Dusty Springfield - The Silver Collection (1987)

The Silver Collection is a selection of 24 Dusty Springfield tracks recorded between 1963 and 1970. It contains all ten of her Top Ten singles from the '60s, including her biggest smash "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" from 1966, as well as "Son of a Preacher Man," from 1969 off the Dusty in Memphis record; her first single, ("I Only Want to be With You"); and "Brand New Me," from 1970. The recordings here are not grouped chronologically, giving the set a kind of untrackable feel, but on repeated listening, making perfect sense. There are the Bacharach/David songs written especially for her such as "Wishin' and Hopin,'" "24 Hours From Tulsa," "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself," and, of course, "The Look of Love" from 1967, as well as "Anyone Who Had a Heart," and Randy Newman's "Just One Smile." The Goffin/King singles, "Goin' Back" and "Some of Your Lovin'" are also here. What it all adds up to is perhaps the most telling portrait yet of the late Ms. Springfield's diversity as a pop singer and the enduring popularity of her classic vocal style. While many of Ms. Springfield's album recordings are worth owning, and the Rhino anthology is very stately indeed, for the price, this collection simply cannot be beat.