It's no mystery why
Disneyland adopted the
Mike Curb Congregation's rendition of
"It's a Small World" as the official version of its theme song -- the group's clean-cut optimism and genteel style is a ringer for the
pop choruses of the '60s, and bears more than a passing resemblance to their
Osmond Family labelmates. The group scored most of their hits while backing other
MGM artists such as
Little Jimmy Osmond and
Sammy Davis, Jr., but had one major hit on their own with
"Burning Bridges" from the
Clint Eastwood film soundtrack
Kelly's Heroes.
Greatest Hits contains the original recordings of every
Mike Curb Congregation song that registered on the
pop and
adult contemporary singles charts, as well as a goodly selection of hits on which the group backed other singers. These include
Sammy Davis, Jr.'s chart-topper
"The Candy Man," Lou Rawls'
"A Natural Man," Jud Strunk's delicate
"A Daisy a Day," and
Hank Williams, Jr.'s
country hit
"All for the Love of Sunshine" (also taken from the movie
Kelly's Heroes). A cover of
the English Congregation's
"Softly Whispering I Love You" is a nice bonus since the original hit version is rare on CD, but it would have been nice to have one of the group's better-known collaborations with
Tony Bennett or
Little Jimmy Osmond in place of a non-hit such as
"It Was a Good Time." Greatest Hits may be brief, but its budget price and strong selection of hit recordings makes it a good value. ~ Greg Adams
![Greatest Hits [EMI]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/5099969563522_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Greatest Hits [EMI]")
![Greatest Hits [Columbia]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0074643631723_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Greatest Hits [Columbia]")
![I Fought the Law: The Best of the Bobby Fuller Four [Del-Fi]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0081227649425_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "I Fought the Law: The Best of the Bobby Fuller Four [Del-Fi]")
