Search - Lynn Anderson :: Rose Garden

Re-recorded hits and (mostly new) covers

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 01/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At some time in the late eighties or early nineties, Lynn re-recorded some of her best-known hits and also recorded covers of songs made famous by others. The re-recordings are not up to the standard of the originals (but better than some re-recordings by other artists) but Sony seem uninterested in keeping the originals in print so there is a ready market for the re-recordings, which are frequently re-issued and re-packaged. Some of the re-issues have as few as twelve tracks but most have sixteen or twenty. With twenty-four tracks, this seems to be the most comprehensive so if you're going to buy the re-recordings, you might as well buy this collection although I think that Lynn actually recorded more than twenty-four songs at these sessions so there may be other songs, not included here, that are on some other re-issues.



So here you will find Lynn's international pop hit, Rose garden, together with her country hits Cry (a pop hit for Johnnie Ray), Top of the world (a pop hit for the Carpenters, who weren't going to release their own version as a single until they saw the public reaction to Lynn's first recording), How can I unlove you, You're my man, What a man my man is, Keep me in mind and Listen to a country song, all re-recorded to a reasonable standard. I suspect that most casual buyers will not realize that these are not the originals.



The other songs are (with few exceptions) songs that Lynn had not previously recorded. Even those tracks that Lynn first recorded in the sixties or seventies (such as Stand by your man, Snowbird and Danny's song) may be hard to find in their original versions now. Four covers of Anne Murray songs are included - these being You needed me, Could I have this dance, Danny's song and Snowbird. Other covers included here are Stand by your man, Ways to love a man (both Tammy Wynette), Devil went down to Georgia (Charlie Daniels), Talking in your sleep (Crystal Gayle), We've only just begun (Carpenters), I was country (Barbara Mandrell), Heaven's just a sin away (Kendalls), Heartbreak hotel (Elvis Presley), Blue bayou (Roy Orbison - or Linda Ronstadt), Two doors down (Dolly Parton), That'll be the day (Buddy Holly) and I fall to pieces (Patsy Cline.



Dedicated fans of Lynn's may not be keen on the re-recordings but may want this anyway for the covers. Casual fans just looking for a collection of Lynn's music including Rose garden and some other familiar songs will be satisfied with this."