Search - Jackie Deshannon :: Classic Masters

Best that can be done in twelve tracks

Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 02/16/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jackie DeShannon had a respectable run on the charts off and on during the 60's and 70's with two tunes going top-10, those being the Bacharach and David-penned "What The World Needs Now Is Love" and the pleading "Put A Little Love In Your Heart". As notable as her own recordings were, a good deal of her mark on pop music came in the form of versions of her tunes that made a bigger impact on the charts by other artists, the most remarkable being Kim Carnes' version of her co-written "Bette Davis Eyes". DeShannon's recordings have been compiled not infrequently but have yet to be done comprehensively. This piece, being another in the EMI Classics Masters series of mid-priced basic compilations, also does not offer that elusive complete collection but, in its favor, it does contain a few tracks not found on other DeShannon CD's. It comes closer to being complete in that it offers 12 of the 13 charted singles DeShannon did while at Imperial/Liberty. The omitted track, the "You Keep Me Hangin' On / Hurt So Bad" medley may be excused for its lack of distinction but would it have been that traumatic to stretch this repertoire all the way to 13 tracks to squeeze it in? This minor grouse notwithstanding, this piece does offer a respectable collection highlighting most of DeShannon's notable recordings. Sound quality is good with all tracks except 1,5 and 6 in stereo. Rounding out the set is a six-page flopover liner notes booklet with some brief notes on her recordings and career along with track details. Though not totally comprehensive, this is a good-bang-for-the-buck collection of DeShannon's musical contributions."

STUNNING VOCALS & GREAT VARIETY~BRAVO JACKIE!!!

Bradly Briggs | TOLUCA LAKE, CALIFORNIA | 07/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jackie DeShannon is truly a wonderous original and unforgettable groundbreaking female Singer/Songwriter and this short but sweet collection clearly illustrate this...from major hits like the sixties generation defining athem "What The World Needs Now Is Love" which show that not only is Jackie a great Singer/Songwriter but an extraordinary vocalist who can make a memorable classic standard out of another composers work!!! This appropriately titled "Classic Masters" is a nice mix of Jackie the gifted singer of songs like definitive versions of "The Weight" and "I Can Make It With You" which are both brilliant soul-infused performances that are completely unmatched to great original singer/songwriter classics such as "When Your Walk In The Room" and the another 60's athem being her own mesmerizing version of "Put A Little Love In Your Heart" which is still the greatest ever! This amazing legend continues doing great things to this day and is really one of the most important of the great original female ground-breaking singer/songwriters over the past fifty years...this collection is a great introduction which will only wet ones appetite for more...don't miss the brilliant Limited Edition "Jackie Plus" filled with earthy and soulful performances, "New Arrangement" which is Jackie's ultimate singer/songwriter masterpiece or the lost but now thankfully found (RPM Import) awesome masterwork "Songs"...these timeless classic's will give hours of pure listening pleasure!!! All that is needed now is a complete reissue of the totally lost Jackie Masterpiece "To Be Free" which contains stunning originals plus the ultimate version of Leonard Cohen's "Bird On A Wire"...THANK YOU Jackie DeShannon for years of musical magic!!!"

This Hurts, But...

R. Mix | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 10/05/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Remastering is usually a wonderful thing. It uses digital technology to expand the horizon of an analog recording, allowing us to hear what those in the recording studio heard in the fifties, sixties or seventies.

But in inexperienced hands, it's botched plastic surgery. It disfigures a recording, making it almost unrecognizable. And so it is with this edition of the Classic Masters Series.



Jackie DeShannon was a fine female vocalist, who hit with "What the World Needs Now Is Love" and "Put A Little Love in Your Heart" in the mid and late-sixties, respectively. Each connected with the vibe of the day, and were well-deserved hits. Especially the latter, an irresistable slice of blue-eyed soul every bit the equal of Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man".



But for someone hearing it here for the first time, they'd likely wonder how it ever became a hit. The master used here plods, and is cluttered by a remastering that puts every element of the recording equally high in the mix. It ignores the sonic proportions of the original completely, and is, in my humble opinion, a disaster. Even I know that when you roll pizza dough out too thinly, it tears. I remember the density, the mass and the tempo of the original, and the version presented here is definitely stretched too thin, and drags like a funeral dirge.



Some of these problems were encountered on the Joe South collection as well. Those were dense recordings with lots of instrumentation, and they've all been shoved way up in the mix. You have to wonder if Ron McMaster (ironic name, huh?) and Mark Chalecki (who remastered the South set) ever referenced the original recordings.



To be fair, editions in this series that contain newer music fare better, but be prepared to hear older recordings in this series as you've--ahem--never heard them before.















"