Search - Petula Clark :: Feeling Groovy

Great selection of covers and other album tracks

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 05/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Apart from two of Petula's British and American hits (A sign of the times, Don't sleep in the subway) and one of her major French hits (Ya ya twist), this compilation avoids all the obvious hits, presenting instead a selection of Petula's other recordings - mainly covers but also including some brilliant original songs that most people don't know about unless they've already got them in their record collection. In a compilation like this where no track is essential but hundreds of tracks are worthy of inclusion, I would have made a very different but not necessarily better selection. Nevertheless, there were some tracks that I was particularly pleased to see.



Among the original but obscure songs, the standout is The ad, a song about a teenager running away from home. In this song, the parents are heartbroken with worry but their daughter doesn't care because her parents had made life so difficult for her. Petula performs this song brilliantly. Another outstanding original song is L' agent secret. Petula wrote this song as a James Bond theme, apparently disappointed that she wasn't given the chance to do such a theme. This song is better than many of the actual James Bond themes.



Among the covers are England swings (Roger Miller), Black coffee (Peggy Lee), Grooving (Young Rascals), The boy from Ipanema (Astrud Gilberto), Rain (Beatles) and Tears of a clown (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles). Many Petula compilations have featured covers as well as her hits so the choice here is possibly based on what hasn't been made available on those other compilations. So while these are not my favorite Petula covers, they are still brilliant. I was particularly pleased to see England swings (a rarely-covered song) and Black coffee (a cover of a song by one of Petula's idols, Peggy Lee) here.



Dedicated Petula fans will already have most of these tracks on LP or CD, but if all you've got of Petula's music is a hits collection and you'd like to hear more, this compilation will provide you with plenty of enjoyment."

Aural eden

Daly Mavorneen | Los Angeles, CA | 03/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The elasticity of the vocals mirrors the unfettered emotions and expansive hopes of the era that defined this music. Blissed-out soul, psychedelica and joyful pop collide in little-known gems like "Fill The World With Love," "A Sign Of The Times," and "Gotta Tell The World." And if you long for this kind of music with today's sparkling production values, you should also pick up current groovesters and fellow Brits Swing Out Sister ("Somewhere Deep in the Night") or Noonday Underground ("Self Assembly")."