Music of [Import]

Labi Siffre | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 10, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: EMI Gold
• ASIN: B00005O13X
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #586,823 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. I Got The...

2. Another Year

3. Old Time Song

4. The Vulture

5. Dreamer

6. Sadie And The Devil

7. Turn On Your Love

8. Remember My Song

9. Love-A-Love-A-Love-A-Love-A-Love

10. You Hurt Me

11. Doctor Doctor

12. Second Time Around

13. Would You Dance?

14. Supaluvva

15. Staride To Nowhere

16. You've Done Something To My Heart

17. Sally Came To Stay

18. La-De-Da-De-Da (Lost Without Your Love)

Editorial Reviews

(5355752)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars "...Doctor...Would You Remove My Heart...It Don't Do Me No Good...", June 12, 2011

By 

Mark Barry, Reckless Records, London (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Music of (Audio CD)

The gatefold slip of paper that is the inlay on this rather naff-looking CD compilation gives you no information on what's what. So here's the details...

Issued in the UK in 2001, "The Music Of..." on EMI Gold 535 5752 (78:25 minutes) gathers together the guts of two rare and largely forgotten Labi Siffre albums - both from 1975. You can sequence them as follows...

"Remember My Song", his 5th album, released March 1975 in the UK on EMI Records EMC 3065

Side 1:

I Got The... (Track 1)

Another Year (Track 2)

Down

Old Time Song (Track 3)

The Vulture (Track 4)

Side 2:

Dreamer (Track 5)

Sadie And The Devil (Track 6)

Turn On Your Love (Track 7)

Remember My Song (Track 8)

"Happy?", his 6th album, released November 1975 in the UK on EMI Records EMC 3098

Side 1:

Love-A-Love-A-Love-A-Love-A (Track 9)

You Hurt Me (Track 10)

Doctor Doctor (Track 11)

Second Time Around (Track 12)

Would You Dance? (Track 13)

Side 2:

Supaluvva (Track 14)

Staride To Nowhere (Track 15)

You've Done Something To My Heart (Track 16)

Sally Came To Stay (Track 17)

La-De-Da-De-Da (Lost Without Your Love) (Track 18)

As you see from the list above, the song "Down" from the "Remember My Song" LP is missing from this 18-track compilation. That album (along with earlier LPs on Pye Records) were reissued as CD remasters in 2006 - so if you want that song, 3 extra bonus tracks and far better sound - look to the 2006 issue. The "Happy?" album (in its entirety) is only available here.

Both records are very mid Seventies singer-songwriter material, but with a slightly more soulful tint on some tracks. Two huge club hits are "I Got The..." which contains the now famous funky bass-break half way through it as sampled by EMINEM on his "My Name Is" hit - while "The Vulture" has been club played for years now. In fact the original vinyl album of "Remember My Song" used to once command a £150 price tag because it had those 2 songs on it and were unavailable on CD prior to 2001.

Other tracks on "Happy?" are worth having too - the soulful-funky "Second Time Around" and the almost Steely Dan keyboard slink of "Doctor Doctor" (lyrics above). The lovely acoustic "Staride To Nowhere" was even issued as a 45 in the UK and "Sally Came To Stay" has the prettiest of melodies. Siffre would retire from music until 1987's extraordinarily powerful anti-racism song "(Something Inside) So Strong" on China Records.

It's not all genius of course, but it's dirt cheap, loaded with gems in between the cracks and has very acceptable sound.

From here, I'd advise to go to his first four albums on Pye Records - "Labi Siffre" (1970), "The Singer And The Song" (1971), "Crying Laughing Loving Lying" (1972) and "For The Children" (1973) - I've reviewed them all separately and they're uniformly excellent (with truly superlative remastered sound and bonus tracks).

Siffre has a loyal and dedicated fan following - and there are moments on this unassuming compilation when you can 'so' hear why...