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Product Description
20 track UK anthology of "the Blue Beat Girl" aka Millie Small. Incl Sweet William, Don't You Know, Bloodshot Eyes & more
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It's difficult for many younger listeners to appreciate just what a major star Millie was back in the sixties. Although she only managed a trio of UK chart hits, she was responsible for introducing much of the world to Ska with the mammoth hit, 'My Boy Lollipop', which along with her subsequent successes, 'Sweet William' and 'Bloodshot Eyes', is included on this long overdue 'best of'.
Other fine Ska sides included are You Better Forget' and 'Oh Henry', along with excellent versions of 'Tom Hark', 'Wings Of A Dove', 'Be My Guest' and 'Sugar Dandy', plus a wonderful take on 'Hey Boy - Hey Girl', on which she's accompanied by a youthful Jimmy Cliff. Elsewhere are beautiful versions of Johnny Ace's 'Pledging My Love' and the Ivory Joe Hunter classic, 'Since I Met You Baby', both of which also feature Jackie Edwards, with Jazz guitarist Ernest Ranglin providing some truly sublime touches to the latter.
Ernest Ranglin also features prominently on another R&B cover, 'What Am I Living For', while Edwards' third contribution to the set is the Northern Soul stomper, 'Ooh Ooh'. Comprising the remainder of the CD are Millie's first Fontana 45, 'Don't You Know', a couple of nice floor-fillers ('My Street' and 'Killer Joe'), a fine girl group number in 'Chilly Kisses', an excellent interpretation of 'I'm Blue' from the Spencer Davis Group's debut LP and finally, the original backing track for 'My Boy Lollipop', replete with the first (unused) harmonica solo.
This budget-priced CD is unbelievable value and long suffering fans can only hope it proves to be the first of more collections focusing upon Jamaica's First Lady of Ska!
Other fine Ska sides included are You Better Forget' and 'Oh Henry', along with excellent versions of 'Tom Hark', 'Wings Of A Dove', 'Be My Guest' and 'Sugar Dandy', plus a wonderful take on 'Hey Boy - Hey Girl', on which she's accompanied by a youthful Jimmy Cliff. Elsewhere are beautiful versions of Johnny Ace's 'Pledging My Love' and the Ivory Joe Hunter classic, 'Since I Met You Baby', both of which also feature Jackie Edwards, with Jazz guitarist Ernest Ranglin providing some truly sublime touches to the latter.
Ernest Ranglin also features prominently on another R&B cover, 'What Am I Living For', while Edwards' third contribution to the set is the Northern Soul stomper, 'Ooh Ooh'. Comprising the remainder of the CD are Millie's first Fontana 45, 'Don't You Know', a couple of nice floor-fillers ('My Street' and 'Killer Joe'), a fine girl group number in 'Chilly Kisses', an excellent interpretation of 'I'm Blue' from the Spencer Davis Group's debut LP and finally, the original backing track for 'My Boy Lollipop', replete with the first (unused) harmonica solo.
This budget-priced CD is unbelievable value and long suffering fans can only hope it proves to be the first of more collections focusing upon Jamaica's First Lady of Ska!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I remember the title track when it first hit and also the way many people had fond memories across the 60s at they grew older of its happy impact. This owed a lot to the fun element Millie used to deliver the lyrics and the stomping music and harmonica playing (all explained in the notes as to how this came about) which was much better than a lot of other 1964 hits, when single releases were a very competitive market. Sadly little else was heard or known to most record buyers and the further big hits never materialised though later success followed for others from a Jamaican ska background, notably Desmond Dekker. That big gap is all put to rights by this fulsome compilation of all her 60s output. I can add little to what the other reviewers have stated - all the music carries a happy punch whether singing solo or duetting with other UK based black male singers (Jackie Edwards and Jimmy Cliff), orchestrations reflecting the strong West Indies music ska connections and production teams under the ever hustling young Chris Blackwell whose Jamaican connections made the UK end work. An amazing slice of a unique talent who probably suffered at the hands of the endless gigs and touring and poor promotion if the sleeve notes are to be believed.
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Millie Small remains a star in spite of the fact that she has rarely appeared in public since the early 70s and her last new single (the excellent 'Honey Hush' - not on this collection) was in 1971.
A certain momentum has built up behind Millie on You Tube where she has received millions of hits, mainly for the title track of this album, but some of her other singles have also received considerable exposure. This compilation presents a good overview of her career, post Studio One, and many listeners who only know one song by her will be surprised by the excellence of her other material. As well as her other 2 UK chart hits, Sweet William and Bloodshot Eyes it includes her own compositions 'Don't You Know' (her first UK recorded single release) and the excellent Oh Henry, plus a track from her album of Fats Domino songs and her Northern Soul classic duet with Jackie Edwards Ooh Ooh. Other noteworthy tracks include the original ska version of 'Tom Hark', later successfully covered by the Pirahnas and a striking version of 'Chilly Kisses'. Naturally on a one volume set there are omissions; e.g her classic early Jamaican chart hit 'We'll Meet' with Roy Panton and her other Jamaican duets with Owen Gray etc. and her latter day reggae singles such as 'Enoch Power'; a 1970 song by Millie calling for tolerance in the face of the (then) current phenomenom of crowds of anti-immigrant protesters to chant the name of the controversial politician Enoch Powell. However, a 2 disc compilation of further material is planned by Trojan.
Mention should be made of the excellent production values of this set, with wonderful sleeve notes by Laurence Cane-Honeysett, which bring us up to date with the news that Millie is back in the recording studio after nearly 4 decades. Whether the famously reclusive star can be persuaded back into the public eye remains uncertain at the moment.
Though Millie's career was too brief she undoubtedly left her mark on popular music, breaking ska internationally in both the UK and US, selling millions of records and creating the financial wherewithal for the success of Island Records. As those who have watched her You Tube videos will attest Millie also had phenomenal charisma and stage presence. It is to be hoped that this time the rumours are true and Millie Small really does intend to answer the calls of her worldwide fanbase and return to the stage. Until that day comes (if it ever does) this compilation remains the best way to hear the voice of Jamaica's first international singing star. This is the first time most of these tracks have been available on CD and for fans of ska and early Jamaican music this is an indispensable collection.
A certain momentum has built up behind Millie on You Tube where she has received millions of hits, mainly for the title track of this album, but some of her other singles have also received considerable exposure. This compilation presents a good overview of her career, post Studio One, and many listeners who only know one song by her will be surprised by the excellence of her other material. As well as her other 2 UK chart hits, Sweet William and Bloodshot Eyes it includes her own compositions 'Don't You Know' (her first UK recorded single release) and the excellent Oh Henry, plus a track from her album of Fats Domino songs and her Northern Soul classic duet with Jackie Edwards Ooh Ooh. Other noteworthy tracks include the original ska version of 'Tom Hark', later successfully covered by the Pirahnas and a striking version of 'Chilly Kisses'. Naturally on a one volume set there are omissions; e.g her classic early Jamaican chart hit 'We'll Meet' with Roy Panton and her other Jamaican duets with Owen Gray etc. and her latter day reggae singles such as 'Enoch Power'; a 1970 song by Millie calling for tolerance in the face of the (then) current phenomenom of crowds of anti-immigrant protesters to chant the name of the controversial politician Enoch Powell. However, a 2 disc compilation of further material is planned by Trojan.
Mention should be made of the excellent production values of this set, with wonderful sleeve notes by Laurence Cane-Honeysett, which bring us up to date with the news that Millie is back in the recording studio after nearly 4 decades. Whether the famously reclusive star can be persuaded back into the public eye remains uncertain at the moment.
Though Millie's career was too brief she undoubtedly left her mark on popular music, breaking ska internationally in both the UK and US, selling millions of records and creating the financial wherewithal for the success of Island Records. As those who have watched her You Tube videos will attest Millie also had phenomenal charisma and stage presence. It is to be hoped that this time the rumours are true and Millie Small really does intend to answer the calls of her worldwide fanbase and return to the stage. Until that day comes (if it ever does) this compilation remains the best way to hear the voice of Jamaica's first international singing star. This is the first time most of these tracks have been available on CD and for fans of ska and early Jamaican music this is an indispensable collection.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Best of Millie with reservations
The final track, the 'Ernest Ranglin & Orchestra' version of My Boy Lollipop is the original backing track, with the vocal almost entirely removed, but you can still hear it... Read more
Published 5 months ago by bookie
When Jamaica met New Orleans
The surprise success of Jamaican ex patriate Millie Small with what was her 2nd single meant she was part of the British Invasion with a song which had been first made in 1956 by... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Richard
An interesting listen
I had no great expectations beyond the hit singles 'My Boy Lollipop' and 'Sweet William' and to be honest, the rest of the material doesn't exactly set the world on fire. Read more
Published 18 months ago by D. Chisholm
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