Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Without You
2. You Needed Me
3. If We Only Have Love
4. Love Letters
5. Killing Me Softly
6. Feelings
7. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
8. When I Need You
9. If
10. When You Were Sweet Sixteen
11. Softly As I Leave You
12. Yesterday When I Was Young
13. Send In The Clowns
14. Love On The Rocks
15. Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
16. The Way We Were
17. The Rose
18. Where Do I Begin
19. The Impossible Dream
20. The Second Time
21. Don't Cry For Me Argentina

Disc 2:

1. Help Me Make It Through The Night
2. I’m Gonna Be A Country Girl Again
3. Take Me Home, Country Roads
4. Stay Away From The Apple Tree
5. Six Weeks Every Summer (Christmas Every Other Day)
6. My Elusive Dream
7. Riches
8. Danny Come Home
9. Darlin'
10. Movin’ On
11. I Believe
12. Bridge Over Troubled Water
13. Why Me Lord
14. The Old Rugged Cross
15. Peace In The Valley
16. Make The World A Little Younger
17. Pray With Me
18. One Day At A Time
19. An American Trilogy

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39426 in Music
• Released on: 2008-02-26
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Box set
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 144 minutes

Customer Reviews

Popular Scottish easy listening singer
Lena surprised the pop music world by taking her cover of One day at a time (an American hit for Cristy Lane) to the very top of the UK charts. It was her only UK hit although her albums always sold well when she was at the peak of her popularity in the seventies and the early eighties. Lena wrote the occasional song but mainly recorded covers of classic songs This anthology focuses on her covers of classic songs. The first CD generally consists of pop songs while the second CD generally consists of country and gospel songs although the division is not quite that clear-cut - for example, You needed me is on the first CD while Bridge over troubled water is on the second CD.

On the first CD, you will find Lena's versions of such classics as Without you (Nilsson), You needed me (Anne Murray), Killing me softly, First time ever I saw your face (both Roberta Flack), When I need you (Leo Sayer), If (Bread - a UK number one hit for Telly Savales), Softly as I leave you (Matt Monro), Send in the clowns (Judy Collins) and The way we were (Barbra Streisand) among others.

On the second CD, highlights include I'm gonna be a country girl again (Buffy Sainte-Marie), Take me home country roads (John Denver - a UK top twenty hit for Olivia Newton-John), Six weeks every summer (Dottie West), Bridge over troubled water (Simon and Garfunkel), Why me lord (Kris Kristofferson), Old rugged cross (a traditional song that became a UK hit for Ethna Campbell) and, of course, One day at a time.

Because Lena mostly recorded covers, her appeal is likely to be limited to those who are already familiar with her music, but if you are one of those people, this is easily the strongest compilation yet released on CD.

An excellent career retrospect...
This 2 CD set covers the widest range of Lena Martell material from 1972 to 1982. The set takes a themed format, the first dozen tracks are ballads, followed by a number of show and film songs. The second CD has Lena in a country mood and rounds things off with some inspirational titles often a feature of her albums.

A singer with both great ability and style this set will I am sure find its way into many collections. The liner notes by Joseph Adair are informative and the addition of Lena's comments bring to life the anthology. The track listing provides original record numbers but sadly no orchestral details. (That is the only minor minus!) The running times of 78 and 66 minutes make this a bumper collection. A must for all Lena Martell fans.