This bargain CD is one of the year's best reissues, two classic RCA Camden collections from one of country music's pioneering female vocalists, Miss Skeeter Davis. BLUEBERRY HILL is from 1965 although the tracks span from 1958 on and include Skeeter's very first solo hit, "Lost To A Geisha Girl". The album includes two big top ten hits for Skeet, "Where I Ought To Be" and the lovely "Optimistic", as well as two more chart smashes "Homebreaker" and "The Little Music Box" (which peaking at number 22 was the least successful of the five hits here). Skeeter's girl group take on Fats Domino's classic title song is a superb original spin on the rock favorite while her double-track harmony on "Somebody Else on Your Mind" is one of the loveliest recordings she has ever done. Not everything is sweetness and light here, Skeeter goes gothic folk with her original composition "Give Me Death" as a wronged wife who murders her cheating husband and the other woman. THE END OF THE WORLD album here is not the original 1963 release but a 1973 collection (with the original version of Skeeter's legendary hit thank goodness!) that includes two other mega smashes for Skeeter, the unforgettable songs "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" and "Am I That Easy to Forget". Skeeter also covers everything from Johnny Cash's "Daddy Sang Bass" to the pop novelty hit "Little Arrows". And for those who picture Skeeter (rightfully so) as the ultimate girl next door, all wholesome friendliness and sweetness you may get a surprise by hearing her sexually charged performances of "Angel of the Morning" and "Son of a Preacher Man", performances of these much-covered pop hits as strong as anyone has ever done. This CD is a must for anyone who likes the best in country music and the best in pop music - also known as Miss Skeeter Davis!

RCA Camden was the budget end of RCA. Bit the first two albums they printed of Skeeter's music were amazing. The one album called "I Forgot More" is an amazing sample of those great harmonies and county licks that Skeeter sank her teeth into, with Chet Atkins, really discovering his production with her. Hopefully someone will release that. And the first half of this set "Blueberry Hill" will please those of us who loved the close harmonies, the Appalacian pop that Skeeter so well provided. "Give Me Death" Somebody Else on Your Mind, "Homebreaker, Little Music Box". THe only miss is the overproduced pop"Blueberry Hill" where Chet Atkins overdoes the strings ad nauseam, and the arrangement just misses the mark.

But "The End Of the World" is another story. Ok, "World" was the signature song for Skeeter, but do we really need another recording? This album represents a period in Skeeter's life where Ronnie Light was just beginning to produce her and they picked the most ridiculous pop covers to do with cheap, corny,embarassing productions. "Little Arrows", "Angel of the Morning", "Son of a Pracher Man" Daddy Sang Bass- just awful stuff. She is even off key on some of these tunes. Most of these songs come from Skeeter' worst albums in 1969 -MaryFrances, and THE Closest Thing to Love? Skeeter just sounds like she phoned in the songs. Why would the record company choose this mess as the second album on this compilation I do not know, when the first Camden album was a jewel!. Thank God Skeeter went on in the 70's to record some great albums with Ronny Light like "The Hillbilly Singer" and Skeeter sings Dolly"

If you are a die hard Skeeter fan like myself, buy it, but you may want to hope and pray some record company finally releases a better compilation, or stick with Essential Skeeter Davis.