Search - Petula Clark :: With All My Heart: The Nixa Anthology 1956 - 1959

Petula's fifties music

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 07/30/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is easy to dismiss Petula's early recordings, but during the fifties Petula was very successful in her homeland and all across Europe. At least one LP was released in America during this period, but didn't sell well. These recordings are very different from Downtown and the rest of her late sixties recordings. As a child, Peggy Lee was one of Petula's favorites, and was a strong early influence on Petula. Some of the songs are covers of American songs. Suddenly there's a valley was a top ten British hit for Petula, outselling versions by Jo Stafford and Gogi Grant. Other American songs include Fascinating rhythm, Memories are made of this, I've grown accustomed to his face, Zing! went the strings of my heart and As time goes by, and you will recognise others.Petula's British hits were being translated into French and recorded by Dalida, who was scoring French hits with them. Meanwhile, Petula was getting restless. She was tired of the easy listening songs and wanted to rock and roll. Noting the lack of her own American success but the huge French success of Dalida, she moved to France and started recording in French. Dalida didn't cover any more Petula songs, but they had one more battle - they both recorded French versions of Save the last dance for me, and both had huge hits with the song. Despite all this, Petula insists they always got on really well - and it obviously didn't harm either of their careers.Some of Petula's early French recordings, not including Save the last dance for me, but including another big translated hit, Prends mon coeur (Fool such as I) are here. A full set of French recordings from this period, including Save the last dance for me, can found on Anthologie 6, a French import.The double-CD is completed by some of Petula's Christmas songs, which can also found on Merry Christmas/Joyeaux Noel.So, this is a very interesting collection for Petula fans, or for those interested in British pop ladies of the fifties like Alma Cogan, Marion Ryan, Lita Roza, Billie Anthony and Joan Regan."

An earlier, and I think BETTER, Petula Clark

Bruce R. Gilson | Wheaton, MD United States | 05/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Petula Clark became well known in the US in 1965, with her hit, "Downtown." The songs in this CD, however, are from an earlier period in her career, when she was only known at home in England.



Many of the songs on this CD are covers of hits by US singers, and, for example, the title song was the only hit for Jodie Sands here in the US. But Petula Clark's voice was better than Jodie Sands', and I have to say I like her version at least as well as Sands'. Other songs are also familiar, and I enjoyed this CD.

A reviewer of some albums of her other early recordings is very negative about Petula Clark's earlier style. I think it's BETTER than the later style she became known for. If you like '50s music, give this CD a listen!"