Lynsey de Paul

Although she had little luck on the American pop chart, Lynsey DePaul had a very successful career with her unique brand of singer/songwriter pop on the other side of the Atlantic during the mid-1970s. This collection compiles all of her major European chart hits from this era, plus a generous selection of album tracks and outtakes to create a definitive portrait of this pop chanteuse. DePaul's one-of-a-kind style blends liberated-female sentiments and sexiness with a surprisingly old-fashioned sense of pop songcraft. This odd but intriguing blend is given further distinctiveness by DePaul's voice, a breathy tone that can be either suggestive or innocent depending on what the songs' subject matter is. Early singles like "Sugar Me," a declaration of romantic independence, and "Getting a Drag," a pointed critique of the effeminate males who populated England's glam rock scene, won DePaul her notoriety, but the saucy of tone of these songs is counterbalanced by the quaint innocence of later songs like "Won't Somebody Dance With Me," a sweet wallflower lament graced with a lovely string arrangement. Meanwhile, her songwriting chops shine through on songs like "No Honestly," a cleverly-arranged re-creation of the Phil Spector sound. This compilation also includes "Rock Bottom," a 1977 duet with Mike Moran and Eurovision Song Contest winner that bears an amazing resemblance to the early sound of ABBA. This compilation runs into problems with its sequencing, which exhausts all the hits upfront and finishes out with a lengthy series of less-interesting album tracks and outtakes. As a result, Greatest Hits tends to drone on a bit too much for the casual listener, but remains a definitive resource for any pop music fans who want to collect all of Lynsey DePaul's major hits in one package.
~ Donald A. Guarisco, All Music Guide

One of the first successful female singer/songwriters in England, Lynsey de Paul (born Lynsey Rubin) has had an illustrious career. Reaching her peak as a vocalist during the 1970s, she scored with such disco hits as "Sugar Me," which reached the number five slot on the British pop charts; "Won't Somebody Dance with Me," which received an Ivor Novella award as for Best Ballad of 1974; and "Rock Bottom," recorded with British vocalist Mike Moran. Between 1972-1977, she wrote 14 British Top 40 hits. Her songs have been covered by Nancy Sinatra, Cheryl Lynn, Heatwave, Bruce Johnston, Vera Lynn, and Shirley Bassey. In addition to serving as the themes of nine prime time British television series, de Paul's songs have been featured in such films as The Big Sleep, Side by Side, and Aces Go Places.

Inspired by her ex-boyfriend, James Coburn, de Paul changed her focus to acting in the 1980s. She appeared in the British version of the American musical +Pump Boys and Dinettes and in the films The Starlight Ballroom and Gabrielle and the Doodleman. Increasingly active as a producer, de Paul produced three travelogues from the Caribbean for Granada Sky Broadcasting. De Paul hosted television shows such as Club Vegetarian, Shopper's Heaven, Eat Drink & Be Healthy, Women of Substance, The Vinyl Frontier, and 15 episodes of Living Room Legends, which featured home videos. She received a Royal Television Society award for her BBC1 documentary on self-defense for women, Eve Strikes Back. Known for her sharp sense of humor, de Paul was called "Looney de Small" by British humorist Spike Mulligan. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide