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2CD
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
40 GOLDEN GREATS was the first definitive compilation to gather Cliff Richard's biggest hits from his first three decades in music upon its initial release in 1978. This collection can also be observed as a musical autobiography of sorts, tracing his growth as a vocalist while remaining essentially the same.
Disc 1 features his rock 'n' roll years from 1958 to 1963. Most of his great rock 'n' roll moments are here, including "Move It" (his first hit), "Gee Whiz It's You," "Lucky Lips," his excellent cover of Jerry Lee Lewis' "It'll Be Me" and the Elvis-influenced "Nine Times Out of Ten." Some of Cliff's early movie recordings are on this disc as well, like "Livin' Doll" (his first UK #1 hit), "The Young Ones," "Summer Holiday," "Bachelor Boy" and "The Next Time." The rock-driven recordings feature the distinctive guitar picking from The Shadows, who would go on to be Britain's most successful rock 'n' roll group of the pre-Beatles era.
Disc 2 covers the period between 1964 and 1977, with Cliff further developing his craft and maturity as a vocalist. There are fewer uptempo rockers and more of the mellow pop ballads that have dominated his career ever since. The sublime "Visions" and the harmony-laden "Miss You Nights" stand out as flawless performances of well-conceived ballads. This disc also presents his foray into contemporary Christian and inspirational pop, with "Throw Down a Line," "Sing a Song of Freedom" and "Power to All Our Friends" appealing to a mainstream audience. The disco-influenced pop-rock of the secular "Devil Woman" would be his biggest hit in the US, peaking at #6 on the Billboard chart in 1976.
40 GOLDEN GREATS remains one of the best compilations of Cliff Richard's hits. The sound quality on these CDs, however, is horribly inconsistent. But throughout this collection, he manages to retain a youthful vocal style, even when confronted with lightweight material. (Does anybody remember "Wind Me Up [Let Me Go]"?) His phrasing and ability to convey soul and depth of feeling puts many of today's popular singers to shame. They could benefit from Sir Cliff's example.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Ian Shepherd
Format:Audio CD
I finally purchased this double CD after owning a vinyl copy for over 30 years, just to see what versions of the tracks I would get.
I was delighted, therefore, to find that: -
1) With one exception (The Young Ones), those tracks only ever mixed in mono (Living Doll, Move It etc.) are also presented here in proper mono, and not mono reprocessed to stereo. This is a big plus over the vinyl version which gave us the mono mixes overlaid with stereo effects that made Cliff and The Shads sound like they'd recorded their tracks in a shower booth. (Even some of the true early 60s stereo tracks on the vinyl version seemed to suffer from the "shower booth" effect.)
2) Some of the early tracks found on the vinyl release in mono reprocessed to stereo (Theme For A Dream, Do You Want To Dance, etc.) are now available in true stereo, i.e. they've used the genuine stereo masters for this release.
3) The real biggie for me is that this is the only Cliff CD compilation that I've found that uses the right take of "Bachelor Boy." It's presented here in discrete stereo, suggesting that it was mixed down onto two tracks prior to producing the mono mix. The vinyl version of 40 Golden Greats, the Singles Collection CD box set and The Whole Story double-CD all use a different take wherein Cliff gives us a meant-to-be-rousing "Yeeeeaaah" before he launches into the final chorus. This "Yeeeeaaah" wasn't there on the original single. The only other non-vinyl-single release that I have with the correct version on is a stereo vinyl re-issue of the "Summer Holiday" soundtrack LP.
On the downside, some of the masters used are a bit rough in quality, lacking in both the bass and the treble departments. I'll forgive this, however, because the upsides make the purchase so worthwhile and get right a load of things that even "The Singles Collection" gets so wrong.
I was delighted, therefore, to find that: -
1) With one exception (The Young Ones), those tracks only ever mixed in mono (Living Doll, Move It etc.) are also presented here in proper mono, and not mono reprocessed to stereo. This is a big plus over the vinyl version which gave us the mono mixes overlaid with stereo effects that made Cliff and The Shads sound like they'd recorded their tracks in a shower booth. (Even some of the true early 60s stereo tracks on the vinyl version seemed to suffer from the "shower booth" effect.)
2) Some of the early tracks found on the vinyl release in mono reprocessed to stereo (Theme For A Dream, Do You Want To Dance, etc.) are now available in true stereo, i.e. they've used the genuine stereo masters for this release.
3) The real biggie for me is that this is the only Cliff CD compilation that I've found that uses the right take of "Bachelor Boy." It's presented here in discrete stereo, suggesting that it was mixed down onto two tracks prior to producing the mono mix. The vinyl version of 40 Golden Greats, the Singles Collection CD box set and The Whole Story double-CD all use a different take wherein Cliff gives us a meant-to-be-rousing "Yeeeeaaah" before he launches into the final chorus. This "Yeeeeaaah" wasn't there on the original single. The only other non-vinyl-single release that I have with the correct version on is a stereo vinyl re-issue of the "Summer Holiday" soundtrack LP.
On the downside, some of the masters used are a bit rough in quality, lacking in both the bass and the treble departments. I'll forgive this, however, because the upsides make the purchase so worthwhile and get right a load of things that even "The Singles Collection" gets so wrong.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Music Man
Format:Audio CD
Whatever your thoughts on Cliff Richard, you can't deny that he knew a good song when he heard it and turned it into a piece of pop history.
The number of different styles registered in this superb selection is amazing. The infectious groove of "Move it", the heart breaking "Visions", the finger clicking "Do you want to dance", The sheer pop of "Throw down a line" right through to the insanely addictive "I could easily fall in love with you"................have I left anything out? Oh! About another 35 top tracks!
There are so many top tunes here that, like the Beatles, you tend to forget the sheer quality and quantity of his output. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a die hard Cliff fan, I only have the one CD and this is it. However, you can't put a foot wrong with this purchase.
A shame however, that "All my Love" a particular favourite of mine, isn't included. I suppose you can't put 4Ibs of sugar in a 3Ib bag!
Either way, if you're a fan, or like me an admirer of a lot of his work, this is a cracking buy.
The number of different styles registered in this superb selection is amazing. The infectious groove of "Move it", the heart breaking "Visions", the finger clicking "Do you want to dance", The sheer pop of "Throw down a line" right through to the insanely addictive "I could easily fall in love with you"................have I left anything out? Oh! About another 35 top tracks!
There are so many top tunes here that, like the Beatles, you tend to forget the sheer quality and quantity of his output. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a die hard Cliff fan, I only have the one CD and this is it. However, you can't put a foot wrong with this purchase.
A shame however, that "All my Love" a particular favourite of mine, isn't included. I suppose you can't put 4Ibs of sugar in a 3Ib bag!
Either way, if you're a fan, or like me an admirer of a lot of his work, this is a cracking buy.
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4.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Memory Lane definately!
Really enjoyed these two discs. They are marvellous to have playing while I do the housework, keeps me cheerful and active. [and at nearly seventy, that's not to be sneezed at!]
Published 2 months ago by Brian J H Sayers
5.0 out of 5 stars
OK he wins.....
My sister owns this album on vinyl. It's a brilliant and comprehensive collection of Cliffs best stuff. I went off Cliff for a while (30 years) but now I've bought it on CD. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Thommo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Forty Golden Greats
I prefer Cliff with the older material as here in this double album, some great songs not all that modern stuff of today, long live Cliff last of the legends.
Published 13 months ago by Gary Pickett
5.0 out of 5 stars
40 HITS FROM SIR CLIFF
I like early Cliff the best and there were enough early tracks here to tempt me to buy it,especially in used condition off an amazon shop it was a bargain. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Christopher W. Brierley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Original Recordings with the true sound
This is a very fine compilation of Cliff's many hit records but the real special thing about this compilation is that it contains all the original mixes from the period they were... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Sixties Fan
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you like Cliff, this is excellent
Some of the tracks are not original, but remastered or remade; and I would not say they were all 'Greats'. Read more
Published on 5 Oct 2010 by Voyager
4.0 out of 5 stars
MUSIC that stands the test of time
I bought this as a birthday present for my husband, he plays it whilst cooking . Has the best of Cliff Richard and is timeless
Published on 16 Nov 2009 by Mr. Kenneth Smith Construction Ltd
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cliff's hits from 1958 to 1977
This set was the definitive Cliff Richard hits collection at the time of its original release on vinyl. Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2005 by Peter Durward Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cliff Richard 40 Golden Greats
I have purchased this album 3 or 4 times now. I had the double album and have renewed the CD several times. It is probably my favourite album. Read more
Published on 4 April 2004
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