Lionel Richie - The Definitive Collection
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Free Music Notes for The Definitive Collection
Free Music Review: A Solid Richie Collection
Hit: 5 Stars
One of the most successful artists of the 1970s' (with The Commodores) and 1980s' was without a doubt Lionel Richie. In a time when bland artists like Duran Duran and The Stray Cats ruled the scene, Lionel Richie's mature and brilliant brand of adult pop music appelaed to a vast audience, giving him a huge string of hit albums and singles plus an Oscar for "Say You, Say Me".
These statistics taken into consideration, "The Definitive Collection" is a solid compilation of Richie's best work and biggest hits with both The Commodores and solo, a random list of which would include "Three Times A Lady", "Sail On", "Endless Love' (with Diana Ross), "All Night Long (All Night)", "Say You, Say Me" and "Dancing On The Ceiling". All of these hits are here, as are lesser known hits "Stuck On You", "Penny Lover", "Ballerina Girl", "Do It To Me" (one of my al time favorite songs by anyone) and "Angel". The two new songs on this collection are very good as well, especially the Enrique Inglesias duet "To Love A Woman", which has a lovely country twang.
Naturally this is not a perfect collection. While I love this collection, I would have enjoyed it a little more if it was a two disc collection, which would give room for these songs:
From The Commodores:
"Machine Gun" (number 22 on Billboard Charts)
"I Feel Sanctified" (number 75)
"Slippery When Wet" (number 19)
"Sweet Love" (number 5)
"Brickhouse" (number 5) (am I the only one truly surprised this was absent from this collection since it's probably the best known Commodores song next to "Three Times A Lady"?)
"Too Hot To Trot" (number 24)
"Wonderland" (number 25)
"Old Fashioned Love" (number 20)
"Lady You Bring Me Up" (number 8)
"Oh No" (number 4)
From the solo years:
"My Love" (number 5)
"Love Will Conquer All" (number 9)
"Se La" (number 20)
"Don't Wanna Lose You" (number 39)
Until that comes along, this collection will do perfectly for most casual fans (hardcores will already have all the studio albums).
Free Music Review: You Listen To This "All Night Long"
Hit: 5 Stars
With so many great artists getting recognized with definitive collections of their greatest hits, it was only a matter of time before Lionel Richie would have this honor bestowed upon him. With 18 big hits and two new songs, this album remains one of my favorites and is the most complete collection of his hits to date.For a cd with his most popular hits, "The Definitve Collection" can hardly be beat. Songs like "Hello", "Three Times A Lady", "All Night Long", "Endless Love" (with Diana Ross), "Say You, Say Me" and "Dancing On The Ceiling" have become engraved in American pop culture and remain radio staples. Songs like "Penny Lover", "Stuck On You" and "You Are" rank among his finest efforts of all time, while "Do It To Me" remains my favorite, with a sweeping melody and a nice, mellow saxophone. And then there's "Angel". This is such a great song. I remember hearing this song at least once a day on some radio station on the way to work. The two new tracks are really special. The counrry - tinged Enrique Iglesias duet "To Love A Woman" and the haunting "Goodbye" prove he still has golden touch.
Alas, it's still not a perfect collection. This could've been a two - disc set, as there are many songs with The Commodores plus some solo hits that could've been included. Here a list of some (if not all) of those songs, plus their chart positions:
"Machine Gun" (number 22)
"Sweet Love" (number 5)
"Brick House" (don't knwo exactly what its peak position was, but was a top 10 hit)
"Oh No" (number 4)
"My Love" (number 5)
"Love Will Conquer All" (number 9)
"Se La" (number 20)
"Don't Wanna Lose You" (number 39)
I would also like the to have included his live version of "All Night Long (All Night" from the 1984 Olympics as a bonus track, but otherwise, this a great cd filled with countless hours of classic music. Get it today.
Free Music Review: An Outrageous Collection
Hit: 5 Stars
Rarely regarded as one of the great singer/songwriters of the 1970s and 1980s, Lionel Richie has certainly has had his share of hits, both with the Commodores and as a solo artist. His profile remains high today, and recently released the "Just For You" album.It's pretty easy to find your favorite Lionel Richie track here. Whether you enjoy "Three Times A Lady", "All Night Long (All Night)", "Say You, Say Me" or "Dancing On The Ceiling", you will not be disappointed by this cd. I was certainly surprised to find that my favorite Lionel song, 1992's "Do It To Me", was included, since it's the only one of his solo Motown singles not to hit the top 10 that is included here (1987's "Se La' also didn't make the top 20 but isn't included here). I also enjoyed some of his songs that were big hits their first time out but not that big today: "Stuck On You", "Penny Lover", "Ballerina Girl", "You Are" and "Running With The Night".
Lionel recorded some new tracks for this album as well. "To Love A Woman" is a country - tinged Enrique Inglesias duet that harkens back to some of his earlier work, and "Goodbye", a simple piano - driven ballads whose roots lie in "Truly" and "Easy".
There are a few top 10 hits missing from this cd that I would have loved to have seen included, both solo and with The Commodores. They are:
"Sweet Love" (number 5)
"Brick House" (number 5)
"Lady (You Bring Me Up)" (number 8)
"Oh No" (number 4)
"My Love" (number 5)
"Love Will Conquer All (number 9)
Those songs aside, this is an excellent collection of classic music that should be cherished for years to come. Also, pick up the aformentioned "Just For You" cd, and catch Lionel's daughter Nicole on Fox's "The Simple Life".
Free Music Review: Definitely most "Definitive" Lionel Richie Collection
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the best Lionel Richie collection available to date. The Definitive Collection consists of 25 tracks (5 song bonus disc included): 8 songs from the Commodores and 17 by Lionel Richie. The previous hits collection, 1992's single disc "Back to Front" is completely covered here, minus "My Destiny" and "Love, Oh Love". Also the 1997 compilation, "Love Songs", is all here except for "Love will conquer all" and the Commodores hit "Sweet Love". Its hard to quibble with the exclusion of "Sweet Love" and most anything by the Commodores considering the several extensive anthologies and hits albums available by that group. The problem is the Commodores' love songs sang by Richie are considered by many as Lionel Richie songs, hence the reason the biggest ones are in this collection. The collection is not chronological, starting off with Richie's "Hello" from '83 followed by the Commodores' "Just to be close to you" circa '76, but it still works because the theme and mood of the songs are similar. Two new songs finish off the main disc: "To love a woman" (with Enrique Iglesias) and "Goodbye". The 5 track bonus disc includes three more from the Commodores: an unreleased alternate mix of "Zoom","Oh No", and a hidden track #5 - a classic from the Commodores (can you guess what it is?) and two more from Richie: early working version of "Can't Slow Down" and "Lady", which many people probably think Kenny Rogers wrote. The Definitive Collection should please any fan, casual or not, and its the best way to get all the essential Lionel Richie tracks in a single reasonably priced CD.Warning: Track 15 may actually make you want to try to dance on your ceiling, but I wouldn't advise it. It didn't work either time I tried it. I got hurt.
Free Music Review: An Outrageous Collection
Hit: 5 Stars
Lionel Richie is certainly one of the best singer/songwriters to emerge in the last 30 years. From his string of hits with The Commodores to his incredible run of chart - topping solo hits, he has certainly established himself. This set, entitled "The Definitive Collection", reaffirms his place in music history. True, there are things to gripe about. Several tracks are missing ("Oh No", "Brick House", "Love Will Conquer All", "Se La", "Machine Gun", "Don't Wanna Lose You", the list goes on), plus it's not in chronological order. But it's pretty hard to argue with the track selection on this cd.Beginning with the plaintive "Hello", this album is an exhilerating run through some of the greatest songs in American music history. Songs like "All Night Long (All Night)", "Dancing On The Ceiling", "Easy" (with The Commodores), "Three Times A Lady" (with The Commodores), "Say You, Say Me" and the timeless Diana Ross duet "Endless Love" have become firmly engraved in American culture. But the tracks I like just as much are the ones that aren't as recognized as others. Songs like "Penny Lover", "Stuck On You" and especially "Do It Me", who with its lovely arrangment and breathtaking vocals, should've been a bigger hit (it only made 21 on the Hot 100). I also enjoyed "Angel", which is a great dance song. The two new tracks, the swaying Enrique Iglesias duet "To Love A Woman" and the powerful "Goodbye", show that Lionel has not lost his magic touch.
I really hope you consider buying this album, especially if you are a fan of Lionel Richie and his music. Whether it's funky soul he's doing or gorgeeous written ballads, you know you will love it. My only complaint is that my cd did not come with the 5 - song bonus disc!