The Very Best of Robert Palmer

Robert Palmer

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 11, 2003)
• Original Release Date: January 28, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Angel Records
• ASIN: B000002UJV
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,806 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #21 in	Music > R&B > Soul > Blue-Eyed Soul
  #61 in	Music > Blues > Contemporary Blues

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
He could be the most low-key superstar in the entire pop arena. While almost anyone can name two or three Robert Palmer songs off the top of their head, it's startling to see all his monster hits packaged together and to realize just how many there were. Was Robert Palmer really this big and important? Actually, yes. With nineteen songs in this collection, ten are perennial FM staples--a higher number overall than anyone this side of ZZ Top. 1980's Clues is the critics' choice. But Palmer's commercial high point was 1985's Riptide and the Power Station album of the same year. All are well represented. For even more Palmer, try the two-part Addictions series. --Gavin McNett

Product Description
16 hits, both his solo smashes and those with the Power Station. 1995 German EMI release. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars We'll Never Forget You, Robert, December 5, 2003

By	Alan Caylow (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Robert Palmer was a fabulous singer, with a super-cool, super soulful voice (and, lest we forget, he was also a very snappy dresser). His untimely passing earlier this year from a heart attack was a major shock. While it's unfortunate that it took Palmer's death to get this compilation CD, "The Very Best Of Robert Palmer," re-issued after being out-of-print for some time, it is indeed very good to have it available to the masses once again. A very generous 17 tracks long, this CD contains EVERY single hit song Palmer ever had, whether solo or with his side band, The Power Station. They're ALL here: "Addicted To Love" (both the classic original & the 1997 re-recording), "Bad Case Of Loving You," "Some Like It Hot," "Simply Irresistible," "Looking For Clues," "Every Kinda People," and a whole lot more, showcasing Palmer's powerful pipes and his great flair for catchy pop-rock. The only reason I'm not giving this collection 5 stars is because my favorite Robert Palmer song of all-time, "You Are In My System," is included here with a re-recorded vocal from Palmer. Reportedly, Palmer wasn't happy with his original vocal on the song (originally from his album, "Pride"), thinking that his performance was too rushed, so he re-recorded it several years later. While I respect Palmer's decision, and his second go at the song is fine, his original performance on "You Are In My System" was perfect, and didn't need to be re-done. Oh well, at least I have the "Pride" album on LP if I want to hear how Robert originally sang it....*Other* than that one personal gripe, "The Very Best Of Robert Palmer" is a superb collection and tribute to this great singer. Farewell Robert, we will never forget you.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smart, engaging rock...even without the models, June 14, 2000

By	John Jones "Musician" (Chicago IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It can't be helped; one mention of Robert Palmer and the mind immediately drifts to Those Videos, the clips for "Addicted to Love," "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On," and "Simply Irresistible" that featured those eerily similar but gorgeous models pretending to be the band behind him. The fact that both Shania Twain and "Ally McBeal" make references to them fourteen years after their first appearance (Shania with a gender-reversal video remake and "Ally" with a recurring joke) speaks volumes about the impact the videos had, but let's not forget about the music.

Luckily, those songs are even more worthy of your memory than their visual counterparts, and even more luckily than that, Palmer has a surprising wealth of strong and significant rock songs beyong them. "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" is an easy classic, the kind of song no one will ever touch for a remake because you simply can't improve on it. Palmer, however, shows a knack for knowing when and how to put his personal stamp on an old classic, proven here with Bob Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" (with UB40) and a medley of Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me" and "I Want You."

Some of his hits that failed to become true radio staples sound even stronger in hindsight: the R&B jam "You Are in My System" and the Beatlesque ballad "She Makes My Day" are revelations. We're even treated to the two hits he had with his side project The Power Station, the energetic rockers "Some Like it Hot" and "Bang a Gong (Get it On)." And the collection shows that while he may not have the largest vocal range in the history of rock, the smooth and engaging quality of Palmer's voice cannot be denied.

In the end, you realize Robert Palmer is missed on modern pop radio more than you might have initially thought. Full of musical style and lyrical wit, "The Very Best of Robert Palmer" is a satisfying collection indeed...even without the models.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good CD but..., September 8, 2004

By	Cube - See all my reviews

This is a good CD full of Robert Palmers greatest hits. I enjoyed very much hearing them once again. The one big problem with this CD is that many of these songs are not the original releases. They are instead remix's, which do not live up to the original. I could tell instantly they were not the original versions. So yes its full of great Robert Palmer songs but I expected the original releases not remix's, so, as the old saying goes " Buyer Beware"