Lulu - The Complete Mickie Most Recordings: To Sir With Love Audio CD
A fair review of the Lulu "The Complete Mickie Most Recordings: To Sir With Love" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all
Lulu reviews here, or go back to the
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Band: Lulu
Title: The Complete Mickie Most Recordings: To Sir With Love
Rating: 
Release Date: 2005-02-07
Media: Audio CD
Tracks: 1: To Sir with Love 2: Morning Dew 3: You and I 4: Rattler 5: Day Tripper 6: Love Loves to Love, Love 7: To Love Somebody 8: Boat That I Row 9: Let's Pretend 10: Take Me in Your Arms and Love Me 11: Best of Both Worlds 12: Dreary Days and Nights 13: You and I [Mono Single Version] 14: Me, the Peaceful Heart 15: Lookout 16: Boy 17: Sad Memories 18: I'm a Tiger 19: Without Him 20: Boom Bang a Bang 21: March 22: Boom Bang a Bang [French Version][#] 23: Boom Bang a Bang [Italian Version][#] 24: Show Me 25: Mighty Quinn 26: My Ain Folk 27: Where Did You Come From 28: Gimme Some Lovin' 29: I Started a Joke 30: Why Did I Choose You? 31: Boy Next Door 32: Come September 33: House Is Not a Home 34: Cry Like a Baby 35: Betcha 36: I Can't Go on Living Without Your Love 37: Are You Ready for Love 38: This Time [#] 39: I Keep Forgettin' [#]
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A LULU OF A COLLECTION The sound quality is exceptional and crisp. I received my copy of this Lulu disc today and have enjoyed the familiar songs alongside all the great stuff I never heard before. . . . wow! I recommend this set for Lulu fans and lovers of mod 60's pop music. I also commend EMI for a job well done.
Lots of Lulu
. The compilation is complete of all that is Lulu! It's a wonderful trip down memory lane that showcases the timelessness of her talent.
Wowee!!
Love Loves to Love Love is to Love. . is on this Cd along with other great songs like "Best of Both Worlds" in the day she gave artists like Dusty Springfield and Dionee Warwick and Wilson Pickett a run for their money!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
HITS, B-SIDES, RARITIES!!!!
Her most famous track (which is in the title) starts the disk off allong with most of her hits recorded from 1967-1969. This is a great start if you have just been introduced to the music of Lulu. "This Time" is a great love song written by the same person who wrong "To Sir, With Love" (Donald Black), and was used in the 1968 film "Hot Millions". The song has not been released anywhere else except on this compilation.
Lulu's Eurovision Song Contest entry ("Boom Bang A Bang") also appears on this disc, in almost all the languages she recorded it in (with the exception of Spanish and German). The B-side to "Boom Bang A Bang" which is called "March!" is a campy little number that's just fun to listen to, and sounds like should belong in "Dad's Army" or "M*A*S*H".
Her cover of the Spencer Davis' Group "Gimme Some Lovin'" is also fabulously covered on this compilation, as well as "Best Of Both Worlds" which has also been sung by other 60's crooners, like Scott Walker.
Some of these songs were only released on LP in the late sixties and early seventies, and really shouldnt be missed this time around. This is one of those albums that you can share with the entire family, young or old. Its good music, without any suggestive content or swearing, which is quite uncommon nowadays in mainstream pop.
Some dodgy songs but still fascinating
The low point (for me) is Boom bang a bang, the song that Lulu took to second place in the Eurovision song contest of 1969. Lulu's early music (recorded on the Decca label) was strongly influenced by R+B but when she moved to Columbia, Mickey Most recorded her as a mainstream pop singer, not always giving her ideal material to record. Not only is this song here in its standard version, its also here in French and Italian versions. Well, it made number two in the UK (where it was her biggest solo hit) and no doubt proved successful in other European countries, so a lot of people love that song.
This compilation includes all of Lulu's hits between 1967 and 1969. This includes an unusual type of international double-sided hit. In America, the A-side was To sir with love, which spent over a month at number one, while the B-side was The boat that I row. In Britain, the A-side was The boat that I row, which made the top ten, while To sir with love (which Mickey Most apparently didn't like) languished on the B-side. Both tracks were brilliant, unlike some of Lulu's other hits with Mickey Most.
Despite the phenomenal success of To sir with love, Lulu's other singles made only limited impact in America, but she had UK top ten hits with Me the peaceful heart and I'm a tiger, UK top twenty hits with Let's pretend and Boy and a minor UK hit with Love loves to love love.
This compilation includes all those hits as well as covers of Day tripper (Beatles), To love somebody, I started a joke (both Bee Gees), Mighty Quinn (written by Bob Dylan but a hit for Manfred Mann), Show me (Joe Tex), Gimmie some loving (Spencer Davis group) and Cry like a baby (Box tops) among others.
In many ways, this is a fine collection though it has some dodgy moments. While this period of Lulu's career was her most commercially successful, it doesn't represent her best music overall. It would be very easy to knock some stars off the rating but with thirty-nine tracks there is enough music here worth hearing to justify the price. Of course, if you actually enjoy the tracks I regard as dodgy, you'll get even greater pleasure from this collection.
You can see a complete list of all Lulu discography, or go back to the Lulu tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.