Jackie...Plus (Jackie DeShannon)

Jackie...Plus is a disc lovingly assembled by Rhino Handmade. The opening twelve tracks are from Jackie, a 1972 album released by Jackie DeShannon. That album is a mix of songs penned by DeShannon and those penned by other talents, many of whom had yet to be recognized as the big stars they would become. The biggest hit single from the album was "Vanilla Olay," although DeShannon's take on Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" attracted a little attention. That one is a standout. Excellent rendition of an excellent song. "Anna Karina" and a version of John Prine's "Paradise" are some of the other top tracks from the first half of this disc.

The second half, tracks 13-24, are two b-sides from singles released from Jackie plus ten previously unreleased outtakes from 1972-1973 sessions. Four of these are some interesting collaborations with Van Morrison. One of my favourites here is "Hydra."

The set comes with very informative liner notes that also include some nice photos. The original LP's front and back art are reproduced as the front and back art of the liner notes.

Tracks:
1. Paradise
2. Heavy Burdens Me Down
3. Brand New Start
4. Only Love Can Break Your Heart
5. Laid Back Days
6. Full Time Woman
7. Vanilla Olay
8. Would You Like to Learn to Dance
9. I Won't Try to Put Chains on Your Soul
10. I Wanna Roo You
11. Peaceful in My Soul
12. Anna Karina
13. When I'm Gone
14. Drift Away
15. All the Love That's in You
16. Speak Out to Me
17. Hydra
18. Your Old Lady's Leaving
19. Grand Canyon Blues
20. Sweet Sixteen
21. Flamingos Fly
22. Santa Fe
23. The Wonder of You
24. Through the Gates of Gold

Put a Little Love in Your Heart (Jackie DeShannon)

Jackie DeShannon's Put a Little Love in Your Heart was released in 1969. That album makes up the first twelve tracks of this CD. The title track, which opens the disc, was a big hit, and has also proved a durable one, as it's a staple of oldies radio and inspired a remake decades later by Al Green and Annie Lennox. The other fairly big hit from the album is "Love Will Find a Way," the most overlooked of DeShannon's three national top 40 singles. (The third is her earlier single "What the World Needs Now is Love.") These two songs are accompanied by some great album travks, including my favourite, "You Have a Way With Me." Tracks 13-20 are bonus tracks from the 1969-1970 period, all but one of which had been released as a single a-side or b-side. The one that wasn't is the previously unreleased "Try a Little Harder," which is a cool track in its own right. Two nifty forgotten a-sides here are a minor hit medley of remakes, "Medley: You Keep Me Hangin' On / Hurt So Bad" and DeShannon's late 60s holiday release, "Christmas."

The one blemish here is the latter's b-side, a remake of "Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?" The original is from the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service and was performed by a singer called Nina. That version is one for my "so bad it's good" file. This one, unfortunately, is just bad. Don't get me wrong. DeShannon's voice is good, but that's actually part of the problem. She attempts a sincere rendition of some pretty damn bad material, and it only highlights the track's shortcomings. The children's chorus here, therefore, comes off as highly annoying, whereas, on the Nina rendition, it just contributes to the "charm," if you will.

That b-side aside, this disc highlights a lot of what put DeShannon at her commercial peak and also shows how she had grown artistically, and would continue to do so.

Tracks:
1. Put a Little Love in Your Heart
2. You Are the Real Thing
3. River of Love
4. Keep Me in Mind
5. Mama's song
6. Movin'
7. You Can come to me
8. You Have a Way With Me
9. I Let Go Completely
10. Always Together
11. Love Will Find a Way
12. Live
13. Brighton Hill
14. It's So Nice
15. What Was Your Day Like
16. Medley: You Keep Me Hangin' On / Hurt So Bad
17. Mediterranean Sky
18. Try a Little Harder
19. Christmas
20. Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?