Cliff Richard - Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 [Columbia]

All Music Guide

Although he meant little in the U.S., Cliff Richard was an undisputed superstar in virtually every other country on the planet, as this rare 1961 collection proves. Produced to celebrate Richard and the Shadows' visit to Singapore and Kuala Lumpar that November, the majority of the tracks -- eight of the 12 -- were past hit singles, while a ninth, "When the Girl in Your Arms," was climbing local charts at the time of the tour. It is not, however, an altogether straightforward selection. While no-one would dispute the hit status of "Fall in Love With You," "Theme for a Dream," or "Travellin' Light," and the sleeve photo of Richard collecting a gold disc certainly sums up his success, some surprising unknowns are also on display. "Livin' Lovin' Doll," the earliest song on the set, was the artist's third U.K. single, but one of his least successful -- it peaked at a lowly number 20. Elsewhere, "Thinking of Our Love" was the B-side of "Nine Times Out of Ten" (which isn't included), "True Love Will Come to You" was drawn from the Listen to Cliff album, and "Got a Funny Feeling" offers up an undistinguished cut from The Young Ones movie soundtrack. It's a disjointed set, then, and its subsequent popularity among collectors certainly owes more to its scarcity than its actual contents. Historically, however, it is extraordinarily significant -- Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 was the first full length Richard compilation released anywhere in the world. But, as the liner note predicts, of course it would not be the last.

- Dave Thompson, All Music Guide