Bonnie Tyler - Playlist: The Best Of The EastWest Years (2016)

Today we celebrate the birthday of Bonnie Tyler, a powerful vocalist who found her biggest fame in the US during the ‘80s, thanks to such classics as “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Holding Out for a Hero.” Neither of those tunes were released during her tenure at EastWest Records, alas, but since that’s the material that’s part of the Rhino catalog, that’s what we’re going to spotlight. And what’s wrong with that?

Not a thing: Tyler’s two EastWest LPs went almost unheard in the States, so this is a perfect opportunity to take a deep dive and introduce you to them!

First and foremost, it must be mentioned that FREE SPIRIT found Tyler returning to the Jim Steinman songbook, as one would after having had the biggest hit of their career with one of his tunes (“Total Eclipse of the Heart”), providing fans with versions of Air Supply’s “Making Love (Out of Nothing At All)” and Meat Loaf’s “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad.” (Regrettably, the latter track didn’t make the cut for this compilation, but now that we’ve mentioned, we’d be remiss if we didn’t give you an opportunity to hear it, so indulge yourself and click right here.) You do, however, get to hear a couple of other covers from the album, including The Scorpions’ “Are You the One” – retitled here as the more confident “You’re the One” – and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Also notable: “Time Mends a Broken Heart,” which must surely be one of very few songs co-written by Jeff Lynne and Kiki Dee.

From ALL IN ONE VOICE, listeners get an opportunity to hear Tyler’s takes on such tunes as “The Rose,” “Angel of the Morning,” and even “Silent Night.” In addition, there’s a single-only cover of The Alan Parsons Project’s “Limelight,” a song which was originally sung by Gary Brooker of Procol Harum fame.

Given that neither FREE SPIRIT nor ALL IN ONE VOICE are available on Spotify individually, this compilation is both the best and the only way to check out Tyler’s output during her EastWest era, so give it a spin. It’s a present for her and a present for you!