RCA Years Double Best CD + Many Rarities !
gassy goon | 12/14/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"By far, this is the strongest CD of Bonnie Tyler's years with RCA , boasting 36 songs with many rare B-sides that are hard to find. It includes IT'S A HEARTACHE , many good album tracks, singles & some rare B-sides of singles that makes this THE best compilation of her RCA years . To start off, these B-sides are hidden gems , where Bonnie rocked out more than on the album tracks. IT'S ABOUT TIME [ the B-side to IT'S A HEARTACHE ] is one of her most raspy, rocking songs where she really lets loose. COME ON GIVE ME LOVING is another rocker that was relegated as a B-side, and again another strong song. DON'T STOP THE MUSIC is a rarity too, more in the pop vein , but good. Plus, there are other great rock oriented sides like WILD LOVE, YESTERDAY DREAMS, GOT SO USED TO LOVING YOU [ the B-side to her very 1st single MY MY HONEYCOMB , which is sadly, not on here ], TOO GOOD TO LAST, Chris Rea's THE CLOSER YOU GET and Tom Petty's LOUISIANA RAIN.
There are so many collections of Bonnie's RCA songs worldwide that have been done, but rest assured that this is THE best one to get. It even surpasses the 2 CD LOST IN FRANCE: THE RCA YEARS that Sanctuary released . That one has 30 tracks and does not contain some of the rarities. You won't find her Columbia/CBS hits like TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART, HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO, etc. as these came later after RCA. Also some of the album tracks are a bit subdued, somewhat dull , when she was forced to record many songs by her management/songwriters Scott/Wolfe. But the good stuff on here [ the hits, the rarities, the strong album tracks ] is worth hearing & owning. Also Bonnie's soulful , heart-pounding versions of LIVING FOR THE CITY, [ YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE A ] NATURAL WOMAN , and a very understated PIECE OF MY HEART [ done as a ballad with strings ] prove that Bonnie had the pipes to pull off redoing these classics in her own way.
The title of THE LOVE COLLECTION is a bit misleading. It's not just love songs, but the most complete look yet of Bonnie Tyler's RCA recordings that has ever been released. The title & cover photo may not be the best, but the music certainly is , for Bonnie's RCA years 1977-1980."
