Dusty: The Very Best of Dusty Springfield

This compilation includes many of Dusty's sixties hits, plus some of her eighties comeback hits. However, it does not include any of her Springfield hits (Island of dreams in the UK, Silver threads and golden needles in the USA), nor does it include any of her seventies music, so it cannot be described as a career-spanning retrospective. The set opens with Dusty's first solo hit, the classic I only want to be with you, although the songs are not presented in any particular order, least of all chronological - indeed, the second song, In private, was Dusty's last British top twenty hit (at least during her lifetime - you never know if there will be another on the back of a commercial or a movie). Other classics here include I just don't know what to do with myself, Some of your loving, Going back, You don't have to say you love me, I close my eyes and count to ten, Losing you, In the middle of nowhere and Son of a preacher man, all of which reached the top ten in sixties Britain. Dusty's chart record was very different in America - Wishing and hoping, also included here, was a top twenty American hit but was never released as a single in Britain. Many lesser hits are also included. Three notable covers are also here - Twenty-four hours from Tulsa, Anyone who had a heart and If you go away. Dusty recorded many covers, but these are among the best and certainly the equal of the original versions of these songs, perhaps even better. The eighties are represented by In private, What have I done to deserve this (with the Pet shop boys) and Nothing has been proved, but the most recent song here is Wherever would I be, recorded in 1995. There have been many Dusty compilations, but this is one of the strongest.