First and third LP's back-to-back
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 12/18/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Although it was common practice in the sixties to fill out albums with cover versions of other people's hits, the two LP's reissued here were not - this is probably why they were selected, since Connie's other albums from the sixties contained plenty of covers.
Not having been lucky enough to hear them on vinyl, the only songs I recognised were Connie's own hits. Four of them can also be found on The Essential Connie Smith (which, if you haven't got, you should buy first). This CD contains a fifth hit, Tiny Blue Transistor Radio, which didn't make The Essential but is excellent, as are the other nineteen tracks which make up this CD.
A few months after this CD was released, Bear Family of Germany released a boxed set (which I then bought) containing Connie's complete recordings from 1964 to 1967, including all the tracks on this CD. The box covers her first nine LP's plus extra tracks. With the exception of the two LP's that make up this twofer, these LP's, while of a very high quality, followed the standard formula of the day - one or two hits and a lot of cover versions.
So, if you like original songs, stick to this two-on-one CD and the various hits packages. If you do not want (or cannot afford) the box, this two-on-one-CD is still an excellent CD to listen to, containing the best of those original songs that weren't released as singles."