Product Description

For those with a yearning to know Julio Iglesias beyond theU.S. celebrity duet hits with Willie, Diana, Dolly, Stevie et al., this two-CD retrospective makes for an excellent introduction. Throughout his career Iglesias has employed the same producer and engineer--Ramon Acusa and Carlos Alvarez respectively. For nearly two decades this team has perfected an ultra-sleek yet restrained Europop that travels extremely well. As might be expected it is the original Spanish language tracks comprising most of disc two on which Iglesias can unwind and really strut his stuff. Unlike most internationalsingers, say Cesoria Evoria or even The Gipsy Kings, Julio is not a niche artist. And because he is a real popular singer, he can communicate genuine romanticism in a song, whether Spanish or English, that Placido Domingo, never mind the Three Tenors, can only dream of.

Track Listing

1. To All The Girls I've Loved Before - Iglesias, Julio & Willie Nelson
2. Moralito
3. All Of You - Iglesias, Julio & Diana Ross
4. Crazy
5. My Love - Iglesias, Julio & Stevie Wonder
6. Can't Help Falling In Love
7. Vincent
8. When I Need You
9. Crazy In Love
10. Fragile - Iglesias, Julio & Sting
11. When You Tell Me That You Love Me - Iglesias, Julio & Dolly Parton
12. Caruso
13. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
14. Summerwinds - Iglesias, Julio & Frank Sinatra
15. Por El Amor De Una Mujer
16. Moonlight Lady
17. My Way - Iglesias, Julio & Paul Anka
18. Me Va Me Va - Iglesias, Julio & Paul Anka
19. Un Canto A Galicia
20. Soy Un Senor
21. Hey
22. Ou Est Passee Ma Boheme
23. Momentos
24. Amor
25. De Nina A Mujer
26. Que Nadie Sepa Mi Sufrir
27. Begin The Beguine
28. Manuela
29. Abrazame
30. Milonga
31. A Media Luz
32. Ni Te Tengo Ni Te Olvido
33. La Carretera
34. Bamboleo
35. La Cumparsita
36. Agua Dulce Agua Sala
37. Agua Sala

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3719 in Music
• Released on: 1998-10-26
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered

Amazon.co.uk Review
The master of the love ballad--in at least six languages--has finally put his greatest hits, along with four new tracks, in a solid two-CD bilingual set. His early material from the 1970s is solid stuff that reminds us of Iglesias's initial allure--his voice, at once mellifluous, melancholy, and warm. His early magic is evident on such heat generators as the plaintive but ultimately uplifting "Hey", the haunting "Abrazame", and the moving "Manuela". He broke the U.S. market wide open in 1984 with the corny but impacting "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" with Willie Nelson. That song began a successful series of duets with other pop stars such as Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, and Diana Ross, all included here. Of poignant interest is "Summer Wind", sung with the late Frank Sinatra. --Ramiro Burr

Customer Reviews

Unmitigated Pleasure
Like everyone I know, I first heard Julio when on holiday and his voice, even many years later, brings a warm feeling whenever I play his CD and I confess that I play it more than any other single CD I own.

Yes, some tracks work better for me than others but this is not just a greatest hits but an ultimate hits copllection.

His voice envelopes everything, bringing smooth flowing sound that is pleasing even if you are not listening but rewarding if you are.

This collection lifts him to the position of the number one European singer of romantic love songs.

I don't have his other CDs - there is no point this is the collection to have.

H

no wonder this man sells so many records!
I liked the first disc a lot,in particular Julio's versions of Vincent (starry,starry night) and the sublime Caruso (which Julio says is the best song from Italy in the last forty years and tested his voice to the limit).But I didn't think all the duets worked on disc 1.However,the second disc,where Julio's voice dominates every song,gave me the most pleasant listening experience I have ever had.So good that I don't expect to hear better than this from him or anyone else,in the future.Julio writes something about all 37 of the songs he sings in the accompanying booklet,and what he writes is worth reading.

Excellent compilation of Spanish legend
Julio was originally a goalkeeper for Real Madrid, but that career was cut short before it really got going - he was badly injured in a road accident. During his period of recovery in hospital, he became interested in a career in music, something at which he has since become very successful, originally singing just in Spanish, but later also singing in English.

Most of CD 1 is taken up with English language recordings. His solo songs include excellent covers of Crazy (Patsy Cline), Vincent (Don MacLean), Can't help falling in love (Elvis Presley) and When I need you (Leo Sayer).

He also sings duets with Willie Nelson (To all the girls I've loved before), Diana Ross (All of you), Stevie Wonder (My love), Dolly Parton (When you tell me that you love me), All 4 One (Smoke gets in your eyes), Frank Sinatra (Summer wind) and Paul Anka (My Way). Julio sings his parts of My way in Spanish but Paul sings in English. Fragile features Sting on background vocals and lead guitar.

Spanish recordings fill almost the whole of CD 2. I do not know any Spanish, though I recognize the occasional song (Amor and his British number hit Begin the Beguine, a cover of the Cole Porter classic sung mainly in Spanish), but it works brilliantly.

If you only want one collection of Julio's music, you won't find a better one than this. If you want to build an extensive collection of his music, this is a great place to start.