The Patti Page Collection - The Mercury Years, Vol. 1

When Mercury Records finally got around to compiling a Patti Page's hits for the CD era (the ten-track LP Golden Hits had been in print since 1960), the label opted to create two separate volumes, one containing the singer's early hits, the other her later ones. While fans might have preferred a single-disc greatest hits album containing all of her biggest singles, the two-volume approach allowed Mercury to bring back into print many of Page's lesser hits of the 1950s. The first volume, a 20-track collection, includes most of the 26 chart entries she achieved between 1948 and 1952. All 13 Top Ten hits from the period are included, among them the chart-toppers "All My Love," "The Tennessee Waltz," "Mockin' Bird Hill," and "I Went to Your Wedding." Below the Top Ten, however, compiler Ron Furmanek has made judgment calls so that, for example, "So In Love," which made the Top 20, is not here, while "Evertrue Evermore" is, which only made the Top 30. This is a solid collection which contains some excellent material that, despite its popularity, rarely gets onto compilations, such as Page's recording of "I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine," later cut by Elvis Presley. But fans wanting any of her hits from after 1952, starting with "The Doggie in the Window," will have to invest in the second volume as well.