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"I Honestly Love You" charms me with all of its natural beauty; Olivia delivers this with the grace of a swan and I doubt too many other songbirds could do a better job of this. Olivia Newton-John always made sure to sing her songs with passion and genuine feeling; you can tell it's true by listening to her sing. Make no mistake about it, however: Olivia Newton-John didn't really need backup but it all sounds so good anyway. This is a strong collection of Olivia's best work; but I agree that they could have excluded "The Grease Megamix" and replaced it with another tune or two.
I love it."Magic" was a huge hit for Olivia Newton-John; and just one listen will show you why. "Physical" also got a lot of airplay when it was first released; this got people up and dancing on the dance floors in clubs all over. Olivia never sounded better; and the music that plays along with her vocals rounds out this number very nicely. The quality of the sound is excellent and the artwork is very well done."Let Me Be There" starts the CD with a wonderful, positive tune that Olivia Newton-John sings with so much energy and enthusiasm. Sure, not everything is here; but this is a strong single CD retrospective anyway.
"Don't Stop Believin'" is another highlight of this album. "Sam" is also very pretty; and "You're The One That I Want" comes from Grease which Olivia Newton-John made with John Travolta. "Don't Stop Believin'" is very nicely done; Olivia opens her voice up somewhat and we can really hear her full vocal range. "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)" certainly got lots of airplay when it was originally released; this track features Olivia squarely in the spotlight although the backup vocals are good, too. Great.
"Please Mr. (4.5 stars)Magic: The Very Best of Olivia Newton-John is a great single CD compilation of Olivia Newton-John's greatest hits. Olivia and John complement each other very well on this rather upbeat tune and that's grand."Hopelessly Devoted To You" stuns me with its beauty and there's a certain innocence to the lyrics that many people can identify with when they are young and in love; this too comes from Grease. Another number from Grease is the duet between Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta entitled "Summer Nights." This is a very lush and energetic ballad; the backup vocals are very well done and the music is excellent.
"Magic" uses both major and minor keys for a hauntingly beautiful effect; it's quite a strong number. "Xanadu" is equally strong and Olivia really shows a fine capacity to sing a different type of song than the first ones she recorded. Don't let that scare you away, however--this is good stuff.
She gives these songs her all while you hear her sing. I recommend this for Olivia's fans; and people just discovering the fine artistry of Olivia Newton-John would do well to get this album. "Have You Never Been Mellow" is extremely easy on the ear; I always liked this tune and Olivia's voice is as clear as a bell, too.
Please" uses the keyboard wonderfully and this is one of my very favorite songs from the 1970s--Olivia Newton-John was truly all THAT good. "Make A Move On Me" has a great beat for dancing, too; and there's yet another gem in the fast tempo "Heart Attack." "Twist Of Fate" is another very energetic number and the CD ends nicely with Olivia Newton-John performing "The Grease Megamix" with John Travolta and backup vocalists.
Great CD to listen to, brought back lots of memories from her early years. Liked the Grease remix at the end.
But that's not the fault of Amazon. I wish the CD I got had had more of Olivia's top songs on it. I also wish I could have heard some of the songs before I bought it. I like to shop from you because I always get my order very fast. Thank you.
And I've frankly never liked "Physical", a throw away as dated as her video's work out duds and sadly one of her biggest hits. But she is a whole lot more, as this collection shows. As soon as GREASE was released, it screamed Instant Classic and sealed Olivia's legend status. One star downgrade for leaving off her cover of Dylan's "If Not For You" (and which George Harrison also did so wonderfully on All Things Must Pass), and some of her later 80's material maybe didn't age so well. In today's pop era of female singers battling for a shopworn "diva" crown and muscular, over-dramatic vocal acrobatics plastered over insipid, nu-soul stylings, it's good to remember a whisper can ring louder than a shout.Olivia's voice was always a beguiling instrument, crafty in its facility to blend shimmering, understated innocence with a subtle allure. Her character Sandy in Grease, seems in fact a metaphor for this transformative gift -- comparing her ingenue 70's persona with the glorious coming-out which would soon follow.While I was not so inspired by the countrified vanilla of some of her early Nashville leanings, it had its simple charm. (OK, "Make A Move on Me" is pretty damn catchy - gotta admit).BUT.that leaves a small bevy of killer songs, the likes of which any singer worth her salt would have cheerfully given her right vocal cord to have a shot at.and ample reason to buy this cd: the fun, unforgettable numbers from Grease; the lilting "Sam"; "Suddenly", with Cliff Richard (one of the greatest duets ever IMHO); the bewitching "Magic" and "A Little More Love"; and ELO's spectacular "Xanadu", a luscious pop confection with a finale which gives goose bumps (those incredible notes).Olivia hit more homeruns in a decade than most recording artists will have in a lifetime. I'm so glad I finally got this.
This cd has 21 tracks Let Me Be There, I Honestly Love You, all the way to A Little More Love from Make A Move On Me to Twist Of Fate + a bonus track with John Travolta. Getting my hands on this cd has been a long search that finally paid off. Olivia Newton John a actress, singer who I have always loved watching her in movies and loved hearing her music. If you have her greatest hits then you have most of the favorites but if you like to collect everything the artist puts out like me then this is something to own and to enjoy. So own the Magic of Olivia from a true fan.
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