Brian Hyland: Greatest Hits

Album Review

Brian Hyland's "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini" is one of those songs that straddles the line between silly and annoying, but the public thought highly enough of it to make it a number one hit in 1960. Listeners expecting a full menu of similar novelties will be surprised by Hyland's Greatest Hits. Spanning the years 1960-1970, Greatest Hits consists mostly of Hyland's folk-pop from the mid- to late '60s, concluding with his 1970 hit version of the Impressions' "Gypsy Woman." Hyland's later singles seemed to aspire to "seriousness," although the aura of bubblegum pop remained regardless of the material. Most of these 18 tracks were charting hits although only three cracked the Billboard Top Ten.