Search - Crystal Gayle :: Best of Crystal Gayle

Crystal Clear

James E. Bagley | Sanatoga, PA USA | 04/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Crystal Gayle's sophisticated pop stylings were the antithesis of big sister Loretta Lynn's rural melodramas. While not as celebrated as her legendary sibling, Gayle impressively became a fixture on the country charts for 20 years. This nineteen track Best Of leads off with a single sampling of Gayle's stints at United Artists (her signature hit "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue") and Columbia (the poignant "If You Ever Change Your Mind"). After that, the set concentrates on her tenure at Warner Brothers, capturing all of Gayle's top ten hits there as well as a few choice album cuts. It easily surpasses Warner Brothers' 1986 ten-track Greatest Hits, anthologizing for the first time her collaborations with Eddie Rabbitt ("You And I") and Gary Morris ("Making Up For Lost Time," "Another World"). Like the Judds in their heyday, Gayle's best Warner Brothers recordings concentrate on love in its various stages, be it rock solid ("A Love And Lasting Love"), fragile ("Our Love Is On The Faultline"), lost ("The Sound Of Goodbye"), or recovery ("Til I Gain Control Again"). While her '70s United Artists' material is more thematically varied and held in higher esteem, these '80s Warner Brothers' efforts showcase Gayle at her most vocally confident. Kudos to Rhino for attractively repackaging this neglected phase of her recording career."

Crystal and memories

Roberta Hotard | Somewhere here, Florida | 02/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd I recently purchased but listened to these songs from the album many years ago. Thanks Crystal for the memories. My favorites: The Sound Of Goodbye, Baby What About you, Another World and I Dont Wanna Lose Your Love . Fond memories!"

Misrepresented CLASSIC CRYSTAL

HUGO | HOUSTON, TEXAS United States | 03/08/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"While many of the songs on this obviously redundant compilation were hits for CRYSTAL GAYLE, too many of her most classic MEGA-hit singles have been omitted here! RHINO did a very good job on the CARLY SIMON Anthology type compilation, so WHY(?) misrepresent one of America's most popular song stylists on Cd reissues with a mostly "filler" type hits Cd with way too many "covers"? CRYSTAL GAYLE recorded and put too many MEMORABLE hit songs on the map and charts, not to mention instilling them in music lovers' and the public's minds forever, to be so dishonored on Cd as she has been here. Let's be REALISTIC: Rhino has a knack for obtaining "masters" for REISSUES evrytime, but, this time, they have totally dropped the ball on CRYSTAL GAYLE! Where are the FUNDAMENTAL HITS such as: I'LL GET OVER YOU/ SOMEBODY LOVES YOU/I WANNA COME BACK TO YOU/ HELLO, I LOVE YOU/ TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP/ HALF THE WAY/ IF YOU EVER CHANGE YOUR MIND/ YOU NEVER GAVE UP ON ME/ IT'S LIKE WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE/ WRONG ROAD AGAIN/ WHEN I DREAM/ I'LL DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN/ WHY HAVE YOU LEFT THE ONE YOU LEFT ME FOR?/ YOU NEVER MISS A REAL GOOD THING/ READY FOR THE TIMES TO GET BETTER, as well as many other huge hits that made this woman a household name for two decades? CRYSTAL GAYLE ran neck to neck with RONSTADT & STREISAND in the hit singles category throughout the second half of the 70's and all through the 80's...honestly, CRYSTAL's singles were more consistent on the radio playlists and singles charts. Like the other two divas, she had a very distinct sound of her own and a long string of hits as well as gold/platinum singles & albums. CRYSTAL GAYLE successfully crossed the boundaries between Pop-Country-Jazz to be so generically compiled. A BOX SET is long over due!"