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28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Your fill of Phil, November 11, 2004
If music really can soothe a savage beast, this CD would have been all Van Helsing needed to get through Dracula - plus all his offspring, and all Dean Koontz heroes (from his man-fiddling-with-nature stories) would only need a CD player to end the story swiftly on a quiet note.
This is a gigantic collection of ballads, with every slow Phil Collins song you ever (and never) heard of. Even fans of Phil's would consider themselves full with two CD's of slow songs - a somnambulist's dream.
You know most of the songs by heart, and maybe the perfect time to listen to this would be on a romantic evening with the rain falling softly outside.
Warning: Do NOT listen to this album while operating heavy machinery, while driving on a highway, or while driving heavy machinery down a highway.
Amanda Richards, November 11, 2004
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good release, but could easily have been awesome., December 17, 2005
First I have to say: All of you reviewers, PLEASE look into the fact file before you blast out all sorts of wrong information here. For instance, True Colours on this set is not the studio version from the 1998 Hits collection, and Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away is not a new song, but is taken from his 1983 album Hello, I Must Be Going.
Well, but back to the review. This collection is an excellent idea, as a follow up to his sorely incomplete Hits CD from 1998. That CD could EASILY have been a double CD, and missed important songs like Don't Loose My Number, Do You Remember, Everyday, It's In Your Eyes, No Matter Who, I Don't Care Anymore, It Don't Matter To Me and I Missed Again (never a favourite of mine, but still a significant song) to name some.
That may be as it was, but these CDs seemed like an obvious opportunity to collect some of the overlooked songs, and also include some of the gems from his career that were never hits. And so it does - to some extent. Do You Remember?, Everyday, It's In Your Eyes, The Least You Can Do, This Must Be Love and Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away were all minor hits or single releases that missed the airwaves, and thus didn't make it to the Hits album. So, good to see them here.
Along with those are a handful of favourites that never made it as single, but which are among his most treasured works - Please Come Out Tonight, If Leaving Me Is Easy, Testify, I've Forgotten Everything and Can't Turn Back The Years. However, there are a lot of songs that SHOULD have been included on this list that didn't make it - We Fly So Close, The Same Moon, No Way Out, Why Can't It Wait `Til Morning, All Of My Life and You Know What I Mean are obvious examples. These songs range among his finest works, and would all have been absolutely obvious cuts on a `love songs' collection. Instead we get a dodgy collection of hits that were also on the Hits collection - One More Night, Against All Odds, Groovy Kind Of Love and Two Hearts to name some. True Colours and Separate Lives are also included for the second time, but these are included in live versions which would justify for a second re-release - in fact, this would have been a real treat for the fans, there are some amazing live recordings of One More Night (1997 tour) and Groovy Kind Of Love (1994 tour) that never made it to the fans, at least not from official sources. Also, some excellent live takes on Wish It Would Rain Down exist from the 1994 tour and would have made a nice surprise for the fans.
All that being said, there ARE some really nice things even for the die-hard fans here. There's only one new song - Tearing And Breaking - but it is indeed an excellent song, stunning vocal arrangement with the backing group. The new take on True Colours from the 2004-rehersals is well worth all the money for this collection in my opinion. It's a knock-out, way better than the 1998 version. Rare tracks I've Been Trying and Somewhere - and we are talking genuinely rare tracks here - are definitely aimed for the hardcore fan group. Somewhere is a really wonderful recording, I'm less enthusiastic about I've Been Trying, but it's not a bad song. The live take of My Girl was a surprise to me, I love this recording and I'm delighted that it made it onto this collection. The live version of Always is good, but I think he did it much better on the 1997 tour - this recording is from the 1990 tour. Another rare live recording is The Way You Look Tonight - not my favourite, but I appreciate that this rare track is included.
All in all, I think it's a good release - there are some genuine rarities here, and the inclusion of some live cuts make for a nice surprise as well. However, they could've made it even better: A lot of songs that were obvious takes didn't include it, and some more live recordings of the tracks already on the Hits release would've been awesome. Perhaps someday we will be treated with a full 4CD+ box set spanning Phil's career including ALL his hits as well as some of all the lost treasures in the live archive. That'd make at least one more happy man on Earth!
OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10. Fans will find something here and good for newcomers.
PS: A special "valentine" edition featuring a DVD with 6 rare videos exist for the dedicated follower. Price is not so much more than standard version.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Phil Set, October 21, 2004
Phil Collins' "Love Songs" is a 2-CD set containing a great selection of Phil's greatest ballads. It's a terrific companion set to his "Hits" album, featuring not only such favorites as "One More Night," "Against All Odds," "Groovy Kind Of Love" and "Two Hearts," but also such buried Phil treasures as "Can't Turn Back The Years," "This Must Be Love," "Testify," and "If Leaving Me Is Easy." There's one new song, the lovely "Tearing And Breaking," which is an outtake from the "Testify" album, as well as "I've Been Trying," a song that Phil recorded for a Curtis Mayfield tribute album, and "Somewhere," the old Broadway classic from "West Side Story" that Phil did for another tribute album a few years back. And finally, if that weren't enough, the double CD set concludes with some excellent live material, including live renditions of "Separate Lives," and the old Sinatra fave, "The Way You Look Tonight." This is a great double album to own whether you're a diehard Phil fan OR just a casual listener. Quite simply, if you like Phil Collins, then you're gonna love "Love Songs."
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