Various Artists – Greatest Love Songs (2001)

And here is one of these countless compilation albums with “Greatest Love Song” …

… Compilations of this kind are part of the music industry to earn a little more money with low budget productions.
Many of the songs are actually “sad love songs” and I think there is something for everyone on these two CDs.

My favourite songs are “Morning Has Broken “, “Island In The Sun”, “The Air That I Breathe”, “Light My Fire”, “When A Man Loves A Woman”, “Pretty Woman”, “Wonderful World”, “My Girl”, “Only You”, “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” and “Brown Eyed Girl” … they touch my soul.

Enjoy your sentimental side.

Tracklist:

CD 1:
01. Al Martino: Spanish Eyes (Kaempfert/ingleton/Snyder) 2.49
02. America: Sister Golden Hair (Beckley) 3.21
03. Art Garfunkel: Bright Eyes (Batt) 3.59
04. Barry White: You’re The First, The Last, My Everything (White/Sepe/Redcliffe) 3.26
05. Bellamy Brothers: If I Said You Have A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me (D.Bellamy) 3.12
06. Cat Stevens: Morning Has Broken (Stevens/Farjeon) 3.19
07. Chicago: If You Leave Me Now (Cetera) 3.54
08. Commodores: Three Times A Lady (Richie) 3.38
09. Dean Martin: Everybody Loves Somebody (Lane/Coslow/Taylor) 2.46
10. Diane Warwick: Heartbreaker (B.Gibb/R.Gibb/M.Gibb) 4.18
11. Eric Carmen: All By Myself (Carmen) 4.54
12. Everly Brothers: All I Have To Do Is Dream (Bryant) 2.24
13. F. R. Davids: Words (Fetoussi) 2.51
14. Gary Pucket: Young Girl (Fuller) 3.08
15. Gary Wright: Dream Weaver (Wright) 4.18
16. Harry Belafonte: Island In The Sun (Belafonte/Burgess) 3.23

CD 2:
01. Hazlewood/Sinatra: Summerwine (Nayer/Mercer) 3.39
02. Hollies: The Air That I Breathe (Hammond/Hazlewood) 4.03
03. Jose Feliciano: Light My Fire (Morrison/Manzarek/Densmore/Krieger) 3.04
04. Leo Sayer: When I Need You (Hammond/Sager) 4.07
05. Pat Boone: Love Letters In The Sand (Kenny/Coots) 2.08
06. Paul Anka: Put Your Head On My Shoulder (Anka) 2.37
07. Percy Sledge: When A Man Loves A Woman (Lewis/Wright) 2.49
08. Righteous Brothers: Unchained Melody (Zaret/North) 3.37
09. Roy Orbison: Pretty Woman (Orbinson/Dees) 2.59
10. Sam Cooke: Wonderful World (Cooke/Adler/Alpert) 3.00
11. Temptation: My Girl (Robinson/White) 2.41
12. The Platters: Only You (Ram/Rand) 2.36
13. Them: It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Dylan) 3.48
14. Tom Jones: She’s A Lady (Anka) 3.36
15. Van Morrison: Brown Eyed Girl (Morrison) 3.03
16. Walker Brothers: The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Any More (Crewe/Gauido) 3.01

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Jose Feliciano – And The Feeling’s Good (1974)

José Monserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945), better known simply as José Feliciano [xoˈse feliˈsjano], is a Purto Rican-American musician, singer and composer, best known for many international hits, including his rendition of The Doors’ “Light My Fire” and the best-selling Christmas single, “Feliz Navidad”. His music is known for its fusion of styles: Latin, jazz, blues, soul and even rock, created primarily with his unique, signature acoustic guitar sound. His oftentimes mellow easy listening influences are easily recognizable in many songs heard around the world.

In the United States, he first received widespread popularity in the 1960s, particularly after his 1968 album Feliciano! reached number two on the music charts. Thus far, he has released over fifty albums, worldwide, in both English and Spanish. (by wikipedia)

This nice album from 1974 contains Feliciano’s last Top-100 hit to appear on thye US Charts: “Chico and the man”. This song was used as the soundtrack for the TV series by the same name and reached widespread popularity, eventually being performed by such artists as Sammy Davis Jr. The album especially contains a wonderful rendition of “Golden Lady”, a Stevie Wonder song and, in my opinion, one of the best things ever recorded by Jose’ Feliciano, a soul samba cover totally reinvented “a-la-only-jose-can-do”
Nice set also for “Essence of your love”, “Stay with me” and “Virgo”. This last piece is noteworthy for being one of the few instrumental pieces recorded by Jose’ on electric guitar in a “Hendrix way” (by Markjm)

Personnel:
Duke Bardwell (bass)
Janna Merlyn Feliciano (handclaps, vocals)
José Feliciano (guitar, vocals, mellotron)

Tracklist:
01. Hard Times in El Barrio (José Feliciano/Janna Feliciano) 3.01
02. I’ve Got to Convince Myself (Toussaint) 2.44
03. You’re No Good (Ballard) 3.09
04. Differently (Graham) 4.18
05. Virgo (José Feliciano) 3.13
06. Golden Lady  (Wonder) 4.18
07. Stay With Me (José Feliciano/Janna Feliciano) 2.44
08. Chico And The Man (José Feliciano) 2:55
09. And the Feeling’s Good (Fox/Gimbel) 3.17
10. Essence Of Your Love (José Feliciano) 3.21

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Various Artists – Moulin Rouge (OST (2002)

Moulin Rouge!  is a 2001 Australian–American jukebox musical romantic comedy film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It tells the story of a young English poet/writer, Christian (Ewan McGregor), who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman). It uses the musical setting of the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, France.

At the 74th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Nicole Kidman, winning two: for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. It was the first musical nominated for Best Picture in 10 years, following Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (1991). (by wikipedia)

 

The story:

The year is 1899, and Christian, a young English writer, has come to Paris to follow the Bohemian revolution taking hold of the city’s drug and prostitute infested underworld. And nowhere is the thrill of the underworld more alive than at the Moulin Rouge, a night club where the rich and poor men alike come to be entertained by the dancers, but things take a wicked turn for Christian as he starts a deadly love affair with the star courtesan of the club, Satine. But her affections are also coveted by the club’s patron: the Duke. A dangerous love triangle ensues as Satine and Christian attempt to fight all odds to stay together but a force that not even love can conquer is taking its toll on Satine… (by imdb.com)

Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann’s Film is a soundtrack album to Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge!. It was released on May 8, 2001. The album features most of the songs featured in the film. However, some of the songs are alternate versions and there are two or three major songs that are left off. The original film versions and extra songs were featured on the second soundtrack.

The soundtrack consists almost entirely of cover versions—”Come What May”, composed by David Baerwald and Kevin Gilbert, is the only original song on the album. The opening track, “Nature Boy”, is performed by David Bowie, though in the film the song is performed by actor John Leguizamo as the character Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Originally by American singer-songwriter Eden Ahbez, the song is reprised as the last song on the soundtrack with performances by Bowie and Massive Attack, along with a dialogue by Nicole Kidman.

“Lady Marmalade”, written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, was made famous in the 1970s by the girl group Labelle. The song contains the sexually-suggestive lyric “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?”, which translates to “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?” Labelle’s version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003. The version for the soundtrack is performed by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa, and Pink, with production and additional vocal credits by Missy Elliott. The song was well-received, topping the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and earning a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals[9][10] (see here for additional information about the Moulin Rouge! version, including additional chart positions and awards).

“Because We Can” is credited to Norman Cook, with performance and production credits given to his stage name Fatboy Slim. The song contains portions of “Zidler’s Rap”, performed in the film by Jim Broadbent as the character Harold Zidler, and has been called the “‘Can Can’ for the next generation”. “Sparkling Diamonds” is performed by Kidman, Broadbent, Caroline O’Connor, Natalie Mendoza and Lara Mulcahy. The song is a medley featuring “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”, written by Jule Styne and Leo Robin and introduced by Carol Channing in the Broadway production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949), and “Material Girl” by Madonna. “Rhythm of the Night” was a hit single made famous in 1985 by the American R&B group DeBarge. The track reached number one on the Billboard Hot R&B chart and number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and is said to have “jumpstarted” the career of songwriter Diane Warren. The soundtrack version is performed by Valeria, and includes a dialogue by Kidman. (by wikipedia)

At the very least, director Baz Luhrmann has created something different here. His modern-day musical weaves new cover versions of songs from the past three decades into one story about a brothel in turn of the century Paris. Its an odd combination to begin with, and the soundtrack itself bounces back and forth between very hip, modern tracks from artists at the top of their game and big Broadway-style ballads from the cast of the film. Some of the most well-respected names in music signed on for the project, including Beck, Bono, Timbaland, and David Bowie. Fatboy Slim created a “Can Can” for the next generation with “Because We Can,” and Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Pink, and Mya teamed up for a surefire hit with their naughtier version of Patti Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade.” In stark contrast to these edgy tracks, the album spends the rest of its time on love songs from Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. They perform big-voiced, orchestra-backed versions of sentimental favorites like Elton John’s “Your Song.” The “Elephant Love Medley” strings together some of pop’s sappiest hits, including “Up Where We Belong,” “One More Night,” and “I Will Always Love You.” Perhaps to many people’s surprise, Kidman and McGregor can really sing, and maybe in a different environment it would be easier to take these songs seriously, but standing here outside the context of the film and next to Beck covering David Bowie, they seem more comic than creative. (by Brad Kohlenstein)

Tracklist:
01. David Bowie: Nature Boy (Ahbez) 3.25
02. Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa and P!nk: Lady Marmalade (Crewe/Nolan) 4.25
03. Fatboy Slim: Because We Can (Cook) 3.27
04. Nicole Kidman, Jim Broadbent, Lara Mulcahy, Caroline O’Connor and Natalie Mendoza: Sparkling Diamonds (Brown/Rans) 2.52
05. Valeria: Rhythm Of The Night (Warren) 3.49
06. Ewan McGregor and Alessandro Safina:  Your Song (John/Taupin)  3:40
07. Bono, Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer:  Children of the Revolution (Bolan) 2.59
08. Nicole Kidman: One Day I’ll Fly Away (Sample/Jennings) 3.18
09. Beck: Diamond Dogs (Bowie) 4.34
10. Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor and Jamie Allen: Elephant Love Medley (  4:13
11. Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor: Come What May (Baerwald) 4.48
12. José Feliciano, Ewan McGregor and Jacek Koman: El Tango de Roxanne (Sting) 4.42
13. Rufus Wainwright: Complainte de la Butte (Pepin/Wainwright) 3.07
14. John Leguizamo, Nicole Kidman, Joe Leguabe and Alka Yagnik: Hindi Sad Diamonds (  3:28
15. David Bowie and Massive Attack: Nature Boy (Ahbez) 4.23

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José Feliciano – Ché Sara´ (1971)

One of the most prominent Latin-born performers of the pop era, singer/guitarist Jose Feliciano was born September 10, 1945, in Lares, Puerto Rico; the victim of congenital glaucoma, he was left permanently blind at birth. Five years later, he and his family moved to New York City’s Spanish Harlem area; there Feliciano began learning the accordion, later taking up the guitar and making his first public appearance at the Bronx’s El Teatro Puerto Rico at the age of nine. While in high school he became a fixture of the Greenwich Village coffeehouse circuit, eventually quitting school in 1962 in order to accept a permanent gig in Detroit; a contract with RCA followed a performance at New York’s Gerde’s Folk City, and within two years he appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival. After bowing with the 1964 novelty single “Everybody Do the Click,” he issued his flamenco-flavored debut LP The Voice and Guitar of Jose Feliciano, trailed early the next year by The Fantastic Feliciano.

Unhappy with the direction of his music following the release of 1966’s A Bag Full of Soul, Feliciano returned to his roots, releasing three consecutive Spanish-language LPs — Sombras…Una Voz, Una Guitarra, Mas Exitos de Jose Feliciano and El Sentimiento, La Voz y La Guitarra de Jose Feliciano — on RCA International, scoring on the Latin pop charts with the singles “La Copa Rota” and “Amor Gitana.” With 1968’s Feliciano!, he scored a breakthrough hit with a soulful reading of the Doors’ “Light My Fire” that launched him into the mainstream pop stratosphere; a smash cover of Tommy Tucker’s R&B chestnut “Hi Heel Sneakers” solidified his success, and soon Feliciano found himself performing the national anthem during the 1968 World Series. His idiosyncratic Latin-jazz performance of the song proved highly controversial, and despite the outcry of traditionalists and nationalists, his status as an emerging counterculture hero was secured, with a single of his rendition also becoming a hit.

In 1969 Feliciano recorded three LPs — Souled, Alive Alive-O, and Feliciano 10 to 23 — and won a Grammy for Best New Artist; however, he never again equalled the success of “Light My Fire,” and only the theme song to the sitcom Chico and the Man subsequently achieved hit status, edging into the Top 100 singles chart in 1974. Throughout the 1970s Feliciano remained an active performer, however, touring annually and issuing a number of LPs in both English and Spanish, including 1973’s Steve Cropper-produced Compartments; he also appeared on the Joni Mitchell hit “Free Man in Paris,” and guested on a number of television series including Kung Fu and McMillan and Wife. In 1980 Feliciano was the first performer signed to the new Latin division of Motown, making his label debut with an eponymous effort the following year; his recorded output tapered off during the course of the decade, although he occasionally resurfaced with LPs including 1987’s Tu Immenso Amor and 1989’s I’m Never Gonna Change. A school in East Harlem was renamed the Jose Feliciano Performing Arts School in his honor; in 1996, he also appeared briefly in the hit film Fargo. (by Jason Ankeny)

This is a rare German sampler (all songs were recorded between 1968 and 1971) including his bit hit “Ché Sara’, a fine version of “Hitchcock Railway” (most of us will know this song from Joe Cocker) … and a wonderful version of “Let It Bet”.

“California Dreamin'” was recorded live is another pretty good socer version of José Feliciano.

This is the chance to discover the magic musical world of José Feliciano …  try and enjoy !

Tracklist:
01. Ché Sara’ (Migliacci/Fontana) 3.34
02. Hitchcock Railway (Dunn/McCashen) 3.18
03. There’s No One About (Feliciano) 1.43
04. Sunny (Hebb) 3.25
05. Destiny (Feliciano) 2.50
06. I Only Want To Say (Gethsemane) (Webber/Rice) 4.36
07. Rain (H.Feliciano/J.Feliciano) 2.24
08. (There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me (Bacharach/David) 3.01
09. El Voh (Caymmi) 2.17
10. Let It Be (Lennon/McCartney) 3.55
11.  California Dreamin’ (Phillips) 4.23
12. Shake A Hand (Fontana/Burnett) 3.31

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José Feliciano – Memphis Menu (1972)

This is undoubtedly one of Jose’ Feliciano’s best albums of the post-Jarrard period, with a wonderful fusion of Country and 1970s American Rock sound. Co-produced by Steve Cropper and by Jose’ himself, this album suffered from not being properly promoted by RCA, a label that in those years concentrated more on hits collections than in the promotion of many great early 70s albums such as this one. The whole album is good (it even sounds good in my car); among my favorites are “Lay Lady Lay” by Dylan, “Magnolia”, “One More Mile” and Jose’s splendid song “Where is My Woman”. This album should be part of every fan’s collection.

The Fantastic Jose Feliciano again is at his brilliant best in this record. The album as a whole is great there is not one weak song in it and Feliciano’s soulful style of singing is a real gem
as is his razor sharp guitar who as always is a marvel to listen to. My favortie tracks on this great album are without a doubt “Lay Lady Lay” which Bob Dylan wrote and recorded for himself and practically destroyed a great song. Jose’s amazing cover of the song is truly espectacular, I love to listen to this song. “Where Is My Woman” is another favorite of mine and in this track Feliciano adopts Bill Withers (another fine musician) style in which the song is quite similar to his #1 classic from 1971, Ain’t No Sunshine. “Magnolia”, “It Doesn’t Matter” and “One More Mile” are also excellent as is “River Song” in which Jose jams on the electric guitar with incredible virtuosity. This album is a real classic like the majority of his albums and what makes it perhaps different than the rest is the strong country-rock flavor that the LP as a whole has. In this album Jose does it all and does it extremely well. In MEMPHIS MENU, you get a little bit of everything from Pop,Rock,Soul and like I said a little country Feliciano style. You can’t miss with this album buy it you’ll be glad that you did. Besides when you see the name of Jose Feliciano on an album or in anything for that matter you can guarantee that is going to be Hit. (by Carlos Rodriguez)

Personnel:
Jose Feliciano (guitar, vocals, percussion)
Jim Horn /flute)
Paulinho Magalhaes (drums, percussion)
Leo LeBlanc (steel-guitar)
James Mitchell (saxophone)
Richie Simpson (drums)
J.A. Spell (keyboards, violin)
Joe Williams (drums)
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The Memphis Horns:
Ed Logan (saxophone, flute)
Jack Hale (trombone)
Wayne Jackson (trumpet)

Tracklist:
01. Magnolia (Cale) 3.06
02. River Song (Jose Feliciano/Janna Feliciano) 4.23
03. One More Mile (James) 3.09
04. Never Leave You (Jose Feliciano/Janna Feliciano) 2.46
05. Tale Of Maria (Jose Feliciano/Janna Feliciano) 3.23
06. It Doesn’t Matter (Jose Felociano) 3.59
07. Good Times (Benno) 2.54
08. Lay Lady Lay (Dylan) 3.45
09. Where Is My Woman (Jose Feliciano/Janna Feliciano) 4.25
10. Movin’ (DeShannon/Holiday/Myers) 3.27

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