Review of the Golden Anniversary Collection

[Brian Henson]

I picked up a copy of the current HMV CHOICE magazine today (May/June 2005 issue). For those of you not familiar with it, it's a widely distributed glossy magazine available free from HMV stores. I was pleased to find they have devoted space to a good review of the EMI boxed set, which will hopefully draw it to the attention of still more potential buyers. I hope the writer, Helen M Jerome, won't mind if I reproduce her review here for the benefit of those of you who cannot easily get to HMV.

Anyone seeking out a Ruby Murray compilation need look no further.
If you had to exemplify each decade in song, you'd have to look long and hard to find something that epitomises the 1950s better than this four disc, 100-track collection. Post-war optimism shines through the Irish-born artiste's voice as she tackles traditional songs, standards and new imported American favourites with equal aplomb - and she nods back to the Old Country occasionally, as on Connemara, The Green Glens of Antrim, With Me Shillelagh Under Me Arm and even Delaney's Donkey.

She was a child star and a chart sensation - in fact, her feat of having an incredible five hit records in the Top 20 at the same time (the week of 18 March 1955) has yet to be beaten. Ruby Murray wasn't even 20 then. With this new collection, fans can finally get their hands on every single hit, both A- and B-sides and, more crucially, a bunch of previously unreleased Murray tracks.

Brian

[Jk]

Thanks Brian for sharing that with us, it is very well put together, its about time someone has taken the trouble to write something about Ruby Murray.

[Bernie Burgess]

Brian.

Thanks for posting the review of the Golden Anniversary Collection.
It's good to see that someone from a younger generation (I assume the lady writer is a lot younger than Ruby would have been) finds 50/60s music pleasing. She has good taste.

Her remark concerning the '5 hit world record' is of course correct, but I would have added that, with the change in record sales, in particular single sales, Ruby's record will probably NEVER be beaten.

Biased? Who? Me? - Never.

Adios Amigos. Bernie,

[Brian Henson]

Here's another review I found. This time from the Amazon.co.uk website.

WELL WORTH THE WAIT!, March 22, 2005
Reviewer: adrianclark982 from BOSTON, LINCOLNSHIRE United Kingdom
After issuing similar compilations of artists such as Michael Holliday and Alma Cogan, we now have this career-spanning collection of Ruby Murray. It has been a long time coming but it is well worth the wait!

All of Ruby's classic singles are included here, plus many B sides and album tracks - most of them appearing on CD for the first time. Indeed, this is the first re-release for many of the tracks since their original release.

Ruby became a record breaker in March 1955 when 5 of her singles were in the UK Top 20 singles Chart in one week.

Memories will come flooding back with such gems as 'Softly Softly', 'If Anyone Finds This I Love You', 'Let Me Go Lover', 'Goodbye Jimmy Goodbye', and the still beautiful 'Evermore'.

However, the rarer tracks are just as lovely and refreshing 'At Finnigan's Ball' and 'Now Is The Hour' being particular highlights.

If you like Ruby Murray, you will love this collection. Get your money out - you definitely will not be disappointed!

Brian

[Bernie Burgess]

Brian,

What can I say? It just gets better and better.

If only EMI would respond to my enquiries regarding 'airplay' as there is no better way of advertising the release. If the record buying public don't hear the CD, and they do not happen to come across a review, how can they know that the CD is available to purchase?

It has always been a mystery to me how record companies expect an atistes' records, or CDs, to sell if they don't advertize the fact that they have been released. Let us all give ourselves a pat on the back, because the Ruby Murray website must have played a very big part in letting people know about the existence of the releases AND contributed in a big way to the sales. Added to this is the fact that Gerald has placed the CD details on the home page, in other words providing EMI with free advertizing. EMI take note.

Adios Amigos. Bernie.

[Gerald Lawrence]

I picked up a copy of HMV Choice while on a visit to Cheltenham today (you have done a good job, Brian, of typing out all the words!) Sadly, there wasn't a copy of the set, or indeed any other of Ruby's CDs, on the shelves. This surprised me, as somehow I had mentally categorised Cheltenham as being the kind of place that would buy Ruby Murray records.

So I went to the counter and asked if they had any. "No, we don't stock them, but I can order it for you" was the reply. After explaining that I didn't live in Cheltenham, I asked why they, being an HMV shop, didn't have any of a CD set reviewed in their own magazine. The answer was "we don't sell any Ruby Murray CDs here". I politely suggested that if they put some on the shelves, then they might actually sell some. I left to the sound of the assistant saying that perhaps he had better mention this to the manager. Let's hope he did.

If there are any readers of this sorry tale who live in or around Cheltenham, perhaps you would like to follow up with visits of your own and ask the same question. You never know.....