Customer Reviews

Brother to Brother

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My first taste of Gino Vannelli was the top 40 minor hit Powerful People which was on a lot of jukeboxes in the mid-70s, but it wasn't until Brother To Brother was issued that Vannelli really came to my attention.
This is one of those albums that every artist hopes to make, virtually flawless from beginning to end. Brother to Brother didn't hit me at once, I Just Wanna Stop was the song that received the most airplay as it fit in commercially with the kind of stuff that was being played on the radio at that time and was a song I didn't really care for. But you could hear the promise of Vannelli's music in the song; its tightness, its harmonies, and its positive vibes. So I bought Brother to Brother on vinyl and liked it more every time I played it.
My vinyl is in mothballs and I have been building a CD collection both of new music and the best of what I have on LP, so I recently purchased Brother To Brother on CD. Wow!! Its every bit as powerful and enjoyable now as when I first heard it. The music is uplifting, romantic, and soulful. With the exception of I Just Wanna Stop (which STILL sounds commercial), every song is a gem. Brother To Brother is a tour de force which belongs in every collection.

I was 12 when I first heard Gino. He sang an enigmatic(for a pre-teen at least) song entitled 'Love of My Life' and I was forever hooked. It sounded fresh and different. I purchased Brother to Brother a few years later because I liked the singles, and then remembered he was the one who sang Love of My Life. At first, I only listened to the B2B singles - I Just Wanna Stop, Wheels of Life and Appaloosa. When I ventured beyond the singles, I was unprepared for the rest of the album. He simply floored me! I prefer Gino's 'non-singles' - I find them to be more corageous, more passionate. His voice, his lyrics, conviction blew me away then, and they continue to do so today. He is a treasure! Get as much of his music as you can - just don't try to catagorize him, because he does so many styles of music so well. I don't think you will regret this purchase.

I remember getting this album in a cut-out bin
in 1980 and wore it out. I was 13 then. 23 years
later, and I still think it just kicks [...]I
consider it as big people think of Beatles Sgt
Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band or Pet Sounds but
you can rarely find a review of it anywhere.
Highlights are "Brother To Brother" and "The
Wheels Of Life."

My first Gino Vannelli album and still my favorite. The first time I heard his outstanding 'I Just Wanna Stop' I was captured by his soaring vocals. I've just recently purchased the CD and it has taken me back to younger days when I would lie under the stars on the cool grass of Lake Park with my boyfriend and plan the future. Twenty years later, 'The Wheels of Life' speak to me in a different, more poignant way. My 'future' has turned out quite differently but Gino's music is magic just the same.

I have had this album for years on vinyl, but the CD is terrific! This album, in my opinion, is one of the greatest rock performances of all time! Awesome drums, and no weak links in the other dept's. I Love This record! I can't think of anyone else who has blended jazz-rock with pop songs so well! Six stars!

I'd been a fan to Gino since I heard his singles "I Just Wanna Stop" and "Living Inside Myself" instantly. I actually love how he sounds. He just combined jazz-rock into pop music or he just combined jazz, rock, pop, a lil R&B into his music. Enuff said.

Ok back to the album I luv every song on this albums but my favorites are: I Just Wanna Stop, River Must Flow, Feel Like Dying, Brother to Brother, Wings of Life, The Evil Eye, and People I Belong To.

Those are songs I play back to back and sing along with. God bless Gino for a wonderful classic. This by far is my favorite album of all-time and Gino is still my top influence of rock history and music culture. Along w/ Steely Dan, Phil Collins, Billy Joel, Elton John, etc. are among my biggest influences in rock 'n roll.

I Just Wanna Stop is one of his most popular songs but only begins to tell of family togetherness. His songs with his brothers Joe and Ross are the warmest. Love And Emotion, Feel Like Flying, Brother To Brother, Wheels Of Life and People I Belong To are song I listen to over and over.As in all of Gino's music, this album makes me feel good about the people I belong to as well.. Each title is masterfully written, performed and produced.

Although most people love and cherish Gino's biggest hits - i.e. "I Just Wanna Stop" and "Wheels of Life"- which this release certainly offers, when you listen to the album in its entirety, you will understand why this is a truly great work. Heart-felt lyrics (always a staple of Vannelli's music !),funky synthesized beats (thank you Joe!) and ambitious entries like the title song make the whole a major delight. One of my personal, all-time favorite Gino songs is on this LP, too - "The River Must Flow." Check it out !

I bought this cassette in the 70's. I just pulled it out, and went back in time listening to it. It still sounds as great as it did almost 30 years ago. Don't miss this one.

Want a killer CD that defies description? I first had this as a tape in college and made my parents (musicians, not easily impressed) sit in my Cutlass Supreme while I blared this for all it was worth. Even my dad, record producer, writer of some major hits, musician, couldn't say anything bad about it...all he could say, was "wow". It has classics (I just want to stop), but it also has some of the best up tempo jazz you might ever hear. The real magic of this CD is the rythym section, which defies description. Whether we're talking the percussion on "The River Must Flow" or various bass solos, this is truly a masterpiece.