A VOICE OF THE SIXTIES
James Webber | Manchester, NH | 04/14/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Jackie Trent is best known in the U.S. as the lyricist of a lot of Petula Clark's most popular songs of the sixties. It was more than a shock to learn that her vocal powers equal her talent in songwriting and truly deserved an even greater measure of success. This is a HUGE VOICE: think the power of Shirley Bassey crossed with the sensitivity of Dusty Springfield - Jackie Trent sounds like the voice of an era. It almost seems like a plot of American recording companies to keep her vocal prowess out of our market. If you are now, or ever were, a fan of female vocalists of the 1960's you MUST hear this voice. Her arrangements (often by one time hubby Tony Hatch) are always interesting and were, perhaps, TOO good for the trend-driven period of their original release. This is one white woman with a lot of soul. I recall reading a 1980s biography of Pet Clark which stated that "Petula was very nervous about meeting Jackie" - give a listen and you'll know why... This is billed as the definitive collection of her PYE recordings. Crank up the car stereo and Enjoy!"
Brilliant compilation of an under-rated singer
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 01/21/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Britain in the late sixties was a hard place for a female singer to achieve consistent success in the pop charts. There were some - Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, Sandie Shaw, Lulu and Cilla Black, together with the Supremes and Judith Durham of the Seekers - but they were the exceptions.There were plenty of others around, but they had to be content with one big hit (or two if they were lucky). One of these was Jackie Trent, who hit number one in Britain with Where are you now (my love)? and had two minor hits which barely scraped into the charts.Jackie achieved greater success as a songwriter (usually in collaboration with long-time husband Tony Hatch). Later they would co-write the theme to the Australian TV series Neighbours. Perhaps it was the success that they had giving their songs to others (especially Petula) that restricted Jackie's own hits.Apparently Jackie at one time considered keeping I Couldn't live without your love for herself, before giving it to Petula. Even so, there are enough songs here which weren't British hits but ought to have been. Some were hits in other countries. Send her away was a big hit in Germany, yet only a B-side in Britain - did the record company make a mistake?This is the best compilation of Jackie's work so far, although only 10 of the 50 tracks duplicate the single-CD 25-track compilation with a similar title, so the dedeicated fan will probably want both.For those who like female singers of the late sixties, this double CD is well woth investigating. It even includes a version of a song she gave to Petula - My Love - but interpreted diffrently. It includes some tracks recorded as late as 1975, but most tracks are from the sixties. There are no duets with Tony Hatch here - perhaps the record company will release these in the future? Buy this now, anyway - you will think it money well spent."
Track Listings (25) - Disc #1