Very Best Of Cher, The - Cher > Reviews > Cher's Greatest Hits...again

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Satisfactory

Advantages:	Most of the 80's/90's stuff is really rather good in hindsight
Disadvantages:	She took that vocodered stuff too far, and there's no new songs on it

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

To accompany her neverending farewell tour (come on Cher, just say cheerio and be done with it), in 2003 Cher released another of her Greatest Hits collections. The tracklisting rarely varies on her collections, but you cant blame an old bird for trying when she really cant be bothered to go into the recording studio anymore. And her recent brand of vocoder-ed pop lead the way for the modern pop sound, so after 40 years of recording, perhaps she's entitled to milk her back catalogue.

Cher starts near the end and works her way back, well sort of. She misses a few stumbling blocks along the way, but the cream of the crop is all present and correct.

Believe
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As her biggest selling single, its only right that Believe should open the album and set the stall. With a smashing dance beat and an electro-voiced Cher belting out a sing along chorus, its no wonder this has become the soundtrack to every hen party and gay club in the country.

If I Could Turn Back Time
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In 1989, Cher went through another re-invention, and ditched her clothes. Who said that 40-something women couldn't be sexy. If i Could Turn Back Time is one of those power ballads that turn up on every love collection, and even today its still a karaoke favourite.

Save Up All Your Tears
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One of my personal favourite, this ballad tells of somebody who has been iced out by their lover. Its a soft rock song with soaring guitars and another brilliant sing-a-long chorus.

Walking In Memphis
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Cher's cover of Mark Cohn's track is a soft rock ballad that has Cher rocking out the chorus to a piano back drop.

The Shoop Shoop Song
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Another cover of the 60's track which was lifted from the soundtrack of Cher's film Mermaids. Released in the early 90's, it seemed to be number 1 for ages, and still remains one of her best covers, with her battling gamely with the backing vocalists for the track.

Love And Understanding
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A statement against the lack of warmth in the world, this track was released during the time where Cher fancied herself as a soft rock balladeer. Like many of her hits from that period, it has a great chorus, and a thumping drumbeat.

I Found Someone
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Penned by poodle-haired Michael Bolton (a friend for life then), this track was a huge hit for Cher in 87, its an arms in the air moment as Cher belts out a chorus about finding somebody to omit her pain.

Just Like Jesse James
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This country-flavoured ballad has Cher muse about bringing an ex lover down. Its one of her best tracks, and should have been a bigger hit.

One By One
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This soulful track has a big orchestral intro with Cher gently lingering over the verses before giving it big style to the chorus. One of her most under-rated singles.

Love Can Build A Bridge
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Anything in the name of charity. Still, its not the worst entry into the charity singles books. Neneh Cherry must have been desperate for the work.

Strong Enough
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The disco shoes back on then for this ode to Gloria Gaynors I Will Survive. It should have been the modern day version, instead its slightly limp and basks too much in its own fagtastic NRG.

All Or Nothing
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The true sister track to Believe, this dancey tune still gets me tapping my toes. Its a song about heartbreak, but manages to be uplifting in the same breath.

A Different Kind Of Love Song
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Cher kinda stretched her dance / vocoder thing a bit far, and this remains uninspired dance nonsense, which only redemption is in the fact that it most likely filled a few dance floors with its soaring chorus.

Heart Of Stone
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Another one from the heartbreak brigade of hits that Cher had in the late 80's, this one has a certain country feel to it as well. Its one of her most subtle vocals as well.

The Music's No Good Without You
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Ch er goes robotica for this tuneless dance track with a thumping beat. Its just Believe gone too far, and its no wonder that Cher decided to retire after the album that this was the lead single for.

Dove L'Emore
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This song is mostly in English, so dont be mislead by the title. Its Latino tinged beat is enjoyable though.

Gypsy's Tramps And Thieves
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Cher from the early days gets its airing for the first time in this album, and this is an enjoyable romp, although I really have no idea what its about.

And The Beat Goes On / I Got You Babe
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Sonny turns up as well on this album. Only briefly though. The last of the album covers her few big singles with her former husband, and And The Beat... is an old time singalong that will no doubt still have Cher fans clapping their hands. I Got You Babe remains one of her most famous tracks, and has been covered in many different versions, most famously by Ub40.

All I Really Want To Do / Bang Bang
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The last two tracks on the album are old time favourites of Cher's, with Bang Bang being the more enjoyable of the two. The silly track recently got a dance makeover, but its in this format that its most enjoyable.

Like many collections that span lengthy career's, this Hits collection omits quite a number of excellent songs. A shame because Cher could have went the whole hog and done a double album of all of her international hits, which would have saved her from the critisism that this is nearly the same track list as the Hits collecion she released 2 albums before with only minor updates. I'm especially irked about the absence of Dark Lady, which I love.

Another critisism is that there are absolutely no new tracks. Not even a newly-recorded single for the promotion of the album. This is a by-the-numbers collection of past hits that really should have been marked down at budget price. But no matter, Cher fans would still have flocked in their thousands to buy this and trot along to that endless farewell she's been banging out for endless years now. Is it still going on... I stopped caring. Great collection of hits though.