IT'S SO NICE TO HEAR THE SERENE MUSIC OF PERCY FAITH. WHEN I BOUGHT THIS CD I DID NOT EXPECT ANY SONGS THAT I REALLY CARED FOR. BUT WAS I SUPRISED! I ABSOLUTLY FELL IN LOVE WITH "HAPPY(THE LOVE THEME FROM LADY SINGS THE BLUES)". ALSO "BEN", THE "THEME FROM SERPICO" AND "ANGELICA". RECALLING THAT THESE SONGS WERE ON EASY LISTENING RADIO STATIONS IN THE 70'S AND 80'S.

Looking back on the illustrious and prolific output from Percy Faith, one can see how in tune this man was with his times. He approached all of his albums with the dedication and artistry of his times. These two albums, two of his best of the 70s, contain a wonderful array of songs. Whether he was going "disco" with "2001" or "Superfly"; whether syrupy but beautiful ballads such as "Way We Were" or "Happy", his arrangements and orchestrations were brilliant. My personal favorites on this double album set: "The Hill Where the Lord Hides," a Chuck Mangione infused with power and grace; "Euterpe" a beautiful Spanish guitar-led number and the hauntingly beautiful "Angelica" penned by those great 60s-70s writers Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill.
Percy's been gone for almost thirty years, and yet with each of these reissues, we can embrace this man's talents and artistry.
You gotta have Faith!

Let's go back to the early '70s, to be exact 1973 for "Clair" (originally released as Columbia KC 32164) and 1974 for "New Thing" (originally released as Columbia KC 32803), consisting of the music that was popular at that time ~ many can remember the original recorded songs from Acker Bilk, Darrell Crofts, Neil Diamond, Marvin Hamlisch, Michael Legrand, Curtis Mayfield, Chuck Mangoine, Johnny Nash, James Taylor and Mikis Theodorakis, yes and even Richard Strauss with "2001 (ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA)"(adapted by Percy Faith) getting into the groove with the award winning Percy Faith Orchestra.

Following the formula of previous Columbia Record releases, two original LP's on one compact disc with 23 classic tracks inclusive ~ featuring the classic style of sweeping strings, compelling brass and signature arrangements from the man himself ~ Maestro Percy Faith. The master of arranging easy listening from "rock" to "film score" cues, keeping the material fresh and new with his distinctive style and pen in hand, tapping his baton, let the magic begins.

Faith's orchestrations on "BEN(From The Motion Picture, "BEN")"(Scharf/Black), "I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW" (Johnny Nash), "SUMMER BREEZE" (Seals/Crofts), "HAPPY(love theme from "Lady Sings The Blues")" (Legrand) restores the original freshness and warmth, sprinkling Faith's touch of magic over the orchestration is unforgettable ~ "WE WERE HAVIN' SOME FUN AT THE CONSERVATORY, WHEN..." (Percy Faith), female voices, strings, percussion and the finishing touch of a harpsichord, has the Percy Faith touch with our seal of approval.

The above was the first half, let's take a closer look at the second half with "HILL WHERE THE LORD HIDES" (Mangione), "WASHINGTON SQUARE" (Goldstein/Shire), "SERPICO" (Theodorakis), "LAND OF A THOUSAND DANCES" (Kenner/Domino Jr), "SKYBIRD" (Neil Diamond) and "PELICAN DANCE" (Estardy)(this has to be one of Faith's greatest fun accomplishments in arranging and performing, quite unique) with wonderful themes and overtones spread evenly through each cue, pure Faith arrangements that seem to reach out to you.

Now for the lush strings of the Faith Orchestra "STRANGER ON THE SHORE" (Mellin/Bilk), "EUTERPE" (Bill Mayes), "THE WAY WE WERE" (Hamlisch/Bergman), "ERES TU" (Calderone/Hawker) and "ANGELICA" (Mann/Weil) this arranger (Faith) has his pulse on every note, wonderful and miraculous arrangements with unforgettable performances ~ Percy once again weaves his musical talent into a beautiful and listenable experience ~ gotta love it!

Total Time 78:24 on 23 Tracks ~ Collectables 7561 ~ (9/16/2003)