Julie London - Very Best of Julie London (50 tracks) +Album Reviews

More Than Just A Compilation

C. MacGowan | Escondido, Ca | 03/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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"

Nice overview of a sultry songstress

James E. Bagley | Sanatoga, PA USA | 02/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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.

"

Superb Late Night Music...

nicjaytee | London | 12/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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.

"

A great collection of Julie's music

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 08/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Julie is brilliant!

J. jordan | sherman oaks, ca USA | 04/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!"

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