Love Songs [Original recording remastered]

Andy Williams | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 13, 2004)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00016XO1K
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #349,185 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Andy Williams was one of the last great American traditional pop singers to emerge before the 60's rock revolution largely put the genre on the endangered species list. Yet such was Williams masterfully cool vocal panache that he not only thrived in the decade (and beyond) but hosted one of its most successful television variety hours in the bargain. The 14 songs here bookend the decade well, gathering together many of the singer's romantic standouts from the era. His "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing" displays the operatic power of his voice, one that could just as persuasively adapt to the jazzy, Brazilian cadences of Bacharach's "The Look of Love" or the breezy R&B of Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour." Showcasing another facet of his career, this collection largely revolves around core tracks from Williams' film soundtrack work during the era. While it may overlook his signature "Moon River," it more than compensates with some choice album cuts and other overlooked gems, like his powerful "Unchained Melody" (from The Uninvited), a lush, romantically inviting solo version of "Let It Be Me" (mistakenly credited as a duet with Claudine Longet), and a breezy "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You." His hit theme renditions from Love Story, The Godfather and Romeo and Juliet are also included, additional evidence of William's pop-cultural impact in an era that was anything but friendly to his chosen style. -- Jerry McCulley

Product Description

14 beautiful, romantic ballads from one of the best! Includes Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing; The Hawaiian Wedding Song; Speak Softly Love (Love Theme from The Godfather ); Can't Take My Eyes off You; The Look of Love; Dear Heart; My Cherie Amour; Let It Be Me , and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars strong set of love songs by the great Andy Williams even with a few repeats along the way, December 21, 2007

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Songs (Audio CD)

Andy Williams could belt out a song and invariably make it sound like the most passionate love ballad ever written. Andy's voice was strong, full of warmth and energy in a way so very few other singers could ever match. This album gives us sixteen of Andy's interpretations of classic love songs; and there's hardly a dud in the lot!

"Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing" starts the album with a thoughtful, passionate and strong ballad that celebrates the joys of love. Andy does indeed show the operatic qualities of his voice the way others have noted. I especially enjoy Andy's bossa nova/jazzy rendition of "The Look Of Love;" this number gives Andy a chance to perform this timeless number with panache and great sensitivity. Listen also for Andy to sing the theme from Love Story with the same remarkable sensitivity; his voice conveys all the emotions of the song far better than most other crooners ever could.

"My Cherie Amour," a number made famous by the great Stevie Wonder, sports the flavor of a mid to late 1960s love song performed by a master. The strings also work well on "My Cherie Amour." Andy also does great justice to the theme from The Godfather. Awesome!

"I Can't Stop Loving You" features Andy putting his own stamp on this love song with a strong backup chorus; and the album ends very well with the love theme from Romeo and Juliet entitled "A Time For Us." Andy never once sings a single superfluous note.

We also get the songs credits; and the artwork is beautiful.

People who want every Andy Williams album out there will, of course, want this one in their collections. I believe, however, that quite a few of these recordings (more than half) exist on other albums still for sale. It's equally true that this album is geared to a more casual fan who wants the highlights of Andy's artistry without the expense of buying every single Andy Williams album.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great selection mostly of covers, January 11, 2005

By 

Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Songs (Audio CD)

Although some of Andy's own hits are here (Can't take my eyes off you, Can't get used to losing you, Where do I begin, Solitaire, Can't help falling in love, Butterfly, Music to watch girls by, May each day), this collection is mostly made up of his distinctive covers of other people's hits. Big UK hits conspicuous by their absence include Almost there and Home loving man - however, these and Andy's other hits are easy to find on other compilations, notably the double CD Very best of. Andy's interpretations of some popular music classics will give enormous pleasure to his legions of fans.

So here you get Andy's versions of Something stupid (Nancy and Frank Sinatra), Seasons in the sun (Terry Jacks), Strangers in the night (Frank Sinatra), Fire and rain, You've got a friend (both James Taylor), We've only just begun (Carpenters), The way we were (Barbra Streisand), The look of love (Dusty Springfield), You are the sunshine of my life (Stevie Wonder), Touch me in the morning (Diana Ross), Without you (a number one UK hit for Nilsson in the seventies and Mariah Carey in the nineties), Unchained melody (a huge hit for several artists through the years but especially the Righteous brothers), Hawaiian wedding song (a minor hit for Julie Rogers, whose big hit was The wedding), I won't last a day without you (Carpenters) and Killing me softly (Roberta Flack).,

So relax and enjoy an easy-listening collection of classic songs from the sixties and seventies, delivered as only Andy can.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An odd compilation, March 14, 2002

By 

R. Riis "rriis" (NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Songs (Audio CD)

A nice compilation at a nice price, but since most of Andy William's hit singles were love songs this CD comes across as an oddly programmed collection of mostly 1970s covers of other peoples' hits mixed with a few older hits of Andy's. This is not the best choice for AW samplers (it's not even the best AW 1970's compilation) and AW fans will already have most of this material elsewhere. A better bet are some of the more hit-oriented AW compilations or, better yet, the original albums available as CD two-fors.