collection (Audio CD)

When you hear the first few notes of this memorable tune "SON OF A PREACHER MAN", there is only one entertainer that comes to mind DUSTY SPRINGFIELD, recorded in 1968...and to this day is still one of her finest recordings...but my all-time favorite song was "YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME", can you remember where you were, when you heard this for the first time...but this next lyrical hit "I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU", so touching when Dusty pours her heart out, her feelings are in full swing.

You might want to try this other Dusty Springfield release "Beautiful Soul:The ABC/Dunhill Collection"(Hip-O Records 088-112-477-2), worthy of a great listen...from one of the "British Invasion" that took America by storm ~ MISS DUSTY SPRINGFIELD.

Total Time: 62:12 on 20 Tracks ~ Universal/Hip-O Records 314-585-634-2 ~ (2001)