Customer Reviews

Very Best of Julie London

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is more than just a compilation. My husband and I have been collecting music for years and Julie London is one of our favorites. We have several of her LPs and CDs and we were hesitant about getting this one even with the 5-star reviews. We had so much already,but there are a few songs,that have been hard to come by so reluctantly we ordered it and we are so glad we did. The songs are so beautifully arranged and sound so completely different from what we own. There is such a richness to the recordings and you feel like you are hearing her, really hearing her for the first time. We were so totally pleased by our purchase my husband said I had to write our own review. This is Julie at her best and we thank her and EMI-Capitol for bringing it to us. Catherine

Julie London did not possess a big voice, but it sure was expressive, husky, intimate, and most of all, sexy. This 50 track, two-disc set is the most extensive Julie London collection available domestically. It spans her entire 30-plus album recording career at Liberty Records, from her biggest hit "Cry Me A River" from 1955's debut Julie Is Her Name to a scintillating take on the Doors' "Light My Fire" from her final effort, 1968's Yummy Yummy Yummy.

Aside from "Cry Me A River" (written by high school classmate Arthur Hamilton) and the also enclosed "Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast (co-penned by hubby Bobby Troup), nearly all of London's recordings were previously popularized by others. But when remade by Julie, these songs sound fresh and distinctly different from the originals. "Wives And Lovers," for instance, becomes a very serious cautionary tale, warning the listener that sexy Julie will steal her man - probably with little effort - if she doesn't shape up and spruce up her appearance. And when, on "My Heart Belongs To Daddy," she seductively invites a guy over to "to dine on my fine finnan haddie," I don't think it is fish that she's actually offering him a nibble of!

For those looking for a more concise Julie London collection or perhaps some additional London recordings, check out Rhino's Time For Love from 1991. It includes 13 wonderful tracks (out of 18) not found on this set.

There's something about Julie London's voice... sultry, sexy, super-cool... that perfectly captures the feel of the night. And, if you only know of her through "Cry Me a River" - as most people do - then you're in for a real treat because between the mid 50's and the late 60's she produced a huge amount of similarly beautiful music.

Featuring 50 tracks, most of which are "standards", virtually all of which are near-perfect examples of how to inject pure "atmosphere" into a song, and an incredibly large number of which are better than their more famous originals, this superb compilation will leave you wondering why she wasn't ranked up there with the great artists of her time... and, more interestingly, given the huge popularity of recent "jazz-cool" artists such as Norah Jones, why she's still so undiscovered.

Best of all this selection is a quite superb, flawlessly sung & played "late night" album - put it on and slip into over two hours of gloriously laid back music... you won't find much better.

Julie peaked at the beginning of her career in 1955 with the classic Cry me a ricer. For the remainder of the fifties and most of the sixties, Julie recorded a series of albums that delighted her fans. While Julie was not the most technically gifted singer, she knew her limitations and worked within them, ignoring the prevailing fashions and focusing almost exclusively on romantic ballads. Julie's warm, intimate style of singing endeared her to a significant number of music fans. On her early records, the musical backing was very sparse, but as the fifties gave way to the sixties, orchestral arrangements took over, though these were always tastefully done. Personally, I slightly prefer the early recordings but I love everything I've heard of Julie's music (and that's most of it, thanks to all the CD re-issues of recent years).

Julie recorded a lot of songs from the first half of the twentieth century but she also recorded some contemporary material. This compilation contains a great selection of Julie's music including (of course) Cry me a river. Elsewhere, the compilation is filled with Julie's covers of songs made famous by others such as Fly me to the moon, Blue moon, My heart belongs to Daddy, When I fall in love, Misty, Let there be love, Making whoopee, The more I see you, Black coffee, Blues in the night, As time goes by, Can't get used to losing you, September in the rain, Mad about the boy, Love letters, I left my heart in San Francisco, Our day will come, I've got you under my skin, End of the world and Sentimental journey.

With a compilation like this, it is always possible to argue about what is included and what is omitted, but this compilation fairly represents Julie's career. If you only ever buy one collection of her music, make it this one.

wow! i thought i knew the very best vocal singers of yesteryear; ella, billie, sarah, judy, barbra, peggy, doris, and now julie! i knew "cry me a river" but until i heard this 2 disc cd i had no idea how wonderful julie was. if you are a fan of the standards this is a must buy. i listen to it day and night. her rendition of the classic standards made me think she should have introduced the songs instead of the original artist!

The standards don't get much better than this. One of the best compilations i've heard in a long time. The recordings are crisp and clean, It's hard to believe that they were done so long ago.BRAVO!!

The Very Best of Julie London is a fantastic overview of her career, great song selection and the remastering is GREAT! Julie's sexy, sultry, cool voice is out front, Julie had great arrangements and musicians backing her and you'll definitely hear this on these two cd's! Julie is one my favorite singers and if you're discovering her for the first time, start with this and then invest in getting other cd's by her, Julie was one of the best 'torch singers'.

I got this collection for myself because I love Julie London's voice delivering all these sentimental tunes. (Okay, not "Light My Fire" because I can only imagine Jim Morrison on that one now.) I play it in the car all the time and sing along with abandon. To my surprise, my eight-year-old daughter LOVES this CD, especially "Fly Me to the Moon" and "Let There Be Love." Get it and see what YOUR kids think!

I enjoyed reading the liner notes included with this CD and learning about Julie's colorful career, but I do wish that they had included song lyrics, too. That's the ONLY reason I didn't give it five stars.

The Very Best Of Julie London is a splendid two CD set that offers a whopping fifty tracks spanning her entire career. That's incredible! This is clearly a "must-have" for any Julie London fan; her talent gets the spotlight on this two CD set and I could never tire of hearing her sing. The quality of the sound on both CDs is nothing short of excellent; and the artwork is very well done. As of this writing, I think that one of the pictures for the artwork up above is definitely not the artwork that would come with this two CD set.

There are so many special hits here that I scarcely know which ones to mention; there's not a dud in the bunch. The first CD starts with Julie singing "Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)" with a very lush musical arrangement. What style she had! Nobody could sing this out quite like Julie London did. "Cry Me A River" glistens like a million diamonds when Julie delivers this with all the panache of a most accomplished chanteuse; and it's clearly one of her best hits ever. "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" gets the royal treatment from Julie who coos this out with a certain appeal that is very memorable; and "Misty" is pure heaven when I hear Julie do this one up right! I also like the very elegant bossa nova tune entitled "Desafinado (Slightly Out Of Tune)."

"In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning" is quite a torch song; Julie's excellent diction helps to make this ballad all her own; and there's a great rendition of "Makin' Whoopee" that will make many a man even today yearn for time alone with Julie! "The Good Life" has a fine musical arrangement that never steals the show from Julie; and listen for a very fine rendition of "Black Coffee." "Blues In The Night" features Julie squarely front and center; and the first CD ends with Julie performing "As Time Goes By" from the movie Casablanca.

The second CD continues the hits. "September In The Rain" is a song I first heard when Dinah Washington sang it; but Julie's rendition holds its own very well. Julie's "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" would make Tony Bennett proud; and there's another gem when Julie sings "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend." Julie plays with the major and minor keys just a bit to place her own mark on this ballad. "Light My Fire" is a terrific cover of a song by The Doors; Julie never skips a beat and I'm impressed. "They Can't Take That Away From Me" has an elegant piano arrangement that complements Julie's vocals; and "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)" gets a lovely treatment from Miss London--excellent!

"Call Me Irresponsible" sounds very easy on the ear; and "You Made Me Love You" gets quite a romantic flavor to it--Judy Garland would be proud! The second CD ends with Julie London singing "Every Time We Say Goodbye;" she does great justice to this ballad and it leaves you wanting still more!

Performers like Julie London rarely come along in this world; when she sang you listened closely because she could take any tune and turn it into pure gold using her own personal style of magic. I highly recommend this for any Julie London fan; and people who want a five star introduction to the artistry of Julie London can't lose by getting this two CD set.

Some songs, some elbow nudges, winks, reflect a place and time. The polished wood cabinet HiFi in the bachelor pad. The martini shaker set aside, two half empty glasses, high heels kicked off ..late at night after dinner date of steak potato creamed spinach and a quick look into the club no one there we care for let's go home

lights down low, kiss and rustle of hose and snaps. Dim all the lights time to get ready for love..

Julie London had a voice of a generation that embraced flirt passion heartbreak and sex...with an ache.

This set encompasses her best recordings. Those who owned the original 78s 45s LPs will be stunned by this clear crisp CD.

All those who are interested oughta invest. Highly recommended!