Cher Casablanca Years CD - Import

This 17-track Polygram Records album, The Best of the Casablanca Years, is really a grouping of songs taken from two previous albums, Take Me Home and Prisoner. The tracks were then spliced together on this spring 1996 presentation that was produced by Ron Dante and Bob Esty. Many of the tunes on this offering are fun, or at the very least out of the norm for Cher. Some of the entertaining songs on the recording are "Hell on Wheels," "Shoppin'," "Boys and Girls," "Holy Smoke!," "Wasn't It Good," and "Outrageous." All in all, an amusing album filled with many dance-style songs. A good one for Cher fans to add to their music collection. ~ Charlotte Dillon

This CD combines two of Cher's disco albums, 1979's Take Me Home and 1980's Prisoner, on one compact disc. Although these are certinaly not among her best albums, it's a nice way for serious fans to acquire both albums on CD. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Cher's The Best of the Casablanca Years collects all of her hit singles from the late '70s, and there weren't that many. Only three singles charted in the Top 100 and only one -- the number eight "Take Me Home" -- cracked the Top 40. So, the rest of the collection is padded with album tracks, making the disc into a mammoth, 17-track compilation. Nearly everything she released on the label is included and it all sounds similar -- it's all insistent, mildly catchy disco. During this era, Cher didn't work with particularly gifted producers or songwriters, which meant her disco tracks were undistinguished. Occasionally, such as "Take Me Home," she had a strong song, but she was more likely to cut a wealth of mediocre material, throwing in a few genuinely embarassing tracks along the way. And that means The Best of the Casablanca Years is an artifact of the late '70s that is only of use for dedicated Cher fans. It's a well-produced and thorough collection, but no one but the most devoted fan needs to own this music ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

All the tracks of the diva's 'Take Me Home' and 'The Prisoner' albums on one budget priced CD. 'Take Me Home' was her first foray into dance music, but being a rocker at heart, she didn't capitalize on that success until much later in life. It's follow up, 'Prisoner' took her more in the direction her heart told her to follow.

Producers: Bob Esty, Ron Dante, Bob Esty.

Compilation producer: Bill Levenson.

Engineer: Larry Emerine.

Personnel: Cher (vocals); Jimmy Haskell, Jerry Hey (arranger); Ben Benay, Joey Brasler, Jerry Doucette, Jay Graydon, Paul Jackson, Jr., Robbie Krieger, Steve Lukather, Tim May, Ira Newborn, Al Perkins, Thom Rotella, Trevor Veitch, Wah Wah Watson (guitar); Murray Adler, James Getzoff, Sid Sharp (concertmaster); Gary herbig, Kim Hutchcroft, Ernie Watts (saxophone); Gary Grant, Jerry Hey (trumpet); Bill Reichenbach (trombone); Bob Esty, Harold Faltermeyer, John Hobbs, Gregory Mathieson, Davis Paich, Jai Winding (piano); Alan Lindgren (Fender Rhodes, Clavinet); John Hobbs, Richard Tee (organ); Paul Shaffer, Tom Snow (keyboards); Scotty Edwards, Bob Glaub, David Hungate, Les Hurdle, Will Lee, John Pierce, Ed Watkins (bass); Mike Baird, Keith Forsey, Ed Greene, Jeff Porcaro, Rich Scholsser, Alvin Taylor, Ron Zito (drums); Oliver C. Brown, Paulinho Da Costa, Larry Emerine, Alan Estes, Victor Felman (percussion); Dan Wyman, Richard Bowles, Jim Luenz (synthesizer programming); Michele Aller, The Jessy Dixon Singers, Bob Esty, Loren Farber, Jon Joyce, David Lasley, Arnold McCuller, Luther Vandross (background vocals).

The Bob Seger-ettes: Laura Creamer, Ginger Blake, Linda Dillard (background vocals).