My wife normally doesn’t get involved with anything that involves this little website. But, after a recent trip to a thrift store where I picked up a copy of The Very Best Of Connie Francis (which I intended to give to my mother-in-law), she looked at it and said, “I’ll bet you’ll never review that one!”

Two words: challenge accepted.

It’s not as if I wasn’t familiar with some of the works of the singer formerly known as Concetta Franconero; I grew up listening to the oldies when my dad had them playing on the radio every Saturday night. Even to this day, when I’m driving in the car, it’s not unusual for me to have an oldies station on, and works like “Stupid Cupid” or “Lipstick On Your Collar” will burst through the speakers like old friends.

That brings us to this 1964 compilation effort. Released just as Francis’s career was beginning to ebb in terms of chart success, it packages 15 of her best-known songs to serve both as a greatest-hits package and a “get to know me” record for those who might not have been familiar with her. In either case, the effort succeeds. (I am reviewing the original vinyl release of this album; the CD version, released on the Polydor label, expands to 21 tracks.)

Francis’s career seemed to straddle between the nascent world of rock ’n’ roll and light ballads. For every “Vacation” or “Stupid Cupid,” there are softer efforts like “Among My Souvenirs” and “Where The Boys Are”—and even songs that dare to hit upon both genres like “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.”

The thing is, Francis was able to successfully tackle all of these particular genres. And, while some of these songs have a bit of a dated sound, they still remain enjoyable, even as some of these close in on being 70 years old. While I might have been listening to them on WFYR in the ’80s, I’m certain someone would listen to songs like “Frankie” or “My Happiness” and be transformed back into a young person in the ’50s and ’60s for as long as the songs played.

If there is any true disappointment in this set, it’s that not as many b-sides get the attention they could have deserved. I guess I can understand not putting “Baby’s First Christmas” on a collection like this, but it is still one of Francis’s most notable songs (at least to me). Chances are later compilation efforts were able to include more of these, especially when technology moved into the CD world. For a vinyl record, 15 songs was a lot at this time, so I guess beggars can’t be choosers.

That said, there are a few tracks that don't necessarily inspire like the better-known songs. That doesn’t mean tracks like “Breakin’ In A Broken Heart” or “I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter” are bad; they just don’t hold up quite as well as the ones that tend to get heavier airplay.

Francis’s peak years of 1957 to 1963 are well represented on The Very Best Of Connie Francis, and while I’m certain there are compilations that reach deeper into her discography, this proves to be a very charming album to listen to.

Rating: A-

User Rating: Not Yet Rated

Comments