Search - Andy Williams :: B Sides & Rarities

Worth The Wait!

Abbasolutely | Dodgeville, WI United States | 06/08/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Few artists had such great B-sides as Andy Williams. This cd is full of superb material, some of it far superior to the A-sides they were combined with on those wretched 45's so many years ago. What a delight to hear these songs in such clarity! And the bonus rare tracks rank with some of the best things Andy ever recorded. Long, Long Time, The Last Time I Saw Her, and Home For Thee are worth the price of this cd alone, but I was pleased at how listenable the entire disc is. And Andy's version of Whistling Away The Dark is nearly as great as Julie Andrew's classice recording. And his Someone Who Cares has been waiting to see the light of day on cd. It ranks up there with Moon River, to be sure! I could live without the two cheesy Kay Thomson cuts, as they were clearly recorded before his glorious tenure at Columbia Records and seem a bit out of place here. But overall, this is a delightful cd for anyone who appreciates great, nuanced singing. Andy ranks up there with Sinatra, Bennett, and Damone, as this package illustrates beautifully."

The best Andy you've never heard!

bellczar | MINNEAPOLIS, MN United States | 12/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is beyond great! Most of the tracks on it never even appeared on LP. I thought I'd have to get by with 45s of these songs forever. It's a very complete collection. The range of material is stunning. You have bubblegum pop like "Help Me" and "The Many Faces of Love" side by side with the extremely-difficult-to-sing "Autumn." It also includes 4 tracks from "The Impossible Dream" album and the title track from "The Andy Williams Sound of Music." Also some unreleased material. The singing, as usual, is exquisite.With this CD, only a small number of Andy Williams recordings are not available on CD. The only drawback is one of the two tracks of Kay Thompson & The Williams Brothers. Both are hopelessly egoistic, and the second one, "Jubilee," is best listened to only once, if at all. The first one, "Louisiana Purchase," is also one of Irving Berlin's rarities."

No wonder they're B-sides!

Darryl Geddes | Syracuse, NY | 09/29/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Collectables has released so many of Williams' terrific albums that this latest entry should not be on the top of your must-have list. There is a reason these selections were B-sides or rare. The song selections are poor and his covers of 70s classics, such as "He's My Brother," are uninspiring and shrill; many songs find Williams singing at the top of his vocal range. The disc gets off to a bad start with the inclusion of two Kay Thompson songs from the 1940s! More than half of the 23 tracks come from Williams 1970s output."