Search - Osmonds :: Osmondmania: Osmond Family Greatest Hits

Osmond Anthology!

Alan Russo | Cambridge, MA USA | 04/16/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With a majority of the Osmonds biggest hits from the 70's comes this 28 song collection in cronological order. Although the the sticker says all of their charted hits from the 70's are here, 18 charted hits (UK and US) are still missing in action! Missing are all of Jimmy's hits including the top 40 hit Long Haired Lover From Liverpool. Marie's last top 40 hit, This Is The Way That I Feel, Donny's hits I Have A Dream (Top 50 US hit) and You've Got Me Dangling On A String (US #109 hit, his last in the 70's), and We Can Make It Together was a #68 hit in 1972 for The Osmonds featuring Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, have never seen the light of day on CD! However, Donny's hit remake of I Knew You When is included for the first time.The sound quality is good and the information provided by Robyn Flans is interesting, but I still would like to know what the original offensive lyric was for Love Me For A Reason! Most of the pictures are black and white except for the awesome colored inlay pic of all the Osmonds!With all the collections that are out there, including a Box Set, this one is great. Most of the tracks have been released several times for several different collections. I hope there will be a follow-up collection with the "rarities" including the tracks mentioned and perhaps The Donny & Marie themes May Tomorrow Be A Perfect Day and A Little Bit Country. I could think of at least 22 Osmond tracks!"

Same old songs

hyperbolium | 04/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sure, I love all of these songs. I love the Osmond family but what is here that hasn't been available before? I want the original albums or at least a compilation of songs from 1976-1979. This is great for newcomer fans but what about the people who really are interested in Osmond music! It's amazing that you can purchase original albums from one or two hit wonders but when it comes to a family who have an all-around entertainment background can't get the proper respect and recognition they deserve!"

Superfine collection of 70s AM radio champs

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 05/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's difficult to listen to the Osmonds' hits without initially hearing a bubblegum version of the Jackson 5. But given how catchy their songs were (and how much the Jackson's early hits leaned towards bubblegum in the first place), that's more of a compliment than a criticism. The Osmonds were a hugely talented clan, and they spent a decade sharpening their act as a family unit before pop stardom came calling. Ensemble songs like "One Bad Apple" and "Down By the Lazy River" show off their high-wattage star power, and the solo works of Donny and Marie successfully expanded the family's catalog into teen pop and country.Donny's adolescent voice held many of the same charms as Michael Jackson's, and his Mormon upbringing brought a rather interesting twist to songs such as "Sweet and Innocent," in which he sings "I love the little wiggle in your walk / the way you cuddle on my shoulder / but you're too young to know the score / so come back when you're older" (one has to wonder how much younger the song's object of affection could be than the 13-year old singer!). His hits tended to ballads, including a #1 remake of Steve Lawrence's 1963 hit "Go Away Little Girl" (written by Brill Building legends Gerry Goffin and Carole King), a Teen Beat ready renewal of Freddie Scott's "Hey Girl," adolescent-voiced takes of Johnny Mathis' signature "The Twelfth of Never" and Sonny James' classic "Young Love," and an unusually double-tracked vocal reworking of Nat "King" Cole's 1951 hit, "Too Young." Marie Osmond worked the pop and adult contemporary charts in a country vein with "Paper Roses" and a cover of Connie Francis late '50s hit, "Who's Sorry Now." She even found crossover success on the country charts with "In My Own Little Corner of the World." Throughout the entire Osmonds' catalog the productions are sharp, with lively horn charts, well-crafted string arrangements, and, most naturally, perfectly sung backing vocals.This disc's generous track count does a stellar job of collecting the family's "Osmondmania" chart highlights. Included are all ten of The Osmonds hits (including self-penned songs like "Down by the Lazy River," "Crazy Horses," and the surprisingly heavy "Hold Her Tight" and "Crazy Horses"), Donny's chart run from 1971-73 (missing are his 1976 recording of "C'mon Marianne" and his 1989 comeback "Soldier of Love"), Marie's successes from 1973-75 (missing is her 1977 hit "This is the Way That I Feel"), and Donny & Marie's duet successes from 1974-76 (missing are 1976's "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," and 1978's "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" and "On the Shelf"). Two noteworthy omissions: Little Jimmy Osmond's lone hit, "Long Haired Lover From Liverpool," and Donny & Marie's signature (though non-charting) songs from their variety show, "I'm a Little Bit Country / I'm a Little Bit Rock 'n' Roll" and "May Tomorrow Be A Perfect Day." With a running time of 79:55, however, there was simply no room for bonus tracks!The chronological track ordering shows just how impressively the Osmond's interwove success in different combinations. Donny and Marie were recording solo hits at the same time they were scoring with duets, and Donny was still helping power The Osmonds on the charts. Robyn Flan's liner notes include generous helpings of quotes from Alan and Donny Osmond, and additional notes by Alan provide some interesting tidbits from the inside of Osmondmania. It all adds up to a stellar single disc Osmonds collection!"