Lean on Me: Best of

Bill Withers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 9, 1994)
• Original Release Date: 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000028RG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,136 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Composer of two bona fide classics ("Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lean on Me") as well as tunes covered by everyone from Joe Cocker to Kiss, Withers sings with smooth, subtle phrasing that moves along over sinuous, sexy grooves. At times it all sounds so effortless that it's often easy to overlook how substantial his work really is. Never flashy, Withers's best songs burn with a kind of heat that lingers long after the last note has been played. This 18-song collection brings together a healthy collection of songs from this soulful singer-songwriter's remarkable early-'70s Sussex albums, including such hits and near hits as "Grandma's Hands," "Who Is He? (And What Is He to You?)," and the seriously funky "Use Me," as well as some gems from the later '70s (including "Lovely Day"). If you're weighing Lean on Me against the 10-song Greatest Hits, opt for this, the more generous option. --Percy Keegan

Product Description

1. Ain't No Sunshine (Single Version) 2:04 2. Grandma's Hands 2:00 3. Lean On Me 4:17 4. Use Me 3:48 5. Kissing My Love 3:50 6. Who Is He? (And What Is He To You?) 3:14 7. I Don't Want You On My Mind 4:36 8. The Same Love That Made Me Laugh 3:23 9. Hello Like Before 5:29 10. Lovely Day 4:15 11. Let Me Be The One You Need 4:45 12. I Want To Spend The Night 3:42 13. Steppin' Right Along 5:44 14. Whatever Happens 3:16 15. Watching You Watching Me 5:49 16. Heart In Your Life 4:14 17. You Try To Find A Love 5:44 18. Just The Two Of Us 3:57

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

90 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An underrated singer's remastered gems. A+ review, August 24, 2003

By 

guillermoj (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of Bill Withers: Lean on Me (Audio CD)

Bill Withers had a low key career that lasted only 14 years, in which he released some of the most beautiful music ever to grace this earth.

Although the Amazon.com reviewer incorrectly indicates that Bill only had two huge hits, "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lean on Me", he/she must have not have done his/her due diligence as "Use Me" and "Lovely Day" also were smashes, but Bill is not about his "hits" but about his amazing ability to sing songs that are sexy, smooth, spiritual and does it in an understated manner that does not come off as generic, but serves as an example of a true original.

Listening to this amazing release (which should be the only one to buy if you are in the market as there are at least 3 out there) you get a feeling of all being well with the world. The remastering is amazing and the songs sound even more effortless than ever yet they stick with you for days.

I am amazed at not having discovered a fuller spectrum of Bill's work until now, as all the non-hits sound at catchy and lovely as the hits. Again, I have to express my surprise at how a seemingly low key performer manages to put together songs that stay with you longer than any of the "anthems" or even better known songs and/or performers.

Buy this at once if you love melody and music that is as relevant today as when it was first released. In my opinion, this greatest hits package should appeal to those who are seeking every "neo-soul" artist that puts something out there but, with some exeptions, nothing is better than the real thing.

There is not a dud in this 18-song collection and I can't remember the last time that I have experienced that.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Compilation Out There and Remastered for a Great Sound!, August 21, 2005

By 

Frederick Baptist (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best of Bill Withers: Lean on Me (Audio CD)

This has to be the best compilation of Bill Withers' life's work that's out there. Not only has the sound been very well remastered for a great sounding cd but the choice of tracks are also very good. "Lovely Day" is what made me want to know more about the artist and "Just the Two of Us" and "Lean On Me" among many others have made me a great fan.

BW's voice is really good and how he sustains that looong note at the end of "Lovely Day" I'll never know. Just great music and great heartfelt soul from a curiously relatively unknown musician. A worthy addition to any cd collection and a lasting classic. If you are into great soul singing and well-written tracks, then this is the cd to get.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most underrated R & B artist of all time., October 28, 1999

By 

Captain Opinionated (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lean on Me: Best of (Audio CD)

Bill Withers? You probably already love a lot of his songs and don't even know it yet. The funk classic "Use Me," heard in the film "American Beauty?" Bill Withers. The pretty "Lovely Day" from the Gap Soul commercial? Our man, Bill. "Lean On Me," which you've undoubtedly heard and loved countless times? Thank, Mr. Withers. "Just the Two of Us," which is so popular, Mike Myers did a take off on it in "Austin Powers: the Spy Who Shagged Me?" Courtesy, Bill W. Why more people don't realize all these great songs - as well as such lesser-known gold nuggets like "Grandma's Hands," "When I'm Kissin' My Love," and "Ain't No Sunshine" - are the work of one enormously talented R & B singer/songwriter is beyond me. If you like classic soul/R & B, you gotta add this CD to your collection.