The Best of Elkie Brooks

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Elkie Brooks

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Elkie Brooks was around in the sixties but failed utterly to make an impact in that decade. She eventually achieved success in the late seventies and remained popular throughout the eighties and nineties, though her chart success was patchy. Elkie's soulful voice is well suited to the songs she recorded.

Elkie was particularly good at cover versions, always stamping her own identity on any songs that she recorded. So good were her covers that some of them are indelibly associated with Elkie. Don't cry out loud (a Peter Allen song) will forever be thought of by most Brits as an Elkie Brooks original. And if you ask most Brits who Peter Allen is, chances are that they'll tell you he's a BBC radio presenter (of course, that's a different Peter Allen).

This collection covers the most commercially successful period of Elkie's career - the late seventies and early eighties. Elkie had three British top ten hits but the last of them (No more the fool) is omitted from this collection as it was recorded later for a different record label. However, it is the only major omission and its absence should not put you off buying this collection.

The two biggest hits here are Pearl's a singer (about a singer who never made the big time) and Sunshine after the rain (about a brighter future after a bad time). Other songs indelibly associated with Elkie are Fool if you think it's over (a Chris Rea song) and Lilac wine. You get all of these here as well as great covers of If you leave me now (Chicago), I guess that's why they call it the blues (Elton John), Nights in white satin (Moody blues), Blue moon (Elvis Presley - or Marcels), Goin' back (Dusty Springfield) and the old jazz/blues standard Ain't misbehaving.

Although this is not the ultimate Elkie Brooks collection, it is a very strong one that amply demonstrates just how brilliant and versatile Elkie was - and it's great value for money at the price.