Customer Reviews

Love Luther

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What is with all the nit-picking about this box set? The purpose of this box set is to give an overview of Luther Vandross's career, and it does an excellent job of that. This set DOES have some rarities, yet the hardcore fans complain there are not enough. That was not the purpose of this collection. It is not a B-sides/rarities compilation, but rather an anthology of his career. There are complaints that not all of Vandross's charted hits are here. Yes, not all of the songs that charted below number 60 on the Billboard charts are here, but it's not a major oversight and it's not like the collection leaves off his major classics.

The sound is excellent. The '80s hits sound crisp and fresh as ever. The liner notes are well-written and not exhaustive. Songs come in extended or original form, not cut up or edited like so many other compilations. How can you complain when you get the rare, extended version of "Never Too Much"? Certainly not me. You get excellent live versions of "Searching", "Always & Forever" and "A House is Not A Home". You even get a sample of his producing abilities, with the full-length version of Aretha Franklin's "Jump to It". I think that's a smart move on the compilers' part; Vandross was a huge fan of divas like Aretha and he was prolific in his production skills.

It's rare that I can listen to a box set all the way through. Yet "Love, Luther" is such a consistently good listen, that you can enjoy it straight through from disc one to disc four. In fact, the collection just gets better and better with each disc, and each disc stands on its own.

Even if some of Luther's music sounds very much from the era it was recorded, he was a talented artist who had great taste in song choices and production. This production really is a labor of love.

When it comes to making great R&B music these days, we really don't seem to have the feeling that true soul & its essence carried over the years. For acts like Patti LaBelle, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, they've all made really good records, but the music industry and fans seemed to be more eager into rap & hip hop acts like 50 Cent and Jay-Z. For a definitive crooner like Luther Vandross, his music seems to keep lovers everywhere wishing they had more from him. It has been 2 years since his devistating death, and many people who've been in the hearts of sensual soul are still listening to his sexy voice, and that can be said well in his first ever career-spanning box set.

Love Luther, is the 2007 box set showcasing Luther Vandross through his delightful 3 decades of true sensual soul. The collection includes great tracks that were remastered well and true to what his voice carried over a lifetime. The collection includes great tracks as classic Luther standards like Any Love, the somber and mellow Dance With My Father, Take You Out, Stop To Love, Power Of Love/Love Power, to his classicly conjured duets with Mariah Carey on Endless Love, Destiny's Child lead singer Beyonce' with The Closer I get To You, and legends like Dionne Warwick with How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye. The collection also includes live rendiditions of A House Is Not A Home, Searching, and the Lady Is A Tramp with the legendary Frank Sinatra.

Although the box set spans very well, there are a few disadvantages to this collection. The first one is that the collection doesn't keep the tracks in chronological order, which might confuse new listeners, as well as die hard fans. the other problem is that the album does overlook a few great songs that could've been displayed here like Going In Circles, Think About You from Dancing With My Father, and other great tracks.

All in all, Love, Luther still remains a remarkable box set that is worth the heart and the soul from a legendary crooner. While the collection could've been fixed up a little, it still remains a shining box set that is worth the money for anyone who needs a little love from a late angel. Luther Vandross was. and always will be one of a kind, and I really recommend Love, Luther. It is a great buy.

Album Cover: B+

Songs: B+

Price: B

Remastering: A-

Overall: B 1/2+

'Love Luther' was very nice, but could've been better IMO! Don't get me wrong, I think the packaging (photos, liner notes, etc) was awesome, but with all of the many (and I mean MANY!) Luther compilation CDs available (most feature the same old tracks!), it would've been extra special to include previously unreleased (or rare) songs in addition more non-album tracks & hits! I'm referring to music from the 1st 2 albums by the group Luther (1976-1977), which have never been issued on CD (this would've been a perfect time). Personally, I own about 3-4 Luther compilation CDs, so the rare tracks in this box were the main attraction (after placing the rare tracks on a single CD, I had to resell the box!). One of these so called rare tracks ('The Lady Is A Tramp' with Frank Sinatra) is not rare at all (and sounds out of place here!), so it didn't make the cut on my personal CD. Also, who was the nut that decided to include Aretha's 'Jump To It' on this collection ?? I know Luther produced it, but COME ON!!! Sony/Legacy/J Records should've returned 'Got You Home' back to the vault.....it sounded bad on last year's 'Ultimate Luther Vandross' CD, and it REALLY sounds bad now! This Luther box set would be a 5 star affair if it included a few more hits along with songs like 'I'm Gonna Miss You In The Morning' (1978 Duet with Patti Austin), 'The Thrill I'm In' (fr.'Money Train' SDTK), 'Heart Of A Hero' (fr.'Hero' SDTK), 'She's So Good To Me' (fr.'Goonies' SDTK), 'Hold On' (Awesome Live Duet with Patti Labelle), and 'You Really Started Something' (An Import Only Bonus Track from 2001!) in addition to other non-album tracks. I'd also hoped to see a few rare 12" mixes of Luther's hits included, but maybe that's coming soon when they remaster all of his studio CDs. All in all, the 'Love Luther' box set, with it's nice packaging & questionable tracklisting, is not as great as it SHOULD'VE been. With a legend like Luther Vandross, I expected a definitive box set along the lines of Marvin Gaye's 'The Master' (4 CDs) or The Temptations' 'Emperors Of Soul' (5 CDs). If you don't have Luther Vandross' greatest hits, ultimate collection, essential collection, etc, I'd recommend that you invest in 'Love Luther' or simply wait a few more years for the next compilation. You know it's coming!
Take care, SD

Yet, when it comes to great R&B crooners, we really don't have many legends to really enjoy these days anymore that are fresh and new. It is sad, especially when those we really look up to pass on. When Luther Vandross died two years ago, his soul was and his sensual voice was a deep reminder of what a definitive singer could really be. For three decades in the spotlight, he has crafted and recorded some of the most elegantly crafted songs ever on the radio and for listeners and lovers everywhere. With today, we are often more into rap performers and Hip Hop, where the softeness of soul is often overlooked from the deep heart, which is sad. While there have been so many different hits albums that came out with Luther Vandross's talent, no box set has ever been issued, until now.

The 2007 Love, Luther, is a 4 disc box set that does a decent job at reintroduces Luther Vandross and his velvetly, sexy voice from his delightful eras in the music industry. The collection includes all of his standards from classic covers, to his mix of Hip Hop Soul that blends in lover's and their souls' everywhere. The collection includes live material, from his classic duets, and his best in soul. The collection includes 60 great tracks including demos and extended tracks. The collection includes great tracks including classics like The Power Of Love/Love Power, Anyone Who Had A Heart, Don't Want To Be A Fool, and Stop To Love, to his collaborations with Dionne Warwick (How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye) and Mariah Carey (Endless Love), all the way to his last recordings including the somber Dance With My Father and I'd Rather. There are also a few treats here including never-before heard recordings including Funky Music, a song Luther Vandross performed during his early days as a part of the R&B group Luther, and Georgy Porgy when he recorded with Charme.

While the box set Love, Luther shines brightly, there are a couple of disadvantages to the collection. The first disadvantage is that the collection doesn't list the songs in chronologial order, which does confuse new listeners, as well as keeps things a little bit misorganized for die hard fans unlike other box sets. Another disadvantage to the album is that while the collection includes a lot of great songs, there are a few great tracks that were overlooked like his rendidtions of Heatwave's Always & Forever, and Going In Circles, as well as Think About You.

Despite those few flaws, Love, Luther works great in price and value as a noble re-introduction to Luther Vandross, that works well for die hard fans and anyone who hasn't yet heard a Lutehr Vandross song on the radio. While there have been so many different collections of Luther Vandross's soul that've been made, this one works as a nice treat for anyone who is in the mood for any love that Luther's soul keeps bringing out.

Album Cover: A-

Songs: B+

Price: B

Remastering: A-

Overall: B+

It's very very sad that it took Luther's death for a comprehensive box set to be released. That said this one is a very mixed bag. There are two versions of this set; a small standard (will fit on your cd shelf) edition, and an oversized long box edition. First the good news: The presentation and booklet are near perfect. For me, it was worth it just for the box and booklet alone. Next there are seven true rarities included on this set. The box claims more than that, but the "Lady Is A Tramp" duet is previously available on Frank Sinatra's duets album and the new live mix of A House Is Not A Home is indeed better sounding than the original 2003 Radio City Music Hall cd, but not different otherwise. There are a few other extended versions etc., but nothing else truly rare. Was it worth it for just seven new trax? You betcha! But that brings us to the bad news ONLY 7 RARE CUTS ON A 4 CD BOX SET. Not near enough for his long suffering fans. Even if you give the set the benefit of the doubt and included every alt, extended, remixed version, and count things like Hot Butterfly, which I'll bet most fans already have (and which I'm very glad was in fact included here) we're still only talkin' like 13 or 14 items that aren't on Luther's standard discography!!! There should have been TONS of previously unreleased live trax and TONS of lesser known studio cuts and TONS of unreleased material. Come on now, we all know they exist!!! What about including "She's So Good To Me" from THE GOONIES soundtrack (even though luckily I already have that cut on a UK promo cd single)? What about more than just the single cut from Luther's first two albums on Cotillion Records (and again... thank goodness I already have them both)? There should have been an entire disc devoted to unreleased live material, an entire disc devoted to unreleased studio trax, an entire disc devoted to alt versions and remixes and then finally a disc of regular run of the mill album cuts that you could get just about anywhere. THAT'S WHAT THIS SET SHOULD HAVE BEEN!!! If this sounds like sour grapes, it's not. The set for all my complaints is a very nice overview collection, but seeing as how most fans have the vast majority of this material already, it seems like a huge missed opportunity to me. Still, this is better than nothing at all and I'm very happy that Luther finally gets the box set treatment. Or better yet, how 'bout a do over!!!

jd

I purchase the CD for a friend of mine and bought one for myself. I'm so glad I did, I have played it everyday since I bought it. It's a wonderful box set, anyone that like Luther music should purchase this box set. I can't forget this, also what a price, great music and a great price. I just want to say thanks. I have been telling all my family and friends about this CD.

Great compilation of songs by luther Vandross. Excellent packaging. Bought one for me and one for my sister. She and I were both very satisfied. Arrived in very good time.

This just came out so haven't had time to listen, but just wanted to post that there are two different ways this comes packaged so you may want to check it out before you buy. One is a longer "book" box type and one is a shorter one.( Not unlike what was done with the "Beatles Complete Capitol Albums" series.) I bought the smaller version just because it takes up less space and I can get it on my cd shelves with less hassles. Don't know if the actual content of the liner notes differ or not.

Perhaps I'm talking thru my hat, but all the other people who reviewed "Love, Luther" missed the point. Everyone talks about what's missing, what should have been included instead, all the rare and unreleased stuff that could have been put on. Then it dawns on you, if Sony had done what these people wanted, it would result in a 10-15 disc box that nobody would be able to afford. The point is, Luther was a rarity in the music business: a truly gifted musician, singer and performer who could do it all, so Sony wanted to touch on as many points of that as they could within the confines of a 4-disc box set, and it succeeds beautifully. It includes hits, early work from groups like Luther, Change and Bionic Boogie, live cuts, rarities, and even a cut written and produced for another artist ("Jump To It", the 12-inch version by Aretha). All this is what I bought the box for. Sony was obviously gambling that people who were not into Luther before would buy this, and it would whet their appetites for more, and they're right. So the box doesn't serve "long-time fans" as well as it could have. So what? There's no arguing the sheer artistry of what's here, so even if you're a long-time fan, you'll buy it. Those of us who were not "into" Luther before, will now become converts, unfortunately after the man has already passed on. And I'm betting that that's where Sony was going when they put this box together.

I had this collection for years and unfortunately it disappeared. I searched frantically for it and couldn't find it. I went on amazon.com to try and find it...I DID!!!! If you are a true Luther fan there is no way you should be without it...Girls Scouts Honor!!! Trust me on this one, you will treasure it forever.