Kim Carnes features twice - once in a duet with Kenny on Don't fall in love with a dreamer, and once singing with James Ingram and Kenny on What about me? My favorite solo tracks from these two CD's are Scarlet fever, Evening star and Blaze of glory, but there are many other brilliant songs here and your favorite may be different. Other duets feature Anne Murray, Holly Dunn and Nickie Ryder. Again, there are three duets with Dottie and two with Dolly. The third and fourth CD's cover the same period as the second CD, but they cover the hits that didn't reach number one. Tomb of the unknown love is much less well known than the earlier classics, but it is a wonderful song. Lucille is the song that turned me on to Kenny's music and I still think it's his best - but not by much. Among his solo tracks on this CD, you will have your own favorites. These include three duets with Dottie West (a vastly under-appreciated singer), two duets with Dolly Parton (including Islands in the stream) and one each with Sheena Easton (We've got tonight) and Ronnie Milsap. The second CD contains all Kenny's American number one country hits of the seventies and eighties. Dolly revived But you know I love you in 1981 and actually had a bigger hit with the song than Kenny had. The best known of these tracks is Ruby don't take your love to town, but Something's burning was also a big hit.
#Kenny rogers through the years a retrospective album license#
Kenny later re-recorded some of these songs, but although those re-recordings are often used on compilations of his music, EMI decided on this occasion to license the originals. The First Edition tracks are the original recordings.
The first CD covers the early years, but only the last eight tracks represent his music with the First Edition, The first twelve tracks form a fascinating historical record, demonstrating that Kenny's roots were many and varied, but with plenty of jazz. Apart from the hits from that album, all Kenny's major hits can be found on the four CD's in this box.
Of course, there was a revival, with the album She rides wild horses and the comeback hit Buy me a rose. Radio stations, while content to play his golden oldies, ignored his new material. At that point, it looked as though Kenny's years of success were well and truly past. This box traces Kenny's music from its beginnings, long before he was famous, up to 1997. These 80 songs (along with the detailed notes and interviews) will bring tears of joy to the diehards, but even the cynics might find themselves singing along with a couple of the most memorable ones. And there was always a duet partner-Dottie West, Sheena Easton, Kim Carnes, Dolly Parton-waiting to liven things up. Rogers always had a knack for choosing material with mass appeal-in the notes he calls it "the simple song that has a great hook that everybody can sing, where everybody joins in with you on the second verse"-and he knew what would best suit his easy-flowing, thready voice. These four CDs comprehensively follow Rogers's chameleon-like career-from the vocal-pop of the Scholars to the light jazz of the Bobby Doyle Three to the acid-folk of the First Edition to the country-crossover sound of the mid-1970s to the full-blown pop stylings of 1980 forward. His hook-laden pop songs had just enough dust and his voice just enough Texas twang to earn him country credibility, but in reality, he was and always will be an adult contemporary pop singer. Rogers was country music's brightest star during its darkest night. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You VideoĬhicken notwithstanding, the dealin' is done for Kenny Rogers, who in 1999 has got time enough for countin' his myriad number one hits. The Vows Go Unbroken (Always True to You) If I Ever Fall In Love Again Anne Murray and Kenny Rogers Video What About Me Kim Carnes, James Ingram and Kenny Rogers Video Together Again Dottie West and Kenny Rogers Video The Greatest Gift Of All Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers Video 'Til I Can Make It On My Own Dottie West and Kenny Rogersĭon't Fall In Love With a Dreamer Kim Carnes and Kenny Rogers Video Make No Mistake, She's Mine Ronnie Milsap and Kenny RogersĪnyone Who Isn't Me Tonight Dottie West and Kenny Rogers Video Islands in the Stream Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers We've Got Tonight Sheena Easton and Kenny Rogers
What Are We Doin' In Love Dottie West and Kenny Rogers She Believes in Me Engelbert Humperdinck and Kenny Rogers VideoĪll I Ever Need Is You Dottie West and Kenny Rogers Just Dropped in to See What Condition My Condition Was In VideoĮvery Time Two Fools Collide Dottie West and Kenny Rogers Video Don't Feel Rained On by The Bobby Doyle Trio