Search - Eydie Gorme :: Best of

Eydie! Eydie! Eydie!

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 02/12/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although she found her greatest fame in combination with husband Steve Lawrence; big-belter Eydie Gorme was also capable of selling a hit single all by herself, as evidenced on this 'Best of' CD from the budget label Curb Records.



Long before she paired herself with Lawrence, Ms Gorme enjoyed a lucrative solo career, with such hit platters as "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)", "Guess Who I Saw Today" (introduced by June Carroll in the Broadway revue NEW FACES OF 1952), and "I'll Take Romance".



Eydie Gorme's voice always had the perfect mix of the brassy belt and velvet-tinged romance. She's especially comfortable with the sustained passages of lyric in "Fly Me to the Moon" and "September Song", which really come alive with a powerful instrument like Gorme's.



This disc includes all her best and most fondly-remembered solo hits; the only questionable track is "You Need Hands", a clinker of a song that even Gorme can't manage to save.



Whether she's by herself or anchoring Steve Lawrence in duet, Eydie Gorme is one of the most beautiful, adorable and talented singers, and this CD is a fine testament to that.



[WEA/Curb Records D2-77413]"

Fine compilation CD

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 09/12/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Eydie Gorme has enjoyed much fame and fortune over the last fifty years. Eydie was blessed with a voice that still sounds as clear as a bell and her diction is excellent. Whenever Eydie sings people take notice; and this CD gives us a sampling of her fine accomplishments as a singer.



The track set begins with "Fly Me To The Moon." This classic pop vocal shines like new in Eydie's care. Eydie sings a rarely heard opening verse; and when she goes into the actual ballad this number takes flight! The musical arrangement makes good use of the strings although Eydie's vocals remain squarely in the spotlight. Eydie charms me as she sings "Fly Me To The Moon."



"Love Letters" gets the royal treatment from Eydie; she sings this with all her heart and soul and it shows. I don't think Eydie's voice was ever better. The musical arrangement again makes good use of the strings; and this works well for "Love Letters."



"April Showers" features Eydie singing sweetly at her best; and the musical arrangement uses horns, strings and percussion to carry the bulk of the melody. I like how Eydie swings gently during her rendition of "April Showers." "Tea For Two" reverts back to a much slower tempo as Eydie sings this soulfully. How romantic! The percussion and backup singers enhance "Tea For Two" as well. Impressive! Moreover, "It Could Happen To You" shines brilliantly when Eydie sings this great ballad; even the rarely heard opening verse lacks nothing in Eydie competent hands. I think that you will enjoy "It Could Happen To You" very, very much.



"Be Careful, It's My Heart" features some great piano and horn playing as Eydie delivers this without a superfluous note. Sublime!



The liner notes include a brief uncredited essay; and you get the song credits. The artwork impresses me. The CD had time for at least one more song; but what we get impresses me so much that I will give this CD five stars anyway.



Eydie Gorme remains one of the great female vocalists of the second half of the twentieth century. Eydie still performs today with her husband Steve Lawrence; and if we're lucky she will continue to perform for many years to come.



Thank you, Eydie! You're the best!

"

Definitely Not "The Best" If By That You Mean Her Hits

Mitchell A. Orfuss | 07/01/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I take a back-seat to no one when it comes to being a fan of Eydie Gorme. BUT, I definitely do not share the enthusiasm of some of the other reviewers when it comes to this particular CD. Not because the selections or the performance of each leaves something to be desired. Definitely not. I doubt if Eydie Gorme could possibly GIVE a bad performance.



No, the problem is, while claiming to be the "Best Of" it turns out that only two of the twelve selections even made the national Billboard Pop Top/Hot 100 - I'll Take Romance which went to # 65 Top 100 in 1957 and You Need Hands which peaked at # 11 Top 100 in 1958. Now, if Curb meant the "best of" in terms of selections from her many successful LPs then that's a different kettle of fish. However, they should have said so clearly on the cover because, to most people, the term usually means an artist's top charted single hits. But then again, Curb has a history of the practice of screaming "best of" or "greatest hits of" - and then not delivering.



It's not as if there wasn't a wealth of material with which to fill out a meagre 12-track release as she racked up 17 Top/Hot 100 hits from 1956 to 1972, including three as a duet with husband Steve Lawrence and one that crossed over to the R&B charts, another five that made the Hot 100 "bubble under" charts, including one with Steve, another 21 that scored on the Adult Contemporary (AC) listings after their introduction in late 1961 to 1979 (seven with Steve including the last, billed to "Parker & Penny"), and even a Country hit in 1973.



Some of her "best" missing here, for example, are Too Close For Comfort and Mama, Teach Me To Dance (# 39 and 34 respectively in 1956), Love Me Forever (# 24 in 1957), and Blame It On The Bossa Nova, her highest Hot 100 charter which went to # 7 AND # 16 R&B in 1963. In terms of the Adult Contemporary listings, how about I Want To Stay Here (# 8 AC and # 28 Hot 100 in August 1963), If He Walked Into My Life (# 5 AC and # 120 Hot 100 "bubble under" in June 1966); and Tonight I'll Say A Prayer (# 8 AC and # 45 Hot 100 in late 1969).



Any of those in place of the non-hits and THEN they could have claimed this to be her "best." As it is, it's a nice gathering of 12 of her library of cuts with decent sound quality, but nothing in the way of informative liner notes.

"