Save the Last Dance for Me [#][*] - Mink DeVille, Pomus, Doc
Wily DeVille and Doc Pomus Interview [#][*] - Mink DeVille,
2003 remastered reissue of 1980 album features 20 tracks including 9 bonus tracks, 'Savoir Faire' (Live In NY 1982), 'Slow Drain' (Slow Drain (Live In NY 1982), 'This Must Be The Night' (Live In NY 1982), 'Bad Boy' (Live... more » In NY 1982), 'Lipstick Traces' (Live In NY 1982), 'Just To Walk That Little Girl Home' (Live In Holland 1984), 'Heaven Stood Still' (Live In Germany 1995), 'Save The Last Dance For Me' (Live In Holland 1984) & 'Willy DeVille & Doc Pomus Interview' (The Robert Klein Show, Nov. 2, 1980). All bonus tracks previously unreleased. Raven.« less
2003 remastered reissue of 1980 album features 20 tracks including 9 bonus tracks, 'Savoir Faire' (Live In NY 1982), 'Slow Drain' (Slow Drain (Live In NY 1982), 'This Must Be The Night' (Live In NY 1982), 'Bad Boy' (Live In NY 1982), 'Lipstick Traces' (Live In NY 1982), 'Just To Walk That Little Girl Home' (Live In Holland 1984), 'Heaven Stood Still' (Live In Germany 1995), 'Save The Last Dance For Me' (Live In Holland 1984) & 'Willy DeVille & Doc Pomus Interview' (The Robert Klein Show, Nov. 2, 1980). All bonus tracks previously unreleased. Raven.
CD Reviews
Still holds up after all these years
Lawyer Man | Ohio | 10/21/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"An absolute classic. Combines doo-wop, soul, rock, latin, into one wonderful mix. His voice, for those who have not heard him, is truly unique. Some of the songs will make you think of street-corner harmony groups, while others take on the punk spirit of the times. However, no matter what you've read, this is absolutely not "punk" or "new wave." It is music solidly grounded in the r&b and rock&roll of the late 1950's and early 1960's, without sounding dated or derivative. One of the rare early 1980's records which has aged extremely well."
Still the best Album by the one and only Willy DeVille
J. Eichhorn | 11/06/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Simply one of the greatest singers and songwriters of the last 30 years. Just in case you've only recently discovered Willy deVille - this is the absolute classic. "Heaven Stood Still" gotta be the mother of all ballads, and "Just to walk that little Girl home" comes a close second. The uptempo opener "This must be the night" features classic and hard to top Louis Cortellezzi sax solos. Grandiose and intimate, emotional and raw, Willy sings his heart out on every track with an intensity that is simply unmatched. One of the greatest CDs ever recorded."
The best album by one of the great American rock bands
Alexander F. Remington | Washington, DC USA | 11/19/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album--oh, man. This is neither the time nor the place to discuss the tragedies of American music, but it truly is a tragedy that the majority of boys and girls have never heard "Heaven Stood Still." It's regal in its beauty--think "She's Leaving Home," or "Caroline, No." This song is gorgeous in the way the Venus de Milo is gorgeous--immediately, lastingly, nakedly.
"Turn You Every Way But Loose," on the other hand, is a rock song, and one of the best Mink Deville ever did. It's constructed like a single, with a strong bass line, a seductive vocal line, and a great hook.
This album is a collection of great songs. They're songs about love, and they're sincere, passionate, and lovely. That's what rock and roll ought to be."
An unheralded classic
G. R. Loomis | Ohio | 05/25/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A dear friend gave me a cassette version of Le Chat Bleu the year it was released. I wore it out. The U.S. vinyl version criminally omitted at least one song (Mazurka). In the mid-80s I found the original, complete vinyl version at a shop in France. I played it only once, for a re-taping.
Thank god for this CD re-issue. And thank god Willie is still creating and performing...albeit mostly in Europe, where he got a small bit of the appreciation he deserves.
Now this sounds horribly corny, but I have a list of three songs to be played at my wake, should someone decide to carry on that way when I check out. "Heaven Stood Still" was the first on that list. That song and LeChat Bleu are, indeed, a "celestial rhapsody."
"
Celestial Harmonies
R. J MOSS | Alice Springs, Australia | 07/14/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Thanks to Rock archivist, Glenn A Baker, for re-mastering ,'Le Chat Bleau'. Having owned it originally on vinyl, and through my roving days, on cassette, it was a thrill to rediscover it on the Raven label. de Ville's mind-set is essentially the evanscent soul of the greatest,'Drifter's' hits. That is, the boy/girl thing, the hermetically sealed priviledged conjunction about whose axis, the rest of the world can go rotate. Willy seems heroically immune to the intervening decades when these sounds and sentiments were momentous. Thus, 'Le Chat Bleau' was a glorious anachronism when it appeared, causing Capitol U.S, to baulk about its release. Unlike say,a 'Drifter's Greatest Hits', this Cd is conceived as thematically linked, with balanced tempos, and crafted to perfection. de Ville is in great voice and his pen just dripping with the inevitable, suggestive couplets.'This Must Be Tonight', justifiably turns up on most compilations. 'Bad Boy' and the cajun spiced,'Mazurka', the celestial harmony of,'Heaven Stood Still', exemplify his range. The Doc Pomus collaborations are exhilerating.'The World Outside,'You Just Keep Me Holding On', and'Just To Walk That Little Girl Home', are as classic as anything he conceved for Ben e King. Having applauded the in tact original, I think Baker's gone for overkill with the bonus versions of 7 of the tracks.de Ville's handling of,'Save The Last Dance For Me' is an honorable and devotional tribute to his sources. However, the live stuff does nothing but reveal how brilliant the chemistry was in that Paris studio. It was, as he mused, his,'Starry Night'."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1