Best Sue Thompson collection so far...
Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 03/12/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Listening to her recordings now or when they first became top-10 charting singles, the audience may think of her as a cutesy, bubbly teenage girl, a sort of Brenda Lee without the grit. This may contribute to why her music has been somewhat sidestepped in the CD reissue market. Ms Thompson was, in fact, a married woman with a decade of performing and recording behind her before she finally hit the pop charts big time after pairing up with songwriter John D. Loudermilk. Thompson went on to see seven of her tunes make the top-100, the four most successful being written by Loudermilk. Her last pop charting entry was the infectious, quirky, stomping "Paper Tiger", a tune that surprisingly only reached into the top 25. After several years off the charts, Thompson re-emerged and made some noise on the country music charts solo and with duets with Don Gibson during the early and mid-70's. This collection of her pop and country hits gathers up most of her charted singles and is vastly superior to the existing domestic Sue Thompson collections. If fault is to be found here, it is the somewhat surprising omission of one of her pop hits in favor of a b-side. Otherwise, this is an excellent compilation boasting superior sound quality (all tracks in stereo) and an informative liner notes booklet with photos and illustrations. A welcome addition to the reissue marketplace."
+3/4 -- Thorough collection of 60s/70 Nashville songbird
hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 10/13/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Varese's latest treasure hunt from Nashville's Hickory Records catalog spotlights a vocalist who found chart success in the early '60s with sweet, Brenda Lee styled pop, and again in the '70s, with light country fare that paired her with the legendary Don Gibson. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of her hits are the heavyweight songwriters who supplied the songs: John D. Loudermilk, Felice & Boudleaux Bryant, Roy Orbison and Dallas Frazier.All sixteen of these sides were produced by Hickory head-honcho, Wesley Rose, using Nashville studio pickers and orchestration to create a poppier version of the Nashville Sound. Thompson's vocals were surprising youthful, given her mid-30s age in the early '60s, not to mention the decade of experience that preceded her tenure at Hickory. In addition to live work in talent shows, and on radio and television, Thompson recorded a number of country and western swing tunes as part of Dude Martin's entourage in the '50s.Her earlier work at Mercury (not anthologized here) found her moving in a pop direction, with several sides backed by the label's house orchestra, under the direction of David Carroll. It was a direction that would pay dividends, especially when matched up with the teen-oriented material of John D. Loudermilk. Thompson's first hit, "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)," is a keenly produced story of teenage infidelity, with a twangy bass played against swirling strings and a '50s-styled saxophone. She followed up with the cute, march-tempo, "Norman," featuring an insidious title hook and a pep-band horn arrangement. Her 1962 hit, "James (Hold the Ladder)," has a similar, showtune-styled step to it.Ballads, such as "Two of a Kind," lean back to the country side of the Nashville Sound, with Floyd Cramer's laconic slip-key piano and the Anita Kerr singers setting the mood. Thompson also sang torch tunes, like the Bryants' "Have a Good Time," though they don't match her young-sounding voice as well as the more treacly teenage material. Similarly, "Bad Boy" sounds more like an Elvis movie tossoff than a song from the pen of Roy Orbison. Thompson closed out her pop-hit career in 1965 with Loudermilk's "Paper Tiger," combining a bluesy harmonica with a vocal that sounds like Haley Mills channeling Ann-Margret.The early '70s found Thompson's commercial fortunes revived via a series of duets with Don Gibson. Gibson's own "The Two of Us Together" kicked off a short string of successes, setting his relaxed vocal against Thompson's still young sounding voice. Though there are pop touches (the electric sitar of "I Think They Call it Love"), these are more decidedly country productions than Thompson's earlier work on the label. Her solo single, "Big Mable Murphy," mixing Roaring 20s jazz with Dixieland-styled horns, rang up #50 on the country chart.This is a nicely balanced collection of Thompson's Hickory years, pulling together her earlier pop singles with her later country successes. Now all we need is for someone to put together a collection of her pre-Hickory work!"
Girl of many talents
Rodney M. Pyne | Sydney,Australia | 11/21/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sue Thampson came to notice about the same time as Brenda Lee and Helen Shapiro and so suffered somewhat from a surplus of girl singers with distinct voices and styles.A pity.Sue was just as good in her way and might have become bigger with better management or promotion.This CD shows just how good was her voice and how big was her repertoire.She can deliver the big and bouncy sound of "Paper Tiger" as well as the sweet seduction of "Have a Good Time.There's fun,with "James {Hold the Ladder Steady}" and tender togetherness in "The Two of Us Together".Sue could change styles and delivery with every change of subject.This CD has all of the great hits and then some.She deserved to be more famous and successful."
