Write a Review
Critic's Review
Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
Four-CD box set containing four of Sellers' EMI albums--The Best Of Sellers (1958), Songs For Swingin' Sellers (1959), Peter & Sophia (1960), and Sellers Market (1979). Of equal note are the 24 bonus tracks, taken from rare items like '50s and '60s singles, an EP, cuts that only appeared on obscure anthologies, unissued outtakes, soundtracks, and his cameo appearances with the Hollies and Steeleye Span. Far from filler, these bonus selections include some of his best performances. "Any Old Iron" (a British hit) was a folk/skiffle parody, and its B-side "Boiled Bananas and Carrots" did the same to calypso. "Fullers Earth" is a good parody of a flat earth society. The hit spoken-word satire of "A Hard Day's Night" is here, along with half a dozen other spoken Lennon-McCartney parodies, some previously unreleased; the effete reading of "Help!" and the "Cockney version" of "She Loves You" are standouts. This might seem like an overly extensive and steeply priced introduction to Sellers' work, but no comedy fan will regret its purchase. It not only contains some of the funniest comedy recordings on either side of the Atlantic, but some of the most important and influential work in the form in the 20th century. It is also the only easily available anthology of Sellers' recorded material, and contains a detailed booklet documenting his work in the studio.
