"Impressive overview of Dalida's amazing recorded legacy, from the fun, early Barclay years through the mature and diverse recording made for Orlando.
It's a pleasure to hear how Dalida matured as a recording artist, from the fun covers of "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie" and such, to the emotionally devastating "Je Suis Malade", "Avec Le Temps", and the rest of her later recordings. Like Piaf, Garland, and Holiday, even when singing upbeat material, I always sense the tragic and dark aspects of Dalida's art...and, for me, that's what makes her such a fascinating artist and ultimately one of the finest vocalists of the 20th century.
My only quibbles with this brilliant set is the decision to include such questionable versions of some of her best-known works...I mean, was it really necessary to have the Japanese version of "O Sole Mio"??? In the context of a rarities album or as fun extras on a CD, that would be fine. However, this is a major review of her recordings, which is essential for the novice as well as the seasoned Dalida admirer and it simply does not make sense to include such ephemeral material. Thankfully these moments are very few and the majority of recordings contained in this brilliant set are the classic versions, mostly in French.
Once again, an essential anthology for both the beginner looking to find out what Dalida was all about, and listeners well acquainted with her recorded legacy.
Luigi ~ nyc
"
Fabulous collection for Dalida fans
Bruce Brodnax | Lost Angeles, somewhere out in the smog | 09/01/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you're a fan of Dalida, start here. This may have enough variety that you may not need to buy more of her works for a long, long time. Several "different" versions of some of her more famous songs means that even if you have other of her albums, this will still be a worthwhile addition to your archive.
My gf turned me onto Dalida, and while I ostensibly bought this for her, I love listening to it almost as much as she!
Extremely sensibly packaged, it only takes up about the same space on shelf as two the normal "crystal" cases used for CDs here in the U.S., yet this is a box-set of 5 discs and includes a multipage biographical booklet (in French.) Hours & hours of listening pleasure!"
Track Listings (22) - Disc #1