Two key albums from England's legendary Cilla Black – back to back in a single set, and with 26 bonus tracks too! First up is the amazing 1965 debut, Cilla – a record that maybe draws even more heavily on American soul
music than some of Dusty Springfield's early work – all given some impeccable handling in the studio by arranger Johnny Scott, with a bit of help from Johnny Spence, and the record's producer, George Martin. Tunes are a great blend of American pop tracks and more off-beat numbers – done in that strangely syncopated mode that always provided a perfect counterpoint for Cilla's vocals – percolating the tracks wonderfully, and keeping things nice and clean, in a way that you don't always find in her later records. Titles include "Baby It's You", "Goin Out Of My Head", "Every Little Bit Hurts", "This Empty Place", "Come To Me", "Dancing In The Street", and "Whatcha Gonna Do Bout It". In My Life is the first set in the second chapter of Cilla Black's years with EMI – and her first record without George Martin at the production helm, too! The styles open up with a lot more contemporary 70s elements than some of Black's previous records – and there's a fair bit of keyboard work to create these warmer currents underneath Cilla's always-strong lead vocals. Titles include "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song", "Someone", "Daydreamer", "Everything I Own", "Baby We Can't Go Wrong", "Let Him In", "Like A Song", and "I Believed It All". 2CD set features lots of bonus tracks – including "Changes", "From The Inside", "Alfie Darling", "He Was A Writer", "I'll Still Love You", "Little Bit Of Understanding", "Heatwave", "Anything You Might Say", and the full mono mix of the debut album.