Welcome to the second-to-last installment in No Skips, a weekly column where we see why a certain album has no skippable tracks! Former Managing Editor of The Daily Campus Raquel Montelindo started this column a month before graduating last year, and one of her four articles was about Journey’s “Greatest Hits.” Therefore, I’ll divert from my normal coverage and write about Cher’s compilation album of the same name.
Best known for the futuristic 1998 single “Believe,” the singer popped all the way back in the 1960s and ‘70s for her consistent solo and collaborative output with ex-husband Sonny Bono. This “Greatest Hits” record is from 1974, the same year as the release of her album “Dark Lady.”
The title track from “Dark Lady” begins the compilation, and I’d argue it’s Cher’s best song. She’s also an actress, yet her theatrical performance on here blows me away during every listen. She sounds like Liza Minnelli in the 1972 movie “Cabaret” based on their similar vocal styles, and coincidentally, they are good friends. If you’re intrigued but don’t have a half-hour to hear all 11 songs from “Greatest Hits,” make sure you hear this one.
The orchestral swell on “The Way of Love” justifies the preceding buildup 10 times over. Cher enjoys speaking from different perspectives in her songs, and while I wouldn’t claim she’s playing a character in this song, she proclaims not to blindly fall in love without the other person’s reciprocation to “keep your heart / Out of danger, dear.” She’s had two divorces now, but I’ll take relationship advice from her any day of the week.
“Don’t Hide Your Love” has got everything from harmonicas to guitars and an orchestra, culminating in an interesting cut. It’s one of her weaker performances on here, especially with interjected repetition of lines in the chorus, though the variety of instruments makes up for this.
“Half-Breed” is where Cher begins her various instances of singing as a character, with this one being both white and Cherokee. She comments on the resulting struggles of this mixed heritage as the character grows up, and there’s likely some level of autobiographical intent here given that her mother is part Cherokee. Modern audiences have pushed this song to the wayside. I’ll agree the lyrics are dated, but it should’ve made it on her most recent compilation, “Forever.”
“Train of Thought” likens one’s mind and temper to a locomotive, and the song’s structure lends well to that comparison. Multiple vocal takes of Cher’s deeper register are layered in the pre-chorus of “When my anger starts to rumble / And my steam starts to rise / And the wheels keep turning / Faster as I think of all your lies.” Maracas and a drum match the sound and tempo of a train chugging along, making for an immersive experience.
Disc 2 begins on a banger with “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves,” a tune masquerading as fun and whimsical, even using an instrument often found on carnival rides. Cher takes the role of a 16-year-old whose family’s livelihood involves a traveling show and prostitution. Regardless, her performance — namely on the bridge — is immaculate. Thankfully, this one wasn’t removed from “Forever” despite its similarities to “Half-Breed.”
“I Saw a Man and He Danced With His Wife” is painfully close to being a big band song, but Cher continues with catchy choruses and unbridled passion in the line “They were playin’ our song / While I was cryin’ all night long.” The narrator here is reminiscent of Gary Wilson’s “Gary Saw Linda Last Night,” an experimental artist that you wouldn’t expect in a Cher review.
“Carousel Man” is the third head of the hydra that is Cher’s best songs. Following another narrative about traveling shows and carnivals, the jolly sound hides probable innuendos like “The carousel man / Wouldn’t let me off his merry-go-round.” Her vocals are explosive yet subdued in the right places, and as the song fades away after three minutes, I wish the carousel could go around forever.
Nine songs in and Cher continues utilizing the same song structure, but damn, it works wonders. The brass fills and tambourine hits on the cinematic chorus complement the marvelous vocals that describe a couple’s poor relationship at home. Cher sounds especially liberated here, since Bono was her spouse and business partner, yet was soon to be neither.
“Melody” is ironically the most melodic and tame cut on the compilation, with no chorus. It could’ve functioned better as a palate cleanser a few songs ago, but it’s not a skip. Neither is “Dixie Girl,” another song from the album “Dark Lady” that was only on the 1990 re-release of “Greatest Hits.”
If you can believe it, Cher is still kicking and looking pretty good for a 78-year-old. She still sounds excellent on her “Christmas” album from 2023 … she and Elton John are built different. While her glory days are behind her, I have a newfound appreciation for compilation albums, even if they are cash grabs by money-hungry record labels. They condense an artist’s most popular songs into one package and give listeners somewhere to start in a daunting discography like Cher’s.