Bill Withers - Lean on Me-Best of Bill Withers

Not to be mistaken with Bill Withers's Greatest Hits or even the 1994 best-of with which it shares its name, Lean on Me nevertheless shares much with those two earlier retrospectives--notably the likes of such '70s soul-pop gems as the title track, "Ain't No Sunshine," "Lovely Day," and "Use Me." Like the earlier Lean on Me, this remastered selection includes 18 tracks, 13 of which overlap with the '94 set. Withers's oeuvre is something less than expansive: he recorded 10 albums for Sussex and Columbia between 1971 and 1985, then gracefully exited the business with three top 10 hits to his credit. The singer's warm vocals and wise lyrics have held up splendidly through the years, making him a likely candidate for periodic rediscovery. This anthology stands as the title of choice for the next wave of soul fans Withers wins over. --Steven Stolder Amazon.com

I Had Forgotten About Bill Until .......

While looking for another artist I happened to run across Bill Withers and something began to happen. I started to remember the years of my youth. Those evenings listening to the radio while in a friends father's car while looking for girls. It became evident that those days were again available in this package. Some songs I didn't remember as being done by him but there they were. Thank goodness for memories. November 26, 2008

Exeptional Artist

I love this whole cd. This is a great cd and a great artist I would definititely recommend this album to anyone who likes soul and R&B. Every song on this cd is solid this is a great cd..... October 28, 2008

Pretty sweet

Not bad at all -- a great collection of Bill Withers. Most of the songs are very chill and soulful but one or two sound like something from an 80's romantic comedy (great if you're feeling nostalgic, otherwise, not so good). March 26, 2008

Finally! This one has "Harlem"!!!

The 2000 Sony compilation "The Best of Bill Withers: Lean On Me" is by far the best compilation to come down the pike (so far), after two other tries which weren't definitive enough, despite one from 1994 (the similarly titled "Lean On Me: The Best of Bill Withers") that had as many songs, but still hadn't quite hit all the right notes. Note the rearrangement of the title; it is important. Even though these two CDs share 13 tracks, the newer one trumps the older one because of the inclusion of just one song: "Harlem". The B-side to Bill's first charting single, "Ain't No Sunshine", I had the song on the vinyl of his "Just As I Am" lp, and the 45, but I would be hearing the song only on vinyl for almost 30 years until the release of this CD. For Bill IS a storyteller, and he spins stories of love, life, lust and suspicion, better than anyone in R&B/Soul music, then or now. Listen to the exquisite gospel styling in "Grandma's Hands", the brotherly Love inherent in "Lean On Me", the desperation of "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Who is He (And What Is He To You?)", the hyposcrisy of the church folks in "Harlem". These are stories of life lived, not from cliched imaginings. I've heard "Lean On me" more times than I can count in 36 years; I may cringe at the first notes, but ultimately it never fails to lift my mood. If it's a review of the disc and the music within that you want, here goes: Excellent music, thoughtful lyrics, superb production, flawless mastering (and the complete takes of all the songs, with the exception of "Just the Two of Us", which was licensed from Elektra; the complete take is on three Grover Washington albums: "Winelight", "Ultimate Grover Washington", and "Grover Washington: Gold"). Accept no substitutes (unless they are of Bill's original albums, most are criminally out of print). And Bill had a MUCH more substantial career than another reviewer would have you believe (ever heard of the R&B charts? The "gods" smiled on Bill quite well there; just because his music didn't cross over to the pop charts doesn't mean the man didn't sell records. I call 13 top 20 hits, with eight of them going top 10 substantial!!) Pay no heed to the naysayers, you WILL LOVE this CD. March 1, 2008

Fantastic collection of hits

So many great songs on one album that it should have cost a hell of a lot more. February 10, 2008

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