IN 1958 Cliff Richard was one mean rock'n'roller on Move It. Of course, he quickly became an all-round entertainer and has recorded Eurovision, disco, country and light operetta, but Cliff still loves to rock.
Strangely, for an artist with more than 200 hits, Cliff's World 2003 Concerts featured loads of cover versions of songs that he wished he had recorded first. The accompanying CD, Wanted, mostly featured Seventies and Eighties' songs, but the concerts focused more on those ground-breaking early rock'n'roll classics. Chuck Berry's Claudette, Jerry Lee Lewis's Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On and Presley's Don't Be Cruel are included here. Cliff adds some unsuspected grit, not wanting to be accused of sanitising rock's heritage. Yet sitting incongruously amid this late Fifties and early Sixties' collection is Cliff's finest moment since Heathcliff: a cover of Olivia Newton-John's I Honestly Love You. Cliff's voice best suits such ballads but you suspect he would still rather be considered a hot and sweaty rocker.
Updated: 10:00 Thursday, May 13, 2004
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