Customer Reviews

The Very Best of Leo Sayer

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Believe it or not,Leo Sayer went through a few changes on the musical road he's been travelling close to thirty years now.When he started his songwriting partnership with David Courtney(around 1971-72),his songs were big hits for other artists(Three Dog Night -THE SHOW MUST GO ON,Roger Daltrey -ONE MAN BAND/GIVING IT ALL AWAY).Then around 1975,he started having hits of his own(LONG TALL GLASSES[I CAN DANCE], MOONLIGHTING).Leo has attempted disco (YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DANCING,HOW MUCH LOVE,THUNDER IN MY HEART),covers(RAINING IN MY HEART,MORE THAN I CAN SAY)and ballads(HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN LOVE,WHEN I NEED YOU).Through all the musical styles,Leo Sayer has sailed through with an easy going nature and a strong confidence.True,he may not be on the hit parade anymore,but there is not one day that goes by without a radio station playing one of his hits;that alone has to be worth a look at this survivor of the '70s.

Leo first achieved success as a songwriter when Roger Daltrey had a UK top five hit in 1973 with Giving it all away, co-written by Leo. He soon got a recording contract and released a single (Why is everybody going home) that flopped and is not included here.

Leo entered the UK charts at end of 1973 with his second single, The show must go on, which made number two in the UK. Three Dog Night covered the song and had an American hit with it so Leo's original was not released in America. Leo's next single, One man band, made the UK top ten while Three Dog Night covered the song for the American market. I guess this was sweet revenge for American artists, who had so often seen their songs covered by British artists in the sixties. While it may have been frustrating for Leo, it did at least prove that his songs appealed to American record buyers and may have helped to create awareness of him in the industry.

Leo made the UK top five with Long tall glasses, which finally gave him an American hit of his own. His next single, Moonlighting, made number two in the UK. There was a gap of several months (during which I think there was a failed single) before You make me feel like dancing returned Leo to the UK charts - it also made number two in the UK and went on to sell a million copies in America, where it made number one.

Leo finally had a UK number one with When I need you, which became his second American number one. It now seemed that Leo was on a roll but history shows that this was the pinnacle of Leo's career. He made the UK top ten four more times, with How much love, I can't stop loving you though I try, More than I can say (a cover of the Bobby Vee that gave Leo his fourth UK number two hit) and Have you ever been in love.

Leo had lesser UK hits with Thunder in my heart, Raining in my heart (a cover of Buddy Holly's classic), Heart stop beating in time, Orchard road, Till you come back to me and Unchained melody.

This compilation includes all of Leo's major hits (a few minor UK hits are missing), together with his recording of Giving it all away. As such, it contains all the tracks that most people are looking for.

This greatest hits collection does a good job of representing the different faces of Leo Sayer. Starting off with the quirky but irresistable "The Show Must Go On," (Which is much more interesting than Three Dog Night's cover) the CD begins with the stuff I liked about Sayer. The first five cuts here represent the clever artist that probably never would have been huge but might have developed a nice cult following if he stayed in this direction. How many people are going to write upbeat numbers about a hobo dancing for his supper?("Long Tall Glasses")Then producer Richard Perry comes into the mix and Sayer moves quickly to disco ("You Make Me Feel Like Dancing")and maudlin balladeer. (Pretty much the rest of the CD)This proved to be beneficial to his career at the time, but I think if he stuck to his early vision, he would have a bit more popularity today. Three stars for those early hits and the fact that when it comes right down to it he can flat out sing in that wild falsetto.

All Sayer's hit's are here plus six. In the last half of the seventies decade,
this English singer/songwriter co-wrote and charted some classics.
Here are all 10 of Sayer's songs, (no b-sides), that made the chart from 1975 to 1981.
Four were top ten hits, one a top twenty, and three were in the top fourty.
This collection is worth owning for his three gold singles,
"You make me feel like dancing" - 1976.
"When I need you" - 1977.
"More than I can say" - 1980.
And then there's the must have , feel good, song -
"Long tall glasses" (I can dance)" - top 10 in 1975.
If you love the seventies you're likely to enjoy this compilation.

The C.D. comes with a 14 page booklet that has several photo's,
and much career information.
These original recordings are from Rhino Entertainment in 2000.

Leo Sayer was an accomplished singer and composer who had a 10-year span of hits in the UK from 1973 to 1983 and also occasionally broke through on the Billboard Hot 100. His first hit was the spectacular The Show Must Go On, a cover version of which was a massive US hit for Three Dog Night. The follow-up was One Man Band, whilst the next one: Long Tall Glasses, made the top 10 in the USA in 1975.

The next year, at the height of the disco era, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing became one of Sayer's biggest hits on both sides of the Atlantic and was soon followed by When I Need You from the same Endless Flight album. Thunder In My Heart was a minor hit in the UK. More Than I Can Say and Living In A Fantasy were hits in 1980 and 1981 respectively, whilst Till You Come Back To Me was a minor UK hit in 1983.

Of the 16 tracks on this album, these were not written or co-written by Sayer: I Can't Stop Loving You, Raining In My Heart, More Than I Can Say, and Have You Ever Been In Love. To my knowledge, only about 11 of these tracks were chart hits in the US or UK. Sayer also wrote Roger Daltrey's hit song Giving It All Away, and his original is included on this CD. The album 20 Greatest Hits is more comprehensive with tracks like Heart, Unchained Melody and Orchard Road.

and as others have noted, all the Top 40 chart hits from Sayer. Until buying this CD, was unaware Leo wrote "The Show Must Go On" which Three Dog Night made a hit of. Good quality sound, and Sayer's style really comes through in the way Rhino's ordered the selections. Another great CD for singles collectors.

was deliverd very quick there were no faults with the item would recomend to buy hear to anyone at all.

Was everything l hoped it would be and didnt disappoint, it reminded me of how good leo sayer actually was.

Great CD great price and delivered to Oz in less than a couple of weeks

CD arrived on schedule and was what I expected. Quality was average in sound.
I was not disappointed in Amazon or its ability to fill my order.

Sincerely,
Jerilyn Beaupre