Out of print in the U.S.! Import reissue of Dusty's 1968 album including four bonus tracks, 'No Stranger Am I' (Remix), 'Meditation' (Remix), 'The Colour Of Your Eyes' (Remix) and 'Spooky'. Recorded just prior to her now-c... more »lassic Dusty In Memphis, this album features a strong mix of Rock, Soul and Easy Listening tracks including a cover of French singer/songwriter Charles Aznavour's 'Who (Will Take My Place)', Randy Newman's 'I Think It's Going To Rain Today' and her version of 'Piece Of My Heart', later a hit for Janis Joplin. Universal.« less
Out of print in the U.S.! Import reissue of Dusty's 1968 album including four bonus tracks, 'No Stranger Am I' (Remix), 'Meditation' (Remix), 'The Colour Of Your Eyes' (Remix) and 'Spooky'. Recorded just prior to her now-classic Dusty In Memphis, this album features a strong mix of Rock, Soul and Easy Listening tracks including a cover of French singer/songwriter Charles Aznavour's 'Who (Will Take My Place)', Randy Newman's 'I Think It's Going To Rain Today' and her version of 'Piece Of My Heart', later a hit for Janis Joplin. Universal.
CD Reviews
DUSTY THE STYLE QUEEN WITHOUT EQUAL
Steve Sleeve | Waikanae New Zealand | 06/04/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Dusty Definitely was released in Britain about a year after the sublime Dusty in Memphis. It reached the lower reaches of the British charts and was not released at that time in the United States. The two albums are as stylistically removed from one another as if they were by two very different singers which is more evidence that Dusty is quite simply the best female singer to have come out of the British Isles. Dusty Definitely has been obscured by the deserved high praise lavished upon Dusty in Memphis, but Dusty Definitely is an astonishingly varied and accomplished set of songs in its own right: From the rousing Tamla-Motownish opener "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone", the clatteringly ear-splitting beat of "Love Power", the husky-toned "This Girl's In Love With You", the spine-tingling sadness of Randy Newman's "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today" to the album's warm closer, the sultry "Second Time Around", Dusty Defintely is a maddeningly beautiful set. The CD includes four bonus tracks which perfectly fit the closing reflective mood of the album.
We know that this album - like all good Dusty Springfield albums - was made under very, very trying conditions - with more than some of those trying conditions attributable to Dusty's never-satisfied, exhausting perfectionism. Whatever the pain surrounding the making of Dusty Definitely, the end result more than justifies it."
A bag of delights that stands alongside Dusty in Mephis
Peter Gibbins | Sheffield, UK | 12/21/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Like the other reviewers I believe this is a stone cold five star album. But other people's choices of stand out tracks are quite fascinating, and very different to mine. For me 'the colour of your eyes','no stranger am I' and 'i think it's gonna rain today' are the real killers and worth the price of admission alone. These are three of the most haunting and beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard and among Dusty's all-time best. 'No stranger am I' in particular makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Celestial, breathless banks of strings float like silver clouds in a moonlit sky. Her voice weaves breathlessly through, haunted and pure. An oboe takes up the melody, plaintive, simple in an atmosphere charged like the calm before a summer storm.
The soul and ballad standards like 'take another little piece of my heart' and this girl's in love with you are sung with feeling and energy - of course. But Dusty is only at half throttle emotionally on these numbers. 'I only wanna laugh' and 'Spooky' are pleasant listening, but compared to what she can achieve they are slight and kitsch.
The album's treasures also include the unexpected pleasures of 'aint no sun sice you've been gone' and 'love power'. Both crazily upbeat. The first in particular has such a powerful, soulful vocal performance that it lifts me out of my seat. 'There's a big black cloud hanging over my head ...' she half croons, half belts out, hopping along the downbeat in a voice mixing honey and raw power ' ... cloud of loneliness, I feel like I'm dead'.
This ranks alongside 'Dusty in Memphis' for me. In fact of all of her albums (and I have them all), this is the one I listen to most often. Partly, I think, because it has more variety than the Memphis album, sublime though that is. Buy it or borrow it or steal it - but hear it!
"
Definately a Winner
J. M. Zuurbier | Canada | 11/22/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is Dusty's 1968 album DUSTY...DEFINATELY which is out of print, but it comes with some bonus tracks and in a remastered form. The bonus tracks include "Spooky", "The Colour of Your Eyes (Remix)", "Meditation (Remix)", and "No Stranger I Am (Remix)". The material on the album is what Dusty was singing at the time in her career, just soulful beautiful songs that touched the heart. The highlight of the album for me is her heartfelt rendition of Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going To Rain Today", I think she holds the most powerful version of this classic, Bette Midler following shortly with her version. There is another Bacharach/David composition in "Another Night", another highlight from the album. She also does her own rendition of "Take Another Little Piece of My Heart", a fine version indeed. Other highlights here include "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone", "This Girl's In Love With You", "Love Powere", "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You" and "Second Time Around". Overall this is worth it for the fans of Dusty, whether a huge fan of a casual one, there is something here for everyone to like."
Dusty at her soulful heart breaking best
Ward J. Lamb | slate hill, new york United States | 09/14/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This cd harkens back to the Dusty who could sing a ballad to break a heart.Her version of "The second time around" is haunting and beautiful.Her lush back-ups seem to place the lp in a lounge type of mood,contrary to her soul inspired outings.
Two other cuts stand out. The muted version of "I only wanna laugh",and her sultry pining "Mr. Dream Merchant". The added tracks are nice but this collection was perfect as it was. "I think it's gonna rain today " should be one of Randy Newmans' biggest compliments as a song-writer.Dusty's haunted ballad singing defines a new depth in her reading of this chestnut.
Bacharach's "This girls in love with you" is another positive,airy turn for the song-writer.Dusty is a singers' singer,and a romantic one,and that is a fact! This lp was one of the finest of her colorful career.
ROMANTIC! Bravo!"
Dusty's last album before Memphis
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 05/08/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Originally released in time for Christmas 1968, this album doesn't contain any hit singles. That isn't really surprising, because in those days singles were often released separately. Everything changed in the seventies, when album sales became much more important and singles became a marketing tool to sell albums. Don't be deceived by the absence of any of those classic Dusty hits, because this is a great album that is generally overlooked by most people.
There are some songs here that should be instantly recognizable to fans of late sixties and early seventies pop music. Piece of my my heart, originally recorded by Erma Franklin but most famously covered by Janis Joplin, has been covered by plenty of other singers down the years including Bonnie Tyler and Faith Hill. Another oft-recorded song is the Bacharach / David classic, This girl's in love with you. Those are the two most famous songs here, but many of the other songs are also covers include I think it's gonna rain today (Randy Newman), Spooky (McCoys), Second time around (Sammy Cahn / Jimmy Van Heusen), I only wanna laugh (from an obscure Broadway musical), Who will take my place (originally a French song by Charles Aznavour), Morning (originally a Brazillian song) and an obscure Bacharach / David song (Another night). Ain't no sun since you've been gone (the opening track) and I can't give back the love I feel for you (another excellent track) are covers of Motown songs.
The overall sound of the album is typical of what one expected to hear from Dusty in the mid to late sixties, except that this album rocks a little harder than its predecessors. My faforite tracks? On an album of such a consistently high quality, it would be pointless to pick out favorites. I've seen several reviews of this album and I notice that where people pick out favorites, they differ widely in their choices. That's often a sign of a really solid album with no obvious weakness - and that's exactly what this is.
Dusty went on to much greater success with her Memphis album, but if you're a serious fan of Dusty's music, you'll love this album too."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1