Customer Reviews

It Tears Me Up: Best of

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If you think Percy Sledge starts and ends with "When a Man Loves a Woman", then you should really check this CD out. His soulful,
vulnerable delivery highlights sad songs and love songs alike. The title cut "It Tears Me Up" and "Dark End of the Street" are some of the srongest soul singing I have ever heard. He covers Elvis' "Love Me Tender" and sings it so sweetly, he effortlessly makes it his own. He possessed the unique talent to really make you feel the emotion of a song. Perhaps he is not as well remembered as some Soul greats like James Brown or Wilson Pickett because he was not as dynamic or charismatic, but as much as I love those guys, Percy could sing rings around both of them. This is a classic collection becuse it covers all the bases- songs of love, songs of heartache, uptempo dance cuts, even country flavored numbers like "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road". Percy Sledge was not a flashy stage performer, rather he had to rely entirely on vocal ability and as a result his studio recordings hold up exceptionally well. True talent never goes out of style.Thanks to this album, Percy is a Soul giant for all time.

Leave it to Rhino Records to dare to title a Percy Sledge compilation without mentioning his #1 masterwork, "When A Man Loves A Woman." That move alone means they understand their subject. This is the best representation of this long-misunderstood artist I have run across since Atlantic's "Ultimate Collection." There's the title cut, which is one of the best soul songs ever in 3/4 time (outside of Aretha Franklin's "I Never Loved A Man"). Almost all the other hits are here and they had sense enough to include such neglected gems as "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right" and "It Can't Be Stopped." I had this on cassette on a long bus ride in the south and i could not stop playing it. His gift is that he makes vulnerability a strength. He moves mountains without bulldosing them. And, always, his emotions ring true. I hope one day someone re-releases his Atlantic album, "Warm and Tender Soul" (from which this compilation heavily draws). In the meantime, this thoughtful compilation will do nicely.

Percy Sledge is R&B. His sound has been imitated but can not be duplicated. There are many cd's on the market but this one offers
more rare tracks for the money!! Todays new artist should watch and learn as Mr. Sledge is not only a rare talent, he is a gentelman with much class. Mr. Sledge treats his audiance with
a respect that has not been seen in performer in many years.
He is a true ledgend and a gentelman. Check POLLSTAR for his upcoming concert dates!!
Tony Sapp

great soul singers like this only come along 'once in a lifetime'just get this beautiful collection of some of the most soulful music ever recorded on this planet,amen to that!!sit back n' take a lovely journey into the world of mr. percy sledge n' remince the good ole' days!!"when a man loves a woman" "take time to know her" "love me tender" "warm and tender love" to name a few, whew, talk about your blue lights in the basement honey!!joey hoffman of usa!!

THIS PERCY SLEDGE AT HIS BEST.THIS CD BRINGS BACK GREAT MEMORY OF ONE OF THE GREATEST SINGER IN HIS DAY.THIS COLLECTION HAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TUNES "TAKE TIME TO KNOW HER".THIS SHOWS THAT PERCY SLEDGE COULD SING ANY STYLE OF MUSIC WITH HIS VERSION OF "LOVE ME TENDER" THAT WAS MADE POPULAR BY ELVIS IN THE 50'S. ALSO THIS LISTEN TO HIS VERSION OF "AT THE DARK END OF THE STREET".I RECOMMEND ANYBODY THAT IS A PERCY SLEDGE FAN TO BUY THIS CD.

Percy Sledge's 2005 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was overdue and richly deserved. "When A Man Loves A Woman" was one of the great songs from the 60's! (Mike Bolton's version was forced, mechanical and over the top!) Percy recorded many fine songs that never reached the same heights. I always thought "Take Time To Know Her" came a close second.

This is the album to buy which features 23 of his best recordings from 1966 to 1971. The 17 page booklet overviews his career with nice photos and text.

My favorite tracks include "Take Time To Know Her," "It Tears Me Up," "The Dark End Of The Street," "Put A Little Lovin' On Me," "Stop The World Tonight," "It's All Wrong But It's Alright," "Cover Me," "Rainbow Road," and of course "When A Man Loves A Woman."

Sledge sings with a soulful passion that tugs at your heart. I can't name too many singers around today that can match him. In fact, much of today's music is c-rap when you compare it to this Sweet Soul Music. That's why I like the so called "oldies." It's proven itself through the test of time!

Otis Redding was the definitive King of Soul Music. Percy Sledge certainly deserves to be the undisputed "Duke of Soul." Percy is the real Soul Survivor!

Buy it and groove on it! Lord have Mercy!

A soul singer with a distinctive style, Percy had a huge international hit with his debut single (When a man loves a woman) but was unable to come close to matching that success again despite making some excellent recordings.

Among Percy's other outstanding recordings are It tears me up, Out of left field, Take time to know her, Warm and tender love and Dark end of the street, all of which are included here along with Percy's distinctive covers of Love me tender, Try a little tenderness and True love travels on a gravel road.

If you enjoy hearing Percy sing When a man loves a woman, you will surely love this collection - there may be nothing else quite like that classic song, but there is plenty of high quality sixties soul music here.

Although not one of the most prominent soul singers of the 1960s and 70s, Percy Sledge had a distinctive country soul style. He made a lovely, flowing type of R&B with his stirring voice and exceptionally melodious songs like the timeless When A Man Loves A Woman, Dark End Of The Street, Take Time To Know Her and Out Of Left Field.

This is authentic music from the heart, full of yearning and romanticism expressed in gripping imagery. The backing is similar to the sound of the great Stax artists, and his voice is often framed by lovely female vocals.

Highlights on this compilation include the aforementioned masterpieces plus Put A Little Lovin' On Me, the title track It Tears Me up, Warm And Tender Love, True Love Travels On A Gravel Road, Drown In My Own Tears and Cover Me.

If you love old style sweet soul music, you will love the work of Percy Sledge, a special albeit minor artist of the genre. His voice takes you back to the golden age of soul.

Very nice recreation of the Percy Sledge experience.
Some great memories of my military days.
I don't think he ever got the attention his sound warranted.

Great! If you like this man.I recommend it to you.Great quality.5 stars all the way!