The Collection (E)

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2005-09-06 rating:
Best available collection by an American legend
Ms Patti Page, The Singing Rage, is another one of those artists, like Jo Stafford, who had a huge chart career in the States but over here made less of an impact. Patti only had one hit here, her version of 'That Doggie In The Window', which made #9, being totally eclipsed by Lita Roza's chart-topper. Mostly to blame was the poor distribution: her record company, Mercury, was represented by Oriole, and so the artists on this label suffered.
But Patti's lack of chart presence here should not detract from her being one of the big names of the 1950s. There are several other very significant songs on this disc. For starters, modern British audiences will be familiar with 'Old Cape Cod', as the opening line of it was heavily used in Groove Armada's 1999 top 20 hit, 'At The River'. Now, even they managed to make it sound completely retro, but I have discovered that the whole song is brilliant in it's own right. Groove who?

The other song that has survived through the years due to cover versions from people as diverse as Alma Cogan and Sam Cooke is 'The Tennessee Waltz'. This song topped the US charts for 9 weeks in 1951, also topping the British sheet music charts for a similar amount of time. Had there been charts based on record sales, it would have echoed this success. Patti's was the definitive version, despite a lot of competition.

Her trademark was double-tracking her voice. But it didn't stop there. Triple-tracking was also done, and on one occasion, she even quadruple-tracked: 'With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming' was billed as 'The Patti Page Quartet: Patti Page, Patti Page, Patti Page and Patti Page'. It is this effect that brands many of her songs unique, and this one in particular is a lovely song. Thankfully, she didn't do it all the time, as her voice sounds great on its own, for instance on another early effort, 'Would I Love You?' - another favourite of mine.

Another song on which Patti had fierce competition was 'Mockin' Bird Hill'. Les Paul and Mary Ford had a big hit with it, but her version was about as big. Theirs could be seen as a little more experimental, but hers is a very good pop version with something of a 'Carribbean' feel.

'I Went To Your Wedding' was another US #1, and deservedly so. A real heartfelt tearjerker, it proves this lady could do emotion too. Patti's version of the aforementioned 'Doggie', another #1, is almost as good at Lita's - and Patti still sings hers!

'Cross Over The Bridge' just missed out on #1 in the States and is another of my favourites. Sort of 'Girl Power for the 50s', although one is inclined to read a religious meaning into it! A similarly-themed number is 'Left Right Out Of Your Heart'. By this point, in 1958, rock 'n' roll had arrived with a vengeance, and this is a song with a much more 'teenage' feel to it. I love it, and would like to hear more songs like it from Patti. I suppose they weren't included because they weren't hits - 'Old Cape Cod' was her only other top 10 hit from the late 50s.

The rest of the tracks are interesting, too - some more early hits, and then later on her versions of songs that are probably much better known by others. But these - eg. 'You Belong To Me' and 'Let Me Go Lover' are worth a listen.

Onto the package itself. Master tapes have clearly been used on all the tracks, and thus for the most part sound quality is excellent. However, some of the earlier ones do sound a little scratchy here and there.

Dave McAleer's sleevenotes tell you pretty much everything you need to know. As usual, the same picture is used throughout. The year on each track is correct, apart from one - 'Left Right Out Of Your Heart' is from 1958. A surprising mistake, when the tracks are in chronological order and that's the last one! Having the tracks in the right order on a Spectrum CD is something of a treat, but sadly you get the usual 18 tracks. I'd have liked a lot more to give me a proper overview of Patti's time at Mercury. Still, at this price, and digitally remastered, it's a pretty good bet.


review by: Pete the music fan date: 2004-10-28 rating:
A very strong hits collection
It needs a lot more than eighteen tracks to do full justice to Patti's music but this British budget collection of her fifties music is the strongest available as I write this. Patti was born as Clara Ann Fowler in Oklahoma. Like those other great Oklahoma-born singers of her generation, the Dinning sisters, Patti was steeped in country music tradition but achieved success in pop music although she never forgot her roots.

Patti only had one hit in Britain (How much is that doggie in the window) but might have had more if charts had started earlier than November 1952. Of course, Patti had a lot more success in her homeland, eleven of her hits selling at least a million copies each. They were (in chronological order) With my eyes wide open I'm dreaming (not included on this set), All my love, Tennessee waltz, Would I love you love you love you, Mocking bird hill, Mister and Mississippi, Detour, I went to your wedding, How much is that doggie in the window, Changing partners and Cross over the bridge. So ten of the eleven songs are included and the one that didn't was the lowest-charting hit, peaking at eleven. Exactly how it sold a million without making the top ten is a mystery - it didn't have a long run in the charts.

Apart from those million sellers, Patti had plenty of other hits. Of those included here, Come what may, You belong to me, Why don't you believe me and Steam heat all made the top ten in the period to 1954. As the fifties progressed, Patti found it more difficult to compete against rock'n'roll but still had a few big hits including Let me go lover, Go on with the wedding, Allegheny moon and Old Cape Cod.

Chart students will know that several big hits are missing including I don't care if the sun don't shine, And so to sleep again, Once in awhile and Butterflies, all of which made the top ten, plus others that came close to the top ten. To include all these hits in one compilation would require a double CD.

Of the CD's available at the time of this review, this is the strongest compilation of Patti's music there is. One day, something better might come along but the wait could be a long one.

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