Downtown – PETULA CLARK***

True Love Never Runs Smooth/Baby Its Me/Now That You’re Gone/Tell Me(That Its Love)/Crying Through A Sleepless Night/In Love/Music/Be Good To Me/This Is Goodbye/Let Me Tell You/You Belong To Me/Downtown

With the release of the Tony Hatch composition Downtown, Petula Clark reinvigorated her singing career to appeal to a more youthful audience. The Grammy winning title track hit single reached No. 1 in the US and No. 2 in the UK. (US:21)

"The album Downtown was put together taking Clark's recent singles and recording some songs to make up the balance. The fact that none of the other songs were in the distinctive style of the hit title song did not bother too many people. Still, we are talking hit and miss here in terms of the results. Clark's version of the Bacharach-David song True Love Never Runs Smooth is pretty good as is Be Good To Me."

"The unexpected success of Downtown prompted demand for a quick release of a similarly titled album to capitalize on the single's phenomenal popularity. With her schedule allowing no time to spend in a recording studio, Clark - together with composer/arranger/producer Tony Hatch (the Bacharach to her Warwick) - gathered together a collection of tunes from 1963-65 for her American LP debut. The result was a pleasant collection of MOR tunes that was more a statement of where she had been musically, rather than a suggestion of what the Clark/Hatch team was on the verge of developing."

"The Downtown LP was something of a mixture, as Petula didn't have time to record an album to go with the single. Some new tracks were recorded, but mostly the album is made up of various pre-Downtown singles, B-sides and other tracks that hadn't appeared on any European album. Despite that, the LP was of a remarkably high quality, but overall it didn't show the new Petula sound."

"It's amazing when you hear Downtown and know that there is no other song that is like it in composition or even sounds like it. This is one of few songs that are unique, it's easily identified, and her voice is perfect for it."