Collectibles

A&M SP-4988 A&M CD-4988

Various producers

Released 1984, remastered in 2013

Track Listing:

  1. Midnight Lovers (Michael Sembello) 3:31
  2. Never Say Never Again (M. Legrand – M. and A. Bergman) 3:11 – from the soundtrack
  3. Come What May* (Allee Willis-David Lasley) 4:06 – from BLUSH
  4. Send In The Clowns* (Stephen Sondheim) 2:17 – from SWEET BIRD
  5. We Could Be Flying (Michel Colombier) 3:57 – from WINGS
  6. Nobody Gets This Close To Me* (Steve Diamond) 3:41 – from DOUBLE OR NOTHING
  7. Rio* (Michael Nesmith) 4:02 – from ALBANY PARK
  8. Come Down In Time* (Elton John-Bernie Taupin) 3:42 – from SUN DOWN LADY
  9. I Don’t Want You To Go* (Allee Willis-Bruce Roberts) 4:30 – from BLUSH
  10. How Can I Tell You (Cat Stevens) 2:58 – from SUN DOWN LADY
  • *These tracks were “modified” by Herb Alpert and are different from the original recordings.

——————————————————————————————————————

This 1984 compilation album, COLLECTIBLES, is not simply a collection of previously released tunes. While most of the selections had been released before, some are new, and many are re-mixes of the originals. The new material includes Michael Sembello’s “Midnight Lovers” and the James Bond soundtrack song “Never Say Never Again,” which while not really new, is appearing for the first time on a Lani Hall album. The track was produced by Herb Alpert and Lani’s former boss Sergio Mendes for use in the opening of the film, and features an Alpert trumpet solo as well.

Those two, as well as “How Can I Tell You” and “We Could Be Flying” are the only songs not “modified by Herb Alpert” as it’s phrased on the album jacket. The CD insert uses the word “adapted” instead of “modified.” All of the rest of the tracks are remixes; indeed “Come What May” has totally new vocal tracks by Lani and Herb. “We Could Be Flying” here is the original WINGS mix with full orchestra, while “Rio” seems to have lost some instrumentation, notably the brass. Many of the tracks lightly segue into one another, a dubious practice on many “greatest hits” albums. This is one of the three Lani Hall compilation albums that A&M did release on Compact Disc, and as such it is a welcome addition to one’s collection.