Import only 'Best Of' for the pop vocalist. 40 tracks on 2 CDs, including her definitive interpretations of Bacharach/David classics. Tracks include 'Don't Make Me Over', 'Walk On By','A House Is Not A Home', 'Message To Michael', 'Alfie','The Windows Of The World', '(Theme From) Valley Of The Dolls' and many more. Warner. Album Description
At first, Dionne Warwicke's recording persona was as vulnerable as a baby bird. In the course of a song -- particularly her great Burt Bacharach/Hal David hits -- she seemed to be transformed by love (or its loss) from a woman-child into a wiser, deeper soul. Combined with Bacharach's sophisticated chord progressions and David's plaintive but articulate lyrics, she projected a mixture of poignance and poise that still makes our hearts go right to her, almost protectively. Even the imperative "Don't Make Me Over", her breakthrough number, is actually a plea for mercy.
This compilation is the obvious go-to option for anyone who wants more than a cursory overview of Warwicke's great period (roughly 1962-68) without investing in every album. (Still, the Sequel twofer "Presenting.../Anyone Who Had a Heart", now out of print, is worth seeking out.) All of the classic hits are here, sparklingly remastered. The only drawback is that in its sweep, the set documents in some detail the creeping divahood that enervated most of Warwicke's '70s output, and would leave her calcified in the '80s (a period the set avoids).
Her near-strident attack on "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" is a surprise (though it's arguably wasted effort; the song is as owned by its originators as any in pop), and producer Thom Bell coaxed a truly superb performance from her on the Spinners duet "Then Came You." Or maybe her duet partner, the punchy Phillippe Wynn, provided the spark: Warwicke swoops, she swings, she damn near makes the pro forma song a gospel rave. Elsewhere she's mostly cushioned in arrangements we now tag as "lounge", and lounging. But these caveats are no reason to pass up this set. Buy it, and enjoy the eternal moments that preceded a fine singer's vanishing act.
November 9, 2007This CD meet and beat my expectations. Miss Warwick presents a full range of her vocal talent. The price makes this CD an excellent value.
May 16, 2007Dionne Warwick is one of those performers who has been around for so many years and has had so many hits, its impossible to find a compilation set with everything on it. (Why has no one put out a box set?) The fact that she's been on 3 labels complicates matters. This double CD is the best deal if you are looking for her early and middle career hits. I especially like this one as it has hard to find hits from her late 60's period like Odds and Ends, Paper Mache, Who's Gonna Love Me and Let Me Go To Him. Also covered is her middle Warner Bros. period which is also hard to find on her reissues. The Rhino compilation is also very good, but it ends too early. Pick up this and a best of her Arista years CD and you'll be all set. I know, its expensive, but Dionne is worth it! But if you only want one set of her Bacharach period and 70's hits, this is it!
August 3, 2004 |  | Definitely definitive, at least for pre-'80s. |  |
Great artist + great collection + great sound = 5 stars, no question. I'm a little confused as to why a collection made in the year 2000 with no indication about time range stops at the 1980s and therefore omits some nice '80s songs like "That's What Friends Are For" and "Déjà Vu," but since I was primarily interested in the 1960s-1970s, this album was absolutely unbeatable for me. In my opinion, this is the only Dionne Warwick pre-'80s greatest hits album worth owning: every other such album I could find was missing some songs I wanted. The songs appear to be in chronological order, and my favorites tended to be the active ones clustered at the end of the first CD, like "I Say A Little Prayer," "Do You Know The Way To San José," and the powerfully romantic "This Girl's In Love With You," derived from Bacharach's original "This Guy's In Love With You" (also good). The included booklet has some interesting history, though I was a tiny bit disappointed that the year of release and maybe peak chart position wasn't always shown for each song.
January 6, 2003| | | The Very Best Dionne Set You Could Own... | |
I mainly purchased this CD set because of the rare inclusion of tracks from Dionne's Warner years during the 70's. This is the first CD release worldwide I am aware of that includes TRACK OF THE CAT, and this is the full album version from the album of of the same name. For those fans who never were able to obtain the two Austrialian CD's of JUST BEING MYSELF and THEN CAME YOU, some of those tracks are included here from those albums. The digital remastering done by Warner Germany is fabulous, as mostly all the songs have no hiss and sound better from many of their counterparts from around the world, including the US Rhino reissues. Another rare Scepter track included is ODDS AND ENDS, a personal favorite of non-album tracks. For a thorough overview of Dionne's 60's and 70's best in one collection, this is the one to own. It is worth the imported price.
June 6, 2000More reviews at Amazon.com ...
