Cliff Richard & The Shadows - Cliff Richard / Don't Stop Me Now (2002 Remaster)

Two of Cliff Richard's mid-'60s albums, Cliff Richard and Don't Stop Me Now, are combined on one CD for a generally pleasing (though somewhat uneven) mix of sounds. Cliff Richard is much more of a ballad album, casting the singer as a pop/rock crooner backed by the Norrie Paramor Orchestra and the Mike Sammes Singers. There are a couple of good '50s-style rock & roll numbers present, "Razzle Dazzle" (done in the style of Bill Haley & the Comets) and a fierce if highly sanitized version of Chuck Berry's "Reelin' and Rockin'," both featuring a solid rock & roll band backing; those are the exceptions on an album dominated by pop numbers such as "It's Not for Me to Say" and "Magic in the Moonlight," making for a fairly solid mix. It flows seamlessly into Don't Stop Me Now, which opens with an earnest rendition of the Isley Brothers' "Shout," but then the Mike Leander pop-style arrangements on the rock & roll contents of this album take hold, making for a less satisfying second half to the CD -- it still has its moments, such as the beautifully restrained orchestrated version of the Beatles' "I'll Be Back," and the state-of-the-art digital transfer is pretty impressive in its own right, but the first 15 songs here are more consistent that the second 15. Alas, there are no historical notes of any kind.