The Beat Goes On: The Best of Sonny & Cher

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com essential recording
Sonny Bono was a record-biz vet by the time he hooked up with a teenaged female singer named Cher. After a 1963 flop under the name Caesar and Cleo, the pair clicked with "I Got You Babe," a leap onto the folk-rock bandwagon that made them America's favorite pseudohippies for a brief moment. Cher's less-than-dulcet tones never sounded better than when placed next to Sonny's nasal croak. As for Sonny himself, his solo protest work--including "Laugh at Me," later covered by Mott the Hoople--is excerpted here. There are no words. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews: Read 16 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

About the recording company February 4, 2006
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

If you had Sonny & Cher records during their heyday like I did, you might remember that they recorded for the Atco label, a division of Atlantic Records.

Whenever I want to buy a CD of music from many years ago, I try to make sure that I don't get remakes (recordings that aren't the exact ones that we heard on the radio way back when). Most artists re-record their songs for cheesy remake labels and, trust me, you'll be disappointed with them.

I read all the owner reviews at Amazon and, many times, a CD buyer will let you know that the CD you're considering buying has newer recordings or, just as bad, live concert recordings of songs. For instance, Joan Baez's big hit song "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" was on the Vanguard label when it was a hit song. But she defected to A&M Records soon after and A&M has a greatest hits package that includes songs from her Vanguard days--but they're live concert recordings. You have to look for the Vanguard label so you get the recording that you remember from the radio--they still retain the rights to the songs she recorded for them.

Also, you would think you could trust Capitol Records every bit as much as A&M. But I was looking at Andrews Sisters' CDs recently and noticed that 2 different labels offer their greatest hits--MCA and Capitol. Fortunately, an Amazon reviewer said that Capitol's compilation contains newer recordings that the Andrews Sisters recorded in the 50's. I bought MCA's CD and was not disappointed.

So, you can see that this Sonny & Cher CD is on the label "Elektra/WEA". Other Web sites list this same CD as "Rhino/WEA". One Web site just says "Rhino".

I just received this CD and the label is REALLY "Atco", the label Sonny & Cher recorded all their hits for in the 60's. Therefore, these songs are the actual recordings you remember from the 60's.

By the way, anytime you see the Rhino label for a CD, you can buy it without any worry of remakes. I own many CDs from Rhino and I have never been stuck with a remade song. They license the legitimate recordings from the company that owns the rights to the songs.

Why 4 stars instead of 5? Not anyone's fault, really, but some songs on Sonny & Cher's CD don't sound too good. This is surely due to the aging of the master tapes. After all, they've been around 40 or more years!

4 out of 5 stars

Baby don't let this CD go May 9, 2000
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

The duo really strikes a chord on this excellent little set of songs. You might be disappointed if you want any Cher solo material. All of these tracks are love songs between the then couple or statements on the world and are very convincing. The tracks are a bit rough due the their age, but they still stand up well. Highlights include "Baby, Don't Go", "Living For You" and of course "I Got You Babe" which has the original and a mellower version from the movie "Good Times". For any fan of those years inn pop music when Sonny and Cher's style riled the charts, you'll love this CD. I should warn that only there sixties material is on here and not any seventies tracks like "All I Ever Need Is you". Still very lovely music

4 out of 5 stars

Remembering the remarkable run of Sonny and Cher July 3, 2004
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

I'll never forget it. They were virtually unknown. And within a period of just a few weeks in that summer of 1965 Sonny and Cher burst onto the scene like few acts in the history of rock and roll have managed to do. By August Sonny and Cher had three big hits on the charts simultaneously. Of course "I Got You Babe" was the big one but "Just You" and "Baby Don't Go" were proving to be huge hits as well. And Cher, who had signed a seperate agreement with another record label for her solo recordings was riding high with her rendition of Bob Dylans "All I Really Want To Do". And if that was not enough Sonny himself, who any reasonable person (including Sonny) would readily conclude could not sing had his own solo hit "Laugh At Me". Sonny and Cher would prove to be far more than just a "flash in the pan". In fact, they would continue to churn out hits for several more years and as we all remember were the hosts of a highly successful variety show on CBS in the 1970's.
This collection from Atlantic features all of the Sonny and Cher hits on the Atco label. It was really their best work. In addtion to the tunes mentioned earlier this disc also includes other hits like 1966's "What Now My Love". You'll also find some very impressive but lesser known singles including "Little Man", "It's The Little Things" and the high energy "Good Combination". I could never quite figure out why that one never caught on. You'll also find a nicely done 16 page booklet included. The price is certainly right and this collection is a lot of fun and sure to bring back memories. Recommended.

4 out of 5 stars

The greatest hits collection for the true Sonny & Cher fan April 22, 2002
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

I would have thought I would have recognized more songs on this collection of hits from Sonny & Cher, but aside from "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On," nothing here really rang a bell. Amazing. However, this album turns out to be better than I would have thought. Even Sonny's solos are not that bad and I sort of like their cover of "What Now My Love." I think the problem is that way back when the one Sonny & Cher record I had was the one where they did all those great cover songs, more of which should have been included on this one. But apparently the idea was to go for more "original," and therefore less familiar, songs. This is an album for those who really liked Sonny & Cher and do not want to get all of the CDs of their old albums. The other Sonny & Cher collections tend to have a lot more of Cher's solo work, so this is the one for the true fan of the duo's work.

4 out of 5 stars

Great Collection April 12, 2000
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

Because Cher has sung som very many songs herself, there are not many Sonny & Cher songs on her greatest hits album. But if you like I Got You Babe, for example, you will like this album. Some of the songs are not very good but there are no bad songs and most of them are good and some are great. My favourite songs are "Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love", "It's The Little Things", "But you're Mine" and "It's The Little Things". And "The Beat Goes On" of course. So, if you like the songs you've heard by Sonny & Cher, there's no reason not to buy this album.

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