At His Best (Peter Allen)

Peter Allen's recordings only found niche markets in the United States. Popular in his native Australia, Allen had very few songs make a significant mainstream impact Stateside, mainly finding success as a songwriter. Still, fans of those who had hits with his material, such as Melissa Manchester and Rita Coolidge, would likely enjoy Allen's own recordings.

As far as At His Best goes, I give the material a high rating. Allen executes well and the songs here make for enjoyable listens. The collection itself, however, could be better. While his popular "I Go to Rio" is included, it is a live version from the 1977 album Is It Time for Peter Allen. This version is cool, but it would be nice to also have the studio version. While his big hit "Fly Away" is present, one of his earlier U.S. hits, a rendition of "The More I See You," is not. More forgivable is the absence of his popular Arista material, which would have required label cooperation but can be found on other discs. A collection that corrects some of these problems is The Very Best of Peter Allen: The Boy from Down Under, which contains the studio versions of "I Go to Rio" and "Tenterfield Saddler" and doesn't omit "The More I See You." I would probably recommend that disc over this one, although this disc is still certainly better than not having one, and I can't complain about the $2 purchase price. The tracks included on At His Best that do not appear on the other disc are the aforementioned pair of live versions and two studio tracks: "If You Were Wondering" and "Just a Gigolo (Schöner Gigolo)," both of which are nice tracks and worth having around, but neither of which would be deal breakers should you be choosing between the two compilations.

In conclusion, the music is good, but the selection could be better.

Tracks:
1. One Step Over the Borderline
2. If You Were Wondering
3. I Honestly Love You
4. Just Ask Me I've Been There
5. She Loves to Hear the Music
6. Just a Gigolo (Schöner Gigolo)
7. I Don't Go Shopping
8. I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love
9. Everything Old Is New Again
10. Bi-Coastal
11. Don't Cry Out Loud
12. Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage
13. I Could Have Been a Sailor
14. Don't Wish Too Hard
15. Tenterfield Saddler (live)
16. Fly Away
17. I Go to Rio (live)