Nice slice of the 70's
bobby morrow | United Kingdom | 04/02/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I don't have much of a history with Dana. I'm a bit too young to remember her winning the Eurovision song contest in 1970 with 'All Kinds Of Everything' but I do recall several more of her hits from later on. I even bought one of these LPs, 'Love Songs And Fairytales' back in '76.
As I've said before, Dana, like Lynsey De Paul and Olivia Newton-John, struggled to find her place in the UK music scene. All 3 girls were TV regulars and seasoned live performers but found it hard to maintain singles success and had next to no luck with their album releases. Indeed, Dana and Lynsey's charting careers ended with the decade when they were both still only in their late twenties. Olivia, of course, broke America becoming an all round superstar there for many years and was fortunate enough not to have to rely on the UK for her income!
So, this excellent 2 CD set contains 3 albums and a further 9 bonus tracks. Certainly great value. It begins with 1975's 'Have A Nice Day', which featured Dana's big hit, 'Please Tell Him That I Said Hello'. As an album, it reminds me very much of Olivia's (her again!) 1974 'Long Live Love' set in that it's very quirky and 'English' sounding. Indeed, some of the songs cross the fine line between charming and downright embarrassing! Tracks like 'Are You Still Mad At Me', 'The Goodbye Song', 'Darlin' Come Home Soon' and the insanely catchy 'Rivers Are For Boats' are very 'Eurovision', but in a lovely 1970's way. Although not the best technically of the 3 LPs, it's perhaps my favourite so far...
The one I bought on LP, 'Love Songs And Fairytales' is next. It's definitely the weakest of the 3, mainly because it's basically a covers album. It's big hit, 'Fairytale' is the only original and doesn't represent the album well as it's a modern ('76 modern) disco-ish track that leaves you wanting more of the same. To be fair to Dana, she does try to do something different with these songs like her cod-reggae attempt at 'Rose Garden' and her jazzy take on the New Seekers' 'I Get A Little Sentimental Over You', both of which work to some degree. Her uneven, peculiar version of 10CC's 'I'm Not In Love' (already over-familiar even then) and the (mostly) accapella rendion of the dreaded 'Over The Rainbow' aren't what I paid good money for, though.
3 years on and Dana's gone all 'Totally Hot'! Well, not really, but it was her first contempory pop LP. The lead single, 'Something's Cookin' In The Kitchen' was one of those smart songs that ticks all the right boxes, gets great reviews but still doesn't sell. It should have. Second single, the title track, 'The Girl Is Back', is another fine effort though perhaps a little convoluted for a 7". The album has many styles including the lovely, jazzy 'I Can't Get Over Getting Over You' (yet another flop) and the gorgeous Barry Blue (who produced the album, incidentally) and Lynsey De Paul penned 'The Thieves Of Paris' sticking in the head particularly. It's a really good album overall and should have been the start of great things for Dana, but sadly, it wasn't to be.
Still, at least these albums are out on CD for the first time. Her fans must be thrilled with the bonus tracks, too. I was especially pleased to hear her seasonal 1975 hit, 'It's Gonna Be A Cold, Cold Christmas' again, but I do prefer ONJ's version of 'Have Love Will Travel' to Dana's, it must be said!
A great package then. 7ts have to be applauded for bringing these old albums back to life and remastering them so well, too. This set is obviously a must for Dana fans but should be of interest to anyone to has a fondness for simple, pleasant pop music from a more innocent time."
