Search - Patti Page :: Say Wonderful Things: Love After Midnight

In retrospect, great music

01/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Patti left Mercury for Columbia to forge an album career when it was obvious rock had all but killed the singles market for traditional pop artists. From the start her Columbia albums sold well. But they did not garner wide critical notice. What's obvious from the distance of time is that these albums were particularly well-crafted, with keen song selections, unobtrusive but tasteful orchestrations and vocal interpretations that ranged wider and deeper than t he work the singer had done on Mercury. She also introduced some new material into the albums and it's consistently interesting. It seems to me that, 40 years later, these albums are finally being recognized for the excellent achievements they were at the start."

Patti Page's stunning early work on the Columbia label makes

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 01/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Patti Page remains to this day one of those rare songbirds who can convey even the subtlest of nuances in everything she performs; and she moves her audiences deeply. This two-fer CD brings together all the tracks from two of Patti Page's earlier albums at Columbia entitled Say Wonderful Things and Love After Midnight. Patti's voice is rich, vibrant and strong throughout this CD. This CD demonstrates Patti Page's ample talent at a time when rock and roll overtook the music industry and singers like Patti Page were unfairly devalued.



The CD begins with the twelve tracks from her first Columbia LP entitled Say Wonderful Things. This twelve song set proves Patti can sing about the various aspects of love. The songs boast terrific musical arrangements by Robert Mersey, too. Patti performs a marvelous Latin-flavored rendition of "Fly Me To The Moon" and she sings optimistic and forward thinking romantic ballads entitled "Moon River" and "Our Day Will Come." "The Good Life" shows that Patti could sing about the risks and challenges of a love that may not come to be. "The Days Of Wine And Roses" has equal strength with great vocals by Patti; the musical arrangement is flawless.



Patti Page teams up with arranger/conductors Robert Mersey, Vic Schoen, Dudley Brooks and Dick Hyman for her other LP on this two-fer CD entitled Love After Midnight. The title track is a romantic ballad and the orchestration is lush. In "A Faded Summer Love" and "Born To Lose" Patti laments loves gone awry. "The Lamp Is Low" again adds a Latin beat to enhance the romantic nature of this ballad; and "All The Way" is a classic ballad arranged by Vic Schoen that Patti performs to perfection. Moreover, Patti's rendition of "September Song" stuns you with its meaningful lyrics and flawless arrangement. The closing track "The Sweetest Sounds" has a distinct '60s feel to the arrangement but it will charm you even today with its elegance.



The liner notes give you beautiful photos of Patti with the original liner notes from the record albums. There is a list of recording dates for each song as well.



Patti Page deserves much credit for remaining in strong demand despite the sharp turn pop music took when rock and roll took over "center stage" in the music industry. Patti used her musical talents to touch the hearts of countless people all over the world. Moreover, Patti's high octane energy level enabled her to produce a massive volume of work spanning six decades. This excellent two-fer CD is merely a small fraction of Patti's remarkable artistic ability; and fans of classic pop vocals would do well to purchase her other CDs, too.



Bravo, Patti!

"