More than just an itsy-bitsy bikini singer
Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 04/28/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"While none of the Brian Hyland CDs available are comprehensive, this new one from Connoissuer in the U.K. finally plugs the holes of Hyland singles yet to appear on CD. Besides all the major hits, including of course his debut novelty chart-topping "Itsy Bitsy... Bikini", making their CD debut are "Hung Up In Your Eyes" and his final bubbling-under charting single "So Long Marianne". Overcoming the difficulty of following up a major, though totally novelty, record, Hyland managed to stay on the music-buying public's want list for an entire decade. Though not a successful strategy for many artists of the era, Hyland's label-skipping managed to revive his career nearly every time his hit-making capacity would wane. In his case, new hot and successful producers and writers managed to jumpstart his appeal to the music-buying teenage market several times. This ongoing renewal process also served to give Hyland several fresh starts in his material and style that make listening to a career-long retrospective such as this generally more interesting. Notable sides here include Hyland's career-rejuvenating "Sealed With A Kiss" from '62, the Del Shannon-produced "Gypsy Woman" that carried him into the 70s and the pre-Gary Lewis version of "Save Your Heart For Me", a tune relegated to the b-side of a minor '63 hit. This collection samples his output from all the labels he recorded for and by happenstance all those labels have wound up under the control of Universal Music, making the job easier for the compilers of this CD. While sound quality here does not quite measure up to the domestic MCA Hyland compilation, it is adequate overall. Tracks 1-4,6,7,16-18 and 20 appear in stereo with the remainder in mono. A few of these mono tracks have appeared in stereo on other Hyland collections indicating the slightly less than exhaustive source tape effort. The eight-page liner notes booklet provides good backround info on Hyland's musical history along with track listing details. Overall, this is a high quality, nearly comprehensive gathering of one of the 60s most successful teen recording artists. It serves as either a very good single CD Hyland collection or, despite considerable track overlap, an excellent companion piece to the MCA Hyland greatest hits piece."
Track Listings (21) - Disc #1