Track Listing

1. Downtown
2. I Know A Place
3. You'd Better Come Home
4. Round Every Corner
5. You're The One
6. Call Me
7. My Love
8. A Sign Of The Times
9. I Couldn't Live Without Your Love
10. Who Am I?
11. Colour My World
12. This Is My Song
13. Don't Sleep In The Subway
14. The Cat In The Window (The Bird In The Sky)
15. The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener
16. Kiss Me Goodbye
17. Don't Give Up
18. Happy Heart
19. Neon Rainbow
20. The Song Is Love
21. I Don't Know How To Love Him

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2700 in Music
• Released on: 2003-04-15
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Customer Reviews

Excellent if not ultimate...
Hailing from the U.K., Petula Clark was an established star there and in other parts of Europe, especially France (one should not hold that against her though) when she, paired with the songwriting talents of Tony Hatch, blasted onto the American pop charts with her signature tune "Downtown" in 1964. And she was no one-hit wonder by any means as she saw 20 more of her recordings appear in the top-100 over the next decade. Though she has been an active performer for four decades, her golden era was in the 60's and this collection from BMG gathers up her biggest hits along with a few non-pop-charting tunes. And while this piece does offer the cream of her musical pop crop, it is by no means the "ultimate", inferring a complete or comprehensive, collection. With the plethora of Clark CD's in the market, the title may merely be a way to garner attention for what otherwise would be perceived as just another PC compilation. However, as a single disc, greatest hits piece, this is top of the line. Anyone who ever had a pop station tuned in during the 60's will instantly click with such tunes as "I Know A Place", the bouncy "Downtown" follow-up, "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love", "My Love", the multi-Grammy nominated "Don't Sleep In The Subway" and the heart-wrenching bittersweet "Kiss Me Goodbye". While some of her lesser-charting tunes are absent here, there are so many superb tracks here that the avid fan and casual listener alike can enjoy the entire disc without tiring of the music. Adding to the qualities here is the excellent sound quality encouraging the listener to relish every nuance of these performances. Finishing up the package is a 16-page liner notes booklet with the artist's history, track details and pics. As such this piece represents about the best single-disc collection of this icon of 60's adult pop music. A definite buy.

All the American sixties hits on single CD
Petula began her recording career in the forties (at a time when she was more interested in acting than singing) and continued to record in the new millennium, making her career one of the longest in popular music history. Despite some excellent recordings at other times, the sixties were her best and most productive and it is that music that forms almost the whole of this collection.

Downtown is the song that people remember Petula best for (at least in the English speaking world) and it rightly opens this collection. Other hits include I know a place, Round every corner, My love, A sign of the times, I couldn't live without your love, Color my world, This is my song and Don't sleep in the subway. You're the one is a song written by Petula, which was a hit for her in other counties, but it was the Vogues who had the American hit.

If you are looking for a single CD containing all Petula's American hits of the sixties and you're not interested in other aspects of her career, this is the ideal collection for you.

The first eighteen tracks here also formed the first eighteen tracks of the double-CD Downtown to Sunset Boulevard, a compilation that also includes plenty of songs from stage and screen as well as some of her seventies music. If you are interested in these aspects of career, you might consider buying that compilation instead.

+ 1/2 stars...All the Top 40 US Hits
When Petula Clark burst onto the U.S. music scene in 1965 with her million-selling No. 1 hit "Downtown," most Americans had no idea that the then 32-year-old singer had already been performing and recording in her native England for the past fifteen years. Clark was no overnight sensation. Her first U.K. Top 10 hit dates back to 1954, and she had her first U.K. No. 1 in 1960 with an English language version of Lolita's German language single "Sailor (Your Home Is the Sea)."

However, the British Invasion made her one of the biggest female stars of the mid-60s, and this collection focuses on the hit years from 1965 to 1971. Her final Top 40 hit was 1968's "Don't Give Up," but the following year she reached No. 62 with "Happy Heart." The final three tracks are from 1970-71, including "I Don't Know How To Love Him," which reached No. 47 in the U.K. And although Clark's cover of the Box Top's "Neon Rainbow" was not released as a single, it is a highlight from this period.

Her best (and best known) material includes such classics as "Downtown," "I Know a Place," "My Love," "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love" and "Don't Sleep in the Subway"--all written, arranged and produced by Tony Hatch. This single-disc collection includes all her hits and the terrific 16-page booklet is filled with pictures, album covers and an informative essay. Nostalgia buffs can't go wrong with this one. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED