 Olivia Newton-John I long for the days when Olivia ruled the charts. She has taken so much abuse from critics over the years, it's time someone came out and said the truth: there's no shame in liking Olivia Newton-John. Arise, my brothers and sisters, and embrace Australia's finest pop music export! The long winter is over! You are officially "allowed" to enjoy her magical synth pop! Greatest Hits Vol. 2 covers Olivia's golden years, 1978-82, and is one of my few childhood favorite albums that has retained its power over me 15 years later. Superior to the newer (and more comprehensive) best-of that came out a couple years back, this CD is great because it includes otherwise forgotten masterpieces like "Heart Attack," "Make a Move on Me," and the sublime "Xanadu." Taken together, you really get an appreciation for Olivia's output during a musical period that is generally considered cheesy and odious. But the great thing is, although the songs definitely date to the time when thery were popular, they do not reflect the popular trends of that time. In other words, Olivia Newton-John forged her own pop style apart from disco or new wave, or slick balladry like Christopher Cross or what have you. Her sound is instantly identifiable and marvellously appealing. Through it all, it's the voice that carries these songs. Often dismissed as painfully whitebread and lacking real emotion, Olivia Newton-John is actually a truly great pop singer, hitting lots of emotional highs and putting the songs across with drama and commitment. During this part of her career, she seemed very concerned with shedding her "good girl" image, so there's a lot of seductiveness and agressive sexiness that may not be entirely convincing but is still awesome in the sheer success of her performance of it. The songs are all great: "Heart Attack," "Magic, "Physical," Hopelessly Devoted To You," "Make a Move on Me," "A Little More Love," "You're The One That I Want," "Xanadu" … the only secondary songs are "Tied Up" and "Suddenly" but even those are enjoyable in the context of the CD. This is one of those CDs I've been known to play dozens of times consecutively, to the great annoyance and/or titillation of anyone else in the room. I have spent several road trips playing only "You're the One That I Want" and "Xanadu" for three hours straight. Er, and, uh, that makes me better than you. Or something. Critics will decry the synth drums and synth synths that propel these songs, but I say you can't dismiss something based only on its association with synthesizers. My only problems with the CD are the shoddy packaging and skimpy playing time, but that's like hating your grandma because she wears bad dresses and falls asleep at dinner.
Review by Pekka Sluice |