This Eric Records release features the tracks 'Red Roses For A Blue Lady', 'Shangri-La', 'More (theme From Mondo Cane)', 'Love Is All We Need', 'Moonlight And Roses', 'Garden In The Rain', 'Frenchy', 'Bring A Little Sun... more »shine (to My Heart)', 'A Million And One', 'I Love You Drops', 'Crystal Chandelier', 'Distant Drums', 'I Will', 'Danger', 'A Very Good Year For Girls', 'Red Red Wine', 'If I Never Knew Your Name' & 'Little Altar Boy'.« less
This Eric Records release features the tracks 'Red Roses For A Blue Lady', 'Shangri-La', 'More (theme From Mondo Cane)', 'Love Is All We Need', 'Moonlight And Roses', 'Garden In The Rain', 'Frenchy', 'Bring A Little Sunshine (to My Heart)', 'A Million And One', 'I Love You Drops', 'Crystal Chandelier', 'Distant Drums', 'I Will', 'Danger', 'A Very Good Year For Girls', 'Red Red Wine', 'If I Never Knew Your Name' & 'Little Altar Boy'.
"Though known mostly for his top-10 "Red Roses For A Blue Lady", Vic Dana placed more than a dozen songs into the top 100 of the pop charts during the 60s. After a few attempts at teen-oriented music, Dana caught his stride when he moved towards more mature, adult material. His silky-smooth tenor found him a following with such tunes as "More", "Shangri-La" and his greatest success, "Red Roses..." The material is mostly romantic ballads with strong melodies backed up by bouncy orchestrations. No musical breakthroughs here - just some very listenable smooth-sounding middle-of-the-road pop. Of the 18 tracks on the disc, all but one appear in true stereo with a few having been remixed from the session tapes. The excellent sound quality adds to the enjoyment of the material here. While not as well known as his contemporaries, this disc illustrates why Dana's performances should rank him with some his better-known peers."
Wide range of style
Dr.Lee | Malaysia | 02/08/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I became really interested in Vic Dana through his version of "I Love You Drops" which in my mind is the very best version of that song with very rich orchestral backing. However, his most sucessful song has to be "Red Roses for a blue lady" which went to the top of the Pop chart. In this collection, you will encounter various styles of Vic Dana ranging from the crooners to country style. I particularly like his country style. Vic Dana in my mind did the best version of "Wild Side of Life" in the "I Love You Drop" style and backing but unfortunately this album did not include this lovely song which can only be found in his album "Town & Country".
Some of his better efforts which I particularly like in this CD are "Red red wine, Lying is all we need" and "Big and Little Sunshine". This CD is certainly worth having."
Complete Hits of Vic Dana
Ronald Cushman | Granite City, IL United States | 07/30/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Too bad we didn't have this on CD back in the late 50's. Its great."
Marvelously Complete - Thanks Eric Records
Dr.Lee | 09/10/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"From late 1961 to mid-1970, Vic Dana had 15 Billboard Pop Hot 100 singles, thirteen of which also scored on the Adult Contemporary (AC) charts, in addition to two more that made the Top 100 AC. For the Dolton label there were 13 hits from 1961 to 1966, two in 1970 for Liberty, and one in 1976 for Casino Records. And with one exception (that 1976 Casino cut, Lay Me Down (Roll Me Out To Sea) which his # 14 AC in late 1976/early 1977) they are ALL here. For a collector of charted hit singles, this is like finding gold.
Little Altar Boy [# 45 Hot 100 in December 1961 and # 13 on the special Billboard Christmas charts in December 1965], was backed by Hank Levine's Orchestra. Moonlight And Roses (Bring Mem'ries Of You) [# 5 AC/# 51 Hot 100 in late summer 1965], and Crystal Chandelier [# 14 AC/# 51 Hot 100 in December 1965], were both backed by Tommy Oliver's Orchestra, while two 1970 hits, If I Never Knew Your Name [# 14 AC/# 47 Hot 100 in February) and Red Red Wine [# 30 AC/# 72 Hot 100 in June] had the backing of Al Capps' Orchestra. All his other hits feature the music of Ernie Freeman's Orchestra.
In addition you get one, Distant Drums, which was a # 33 AC and a # 114 Hot 100 "bubble under" in late 1966, and two non-charters in Frenchy and A Very Good Year For Girls, along with comprehensive liner notes by Rob Finnis, a London-based consultant to Ace Records.
Vic Dana is one of those artists the hyper-critics loved to pan as a purveyor of "schlock." For instance, Irwin Stambler, the author of the so-called "Encyclopedia Of Pop, Rock And Soul" showed his disdain when he didn't even consider him worthy of mention. Nor did Rolling Stone in their Album Guide. But, much to their consternation, Vic enjoyed immense popularity in the 1960s.
Thank you Bill Buster and Eric Records for a most complete collection. Highly recommended.
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1
