|
ご存知スモーキー・ロビンソンの後釜としてミラクルズのリードをとったシンガー、ビリー・グリフィンのベスト盤が我らがEXPANSIONからリリース！「ソニー洋楽秘宝館」で一足先に国内オンリーでCD化されている83年ソロ2作目「RESPECT」、そして先日待望の世界初CD化となった82年記念すべきソロ・デビュー・アルバム「BE WITH ME」のリーダー2作からの音源はもちろん、06年にリリースされた現在での最新アルバム「LIKE WATER」、そしてこのベスト盤で初のCD収録となる85年作「SYSTEMATIC」、さらにはカシオペアの神保彰氏の80年フュージョン名作「PALETTE」においてヴォーカル・フューチャーされた"Olivia"をも収録した、まさに彼の現在までの全てのキャリアから厳選された全16曲のグレイト・コレクション！
リオン・ウェア・ペンによる"Systematic"、86年のメロウ・ダンサー名作として名高い"Believe It or Not"などなど切望の初CD化音源多数。さすがのEXPANSION、今回も非常に良い仕事しております！
"Hold Me Tighter In The Rain" is one of the defining soul records of the early 80s and one of the signature classics of the whole decade in our genre. As 80s became more reliant on synthesized instruments, producer John Barnes created a magical cocktail of keyboard sounds that was sensitive to Billy's falsetto and pleasing to soul fans more accustomed to the organic flavours of the 70s. Across two albums for Columbia in 1982 and 1983, Barnes & Griffin worked on some incredible music that we're pleased to present here for the first time legally on CD (including a previously unheard extended mix of "Understand" with extra Gerald Albright on sax).
Billy began his career in the previous decade, landing a break when fortuitously for him Motown packed up shop in Detroit and moved to the City of Angels, Los Angeles. In 1975 he co-wrote and sang lead on one of the label's biggest hits of the period, "Love Machine" after replacing Smokey Robinson as lead singer with The Miracles. He later took the group to Columbia for the controversial "Spy For The Brotherhood" before embarking on a solo career that continues to this day and includes some tremendous work with producers Leon Ware, Derek Nakamoto and Marcus Coleman.
"Love Machine" was covered by George Michael/Wham giving him pop success in the 80s, then in the 90s his pop career reached further heights as co-writer on "I Found Heaven" for Take That (a song co-written with Ian Levine ? responsible for Billy's best release on Motorcity, "Technicolor").
This collection takes from music across his solo albums and adds in sought after moments like Billy's one stop at Atlantic Records for "Believe It or Not" and his cameo with Akira Jimbo on "Olivia".
|
