Cher - The Way Of Love: The Cher Collection (2000)

This collection is a good attempt at bringing together Cher's more popular recordings from the mid-'60s to her Casablanca years in the late '70s, and the results are almost a total success. Most of her U.S. Top 40 hits are included (save for "Where Do You Go" and "Alfie"), as well as a few tracks with Sonny ("All I Ever Need Is You," "When You Say Love," live versions of "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On," and the campy "A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done"). The bulk of the material comes from her albums Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves, Foxy Lady, Bittersweet White Light, Half Breed, and Dark Lady, as well as a few rarities, including "Classified 1A," which, at the time of its release, was deemed un-American and shelved away. This collection showcases Cher not only as a rock, pop and, folk star, but also as an interpreter of standards ("What'll I Do"), as well as contemporary hits (her covers of the Bee Gees' "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" and Paul McCartney's "My Love" are quite notable). This set also includes her signature smashes, ranging from "Bang Bang," "The Way of Love," "Half Breed," "Dark Lady," and "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" to her 1979 disco hit "Take Me Home." Unfortunately, however, "Take Me Home" is the sole representative of her stint with Casablanca. Had they included its two follow-ups, "Hell on Wheels" and "Wasn't It Good," as well as "Alfie" and "Where Do You Go," this collection would have been absolutely definitive. It does, however, stand as a more-than-adequate representation of the singer's work from that period, and with its excellent song selection, liner notes, and photographs, provides a fantastic look back at this singer's amazing career.