Majestic and mucho hip
01/01/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When Anne Murray burst out of nowhere with "Snowbird" U.S. Capitol didn't have a clue what to do with her. The first U.S. album combined disparate Canadian tracks with a truly odd cover. Then came the non-titled "Anne Murray," the U.S. version of "Straight, Clean and Simple" stripped of its multi-meaninged title which frightened the U.S. execs (who would buy straight music from a clean and simple singer?), its cover art recropped and ruined. Now finally here is the opportunity to hear the album in its original Canadian sound--straight, clean and simple--coupled with the wonderful "Talk It Over in the Morning." This is a star just beginning to shine and sparkle but she's already a bright, blazing star. The wealth of music here is astounding and has certainly weathered the years."
Two obscure gems from 1971
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 02/09/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The albums that make up this twofer demonstrate that there is a lot more to Anne's music than just the hits, of which Destiny (written by Jose Feliciano) was Anne's biggest from the songs included here.Anne does superb covers of Night owl (James Taylor), You've got a friend (written by Carole King but a big hit for James Taylor), I know (Barbara George), Cotton Jenny (Gordon Lightfoot), A stranger in my place (Kenny Rogers) and I'll never fall in love again (the Bacharach/David song that provided Bobbie Gentry with her only British number one hit.Most of the other songs are likely to be unfamiliar to all but Anne's committed fans, but they are well worth hearing. Sing high sing low was a minor hit in America and Canada, but achieved its greatest popularity in New Zealand.Brian Ahern, Anne's record producer in those days, would achieve greater fame with Emmylou Harris. It's not difficult to see why Emmylou wanted him to produce her records. The overall feel of the album is easy listening pop country - just what you expect from Anne."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1