Listeners looking for a collection of
Petula Clark’s big hits from the '60s might find this Valentine’s Day-themed set of love songs a little disappointing -- none of those hits are here -- but it’s definitely worth a second look.
Clark was already in her thirties when “Downtown” and the like struck gold internationally, and she had been singing with success in the U.K. for some time before that, and she kept singing well after the hit parade days ended. The tracks collected here were recorded in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, many of them with her longtime producer
Tony Hatch, and several alternate takes and extended mixes are included. Among the highlights are
Clark’s wonderful version of
Queen’s “These Are the Days of Our Lives,” tracked when the singer had just turned 70.
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Steve Leggett, Rovi