1963-1969 Very Best Of [Best of]

There are other memorable moments included here, whether you remember them or not, ranging from Dusty's first hit, released in the UK in late 1963, the bubbly 'I Only Want To Be With You', to her final top-40 US hit, 1969's 'A Brand New Me'. The UK charts were more sympathetic to their homegrown diva than overseas, despite the fact that Dusty's delivery lacked even a hint of a British accent. 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me', Springfield's only UK number one, and had it not been for her British Invasion brethren The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, a US number one (but as it turned out, a number 3 hit), is included here. But by and large Dusty was forced to record substandard compositions, squandering her talent. 'Wishin' and Hopin', 'Son of a Preacher Man', 'I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself' (another Bacharch/David number), and a Gerry Goeffin/Carole King composition, 'Goin' Back', are the remaining highlights among the 20 offerings. It is to Dusty's credit that she could take mediocre material such as 'Stay Awhile' and 'Some of Your Lovin' and make it worth more than one listen.

One other cavaet that must be considered for those delving into the world of Dusty: this woman ascribed to the stereotype of the dependent female, ala Tammy Wynette standing by her man. While even the musical 'progressives' of the era fell victim to sexism (consider The Beatles 'Getting Better' or The Rolling Stones 'Under My Thumb'), some may consider Dusty's willingness to play second fiddle an annoyance. On the other hand, if you consider her gender depreciation as symptomatic of the era, something of a history lesson, you should be able to get beyond this to indulge in the workings of her vocal cords rather than her psyche.

The liner notes establish the timeline for these 20 selections as spanning roughly the same time period as 'Meet the Beatles' to 'Abbey Road'. It is ironic to consider the varied musical directions traveled by The Beatles during that time period as contrasted to the middle-of-the-road consistency in the music of Dusty Springfield. All the radical changes of the 1960's left little mark on her. Thus, since Dusty's style changed so little, there is little need for a chronological sequencing of her music in this compilation. 'Son of a Preacher Man' was recorded in 1968, yet is the fifth selection on this CD, while 'Guess Who?', from 1964, chimes in as the 17th (imagine 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' following 'Revolution'....). Despite how her obviously rabid fans may want to portray the depth and breadth of her music, Dusty's style didn't change any more than her beehive hairdo as she chased after the image of her muse, Peggy Lee.

Dusty passed from the music scene, for all practical purposes, by the 1970's, and her final passing from breast cancer took her talents away from us permanently in 1999. It is a great tragedy that her remarkable vocal talent was never completely tapped while she was in her prime. And the beauty of her voice was matched by the beauty of her appearance, making lines such as "just do it, and after you do, you will be his" from 'Wishin' and Hopin', or "the only man who could ever teach me, was the son of a preacher man" more than simple words to any red-blooded male.