Search - Jerry Vale :: Jerry Vale - Greatest Hits

Jerry Vale is Jerry Vale.

Wilfredo C. Derequito | Dhahran, Saudi Arabia | 10/18/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The CD cover shows Jerry Vale on the shore, waves gently rolling and pooling at his feet, intently gazing far straight into the vast blue horizon. The picture accurately depicts what this compilation is all about. Like the waves, Jerry's song delivery is as serene and peaceful; and like the horizon, his vocal range is as limitless in its range. Here is an artist in a medium that he knows best, a singer in total harmony with his song which is further reinforced by the soothing and quivering quality of a crystal-clear voice and the seemingly effortless depth and feelings that go into the performance.The songs that made Jerry Vale Jerry Vale are here: Go Chase A Moonbeam, And This Is My Beloved, Enchanted, Innamorata, Prima Donna, Solitaire, You Don't Know Me, Pretend You Don't See Her, all delivered with unequalled gusto by this maestro of song. If you want to know what Jerry Vale is all about, this album is the best place to start."

Good--but don't think these are all his "greatest hits"

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 02/28/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jerry Vale - Greatest Hits is a CD that does indeed give us excellent and timeless numbers by the great Jerry Vale; but I agree with the reviewer who writes that this is NOT all his greatest hits and that some of these tracks should have been replaced by bigger hits. On the other hand, Columbia could have simply used a more descriptive title for this CD.



The CD opens with "And No One Knows;" Jerry sings this like the pro he always was! Jerry's excellent diction bolsters his performance and I really like "And No One Knows." "And This My Beloved" is a striking love ballad with a lush musical arrangement; Jerry never misses a note and his voice sounds terrific, too.



"Innamorata (Sweetheart)" has a stunning melody and Jerry really gets the chance to show off his fine operatic qualities. Jerry's voice comes across as fresh, warm and quite a fine instrument! "You Don't Know Me" is another love ballad that showcases Jerry's vocals while a strong musical accompaniment plays in the background. Jerry never sounded better!



"Pretend You Don't See Her" is quite special; and Jerry immediately makes this his own with his singularly wonderful interpretation of this song. "Prima Donna" has a fine backup group of vocalists and Jerry sings this passionately with all his heart and soul. This song recalls loving moments between two people and I think you'll like "Prima Donna" very much.



"If" really comes across well when Jerry Vale sings this; his interpretation is mighty fine and this impresses me a lot. The strings also enhance the number. "Have You Looked Into Your Heart" follows with Jerry singing to perfection; this tender, sensitive ballad sounds fresher than ever when Jerry sings it!



"Somewhere" ends the CD with a solid performance by Jerry Vale; and he sings this with panache. Terrific!



This is a great CD of very fine music by Jerry Vale; but to call this his "greatest hits' is truly a bit misleading. I recommend this for Jerry's fans; but they will know of course that there is a whole lot more to Jerry Vale than just the "hits" on this single CD retrospective.

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Jerry Vale's Billboard Hits & More

Scott F. Rogers | Columbus, Indiana United States | 04/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD collection of songs contains some of Jerry Vale's chart topping hits, and some of his finest vocals. I love the CD cover too. With Jerry Vale standing on the beach, it's reminiscent of the 1970's when Jerry Vale would appear on shows like "Mike Douglas" or "Merv Griffin". In the 70's, popular daytime variety shows were sometimes shot at locations away from the normal network studios, like Florida or Hawaii, where performers like Vale would get a chance to perform on the beach, singing the popular songs of the time.



"Innamorata", recorded in 1952, was one of Jerry Vale's first charted hits. (His first charted hit was "You Could Never Give Me Back Your Heart" in 1952, which is available on the excellent CD titled "The Essential 50's Singles".) "Two Purple Shadows" reached #20 on the Billboard charts in 1954. And later recorded by Elvis Presley in 1967, "You Don't Know Me" reached number 14 on the charts for Vale in 1956. In 1958, "Pretend You Don't See Her", written by Steve Allen, reached #7, and regained fame again in 1990 when the movie "Goodfellas" used Jerry Vale in a cameo appearance to perform the song. That song is also listed as one of the top songs with odd lyrics..."Pretend you don't see her, my heart, although she is coming our way, pretend you don't need her, my heart, but smile and pretend to be gay." The classic jazz-like mood song, "Solitaire" is a special treat. It sounds like it came from a scene in a 1940's movie, or a smoke-filled 1950's night club, and because Jerry Vale completely changes his vocal styling for this song, you wouldn't even know it was him singing it if you didn't double check the CD cover. I love it. The hit song, "Have You Looked Into Your Heart", reached #24 in 1964, which is impressive, keeping in mind that groups like the Beatles were also on the charts at the same time. "Somewhere", used in the movie "Marco The Magnificent", is one of my favorite Jerry Vale songs. Considering that the music score was written in Octaves, it takes a professional singer to pull it off like Jerry Vale does. It's very dramatic and gives Jerry the chance to show off his phenomenal vocal range, power, and high notes, sending chills down your spine. I love "For Mama". It's a sad song full of Italian culture, poetic, and beautifully portrayed in Jerry's trademark vocal styling.



Jerry Vale had many more hits that are not on this CD. Hits like "Time Alone Will Tell", "It's All In The Game", "Where Were You When I Needed You", "I Found You Just In Time", and "All I Ever Wanted", to mention a few. However, this CD is an excellent start. With it's variety of songs, this CD gives Jerry Vale a chance to show off his full range of professional vocal styles.

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