Customer Reviews

Love Songs: A Compilation Old & New

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If music really can soothe a savage beast, this CD would have been all Van Helsing needed to get through Dracula - plus all his offspring, and all Dean Koontz heroes (from his man-fiddling-with-nature stories) would only need a CD player to end the story swiftly on a quiet note.

This is a gigantic collection of ballads, with every slow Phil Collins song you ever (and never) heard of. Even fans of Phil's would consider themselves full with two CD's of slow songs - a somnambulist's dream.

You know most of the songs by heart, and maybe the perfect time to listen to this would be on a romantic evening with the rain falling softly outside.

Warning: Do NOT listen to this album while operating heavy machinery, while driving on a highway, or while driving heavy machinery down a highway.

Amanda Richards, November 11, 2004

First I have to say: All of you reviewers, PLEASE look into the fact file before you blast out all sorts of wrong information here. For instance, True Colours on this set is not the studio version from the 1998 Hits collection, and Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away is not a new song, but is taken from his 1983 album Hello, I Must Be Going.

Well, but back to the review. This collection is an excellent idea, as a follow up to his sorely incomplete Hits CD from 1998. That CD could EASILY have been a double CD, and missed important songs like Don't Loose My Number, Do You Remember, Everyday, It's In Your Eyes, No Matter Who, I Don't Care Anymore, It Don't Matter To Me and I Missed Again (never a favourite of mine, but still a significant song) to name some.

That may be as it was, but these CDs seemed like an obvious opportunity to collect some of the overlooked songs, and also include some of the gems from his career that were never hits. And so it does - to some extent. Do You Remember?, Everyday, It's In Your Eyes, The Least You Can Do, This Must Be Love and Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away were all minor hits or single releases that missed the airwaves, and thus didn't make it to the Hits album. So, good to see them here.

Along with those are a handful of favourites that never made it as single, but which are among his most treasured works - Please Come Out Tonight, If Leaving Me Is Easy, Testify, I've Forgotten Everything and Can't Turn Back The Years. However, there are a lot of songs that SHOULD have been included on this list that didn't make it - We Fly So Close, The Same Moon, No Way Out, Why Can't It Wait `Til Morning, All Of My Life and You Know What I Mean are obvious examples. These songs range among his finest works, and would all have been absolutely obvious cuts on a `love songs' collection. Instead we get a dodgy collection of hits that were also on the Hits collection - One More Night, Against All Odds, Groovy Kind Of Love and Two Hearts to name some. True Colours and Separate Lives are also included for the second time, but these are included in live versions which would justify for a second re-release - in fact, this would have been a real treat for the fans, there are some amazing live recordings of One More Night (1997 tour) and Groovy Kind Of Love (1994 tour) that never made it to the fans, at least not from official sources. Also, some excellent live takes on Wish It Would Rain Down exist from the 1994 tour and would have made a nice surprise for the fans.

All that being said, there ARE some really nice things even for the die-hard fans here. There's only one new song - Tearing And Breaking - but it is indeed an excellent song, stunning vocal arrangement with the backing group. The new take on True Colours from the 2004-rehersals is well worth all the money for this collection in my opinion. It's a knock-out, way better than the 1998 version. Rare tracks I've Been Trying and Somewhere - and we are talking genuinely rare tracks here - are definitely aimed for the hardcore fan group. Somewhere is a really wonderful recording, I'm less enthusiastic about I've Been Trying, but it's not a bad song. The live take of My Girl was a surprise to me, I love this recording and I'm delighted that it made it onto this collection. The live version of Always is good, but I think he did it much better on the 1997 tour - this recording is from the 1990 tour. Another rare live recording is The Way You Look Tonight - not my favourite, but I appreciate that this rare track is included.

All in all, I think it's a good release - there are some genuine rarities here, and the inclusion of some live cuts make for a nice surprise as well. However, they could've made it even better: A lot of songs that were obvious takes didn't include it, and some more live recordings of the tracks already on the Hits release would've been awesome. Perhaps someday we will be treated with a full 4CD+ box set spanning Phil's career including ALL his hits as well as some of all the lost treasures in the live archive. That'd make at least one more happy man on Earth!

OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10. Fans will find something here and good for newcomers.

PS: A special "valentine" edition featuring a DVD with 6 rare videos exist for the dedicated follower. Price is not so much more than standard version.

Phil Collins' "Love Songs" is a 2-CD set containing a great selection of Phil's greatest ballads. It's a terrific companion set to his "Hits" album, featuring not only such favorites as "One More Night," "Against All Odds," "Groovy Kind Of Love" and "Two Hearts," but also such buried Phil treasures as "Can't Turn Back The Years," "This Must Be Love," "Testify," and "If Leaving Me Is Easy." There's one new song, the lovely "Tearing And Breaking," which is an outtake from the "Testify" album, as well as "I've Been Trying," a song that Phil recorded for a Curtis Mayfield tribute album, and "Somewhere," the old Broadway classic from "West Side Story" that Phil did for another tribute album a few years back. And finally, if that weren't enough, the double CD set concludes with some excellent live material, including live renditions of "Separate Lives," and the old Sinatra fave, "The Way You Look Tonight." This is a great double album to own whether you're a diehard Phil fan OR just a casual listener. Quite simply, if you like Phil Collins, then you're gonna love "Love Songs."

This is probably my favorite Phil Collins album. Most of the songs here are easy-going and calm to listen to. Perfect for listening to on a long trip. Listening to it on a short trip wouldn't hurt either. Or just letting the music put you to sleep at night is good to do, too.

I picked up the CD the day it came out. Being a big fan for many years now, I figured I had to have a copy!
The first track, "Tearin' and Breakin' " was a welcome change so to speak for Phil....the song starts off with vocal harmonies that literally blow you away....It is then accented with soft piano and a beautiful horn solo. Truly a great song....one I already love.

The album has quite a few of the "no brainers" : Against All Odds, Groovy Kind Of Love, One More Night, just to name a few. But, then there are the surprises: Can't Turn Back the Years, I've Forgotten Everything, Least You Can Do, and many more. The fact that some lesser "known" songs are in the CD makes it that much more gratifying for me as alot of these "surprises" are some of my personal favorites I thought nobody else liked since they didn't go "mainstream".

If you like Phils voice and the way he writes/sings...this is a MUST have.....It has songs for all occasions....weddings/breakups/SEX!

Thx for reading,
Jeff

Phil Collins has long been one of the most "honest" artists out there. His music always finds a vein in the hurt lover in all of us. This 2-disc collection of his better previously-released love songs and new material is an excellent listening experience. The title says it all, so many of his standards are missing from this collection ("In the Air Tonight", "I Wish It Would Rain Down", etc), but his love songs are here ("One More Night", "Do You Remember", "Separate Lives" are just a sampling of what you'll find). His new songs are good too, and show a good direction for the future (I was never a fan of his big band years). While another "best of" collection seems strange with the release of his other one not long ago, this one is different because it's themed to just his love songs. Four live songs are included here too, including his cover of the old song "The Way You Look Tonight". Recommended.

Phil Collins' other greatest hits CD, "Hits", had a good selection of songs. Although, it didn't have some of the songs I like, such as: Do You Remember?, Everday, Can't Turn Back the Years, and Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away. But this collection of all Phil's love songs has all of the songs I just listed. It has lots of other great love songs too like Can't Stop Loving You, You'll Be In My Heart, Please Come Out Tonight, and One More Night. This 2-disc set also includes some brand-new live performances like Seperate Lives and My Girl. This is definitely a great collection of Phil Collin's love songs. Its too bad that Valentine's Day already pasted because this would make a great gift for your sweatheart. :)

Plain and simple...this man has written some of the most beautiful and heart wrenching love songs and finally they are together in one set to enjoy. His love songs from the early 80's like "Don't Let him Steal Your Heart Away", "This Must Be Love" and "If Leaving Me Is Easy"(my personal favorite) are included in this set and are some of the best ballads he has ever written. They will surely be a treat to Phil's younger fans who will be hearing some of these songs for the very first time. Unfortunately, one of Phil's most heart breaking ballads "You Know What I Mean" did not make the set. I highly recommend this CD set to anyone who has found or lost love - there is sure to be a song here that will make you say to yourself... "That is EXACTLY how I feel!"

I am a huge Phil Collins fan and while I have most of his releases, I was looking forward to another collection of this release. His 1998 collection titled "Hits" (well it does get to the point) did a good job of amassing his most successful songs and it was easily a 4 + star effort and I was hungry for more. Unfortunately this collection just does not cut it as it is way too bland and cannot justify a 2 CD set.

Although the above may sound harsh, I am not one of those Phil Collins bashers who blast his thin voice and still have not forgiven him for somehow not living up to what they wanted Genesis to be after Peter Gabriel's departure. Phil picked up the torch and brought the band additional commercial appeal and along the way become an unlikely (yet much deserved) solo superstar. I think that several of his releases, especially "Face Value," "No Jacket Required," the amazing yet underperforming "But Seriously," and the grossly ignored "Both Sides" are as good as pop gets.

While it may have seemed like the perfect idea to release a set of love songs, especially those that were not necessarily hits, the end result lacks variety, poignancy and misses out on what could have been an opportunity to expand on 1998's "Hits" by putting his favorites and those that did not make the cut the first time around. Part of Phil's appeal to me is that he knows his strengths and limits and most of the time he hits it out of the ballpark by balancing his work with the right touch of earnestness and, especially in the case of "No Jacket Required," a killer combo of trumpets and a guest list that others would kill for. Here we have back-to-back songs that sound too alike, some overlooked gems, a lot of filler (what's up with 4 songs while overlooking over must have classic "love songs" from Phil careers?). Having said that there are a few interesting morsels via previosly an unreleased song, especially the opener on the 1st CD ("Tearing and Breaking"), and "Can't Hold Back The Years," which has to be one of Phil's most underrated songs that for some reason did explode onto the charts.

In a nutshell if you are a hardcore fan, this release is not going to add anything truly valuable to your collection. Even the inserts are uninspired and stingy considering the price of the release. For the average fan, stick to 1998's "Hits" and if you fall somewhere in between you may want to make your own version of "Hits" by adding those songs that are must haves for you. I give this release 3.5 stars and hope to hear some new material soon.

This album shines beautifully with great songs...both discs are great but the second disc is a masterpiece...every track and i mean everyone is superb....excellent mastering provides audiophile sound quality...price range from $11.00 for good quality "Like NEW" cd..grab it now.