Barry White - All-Time Greatest Hits

Barry White

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 7, 1994)
• Original Release Date: June 7, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island / Mercury
• ASIN: B000001E58
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #934 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
For those music buyers who have enjoyed Barry White's music since the early 1970s but may not be devoted enough for the three-CD box set Just for You, this 20-track compilation brings together all of White's major chart hits between 1973 and 1979, along with a couple of entries from his Love Unlimited Orchestra. White's distinctive vocal style--a deep, resonant baritone-bass that oozes sex appeal--was the icing on the cake for those hits; superlative string arrangements (courtesy of the late Gene Page) encased White in a lush setting, while White's hand-picked rhythm section (which included many of Los Angeles's top session players) created a groove that was hard to beat. The combination was lethal: hits like "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up," "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe," and "You're My First, My Last, My Everything" made White a chart staple and an early king of disco; his skill as a vocal interpreter was fully evident on a 1979 reading of Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are," another standout on this collection. On the evidence of that track alone, it's hard to believe that, according to legend, White never planned to be a recording artist in his own right and would have been happy to remain in the background as producer and songwriter! --David Nathan

Amazon.com
The most hot-buttered of all soul singers, Barry White is an artist whose CDs come with a purpose. To say what that purpose is, is not for a family Web site--but it involves that thing that Mommy and Daddy do at night with the bedroom door closed. All-Time Greatest Hits collects the essential White and Love Unlimited Orchestra tracks onto a packed CD. Are 20 cuts too much? Not with Viagra. That's a kind of medicine that grownups take. --Gavin McNett

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good selection and sound, BUT...., May 12, 1999

By A Customer

If you're planning to get this CD because of what you've seen and heard on Ally McBeal, I should warn you that the version of "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" is the "single-edit" of that song, which means that it does NOT include that oh-so-smooth spoken introduction ("We got it together, didn't we?....") that's been featured prominently in the show. If you want the whole song, you want to get "Greatest Hits (Vol. 1)," or the original album it was featured on: "Can't Get Enough." Other than that criticism, though, it's a very good collection--decent remixing, clear sound, and a good selection of songs that evenly breaks down the albums of the first decade or so of his recording career. Just not everything you Ally McBeal fans may want in a Barry White album.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Qualified to satisfy; the best of Barry White on one CD, April 2, 2003

By	Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I am eternally grateful to Alley McBeal for introducing the incredible music of Barry White to me. The name has always been familiar to me, but I'm not quite old enough to have been properly exposed to the man's music. After watching my favorite character John Cage psych himself up with Barry White music each week on television, I knew I had to have a Barry White CD, and it had to feature You're the First, the Last, My Everything. This All-Time Greatest Hits album, packing twenty hits from 1973-1979 onto one disc, pretty much sells itself. I know there are lengthier collections available now, but this remains the best one-CD ensemble of Barry White staples you will find. I do believe that several of these tracks are somewhat edited from the longer versions featured on the original albums, but I don't have a problem with this. I wanted an authoritative introduction to the man's music, and that is exactly what this album delivers. The original, full-length versions of his songs are all out there waiting for me to get around to buying all of his albums.

I really don't even know where to begin in terms of discussing these 20 tracks; every song on here is incredible. In the liner notes, you can see where each song peaked on the R&B and/or pop charts as well as find out the original album each song was taken from. The songs I am particularly enamored with are I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More, Baby; Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe; You're the First, the Last, My Everything; Let the Music Play; You See the Trouble With Me; and Your Sweetness Is My Weakness. I might point out that two of these tracks are instrumentals: Love's Theme (which is instantly recognizable) and Satin Soul. On each and every track, Barry is just laying down that soul groove in his incredibly cool, untouchable way. Obviously, that deep, silky voice is famous for its romantic powers, but, speaking as someone with no one at this time to create the appropriate mood for, this music is also well suited for helping you mellow out and relax after a long day. When you need a little confidence boost, follow the example of Alley McBeal's John Cage; Barry White is the man. You don't listen to Barry White music; you experience it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most complete hits anthology but less could be more, March 5, 2002

By A Customer

There are a number of Barry White greatest hits packages available in the market, the most recent being "The Ultimate Collection". I decided on the older "All Time Greatest Hits" compilation because it is the most comprehensive, including all of Barry White's 70s R & B hits and in chronological order rather than in the haphazard hit and miss way such collections are often presented. As the grandfather of heavily syncopated smooth disco soul of the 70s, Barry is without peer. Barring the opening Love Unlimited instrumental which has sadly lost its appeal through commercial overuse and consequently degenerated into muzak or jingle, the first half of the compilation confirms that for the kind of music he was making, Barry was peerless and could do no wrong when he was tearing up the charts. "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby", "I've Got So Much To Give", "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up", "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe" and "You're The First, My Last, My Everything" still sound as fresh and terrific today as they did more than 25 years ago. But by the time we get to "I'm Qualified To Satisfy You", the listening experience becomes interminable because the songs begin to sound the same, except that they're of far less distinguished quality. Even "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me" which was something of a latter day chart stormer for Barry fails to impress. The slower "Playing Your Game, Baby" breaks the monotony momentarily to provide some relief but the CD's best moments have long passed. Covering Billy Joel's "Just The Way You Are" isn't a good idea. This is a classic case of less being more and the law of diminishing returns setting in once past the optimum point. While Barry White fans will no doubt disagree - and I symphathise - the casual listener may be better served by a more concise greatest hits package concentrating on his early smash hits. But you can't please everyone. "All Time Greatest Hits" is still a wonderful anthology of Barry's hit making years and great value for money. What more can you ask for ?