Search - Robert Palmer :: Best of Both Worlds: Anthology 1974-2001

Could have been perfect.......

08/06/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This would have been almost 100% perfect if they had used the original versions, instead of using remixes of alot of his biggest & best songs. As it is, it's only rates a 6 on a scale of 10. What a wasted oppurtunity!"

This is NOT the Robert Palmer (music) I love!!!

Tom | 05/11/2002

(1 out of 5 stars)

"If you think "Addicted to Love" is really what Robert Palmer's music is about, then get this CD set and you'll enjoy it. But if you listened to and loved his music pre-Riptide -- pre-CD era -- then do what I did after I bought and listened to this monstrosity: find all the older 'album' titles used (cheap!!) on Amazon and snatch them up quick!Hearing the early track "remixes" nearly brought me to tears. Someone in the studio must have accidentally hit the "concert hall" environmental filter for the vocal tracks on "Give Me An Inch". It has a horrible echo effect added which you can hear in the sample download. The remixed "Sneaking Sally..." is plain idiotic. The first three songs on that album make up a trilogy, more or less one long track. It doesn't flow at all now because the remixed song is so jarringly different. At least they should have maimed the first two cuts as well for consistency's sake. "You're Gonna Get What's Coming" and "Can We Still Be Friends" with its added lounge band drum machine made my physically ill.Inexplicably -- and thankfully!! - they left the few tracks from "Some People..." untainted. On this collection, though, they sound really out of place! Surely, they could have found a way to incorporate a disco synth into "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)" had they really tried. Yeah, THAT would have sounded good.C'mon, Marketplace vendors -- ship my discs quick!! I need to hear those old, wonderful songs in their original glory!!"

Some Like It Warm: a missed opportunity

James Simon | New York, NY USA | 07/21/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"There's a a lot of good to said for this collection. While there have been several in the past like "Addictions" Vol. 1 & 2 where he went back and remixed tracks or added new vocals, or "The Very Best Of" album, there had not been a good comprehensive collection of Palmer until this one. Perhaps that's why it's sold as a two disc set. All the hits are here. This includes a few remixed tracks from "Addictions" which may annoy purests, although I think his updated versions of "You Are In My System" is improved over the original. You can understand why he felt he could give a better performance. The new versions of "Give Me An Inch" is beautiful and soulful, and "Every Kinda People" has moving, sweet colors of Marvin Gaye. It includes Power Station tracks and soundtrack songs ("Sweet Lies"). Also the album's 24 bit remastering is top-notch. Everything here is crisp and balanced with very little analog hiss from the originals.



"Anthology" goes from "Sneaking Sally" all the way through the "R & B" albums covering three labels, so you have to tip your hat to Island Records for putting it all together. Yet the collection has some strange quirks. For example, they use the single version of "Get It On (Bang A Gong)", yet they have the album version of "Some Like It Hot". The album ends with a wimper with awful live versions of "Johhny & Mary" and "Looking For Clues" from "Live From The Apollo". His performance was weak and the recording quality is flat and thin. Just a waste where there should have had the originals. Just because it's an anthology does mean every album has to represented especially when the Apollo album is so bad.Some tracks are just lame like "Want You More". On the other hand, it would be a shame to just have "The Very Best Of" album becuase there's so much good stuff that's not on that one that is on "Anthology" like "Man Smart, Woman Smarter", "Pride", "Some Guys Have All The Luck", and more. It's a quality anthology but also misses its potential."