Even better than I'd hoped
Anthony D Ravenscroft | Santa Fe, NM United States | 01/25/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When I was a kid, my dad sang constantly. If it had harmony or artistry, he'd listen to it -- New Christy Minstrels, Jan & Dean, Mamas & Papas, Kingston Trio, Everly Brothers, whatever.
He had just one single by Frank Ifield, & I grew up listening to "I Listen to My Heart" & "I Remember You." But before Ifield broke through with that single, he was well-established in the Australia part of the world as a singer, with amazing range & timbre, & a startling yodel.
I usually hate albums of song covers, especially pop "classics." Even for a cynic like me, though, this album is a delight -- leaving out one or two tracks, I'd call it an unqualified success. All the tunes were recorded by a very young Ifield in 1955 through 1959. Like many musicians of the era, he strolls through cowboy music, jazzy pop, & some easygoing rock-&-roll.
The best tracks remind me of Grand Old Opry & Louisiana Hayride tunes -- specifically "Troubled Heart," which could pass for a lost Hank Williams song. I greatly enjoyed "Yerranderie," a rarity being an Aussie saddle tune. "No Need to Cry Anymore" is an incredible example of '50s country, the sort of thing Jim Reeves could belt out before he got buried by orchestral glop. Any sock-hop would have gladly played "Will I Ever" in this version. The Big Bopper-ish "since You Went Away" is a little rough around the edges, like the band is divided into two slightly different syncopations, but Ifield sounds like he's having a ball. I even enjoyed "Deep Purple," a chestnut I usually loathe. The gem is "Yodelling Mad," two minutes of Ifield with voice & guitar doing what sounds like a tribute (or challenge) to Elton Britt's warbling.
Oh, to heck with it. I could cheer another dozen tracks, but I'll spare you. Buy the CD -- it's full of hard-to-find tracks from one of the most remarkable voices to be all but ignored in the U.S. for almost 50 years"
Not Franks best, But not to bad.
frederick welsh | Ontario Canada | 10/25/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I have this c.d. and it has some good songs in it,I would rate it from 1-10 about 8+"
Track Listings (30) - Disc #1