A BILINGUAL MUSICAL MELANGE
Thomas C. Rizzo, Jr. | Largo, Florida | 12/05/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"By the time she recorded the tracks included in this compilation of songs issued in the English and French-language markets between 1972 and 1976, Petula Clark had long shed the "Downtown" sound that dominated the years in which she worked almost exclusively with composer/arranger/producer Tony Hatch. One need listen no further than the first selection here - "Comme Une Priere," a translation of an extract from Leonard Bernstein's "Mass" - to realize this is a decidedly different Clark from the days when the bouncy pop lyrics and pulsating beat of her songs dominated the charts. Although 16 of the 22 tracks are in French, you don't need to understand a word to realize many of them are short stories or brief plays, exquisitely interpreted by Clark with her impeccable enunciation and trademark vocal phrasing. The singer's fans will already know several of the tunes from their versions on English LPs; everyone will recognize "Jour et Nuit" (literally, "Day and Night") as "Day by Day" from "Godspell." While most might find the mix of languages odd, and the English selections puzzling since they've been issued previously, the CD was actually prepared for her French audience, which embraced her no matter the language, and these English songs are new to them. Among them, "What I Did for Love" (from "A Chorus Line") and a cover of "My Guy" - complete with the more traditional brass accompaniment of Clark's 60s sound - are the highlights. A must for diehard fans, and a good investment for those whose appreciation of suberb vocalizing supercedes their need to understand the lyrcs."
At last
01/07/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For 30 years I have been reading and hearing about Petula's "Comme un Priere" album; in a poll many U.S. and British fans voted it as their favorite. I tried and tried to get a copy but never did. Now, three decades later, finally I've heard it and, yep, it's divine. Much different than her English-language output of the era, intriguing and fascinating. What a pleasure to finally have heard it. Now I can die happy. This album will make YOU happy whether or not you know a word of French."
Beautiful music from the seventies
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 02/15/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This completes the marathon nine-volume Anthologie series of French recordings on their Vogue label. Indeed, there were not enough tracks to fill this volume with French music, so sic of Petula's English language recordings from the same period are included.The CD begins with the complete original album, Comme une priere. The title track (an extract from Leonard Bernstein's Mass translated into French) is one of several songs here that show Petula returning to her roots. Petula began her career as an actress who happened to sing. Her French version of Day by day (from Godspell) and her English language cover of What I did for love are other theatrical songs included here. Fans of her sixties music will be pleased to discover a cover of My Guy (the Motown song which was a huge international hit for Mary Wells).While the music here does not rank among her most commercially successful, it is of an extremely high quality and very enjoyable, especially to those who understand that the years with Tony Hatch were only a small part of a very long and distinguished career."
Track Listings (22) - Disc #1
