Search - Jerry Wallace :: Best of Jerry Wallace: The Country Years

Smooth pop and country vocalist gets some CD love

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 12/24/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For an artist with such a deep catalog of charting singles, Jerry Wallace has gotten very little love on CD. Previous anthologies were larded with B-sides and album tracks, and at least one collection remastered critical sides at the wrong speed. So while Varese's 16-track CD only scratches the surface of Wallace's catalog, it finally delivers many of his seminal sides. Focused primarily on country hits from 1971 through 1974, this set only provides a cursory view of Wallace's earlier pop sides. A broader view awaits a double-CD or box set, but what's here is terrific, covering work for Challenge, Decca, MCA and 4-Star.



Opening the disc is a pair of sides that Wallace recorded for Challenge. The lightly orchestrated, mid-tempo rendition of Cindy Walker's "In the Misty Moonlight" (#19 pop, 1964) features a romantic lead vocal with a winning spoken interlude and cooing background chorus. The pining B-side "Even the Bad Times Are Good," was good enough to be re-released as Wallace's next single! Both tunes find Wallace adding country inflections to easy listening pop; it wasn't yet countrypolitan, but the piano, string arrangements and backing chorus were heading that direction.



By the early '70s Wallace had moved from Challenge to Decca and began finding success on the country charts. Interestingly, he didn't really have to change his music much. 1971's "After You," again featuring light orchestration and a smooth ballad vocal, pulls country to pop, rather than the other way around. The following year's "The Morning After" finally moved more towards country, with a shuffle beat and rolling acoustic guitar. Wallace's biggest commercial success came with the 1972 chart topper, "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry." As with all his '70s work, Wallace croons smoothly, sounding a bit like Nat "King" Cole, with only a hint of twang to be heard in the guitar.



Wallace continued to find success on Decca with arrangements from Bill Justis; this set hits most of the commercial highlights. His 1972 #2 "Do You Know What It's Like to Be Loneseome" sounds like it might have been written for the latter-day Elvis, and the Mexicali-influenced "The Song That Nobody Sings" bears influences of Marty Robbins. All four of Wallace's top-10 country hits are here, including 1973's "Don't Give Up On Me" and 1974's sentimental "My Wife's House." Also included are several lower-charting singles and a 1973 remake of his early hit "Primrose Lane."



The selections provide a good helping of Wallace's most recognizable sides. Missing are his earliest singles for Allied, Vogue, Tops, Class and Wing, early hits "How The Time Flies" and the original version of "Primrose Lane," the transitional "Shutters and Boards," and sides waxed for Liberty, MGM and Mercury. One could imagine dropping the album tracks "The Greatest Love" (which is superb and unlike versions recorded by Joe South, Aaron Neville and others) and "What's He Doin' in My World" (which doesn't improve upon Eddy Arnold's original) in lieu of additional singles, but given how poorly Wallace's '70s hits have been represented on CD, this is a minor complaint. Fans will treasure the chance to hear these seminal sides together, remastered by Steve Massie. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]"

IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!

DL Masters | California | 02/07/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Finally. 20+ years after CD's made their debut we get a decent Jerry Wallace compilation. Great audio sound from Varese, an informative insert, and a relatively solid overview of his hits.



Would be 5 stars if they'd have included two important hits:

"Shutters & Boards" from the early years

"Guess Who" from the later years



Ever notice how record companies often short change us at least one hit

on a best of collection?

Frustrating."

What You Need To Know

Cary E. Mansfield | Studio City, CA USA | 11/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jerry Wallace was a well-known "smooth" singing pop star in the 60s ("Primrose Lane," "How The Time Flies") who easily made the switch to country in the early 70s with his 1972 #1 country and Top 40 smash "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry." The following year, he charted "Do You Know What It's Like to Be Lonesome" and "Don't Give Up on Me" both reaching the Top Five, and "My Wife's House" (Top 10, 1974).



This is the first Jerry Wallace hits collection to document his biggest country hits.



Ten tracks are making their CD debut.



Includes a 1973 reworking of his 1959 top 10 pop hit "Primrose Lane" produced by Bill Justis"