Fallin': Best of the Early Years

Liner Note Author: N.E. Fulcanwright.
Connie Francis was only 16 years old when she recorded her first single, "Freddy," for MGM Records in 1955, and while the label released several consequent singles, none of them really took off, and not exactly sold on singing as a way of life, Francis fully expected a session she did for the label in late 1957 to be her final one. Fate is fate, though, and when she tracked a version of a 1923 song called "Who's Sorry Now?," everything changed. The song was a huge hit and Francis went on to record for MGM Records through 1969, charting hits with songs like "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," "Stupid Cupid," and "Where the Boys Are," among others. This two-disc, 49-track set includes "Freddy," "Who's Sorry Now?," and a whole lot of other sides the singer cut for MGM in the late '50s. It's an awful lot of Connie Francis, which is certainly not a bad thing, but casual listeners should probably stick with a single-disc greatest-hits collection that also includes her early-'60s singles. Most of what is here is in mono, with a half dozen or so sides presented in stereo. ~ Steve Leggett