The Very Best of Cher [Warner Bros #1]

by Cher

Overview

Since it's a cross-licensed, 21-track collection, it stands to reason that Warner Strategic Marketing's 2003 The Very Best of Cher is finally the Cher collection that gets it right, presenting a fully rounded portrait of her long, winding, multi-label career. It's not, but it's closer than any previous collection, eclipsing Hip-O's 2001 The Ultimate Collection by containing hits from every aspect of her career, from Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe" to her 1999 comeback, "Believe" and beyond to the new, Rodney Jerkins-produced "A Different Kind of Love Song" (yes, it does feature heavy vocoder work). Where other collections emphasized her '70s hits, this focuses on the Geffen work, which may be appropriate since they rarely appeared on hits compilations before this, along with the late-'90s comeback on Warner. This is all pushed toward the front, taking up the first 11 songs, which, frankly, is infuriating sequencing, especially since it bounces between the Geffen album rock and the post-house, neo-disco of the Warner years. Also, there is simply too much Warner material, given that apart from "Believe" it was entirely too generic and also not big hits. They nearly knock the collection off track by providing a dead stretch in the middle of the record before it regains momentum with 1979's "Take Me Home" and then more or less works its way back to her beginning. This is a bewildering choice in sequencing, and it hurts the general listenablity of the record; even if all periods are represented and all the big hits are here, the lack of logic leads to a herky-jerky sequencing that is tiring on the ear. That said, this does have all the big hits -- "Believe," "If I Could Turn Back Time," "Just Like Jesse James," "After All," "I Found Someone," "The Shoop Shoop Song," "All I Really Want to Do," "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)," "Half-Breed," "Gypsies Tramps & Thieves," among them. And even if the presentation leaves a lot to be desired, it's still nice to have all these in one place. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/01/2003
Label:	Warner Bros. / Rhino
UPC:	0081227385224

Tracks

1. Believe
2. If I Could Turn Back Time
3. Heart of Stone
4. Just Like Jesse James
5. Save Up All Your Tears
6. After All (Love Theme from Chances Are)
7. I Found Someone
8. One by One
9. Strong Enough
10. All or Nothing
11. Song for the Lonely
12. Take Me Home
13. The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)
14. All I Really Want to Do
15. Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
16. Half-Breed
17. Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves
18. Dark Lady
19. The Beat Goes On
20. I Got You Babe
21. A Different Kind of Love Song

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Cher   Primary Artist
Sonny Bono   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Sonny & Cher   Primary Artist
Meat Loaf   Primary Artist
Eros Ramazzotti   Primary Artist
Peter Cetera   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Chrissie Hynde   Primary Artist
Neneh Cherry   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Boudleaux Bryant   Composer
Cher   Composer,Executive Producer
Chicane   Composer
Larry Mullen, Jr.   Composer
The Edge   Composer
Steve Woolard   Annotation
Dean Pitchford   Composer
Hugh Brown   Art Direction
Desmond Child   Composer,Producer
Junior Vasquez   Remixing,Post Production
Peter Asher   Producer
Mark Mangold   Composer
Rudy Clark   Composer
Peter Sinfield   Composer
Richie Zito   Producer
Michael Bolton   Composer,Producer
Nick Bracegirdle   Composer
Bob Rock   Producer
Tom Snow   Composer
Guy Roche   Producer
Diane Warren   Composer,Producer
Timothy Powell   Composer
Al Capps   Composer
Al Stillman   Composer
Brian Rawling   Producer
Danny Kortchmar   Composer
Andy Hill   Composer
Bono   Composer
Jacques Dieval   Composer
David McLees   Compilation Producer
John Durrill   Composer
Michelle Lewis   Composer
Adam Clayton   Composer
Brian Higgins   Composer
Tommy "Snuff" Garrett   Producer
Michele Aller   Composer
Barrie Goshko   Design
J.J. Holiday   Composer
Sheryl Farber   Editorial Supervision
Randy Perry   Project Assistant
Mary Dean   Composer
Anthony Griffiths   Composer
Harry Langdon   Photography
Norman Seeff   Photography
Kurt Loder   Liner Notes
Jeri Heiden   Design,Art Direction
Daniel Hersch   Engineer,Remastering
April Milek   Project Assistant
Tim Scanlin   Project Assistant
Leigh Hall   Project Assistant
M. Lewis   Composer
Kevyn Aucoin   Photography
J.K. Hunter   Composer
Johan Aberg   Composer
Mark Taylor   Composer,Producer
Paul Barry   Composer
Stephen Lipson   Producer
Sonny Bono   Composer,Producer,Photography
Steve Torch   Composer
Bob Esty   Composer,Producer
Bob Dylan   Composer
Bill Inglot   Remastering
Bob Stone   Composer