Search - Peggy Lee :: Then Was Then Now Is Now/Bridge Over Troubled Water

Splendid twofer CD from the great Peggy Lee

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 06/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Then Was Then Now Is Now/Bridge Over Troubled Water is an excellent twofer Peggy Lee CD that has all the songs from two of Peggy's record albums entitled Then Was Then Now Is Now and Bridge Over Troubled Water. The quality of the sound is excellent; and the artwork incorporates the original record album artwork and that always impresses me. This is a must-have for fans of Peggy Lee.



"Then Was Then" starts off the CD with Peggy singing this with great sensitivity; and I love the music that accompanies her as she sings. "Then Was Then" is a pretty ballad and it makes a good start for this album. "Trapped In The Web Of Love" has a great melody and the brass is used to great advantage. The beat is catchy and Peggy Lee sings this with lots of feeling--great! Peggy swings brightly to make this number shine. "Free Spirits" has that late 60s/early 70s beat to it; and the somewhat rockin' arrangement proves so ably that Peggy Lee could sing any type of song! "I Go To Sleep" is another very pretty tune that Peggy seemingly aces effortlessly. Of course, we know that it really wasn't so easy--Peggy's talents easily carried her through and she makes this number shine!



"Leave It To Love" is a very special ballad and this is easily one of my very favorite love songs ever. Peggy sings this with her voice as clear as a bell; and her uncanny sense of timing enhances her performance even further. "The Shadow Of Your Smile" shines just as brightly; this is another one of my favorite tunes and the music that accompanies Peggy as she sings fits in perfectly with her vocals. There's also "Everybody Has The Right To Be Wrong;" Peggy delivers this without a superfluous note and as a fan of Peggy Lee I really like this number.



"Bridge Over Troubled Water" has Peggy doing a sensitive cover of this classic ballad by Simon & Garfunkel; Peggy sings this wonderfully and Simon & Garfunkel must have certainly been proud! "The Thrill Is Gone" has that early `70s funky beat and Peggy swings gently to make this a great tune.



"(There's) Always Something There To Remind Me" is a great cover again by Peggy Lee; she performs "(There's) Always Something There To Remind Me" with panache and that's great. Peggy truly delves into this song to make it her own and she succeeds every step of the way. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" is another stunning cover; and I really like "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head." "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?" certainly gets the royal treatment from Peggy; her rendition here is THE definitive rendition of this ballad.



"This Could Be The Start Of Something Big" has that catchy, upbeat melody that always makes me smile; and the CD ends nicely with Peggy Lee performing "Maybe This Summer." "Maybe This Summer" is a fine love song and I think it makes a splendid ending for this twofer CD.



Peggy Lee was one of the best female vocalists the world has ever seen; and CDs like this prove it. I highly recommend this CD for Peggy's fans and people who like classic pop vocals will also appreciate this album.

"

Especially For The Fans:

Mark D. Prouse | Riverdale (Bronx), NY | 05/30/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This collection of two "lost" albums from Peggy's late Capitol period is not a place to start, if you're just new to the charm of Peggy Lee. She will most likely not win many converts with these (relatively) obscure reissues. The first record THEN WAS THEN, NOW IS NOW is an upbeat affair with only a handful of slower ballads, and overall, I like it well enough ... and it does yield one big surprise for this listener, Ray Davies' "I Go To sleep"(yes, that guy from The Kinks -- as stated in the detailed liner notes, Mr. Davies sent Peggy a demo of his song, personally, which is pretty cool, and hipper still, Peg saw fit to give it a go). Cher recorded this one a bit later, as well. Both versions are worth hearing, although Cher's has the edge (she's more of that generation, and she nailed the phrasing - Peggy was gamely negotiating how to do the new music in 1965). Still, this is a refreshing change of pace for our Peggy. Love it. There is something about "I Go To Sleep" that has appealed to successive generations. The Pretenders cut a version much later.



Another attractive pop swinger, "They Say," could have been done this staccato way by label mate, Nancy Wilson, or even Dionne Warwick (don't recall a recording of this by them; any care to comment?)



Two quintessential Peggy Lee songs make their appearance here, the title song, and "(I'm Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over." One might forgive her for including such songs, which sit so uneasily next to the pop/rock oriented songs that make up the majority of this set, for this IS Peggy Lee, after all, and some of us will follow her anywhere. Another song, the theme from the movie THE SANDPIPER, "The Shadow Of Your Smile" was something of an overexposed song back then, like the Beatles' "Yesterday;" hundreds of artists cut versions (who needed one more)? Peggy's "Shadow" is typically fine, and probably sounds better now, when it is not heard so much by a parade of singers on the airwaves, all hoping to have a hit with it.



But the big knockout for me, other than "I Go To Sleep," is "Ev'rybody Has the Right To Be Wrong." Great song, great, swingin' rendition by Peg. This Van Heusen/Cahn number seems tailor-made for Miss Peggy Lee.



"Seventh Son," a Willie Dixon blues-gospel-style rouser is not as left field a choice as one might think, and Peggy does a creditable job with it. She's been successfully experimenting with blues songs throughout her career.



The bonus tracks are very nice, especially the gently rocking "Maybe This Summer," and the up-tempo brasser, "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big," written by Steve Allen.



1970's BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER is the more problematic of the two albums on this disc. The title song just isn't the kind of melody that Lee sounds comfortable singing. She picked a big hit of the day (ten days after Simon & Garfunkel's song hit the Billboard Top 100 charts), and she just didn't do that much with it. If this single advanced the LP, then no wonder it disappeared quickly.



That having been said, Peggy's "Bridge" is not dreadful, just vaguely embarrassing. It's an ill-fitting glove, but it's not as much of a worn-out hit as "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" was, even then. It shouldn't have worked, but kind of does, listening to it now. In between these songs is a variety of material showing Lee's typical, eclectic approach. Although Peggy Lee has long been interested in the blues, her take on "The Thrill Is Gone" lacks something; like "Bridge," it's an awkward fit. Otherwise, Peggy fares a little better, despite the uneven quality of the arrangements.



There are, as on the previous album, two real stunners, "I See Your Face Before Me," and "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life." It must have been this recording, not Sinatra's, that motivated both Dusty Springfield and Alison Moyet to record this last tune. It is a perfect fit for Peggy, and she takes full advantage of its complex melody and sultry lyric.



Four Stars for THEN WAS THEN, and Three for both the bonus tracks and BRIDGE, means that, if I could, I would give this release 3 ½ Stars. But since I can't, I'll nudge it up to 4 Stars for the Peg Fanatics. You know who you are; do not hesitate to buy this fascinating collection, and its co-release, Make It with You/ Where Did They Go?.* *review coming soon."