My very first introduction to Bonnie Tyler was way back when I was a kid and I heard the strains of “(Turn around) every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you’re never coming round…I really need you tonight, forever’s gonna start tonight”. An awesome song and an awesome singer, a bit of Janis Joplin but more mainstream and yet not so mainstream to be useless musically. Her vocals are the main strength, strong and husky, to the point, and wow she can really sing.
This is an awesome collection, featuring some of her best hits and I’m sure you will recognize a few chart toppers here. The track listing is
- Total Eclipse Of The Heart
- Faster Than The Speed Of Night
- Have You Ever Seen The Rain
- If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)
- Here She Comes
- Loving You Is a Dirty Job But Somebody’s Got to Do It
- Getting So Excited
- Save Up All Your Tears
- Best
- Holding Out for a Hero
- Married Men
- Rockin’ Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love)
- More Than a Lover
- Don’t Turn Around
- Lovers Again Listen
- Lost In France
- It’s a Heartache
- To Love Somebody
The most recognizable track would be her monster hit "Total Eclipse Of The Heart", but apart from that quite a few gems on this one and in my own words “pure bliss”. The music is mainly from the 1980s and even if you are not a Bonnie Tyler fan or have never heard her, but if you love pop music then you will love her and this album is a must have. Lots of popular hits from the pop charts here and it’s quite a good selection of popular hits. Some of the misses too are here (but nevertheless great tracks). For instance The Best is on this list and yet this song is more recognized with Tina Turner since her version sung a year later was a major hit, but Bonnie Tyler’s version did not climb the charts as high, but yet it’s a great song and sung with Bonnie Tyler’s husky vocals is a bit of a departure from Tina Turner’s version which is also quite good. Don’t Turn Around is another such track which did not climb the charts for Bonnie Tyler but the Ace Of Base version reached the number 1 spot on the charts.
Take your pick, either this or something else, but Bonnie Tyler is a must have in any music collection especially when you consider the so called pop princesses and musical divas of these days. Most of them can hardly sing or have such weak voices and no songwriting skills to speak of. Bonnie Tyler though of a generation past is such a refreshing change and a welcome voice in such a musical scenario. I suppose one should be thankful that we have so much material from Bonnie Tyler even though she has not put out a record in a while seeing that she is pushing near 60 and is semi retired as I remember reading somewhere. This makes such a collection from her all the more worthwhile and so very essential in fact. Like Bonnie Tyler herself sang “you’re simply the best, better than all the rest, better than anyone, anyone I’ve ever met” and “I’m stuck on your heart, I hang on every word you say” these words are true for anyone who hears Bonnie Tyler. Give the rest a miss and check out a true musical diva here and with a great voice to boot.
You can purchase this album from Amazon at -
