Ward J. Lamb | slate hill, new york United States | 12/11/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Now this is an interesting over view of the Cher evolution. Beginning with the first chart hit, "All I Really Want to Do", and ending with her live duet with Sonny, "I Got you Babe", the essential collection spans two decades of "smart" pop music.With producers ranging from Sonny Bono,Snuff Garret, Bob Esty, and Jim Steinman(with Meatloafe- "Dead Ringer for Love").The cd liner notes include one particularly riveting photo of Cher with her viking head gear!(only Cher can do it and get away with it!)
The producers vary, and the tone of the music changes, from folk-rock, to 70's pop, and onto the disco floor, which has once again given Cher new life in the new millenium.(" Believe", "Strong Enough"," All or Nothing", "Music's No good")
Cher is perhaps one of the most popular single artists, and this collection features some non singles too.
Standouts(unreleased on cd) is the song, "Bad Love", a cousin to "hot stuff" by Donna Summer is introduced to cd here.A notable track from the "Black Rose" period "Young and Pretty", finds Cher singing with power and emotion,while "Rudy", her 1st of two Columbia singles harkens back to the Phil Spector sound...
Oddly missing again is any indication of the Warners yrs. What has Warners done with the tapes of Cher's 1975-7 output? It is very weird that not any of these lp tracks from the Cher solo years following the Sonny & Cher yrs are to be found on cd!
I blame Warners for this, not the compiler of this very cool cd. I remember hearing "Alfie", by Cher in 1967, in the motion picture starring Michael Caine. It is still my favorite version. Cher has been a chart topper on and off for years, and "The Essential Collection" bridges more periods than any other...An essentially bright collection!Favorite tracks include "You better sit down kids","Alfie","Wasn't it Good",and "Gypsies Tramps and Thieves" and the novel "Cowboys Work is Never Done", with Sonny.Well Cher is still cranking out the hits, and many of us are in line for each offering!"
Not exactly a comprehensive Cher collection...
jon sieruga | Redlands, CA USA | 04/09/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Most Cher collections(and there are many, many of 'em!)peter out somewhere between 1987 and 1993. This one doesn't even stretch that far, instead highlighting Cher's pre-and-post disco years of the 1970's. Still, it contains non-hits(but fun ones)like "Hell on Wheels"(from "Roller Boogie")and "Bad Love"(from "Foxes"), plus songs with Black Rose(her metal period)and Meatloaf! Cher's throaty voice and non-expressive delivery bring out the campy side of the lyrics. She would later become a rock-lite belter and actually gain some much-needed vocal range, but that's a DIFFERENT collection! A-"
"Essential" perhaps, but not "Definitive" or "Exhaustive"
J. Collins | 12/08/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Seems like at any given time there are at least as many Cher compilations available as there are original albums. Since her career spans at least a half-dozen record labels, everyone from Casablanca to Imperial to Warners has material to re-package as a "Best of" or something similar. Sad to say, few of them are really comprehensive, and they tend to favor certain "eras" or music styles. Stylistically, Cher has run the gamut, though she has yet to do an aria.This collection has charms O plenty, with some nice selections from her early "solo" records, which Sonny produced. These tracks segue into her early 70's material, which features her immortal "swarthy trio" ("Half-Breed," "Dark Lady" and "Gysies..."). There are also a few (non-hit) album tracks of note: "Don't Hide Your Love" is a good example. From there it's on to the disco days of the late 70's, with a handful of songs from her "Take Me Home" and "Prisoner" albums. The chronology runs out in the early 80's, with a rare track from Black Rose the highlight. The material in this disc all pre-dates Cher's mid-80's career boost as a rocker in the Bon Jovi mold; it also omits her more recent dance smashes, like "One on One" and "Believe".I tend to take album titles quite literally...so any "best of" collection that omits significant hits won't receive more than average marks from me. This "essential" disc really does include essential material from Cher's catalog, and if you're not fond of her recordings of the last 15 years or so, this may be the only Cher compilation you need. In the absence of a box set or multi-disc compilation that adequately documents her 30+ year career, Cher completists will have to buy several releases to get the same results. This disc would be an excellent place to start your collection. If your interest in Cher is limited to her dance music, you'd be better off finding a CD reissue of "Take Me Home", and buying her most recent releases. J"
Cher: The Essential Collection (2001)
Chad DeFeo | Philadelphia, PA USA | 05/13/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"In 2001, Cher released her next album, which of course, turned out to be another compilation entitled, THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION. This album features 23 of Cher's essential hits, most of which include her 60s and 70s hits. This album is just as proficient sounding as THE WAY OF LOVE-THE CHER COLLECTION. Read on and find out more.
ALL I REALLY WANT TO DO
From the album ALL I REALLY WANT TO DO (1965). I've said it a million times, but it does not hurt for me to say it again: Cher's first hit single ever to be released from Cher's first ever studio recorded album. This is one hell of a Cher classic.
WHERE DO YOU GO
From the album THE SONNY SIDE OF CHER (1966). Great.
BANG BANG (MY BABY SHOT ME DOWN)
From the album THE SONNY SIDE OF CHER (1966). I've also said this about a million times: A classic Cher song, where it's 1987 re-recording kicks much more a** than this version.
ALFIE
From the album CHER (1966). Not bad.
YOU BETTER SIT DOWN KIDS
From the album WITH LOVE, CHER (1968). Not bad.
THE WAY OF LOVE
From the album GYPSYS, TRAMPS & THIEVES (1971). Not bad.
GYPSYS, TRAMPS & THIEVES
From the album GYPSYS, TRAMPS & THIEVES (1971). Cher's very first #1 hit single is just outstandingly incredible. I cannot believe that after all these years, 34 years to be exact, that this song is still a huge hit for Cher.
ALL I EVER NEED IS YOU (Performed by Sonny & Cher)
From Sonny & Cher's album ALL I EVER NEED IS YOU (1972). Not bad.
LIVING IN A HOUSE DIVIDED
From the album FOXY LADY (1972). Not bad.
DON'T HIDE YOUR LOVE
From the album FOXY LADY (1972). Not bad.
HALF-BREED
From the album HALF-BREED (1973). Cher's second #1 hit sounds just as great as "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves". This is another classic Cher song that everybody from my parents' generation up to mine should recognize today.
A COWBOY'S WORK IS NEVER DONE (Performed by Sonny & Cher)
From Sonny & Cher album ALL I EVER NEED IS YOU (1972). Not bad.
DARK LADY
From the album HALF-BREED (1973). Cher's final #1 hit single for the next 25 years to come. This song just fantastic and still so after 22 years of it being released as a single.
TRAIN OF THOUGHT
From the album HALF-BREED (1973). Not bad.
I SAW A MAN AND HE DANCE WITH HIS WIFE
From the album DARK LADY (1974). Not bad.
TAKE ME HOME
From the album TAKE ME HOME (1979). Just an awesome Disco tune when Cher was still going through her Disco era. This is a song that should get everyone up and dancing. The sound and beats are just right for dancing.
WASN'T IT GOOD
From the album TAKE ME HOME (1979). Not bad.
HELL ON WHEELS
From the album PRISONER (1979). Not bad.
BAD LOVE
Previously unreleased. Not bad.
YOUNG AND PRETTY
From the album BLACK ROSE (1980). This is when Cher fronted the short-lived rock band, Black Rose. This isn't a Cher solo song, really, and the band's self-titled album is not a Cher solo album, but it is not a bad song.
DEAD RINGER FOR LOVE (performed by Cher & Meat Loaf)
From Meat Loaf's album DEAD RINGER (1981). This is a great duet between Cher & Meat. Meat Loaf is one hell of a rocker.
RUDY
From the album I PARALYZE. Yes, finally! A song from Cher's I PARALYZE album is featured on a greatest hits compilation. I knew no one could resist that album. This is a great song.
I GOT YOU BABE (Live) (Performed by Sonny & Cher)
Original version from the album LOOK AT US (1965). This song will always hold a special place within all of our hearts, since: 1) It'll help us remind ourselves of the once great Sonny Bono and 2) It was Sonny & Cher's signature & #1 hit single.
Picking up a copy of this album will be the best move you could ever make. So, take my advice and please by a copy of this album. Trust me when I say that you will not regret it. BELIEVE me."
I love it, I love it.....
Toni Mathews | USA | 03/09/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I LOVE IT! This has Cher's old and new songs.. IT IS GREAT! You will hear her songs that you almost forgot about.. You know when you try to remember a song and the words are right there, well if you have done that like I have then you will here the song on this CD (most likely) GREAT GIFT!"