Dusty Springfield - A Girl Called Dusty

Digitally remastered 1997 reissue, in full stereo, of her 1964 debut plus eight bonus tracks, 'I Only Want To Be With You' (Alternative Mix), 'Can I Get A Witness', 'Every Day I Have To Cry', 'Once Upon A Time', 'He's Got Something', 'All Cried Out', 'I Wish I'd Never Loved You' & 'Summer Is Over'. 20 tracks total. A Mercury release. The original album was released on Philips. Album Description

A Girl Called Dusty has that raw, snap, crackle and pop feel to it.

"A Girl Called Dusty" has that raw, snap, crackle and pop feel to it that you might expect of a young sixties singer making their debut.At times she sounds delightfully younger than twenty five years old, with an almost obsessed love-struck teenager sound, especially on tracks such as "When The Lovelight Starts Shining Thru His Eyes"/ "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"/ "Nothing"/ "Don't You Know" and "Every Day I Have To Cry". On nearly all the other tracks Dusty showed a maturity that would have embarrassed even the most experienced vocalists, "My Colouring Book"/All Cried Out"/ "I Wish I'd Never Loved You" and "Summer Is Over", to name just a few.
Plenty of cover versions on the album, as well as some already mentioned there is also "Anyone Who Had A Heart", and Dusty's fine interpretation of "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa".Many of the covers you will be familiar with, so will need no further introduction. As a rare treat we have "Once Upon A Time", which Dusty wrote herself, i seem to remember reading somewhere, someone questioning why she included the 'La-la-la-la-la-la' intro' on this, but to me this sums up the young Dusty, as anyone else who may have seen her on Youtube singing this, she dances into the spotlight, young and carefree, sure, the lyrics are deliberately regretful , but she certainly doesn't look as if it's the end of the world, i love this track and it just wouldn't be the same without that intro'.
Pulling away from the cover/ young or mature tags, there are several tracks that will astound you with their revelations of just what Dusty was capable of. "Mama Said" absolutely kick starts the album, followed closely by the wonderfully dark and forbidding tones of "You Don't Own Me", as if you would need further proof then "Mockingbird" should answer your call emphatically, superb high v low vocals on a duet that's not quite a duet, Dusty rules, as only she could do.
Finally, and by no means the last track on the album, there is the incessant, throbbing piano beat on "Can I Get A Witness", that may well leave you breathless with wonder that any vocalist could keep up with the lyrics, regardless of age.
"A Girl Called Dusty" was released in April 1964, peaked at number 6, and spent nearly six months (23 weeks) in the charts, quite an achievement in the midst of 'Beatle-mania', and helped enormously to make the summer of '64 something very special indeed. October 28, 2008

diamonds and dusty

there is a great deal of fun on this disc!

first of all, there are many of dusty springfield's first hits like 'i only want to be with you' and 'all cried out'. then there are wonderful covers of well known tunes 'ike 'anyone who had a heart' and 'when the lovelight...' that give new classics a different twist.

lastly, there is a wealth of music i had never heard like 'do re mi' and 'summer is over' that i had never heard and i am so happy i can hear them now! May 23, 2007

The voice called Dusty!

This was one of the first Dusty cds for me. Some highlights on this one are Anyone Who Had a Heart, Will you Love Me Tomorrow and You Don't Own Me. If you are new to Dusty and think she was merely a cover artist, listen up! This is one of the original record releases. Other Dusty essentials are Ev'rything's Coming Up Dusty and, of course, Dusty in Memphis. I hate to see all the re-packaging of her recordings with the same photo used and re-used with different titles. If I had the money, I would purchase her catalog of work as a very good investment. March 25, 2007

Classic album

This is the 1997 remaster of Dusty Springfield's breakthrough 1964 debut A GIRL CALLED DUSTY. The album features many bonus tracks, which were recorded around the same time as the album. Some of the bonus tracks are more contemporary like "Everyday I Have to Cry," " "Can I Get a Witness," and "All Cried Out," along with slightly less familiar songs such as the "I Wish I'd Never Loved You," "Once Upon a Time," and "Summer Is Over."

Those songs, coupled with the original album tracks, make for an impressive release. The big hit from the album was "I Only Wanna Be With You", which was Dusty's first hit. The album features a diverse group of cover songs including "My Coloring Book" (Barbra Streisand), "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" (Gene Pitney), "You Don't Own Me" (Lesley Gore), "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (Carole King), and others.

The songs on this album are timeless, and Dusty made them her own. Some highlights include "I Only Wanna Be With You", "Mockingbird", "You Don't Own Me", "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa", "Nothing", "Anyone Who Had A Heart", "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", and many others. Her first album, and one of the best of her entire career. January 28, 2004

i just want to rate it high

it's interesting to hear this album after some of her later works. for a 60s female debut album, this has some excellent tracks that can and has stood the test of time. dusty's voice is huge on most of these tracks, and although at this point she hasn't gained full control of her voice, it's still great to listen to because it captures a dusty springfield that is younger, more innocent and giddy, quite lovable actually, although even at this point her interpretation of songs are generally considered beyond her years (she was 25 when she recorded this album). in any case, there are some really swinging tunes in this one. personal fave is "mockingbird" (where she kind of duets with herself) and the 4th track with the really long name. it's very swingin'. May 24, 2003

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