Looking Through: The Ultimate Collection [IMPORT]

Gene Pitney

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 25, 2000)
• Original Release Date: July 25, 2000
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Sequel Records UK
• ASIN: B00004RCE3
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,134 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This major 2 CD retrospective is a comprehensive collection of his 21 greatest hits and more! Lavishly packaged, it features top ten classics like 'Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa', 'Something's Gotten Hold On My Heart', 'Backstage', 'Nobody Needs Your Love', 'Looking Thru The Eyes Of Love' & 'I'm Gonna Be Strong' plus the #1 1989 comeback hit of 'Something's Gotten Hold On My Heart' with Marc Almond. 50 tracks in all. Standard jewel case in a slipcase.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible - Fifty songs by a great artist!, July 20, 2001

By A Customer

There are hit pop songs (I counted 24 that I recognized), hit country songs, hit songs in Italian, and a well-chosen selection of songs which document Gene Pitney's very successful Anglo-Euro career and which many Americans will, like me, be hearing for the first time. This is the most comprehensive anthology of any artist I've seen outside of the coffee-table box-set types that sell for many times more than this. What a terrific find! The interview on the liner notes is informative and fun. Gene Pitney participated in a song-by-song commentary going right down the list of all 50 songs, with plenty of storytelling to illuminate the people and situations surrounding each. It's a treasury of insight into the personality and history of the artist and his times that simply can't be found elsewhere. Candid, funny and fascinating, I'm sure there's a great book in this man waiting to be written! Back to the music: What must be said is that Gene Pitney was the most accomplished male vocalist of the 60s "teen idol" set, with great pipes, a unique sound, incredibly nuanced phrasing and a flair for drama that made his vocals both real and moving. From "Liberty Valance" to "Half Heaven - Half Heartache," he gave conviction to every lyric and easily pulled the listener into his world. Considering he was only twenty when his singing career began (apparently without any formal vocal training beyond what he picked up as a songwriting, demo-singing worker-bee at the Brill Building), you have to conclude that this guy is seriously gifted, and was born to the task. Add to that a truly top-notch selection of material which yielded (for starters) about a dozen 60s classics, and I wouldn't hesitate to put him right beside Sinatra as the best vocal interpreter of his generation. In short, if you're even a casual fan, you'd be foolish to pass this up. Buy "Looking Through Gene Pitney" and prepare to be amazed and delighted by this man and his music.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No...not quite "ultimate"...darnit, April 24, 2005

By	B. Margolis (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Yes...it's a marvelous package with a first-rate interview with Gene Pitney himself, but, amazingly, of the 17 mono or rechanneled tracks, 10 of those in mono....have been previously issued in stereo on other collections! Pitney's producer was known for producing Pitney (from "Liberty Valance" on) using multi-track stereo equipment. In some cases, additional harmony vocals were added to the mono mixdown. That explains why "It Hurts To Be In Love" has never been issued in stereo. (On the plus side, one of the mono tracks here, "That Girl Belongs To Yesterday" is usually issued in stereo missing the harmony vocal!).

So...on this "Ultimate" collection, "Mecca" is in mono (why??). Same goes for "True Love Never Runs Smooth", "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa", "Who Needs It", "Yesterday's Hero", and "Looking Thru The Eyes Of Love", among others.

I own it...but I'm disappointed. This previously-available-in-stereo mono issue also hampers finding a definitive CD by The Searchers.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly the ultimate Gene Pitney collection, March 31, 2003

By	Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a very comprehensive collection of Gene's finest music. All his British and American hits are here, including his American country hits with George Jones and his late eighties duet with Marc Almond.

In the sixties, Gene had many high-charting pop hits in Britain and America. Curiously, none of them reached number one, although he reached number two in both countries with different songs. He finally got to number one in Britain when Marc Almond and Gene recorded Something's gotten hold of my heart as a duet.

I'm gonna be strong was Gene's only hit to reach the top ten in both Britain and America. Gene's other top ten American hits to be found here are The man who shot Liberty Valance, Only love can break a heart and It hurts to be in love. Gene's other top ten British hits to be found here are Twenty four hours from Tulsa, That girl belongs to yesterday, I must be seeing things, Looking through the eyes of love, Princess in rags, Backstage, Nobody needs your love, Just one smile and the original solo version of Something's gotten hold of my heart.

With a total of fifty tracks this collection includes not just the essentials, but all the minor hits and even a couple of songs recorded in Italian. It also includes his original version of Hello Mary Lou, a song he wrote before he had a recording contract and which was a huge hit for Ricky Nelson.

You won't find a better compilation of Gene's music anywhere, although if you just want a basic sixties hits collection there are plenty of single CD's to choose from.