I'll be honest, I only picked this up because its
got Caroline Munro on the cover, and you can't have too many pictures of
Caroline Munro. Well I can't anyway. Not that you'd know it's her from the album
itself mind; the back tells us who designed it, who took the photos, who
supplied the archery equipment (Lillywhites of Piccadilly, London) and who
supplied the boots that Ms Munro is so fetchingly wearing (Anello & Davide),
but as for Ms Munro herself, well it might as well say 'some bird with big
tits'. Ah well.
So much for the cover then, what about the music? Well it will come as no surprise when I say this is another compilation of cover versions/facsimilies of greater and lesser hits from the first quarter of 1972. From my experience of this genre to date, the trepdiation as the needle hits the groove of side one is akin to sitting in the dentist's waiting room and so it's a relief to find that root canal work is not required and that 'Hot Hits 11' does in fact have more 'hits' than 'misses' to its name.
Side one is the strongest - 'Sweet Talking Guy' doesn't have the harmonies of The Chiffons but it's a fine version in its own right. 'Debora' is too fussy but has a certain charm, there's a passable Johnny Cash on 'Thing Called Love' while the unknown singer belts out 'Come What May' as a gutsy power ballad that stands alongside the Vicky Leandros version with ease. Truth be told, nothing on here is truly awful except the version of 'Amazing Grace' that boils the already hideous sound of The Pipes & Drums & Military Band Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards into a single piper with grisly results, and 'Stir It Up' which strips out almost all of its reggae roots to give it a mainstream makeover and adds a parping trumpet over the top. It's even more horrible than it sounds. But all in all, one of the better examples of the genre I think, and Caroline Munro too.
So much for the cover then, what about the music? Well it will come as no surprise when I say this is another compilation of cover versions/facsimilies of greater and lesser hits from the first quarter of 1972. From my experience of this genre to date, the trepdiation as the needle hits the groove of side one is akin to sitting in the dentist's waiting room and so it's a relief to find that root canal work is not required and that 'Hot Hits 11' does in fact have more 'hits' than 'misses' to its name.
Side one is the strongest - 'Sweet Talking Guy' doesn't have the harmonies of The Chiffons but it's a fine version in its own right. 'Debora' is too fussy but has a certain charm, there's a passable Johnny Cash on 'Thing Called Love' while the unknown singer belts out 'Come What May' as a gutsy power ballad that stands alongside the Vicky Leandros version with ease. Truth be told, nothing on here is truly awful except the version of 'Amazing Grace' that boils the already hideous sound of The Pipes & Drums & Military Band Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards into a single piper with grisly results, and 'Stir It Up' which strips out almost all of its reggae roots to give it a mainstream makeover and adds a parping trumpet over the top. It's even more horrible than it sounds. But all in all, one of the better examples of the genre I think, and Caroline Munro too.
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