Search - Patti Page :: The Best of Patti Page: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection

A solid 12 song comp of Patti's work on Mercury with caveats

Bradley Olson | Bemidji, MN United States | 03/05/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although this sports new remastering, unless you have either the Golden Hits CD available here at Amazon and your local CD shop, the now out of print Golden Celebration boxed set or the 2 volume "Patti Page Collection" series (Volume 2 is also out of print), this is unnecessary as it duplicates every track on Golden Hits except for Let Me Go Lover instead of With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming and the songs are arranged in a different order. Fans are better off looking for the 2 previous out of print collections with Let Me Go Lover to obtain this track and for the rest of this stuff, either buy Golden Hits, the boxed set and the 2 volume Patti Page Collection series, and BTW, Vol. 1 is still in print so you can order it right here at Amazon."

Twelve of the greatest from The Waltz Queen

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 02/24/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Patti Page withstood the test of time in show business; her beautiful songs with their lilting melodies remain memorable and catchy. Patti Page made a great name for herself in pop and country with her rich, warm and vibrant voice. Moreover, Patti was able to impart a sense of intimacy to her audiences when she sang; and her audiences loved her for it. They still do.



This twelve track CD on the 20th Century Masters label opens with one of her best selling hits ever entitled "Tennessee Waltz." The sublime yet mournful musical arrangement complements the lyrics; and Patti delivers this song with great sensitivity. The arrangement makes great use of the horns, too! "Mockin' Bird Hill" displays Patti's ability to sing a song celebrating her love for her man. The musical arrangement uses the flute very well. "Mister And Mississippi" displays Patti's ability to sing a playful song. "Mister And Mississippi" sports a wonderful musical arrangement as well--I love that guitar that accompanies Patti as she sings each verse!



"Detour" gives us a hint that Patti already had the capacity to score a coup with a country type of song. "Detour" explores the sadder side of life but Patti performs this with such aplomb that you will love this song the first time you hear it! Excellent!



Other classic songs on this CD include the smash hit "I Went To Your Wedding" in which Patti explores her feelings as her lover marries another woman; the sweet and sentimental "(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window" and "Changing Partners." "Changing Partners" is a slow song about a woman's desire for a man she loves; Patti delivers this song flawlessly! This song also features another beautiful arrangement for the horns.



Patti's passionate rendition of "Let Me Go Lover!" makes you believe she sings this song from the bottom of her very own heart; she caresses this number so carefully that it simply had to be a hit! The CD closes with "Old Cape Cod." "Old Cape Cod" employs a technique used by recording studios which was brand new at the time: Patti's voice appears to have been superimposed twice onto the master tapes. The two recordings of Patti's voice are almost but not completely simultaneous; this gives Patti's voice an echo quality. The effect stuns you with its beauty and Patti delivers this without singing a single superfluous note.



The liner notes include some wonderful photos of Patti; and Dave Thompson writes a great essay about Patti's career to sing her praises.



Unfortunately, there is considerable surface noise on this CD. The first three or so tracks make it obvious that these CD recordings were simply copied from old 78rpm shellac records. If any digital remastering was done or even attempted the end result did not impress me. Therefore I will take off one star to make this a four star review. I would have made this a three and one-half star review were it not for the fact that 20th Century Masters adds a couple of extra songs to their usual run of the mill 10 track CD.



Overall, however, this is still a very good CD that showcases Patti at her very freshest during her time at Mercury Records in the 1950s. Patti Page fans will consider this CD a must-have. People who enjoy classic pop vocals and even some early country flavored songs will appreciate this CD, too.

"

12 of the biggest and best of the Mercury years

William W. Busse | Fairmont, MN USA | 03/12/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The liner notes and the photos are worth the price of this collection. The performances, the songs, etc. all deserve FIVE stars as the last 50 years of sales and popularity have proven. The only reason I gave this collection FOUR stars is because it contains only 12 cuts, 35 minutes of music. Certainly this could have had 18 cuts as the COLLECTION from the UK has."