VA - A Collection of Various Interpretations of Sunny (2002)

Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" is a standard's standard. At number 25 on BMI's most played songs of all time, the song that hit number two in America found a place in the repertoires of Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra with Duke Ellington, Frankie Valli, Leonard Nimoy of Star Trek, and so many others. Finding new popularity in the dance clubs of Germany, Rudiger Ladwig and his Roof Music released 16 versions of the Hebb composition on the Trocadero Records label in Europe. Beginning with a mono version of Bobby Hebb's original hit, the album proceeds with a one minute forty-six second version by Arthur Lyman Group licensed by Ryko Disc and copywritten in 1996, though it sounds older. Georgie Fame, according to the liner notes, hit number 13 in the U.K. just two weeks after Hebb's original hit number 12. Cher also got into the race and her Spector-ish version hit number 32. Hebb gave it to Cher to sing to Sonny Bono, as a love song, not realizing it would be her "bye-bye" song to him. This album was limited to 16, so great versions by Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, Sinatra, Fitzgerald, Frankie Valli, and others considered are not here, but the ones that made the cut are a lot of fun. Whether its Dusty Springfield's immaculate one-minute-and-fifty-five-second version, or Stanley Turrentine's seven-minute-and-twenty-two-second reading, hearing this marvelous melody over and over is a delight. Only Dusty's version hints at the James Bond theme reference -- that great bassline riff that comes after the chorus. Cool copy of the Philips 45 label inside the jacket when you pull the CD out. Lovingly made and worth hearing.