Very Best of

Dusty Springfield | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 21, 1998)
• Original Release Date: April 21, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island / Mercury
• ASIN: B000006135
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,608 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #8 in Music > Pop > Oldies > Girl Groups
  • #16 in Music > R&B > Soul > Blue-Eyed Soul
  • #54 in Music > Classic Rock > British Invasion

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Dusty Springfield's voice is one of the great pop instruments. Showcased here on 20 tracks from her '60s and early-'70s heyday, her sensuality and strength wrap themselves around everything from big-beat rock and roll like "I Only Want to Be With You" and "Stay Awhile" to seductive masterworks like "Son of a Preacher Man" and "The Look of Love." Very Best ends with a vulnerable reading of the Carole King/Gerry Goffin taking-stock anthem "Goin' Back"--a rarity in the States, where it appeared only briefly. It's great to hear it here. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of her sixties solo music, October 11, 2003

By 

Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

Many people think Dusty Springfield is Britain's finest-ever female pop singer and this compilation goes a long way to show why she has so many fans.

While Dusty was less successful in America than in Britain, she had some notable American successes, occasionally having hits with songs that were not hits for her in Britain. However, this compilation is very strong - the track listing is not very different from what you would find on a typical British compilation, so this will appeal to all customers. Expatriate Brits living in America will find most of what they want here and may therefore not need to import a UK compilation at a premium price.

The big international hits are here, of course, including I only want to be with you, I just don't know what to do with myself, You don't have to say you love me and Son of a preacher man, all of them huge hits in Britain and America. Stay awhile, All I see is you, Give me time and I'll try anything were also hits in both countries for Dusty, though not as big. Wishing and hoping, an American top ten hit for Dusty, is also included. It was not a UK hit for her - the Merseybeats had the UK hit.

All cried out, What's it gonna be, The look of love and A brand new me were American hits that did not chart for Dusty in Britain. I close my eyes and count to ten, In the middle of nowhere, Some of your loving, Little by little and Going back were major British hits that failed to chart in America (the first two bubbled under) but they are great songs and it's good to see them included here. Losing you, another major British hit, made the American top 100, but did not climb very far, peaking at 91. Guess who failed to chart in either country though it bubbled under in America.

One missing song that I might have expected to find here is Windmills of your mind, an American top forty hit. You can find it on Ultimate collection, along with some other songs not included here, including one track pre-dating her solo music and some later stuff. But if you just want her sixties solo music, this is the best American compilation out there, and it's just as good as any of the British compilations I've seen.

49 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From Tenderness To Triumph, Dusty Did It All, May 17, 1999

By 

Michael Daly "Monkeesfan" (Wakefield, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

The recent passing of Dusty Springfield spurred a recent surge of interest in her music. The surge is welcome, for more people can experience just how good a singer she was, such as in this compilation of 20 of her best.

The album opens with what is unquestionably one of the best songs ever done by anyone, I Only Want To Be With You. Backed by Ivor Raymond's stellar orchestra, Dusty fires off an exhilarating number with power and excitement combined with tenderness - a mixture reminscent of her contemporaries, Mike Smith and Petula Clark.

Wishin' and Hopin' downshifts to sly playfulness and displays her ability to segue from mood to mood, a knack further displayed in such disparate numbers as the bombastic You Don't Have To Say You Love Me, the flirty Son Of A Preacher Man, the desperate What's It Gonna Be, the steadfast Monty Norman-esque (listen for the distinctive James Bond riff throughout this number) classic All Cried Out (contemporary divas like Shania Twain and LeAnn Rimes can't come close to projecting the power Dusty displays here), and the Motown-flavored In The Middle Of Nowhere.

Half the joy of these numbers is the sheer power of Ivor Raymond's orchestra, mixing rock 'n roll riffs with strings and horns seemingly more suited to a movie soundtrack.

Sheer joy is the best description of this album.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of The Greatest Pop Female Vocalists of All-Time, August 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

No one can hear the songs on this collection and remain untouched by the raw talent of Dusty Springfield. She left us much too soon, and only now since her passing is she finally getting the recognition she deserved. Her voice has a foggy texture which conveys a sort of savage yet classy sensuality. And as a supreme vocalist she is always in total control of her art. I always felt she was underated during her lifetime. Although Bachrach is great, the material is not equal to the singer. My favorite cut is "You Don't Have To Say You love Me". The Pet Shop Boys are already forgotten but Dusty's music will remain for all-time!