Oh Love (Unlimited) Well, We Finally Made It (to CD)!
Karl Miller | Phoenixville, PA United States | 06/20/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Some might call them Barry White's backup...some might call them a lesser Supremes...BUT TO ME Love Unlimited is THE JAM!
The harmonies thrown down by Glodean and company were as rapturous as the orchestrations of The Maestro, BW, himself. These girls could sing...and unfortunately, they never got the recognition they deserved.
Personal faves on this brilliantly conceived and delivered CD include my own favorite "Oh Love, Well We Finally Made It" with beautiful strings, and perfect harmonies. I still remember LU's appearance on "Don Kirshner"s Rock Concert" in the seventies performing this song - all glamorous, in form fitting gowns, high heels, letting those brilliant harmonies flow - WOW.
"It May Be Winter Outside" should have been a monster hit - perfect harmonies, seductive vocals. This song gives Glodean a chance to shine.
"I Belong To You" is a beautiful love song. "Walkin' In the Rain..." blends their voices together so well, and Barry's contribution to the closing phone call is so smooth.
"Move Me No Mountain" is as good as Chaka's cover version on "Naughty". Just a great tune.
If you have long searched for "Under The Influence Of Love Unlimited" on CD, you should note that this disc contains all the vocal performances from that disc, but is missing "Love's Theme". Most of the cuts from "In Heat" are here as well.
There are also some great liner notes with this disc - GLodean mentions that the group was planning a reunion, only to see DeeDee (Diane White) lose her battle with cancer and pass away some years ago. With her death, and wiith Barry continuing to be in very poor health, we will probably never hear from this band again, unfortunately. But this disc is a classic reminder of how great their harmonies were, and is a necessary part of any true 70's soul fans collection."
The Supremes of the 70's!!
Glenn Nippert | Alpharetta, Georgia United States | 06/21/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The first minute and five seconds of the opening cut, "Under The Influence of Love" sound like a great lost Blaxploitation soundtrack cut. It's all high hat cymbals and wah-wah guitar and swelling strings. Then, on come three female singers with huge afros and tight,perfect harmony, sounding like a more soulful version of The Supremes. Brilliant, luscious vocals and a girl group groove straight out of Phil Spector guides you to heaven on "It May Be Winter Outside, But In My Heart It's Spring". Barry White wrote or co-wrote and produced everything on here and even married one of the girls(Glodean). His influence is writ large upon the production, but the girls have their own musical persona. "I Belong To You" was their big R&B number one and "Walking In The Rain With The One I Love" is a gorgeous rewrite of The Ronettes "Walking In The Rain", complete with rain effects and a phone call from Barry in full basso profundo lover man mode. This is sweet, sensual music that sounds better than ever and there are 17 very strong hits on here."
OUR 20th CENTURY MAESTRO -- MR. BARRY WHITE
A. Browne | USA | 05/20/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I can now storage the albums of Love Unlimited and Mr. Barry White safely, thanks to modern technology. Thanks to the record company who recorded this on CD & chose the right songs to create such a BEAUTIFUL CD of Mr. Barry White's orchestration! These three ladies were MAGNIFICIENT in my time of enjoying true Soul and R&B music. I LOVE THE ENTIRE COLLECTION OF SONGS ON THIS CD. Not one is a sleeper. It's hard to pick the best song out of the 17 tracks but I adore the tracks: Oh, My Love.., I belong to You, Share a Little Love, I guess I'm Just Another Girl... I'm Glad That I'm A Woman, the list is forever. Mr. Barry White is an extraordinary musician in a REAL and TRUE sense of meaning. He's the Frederick Chopin & Quincy Jones all wrapped up in one! Really, he's a fine conductor, musician & writer. I MISS MR. BARRY WHITE. I PRAY FOR HIS SAFE RECOVERY IN HEALTH & PRAY FOR HIS FAMILY AS WELL. MR. BARRY WHITE IS MISSED WORLDWIDE & WE MUST RECOGNIZE HIS TALENTS IN FULL SPECTRUM. *** Andrea "Angi" ***"
VERY UNDERRATED GIRL GROUP!!
ernie garcia | LONG BEACH, CA. | 10/28/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"WHEN I FIRST HEARD "IT MAY BE WINTER OUTSIDE" I SWORE IT WAS THE SUPREMES FEATURING DIANA ROSS.I HAD NEVER HEARD OF THE GROUP. LATER WHEN I HEARD "I BELONG TO YOU" I THOUGHT IT HAD TO BE PEACHES AND HERB.IT'S A CLASSIC BALAD LIKE "LET'S FALL IN LOVE" OR "I LOVE YOU FOR ALL SEASONS" BY THE FUZZ.THESE GIRLS ARE THAT GOOD!!THEIR OTHER RECORDS ARE GOOD TOO! YES, I RECOMMEND THIS ONE!!THIS IS A VERY UNERRATED GIRL GROUP!!BUY IT AND YOU'LL SEE WHAT I MEAN!"
"Back in the day music"
W. Foster | Richmond VA | 10/24/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you need a moment to remember the slower times, a time when love songs held a hint of mystery and kept you coming back for more. If you're looking to put your feet up and just relax into some great memories or create new ones. This CD will definitely do it all for you, especially if you are a fan of Barry White and the Love Unlimited Orchestra. What a masterful mix of sounds.
If you're trying to put a little fire in your relationship and need to set a mood with good music, here's the music to play."