FIVE OUT OF SIX AIN'T BAD
Thomas C. Rizzo, Jr. | Largo, Florida | 04/29/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Tony Hatch is indisputedly the most prolific of all contemporary British composers, definitely on a par with Burt Bacharach. In addition to his long and fruitful association with Petula Clark, he was responsible for dozens of television and movie themes, many of them instantly recognizable to UK audiences.
This 6-CD set is an excellent representation of his work over the past several decades. Each duplicates the artwork of the original LP release. The most enjoyable is "The Sound of Tony Hatch," since many of the tracks are instrumental versions of Clark's biggest hits. The least successful - and the reason I deducted a star from my rating - is "The Two of Us," which features vocals by Jackie Trent, Hatch's one time collaborator and wife. Her renditions of various songs from Clark's catalog are excrutiating compared to the brilliant originals. As a singer, Trent is a great songwriter. Better Castle should have replaced this with a far superior CD, "Petula Clark Sings Tony Hatch."
Five of these CDs provide hours of great listening. This is defintely worth the investment."
Very Enjoyable
Richard Thompson | Prince Frederick, Maryland United States | 06/30/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a set I never thought I'd see. All six are a joy to hear (listen to how Hatch's arrangements tie up every loose end). I enjoyed the Trent-Hatch "The Two of Us" album, even if, given a choice, I'd have preferred "Hits Symphonic" in its place. Still, the only problem I find with this is with the "Tony Hatch Sound" album. It was released in the U.S. as "Downtown Sound" with two substitutions -- "Round Every Corner" and "You're the One" -- and it would have been nice to have those two included as bonus selections, especially as, for some reason, "Round Every Corner" has appeared only in monaural on CD (the original "Downtown Sound" LP has it in stereo). Even so, this is an excellent set for anyone who enjoys popular instrumentals with some zip to them."
Worth every cent!
kevin | Ontario, Canada | 04/16/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"An excellent collection. Six original albums re-mastered and boxed with attractive "mini-LP" sleeves with original artwork and liner notes. Five of the six discs feature Tony and his Orchestra. The arrangements are fresh and crisp. There's no tacky ultra lounge sounds here - just clean orchestral renditions of some great tunes from the 60's and 70's (a large number of them written by Tony himself).
The sixth disc features Tony harmonizing with ex-wife Jackie Trent. As good as this disc is, it doesn't belong here with the rest. I would have preferred to see his 1972 collection of Burt Bacharach covers in it's place. However, still a deal at $40. I probably paid more for the original vinyl back in the 70's!"
Track Listings (76) - Disc #1