Anne achieved considerable success at home and internationally during the seventies and early eighties with her blending of pop and country music, sometimes with other influences too, especially on her early albums where folk music was a major influence. For the two albums here, Anne has opted for a more obvious pop sound with plenty of synthesizers. If she hoped that this would expand her fan base, she was disappointed. Anne didn't impress long-standing fans with the synthesizers while fans of electronic music had other heroes and heroines. All that said, the overall sound isn't dramatically different from Anne's earlier music though it's noticeable. I don't mind the synthesizers but I don't think they improved the music.

As far as the songs are concerned, the standout here is Now and forever you and me, which became a number one country hit. My favorites among the others include Anyone can do the heartbreak (co-written by Amanda McBroom, most famous for writing The rose), On and on, Are you still in love with me and The great divide.

Anne performs the songs as brilliantly as ever, but there are fewer utterly great songs here than on most Anne Murray collections. It still rates five stars - it's an Anne Murray collection after all. Committed fans who must have everything will buy this anyway - and they will probably enjoy it - but if you only intend to buy some of Anne's music, there are plenty of better albums to buy (and I've reviewed most of them).

'SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT' ~ Murray's 19th L.P. Originally released in 1986.

Full of great songs ~ from love songs to energetic rockin' pop tracks.

This album garnered four hits ~ their here & three B-sides.

1. Now and forever (you and me).

2. Who's leaving who ~ B/W ~ Reach for me.

3. My life's a dance ~ B/W ~ Call us fools.

4. On and on ~ B/W ~ Gotcha.

'Now and forever (you and me) ~ & ~ 'My life's a dance ~ nice love songs.

'On and on' ~ & ~ 'When your gone' ~ heartbreak songs.

Who's leaving who ~ Reach for me ~ Call us fools ~ Heartaches ~ Gotcha ~ You never know ~

All are great ~ rockin' pop tracks.

'HARMONY' ~ Murray's 20th L.P. Originally released in 1987.

Staying grounded with some love songs and ballads ~

Murray delivers high energy with some rockin'/pop tracks on half this album.

Three songs charted ~ their here & their B-sides.

1. Are you still in love with me ~ B/W ~ Give me your love

2. Anyone can do the heartbreak ~ B/W ~ Without you.

3. Perfect strangers ~ B/W ~ It happens all the time.

'Are you still in love with me' ~ 'Perfect strangers' ~ & ~ 'It happens all the time'

are nice love songs

'Any one can do the heartbreak' ~ 'Tonight (I want to be in love)' ~ 'Give me your love' ~

'Harmony' ~ & ~ 'Without you' ~ All are rockin' pop & are Excellent Tracks!

These albums are digitally remastered and have excellent sound.

For now this is the last Anne Murray twofer ~ the 10 Vol set covers her career

from her first charted song in 1970 to 1988 ~ (after which she had 7 more songs chart).

and includes every song that charted except one.

'Could I have this dance' ~ from Urban Cowboy #1 in 1980 isn't here.

All B-sides are here except for three.

Between 1970 to 1991 she had 54 songs make the country chart ~ 28 of those crossed over to pop.

I would say I'm an Anne Murray fan ~ I have all these albums on vinyl and now

thanks to these amazing re-issues of Anne's first 20 L.P.'s ~ I have them on convenient C.D.'s.

While going over them all ~

I found I was on a journey that reflected a large pocket of my life ~

as will anyone else who's followed Anne's career ~ there's so many memories ~ laughter & tears

and she's done and amazing job at putting all those feelings into words.

If you'd like a set of music you wouldn't get tired of ~ ever ~ treat yourself to these Anne Murray twofers ~

rip your favorites and enjoy for years to come!

While it's often described as a dramatic synth-pop departure, "Something to Talk About" is, at its heart, Anne Murray's most elegant and lush studio album. True, the arrangements reflect their 80s origins; but they generally represent the era at its understated best. The songs themselves are tuneful and tasteful. And Murray's singing was never more powerful - or more adventurous. You'll hear an abundance of crystal-clear high notes - and high points -- on this ambitious record.

The album's biggest hit, "Now and Forever (You and Me)" has a driving beat and the trademark sheen of producer David Foster in the days of Barbra Streisand's "Somewhere" and his string of Chicago hits.

"My Life's a Dance" and "On and On" stand as two of Murray's most beautiful ballads. With slightly different arrangements, they'd be at home on any of the excellent albums from her crossover heyday.

A couple of tracks do emphasize tempo and grit over melody, but they achieve greatness in other ways. "Heartaches," a Bachman-Turner Overdrive cover, proves just how well middle-of-the-road Murray could tackle full-tilt rock and roll. Compare this to the BTO original to understand what singers like Amy Grant mean when they celebrate Murray's gift of phrasing. There's even a U.K. dance hit on the album, "Who's Leaving Who." (Sadly, the hit version was sung by Hazell Dean two years later. Dean's overly perky version was produced by hi-NRG powerhouse Stock Aitken Waterman. Murray's brooding version, produced by its co-writer, Jack White, builds a sense of eerie mystery that better suits the lyric.)

The album's overlooked treasures are the tracks produced by Keith Diamond, the man behind Billy Ocean's hits. His arrangements here show a similar cosmopolitan flair. The gently percussive "Reach for Me" -- all soaring synths and lilting vocals, should have been a hit in the vein of "Cherish" or "Fresh."

At the end of the day, Anne Murray just wasn't destined to play in Kool & the Gang's sandbox. Her legacy would be music of a simpler beauty. But I'm sure glad she ventured onto new turf for this brave and brilliantly orchestrated record -- which remains one of the best examples of high-quality 80s pop.

(Collector's note: Many non-album tracks from these sessions are worth seeking out, too. A fourth Keith Diamond song, "I Don't Wanna Spend Another Night Without You," is playful and quirky. Find it on the b-side of "Now & Forever." Surprisingly, a second track from high-profile producer David Foster didn't make the final cut. "Over You" later surfaced, remixed, on "The Best... So Far." Jack White's "Without You," which was probably benched this inning due to a melodic similarity to "Who's Leaving Who," showed up a year later on "Harmony." Two single remixes of "Who's Leaving Who" (a 7" and a 12") add a glistening guitar intro a la Bananarama's "Venus." The single version of "On and On" substitutes background vocals for synthesizers, making the song brighter and breezier -- but diluting its stark sense of loneliness. In Canada, "Heartaches" was released as a 12-inch dance single with standard-issue extended instrumental breaks.)

Great music - memories from the past. Music i hadn't heard in some time. I enjoyed it a great deal. It's a CD i'll listen to again and again.