Crystal Gayle

In true budget fashion, Collectables compiled the highlights of Crystal Gayle's tenure with United Artists Records (1974-1979) for Greatest Hits. It rounds up most of the key songs, including "Somebody Loves You," "I'll Get Over You," "You Never Miss a Real Good Thing ('Till He Says Goodbye)," "I'll Do It All Over Again," "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue," "Ready for the Times to Get Better," "Talking in Your Sleep," "Why Have You Left the One You Left for Me," "When I Dream," and "Your Old Cold Shoulder." The packaging is cheap, but so is the price. The sound quality isn't, however, and the selection is spot-on, making Greatest Hits an ideal summary of her United Artists years. If you're looking to find similar roundups of her other record label tenures, with Columbia Records (1979-1981) and Elektra/Warner Brothers Records (1982-1988), look for Super Hits (Columbia, 1999) and The Best of Crystal Gayle (Rhino, 2002), respectively. Both are likewise spot-on in terms of selection and fairly inexpensive. And if you're looking for a deeper selection of Gayle's United Artists recordings, look for EMI's The Best Of, which includes a whopping 40 songs, all of them remastered and sounding great. Note, however, that this EMI double disc is randomly compiled (both in terms of selection and sequencing) and pricier. That noted, it does put a lot of Gayle's United Artists recordings in print on CD. If you just want the biggest hits from the late '70s, however, and want them at a budget price, Collectables' Greatest Hits compilation is ideal. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide