Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sir Cliff's golden period a 'musical autobiography', 16 Jul 2000
By A Customer
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.
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cliff's hits from 1958 to 1977, 24 Feb 2005
This set was the definitive Cliff Richard hits collection at the time of its original release on vinyl. Even back then, Cliff had too many hits to include them all, but all the essentials are here, although some might argue about that. A number one hit (I love you) is missing, as is Voice in the wilderness (a number two hit). Brilliant as they are, they are not as revered as some of the other songs that didn't make the top two in the charts, but which are included here. In the comprehensive six CD set covering all Cliff's singles, the first twenty years of his career uses up 75 tracks compared to the 40 here - and it omits Throw down a line (because it's counted as a duet with Hank Marvin, and the boxed set omits duets).Apart from Throw down a line, this includes all the classics that you want from the first twenty years of Cliff's incredible career including Move it, Living doll, Travelling light, Please don't tease, When the girl in your arms, Young ones, Bachelor boy, The next time, Summer holiday, Lucky lips, One the beach, The minute your gone, Visions, In the country, The day I met Marie, Miss you nights and Devil woman - not forgetting his two Eurovision entries, Congratulations and Power to all our friends. If I haven't listed your favorite among them, don't worry - every track here is a classic. Of course, for a really comprehensive collection, you must buy that boxed set, but if you are mainly interested in Cliff's sixties music and you don't need to have all the hits from the period this is the compilation for you.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cliff Richard 40 Golden Greats, 4 April 2004
By A Customer
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.If you are a Cliff fan, especially if you are over 40, this is a wonderful way of reminiscing throughout his long career, and your own long life! I intend never to be without it.
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