The Best of Tracey Ullman

The Best of Tracey Ullman Artist: Tracey Ullman
Label: Metro Music
Category: Music


Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 698458107824
EAN: 0698458107824
ASIN: B00005Y47B


Release Date: 2002-02-26

The Best of Tracey Ullman


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Tracks:

  1. Breakaway
  2. They Don't Know
  3. I Know What Boys Like
  4. Bad Motorcycle
  5. My Guy
  6. Sunglasses
  7. (Life Is A Rocl) But The Radio Rolled Me
  8. Move Over Darling
  9. (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear
  10. Give Him A Great Big Kiss
  11. Shattered
  12. You Caught Me Out
  13. Helpless
  14. Candy
  15. Terry
  16. Falling In And Out Of Love
  17. I Don't Want Our Loving To Die
  18. If I Had You
  19. You Broke My Heart In 17 Pieces
  20. Thinking Of Running Away
  21. The B-Side

Similar Items:

  1. The Best of Tracey Ullman
  2. Tracey Ullman - Live and Exposed
  3. Greatest Hits
  4. Takes on the Hits
  5. Galore

Album Description

Latest in the series of Stiff reissues. UK budget-price compilation culled from the TV comedienne's long out-of-print 80's albums, 'You Broke My Heart in 17 Places' (1983) & 'You Caught Me Out' (1984). 21 tracks including her hit cover of Kirsty MacColl's 'They Don't Know', 'Breakaway', 'I Know What Boys Like' & 'You Broke My Heart In 17 Places'.

Album Details

She Started Out as Just Another Comedian and Jump Started her Career by Recording an Album of Fun Tunes with her Inimitable, Girls-just-wanna-have-fun Take on Everything from 60's Motown Classics to the Blondie Back Catalog. Includes 'they Don't Know', Whose Video Featured Paul Mccartney as her Boyfriend and 'breakaway', her Biggest Hits.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Sensational Stiff collection!.......2006-04-16

Like a British Lily Tomlin, Tracey Ullman has a great gift for mimicry--not impersonations, but creating new and eccentric characters that attempt to mirror humanity. Also like Lily Tomlin, Ullman is an actress of some surprising skill, and she's actually much more endearing just playing ordinary women in comical situations ("I Love You to Death", "A Dirty Shame"). I don't know if her short-lived singing career was reflective of the Real Tracey, but indeed the music seems to have splintered off from her natural personality and effervescence, and this imbues the material (girl group, New Wave, retro pop) with jubulient, engaging sass. This Best-Of on the U.K. Stiff label is a very enjoyable outing complete with informative liner notes and chart information. Ullman considered this portion of her career a complete fluke, and word has it that her vocals were sweeted a bit in the studio, but that doesn't matter because her spirit comes through--she's alternately romantic ("They Don't Know", a note-for-note copy of the Kirsty MacColl original), swooning ("Move Over Darling"), heart-rending ("Shattered"), comically forlorn ("Sunglasses", one of her very best), nostalgic ("Life is a Rock", a Reunion cover with a how-did-they-do-that? rapping effect), and vulnerable ("You Broke My Heart in 17 Places"). She's tough but tender, wise and vulnerable. If this was truly all an act, and it probably was (with tongue greatly in cheek), it was still quite a gift to anyone who loves big, Spector-ish, romantic pop music. Out of the 21 tracks here, only two or three miss the mark, and that's a pretty good average for a comedienne who considered her music career a lark.

5 out of 5 stars A comedienne who can also sing.......2003-10-19

Various compilations have been released on CD with different track listings. The compilations all duplicate each other to some extent but there are significant differences.

Tracey first achieved fame in her native Britain as a comedienne, then had a brief career as a pop singer before moving to America, where she resumed her career as a comedienne. The public are always suspicious of established celebrities becoming pop singers, but make no mistake, Tracey can sing, as this and other collections of her music show. She knew her limitations and worked within them effectively and well.

Tracey recorded two original albums on LP. The first, You broke my heart in 17 places, was pure magic. The second, You caught me out, was quite a good effort with some magic moments. A compilation album was released containing the best tracks from the first two plus some other songs, including My guy, that didn't appear on either.
Tracey's biggest hit, They don't know, was a cover of a song by the brilliant Kirsty MacColl, whose own version of the song had mysteriously flopped. Tracey took the song to number two in the UK and number eight in the USA. It went to number one in Norway and several other countries. After that Kirsty supplied Tracey with other songs - You broke my heart in 17 places, You caught me out, Terry

Tracey had other hits in the UK, all covers. Breakaway (Jackie De Shannon) peaked at four. Move over darling peaked at eight in Britain just as Doris Day's original had done although neither made the USA charts. Sunglasses was first recorded by Skeeter Davis but was quickly covered by Sandy Posey. My guy was originally written and recorded by Madness as My girl. The minor hit Helpless is a Motown song originally recorded by Kim Weston.

Tracey recorded many other covers of songs from the late fifties to the early eighties including Shattered (Sandy Posey), Life is a rock but the radio rolled me (Reunion), I'm always touched by your presence dear (Blondie), Give him a great big kiss (Shangri Las), I don't want our loving to die (the Herd), Bad motorcycle (Storey sisters), I know what boys want (Waitresses), If I had you (Korgis) and Falling in and out of love (Sinceros).

Tracey also co-wrote some of the songs here, though I admit that I prefer to hear her sing covers. This compilation omits (for example) Bobby's girl, one of my favorite recordings by Tracey. Of course, there are several compilations to choose from and if it really matters, you can compare the track listings to see what the differences are.

As befitting a comedienne, Tracey's music is upbeat, fun, music not to be taken too seriously but Tracey is no mere novelty singer. This is great party music but can be enjoyed in any setting.

4 out of 5 stars

Music Album:

  1. Athens by Night ~ J.C. Hopkins
  2. All That You Can't Leave Behind ~ U2
  3. Silenzio Violente ~ Morricone Youth
  4. Spirit of Place ~ Goanna
  5. Russian Doll ~ Violet Indiana
  6. Happy Happy Happy ~ Poor Rich Ones
  7. Napoleon ~ Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra
  8. Bug ~ Dave Davies
  9. Swim ~ Feeder
  10. Extended Versions: The Encore Collection ~ The Tubes

Music Album

Music Album

Music CD

Innuendo out the Other ~ Philip DeGruy

Jazz Workshop ~ Diferenz

Tubbs Tours ~ Tubby Hayes

Roy Haynes Sextet ~ Roy Haynes

Jorge Pardo ~ Jorge Pardo

Jazzessentials ~ Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich, Wynton Marsalis

Dzem W Operze V.2 ~ Dzem

Hula Hula Dance V.2: Tokyo Modern Hawaiian ~ Kenji Jammer

Mozart ~ Missa Brevis

Malembe ~ %C2%A1Cubanismo!