The Very Best Of Michael McDonald

Personnel includes: Michael McDonald (vocals, piano, keyboards, synthesizer); Patti LaBelle, Quincy Jones, James Ingram (vocals); Dean Parks (acoustic guitar); David Pack (guitar); Joe Walsh (slide guitar); Albert Wing (tenor saxophone); John Tesh, Michael Hanna, Michael Boddicker (synthesizer); Willie Weeks (bass); Carlos Vega, Jeff Porcaro (drums); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion); Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Maureen McDonald, Kenny Loggins (background vocals).Producers include: Ted Templeman, Lenny Waronker, Quincy Jones, Michael McDonald, Burt Bacharach.Compilation producers: Michael McDonald, Gary Peterson.Includes liner notes by Barry Alfonso.Digitally remastered by Dan Hersch and Bill Inglot (Digiprep).Personnel: Michael McDonald (vocals, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards, synthesizer); James Ingram , Patti LaBelle (vocals); Bernie Chiaravalle (guitar, coral sitar); David Pack (guitar, synthesizer); Dann Huff, Michael Hart Thompson , Paul Jackson, Jr. , Robben Ford, Steve Lukather, Warren Haynes (guitar); Dean Parks (acoustic guitar); Joe Walsh (slide guitar); Rev. Dave Boruff, Kim Hutchcroft (flute, saxophone); Vince Denham (saxophone); Brandon Fields (alto saxophone); Cornelius Bumpus, Albert Wing (tenor saxophone); Chuck Findley, Lee Thornberg, Gary Grant, Jerry Hey (trumpet); Larry Williams (horns, keyboards, synthesizer); Burt Bacharach (piano); Greg Phillinganes (Fender Rhodes piano, Clavinet, keyboards); Jeff Bova (Clavinet, bass synthesizer); Rod Temperton, Michael Hanna (keyboards, synthesizer); Danny Sembello, Anthony Patler (keyboards); Chuck Sabatino (synthesizer, background vocals); Michael Boddicker, Peter Wolf , David Foster, Brian Mann (synthesizer); Wells Christy (Synclavier); George Perilli (drums, tom tom, drum programming); Jeff Porcaro (drums, percussion); John "J.R." Robinson , Staff Fieldhouse, Manu Katche, Steve Gadd , Carlos Vega (drums); Debra Dobkin, Bobby LaKind (congas); Lenny Castro (finger cymbals, triangle); Paulinho Da Costa, Ted Templeman (percussion); Jimmy Bralower (drum programming); Clydene Jackson, Evette Benton, Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson, David Lasley, Maureen McDonald, Julia Tillman Waters, Kathy Walker, Kenny Loggins, Alison Krauss, Maxine Willard Waters, Siedah Garrett, Sir Harry Bowens, Sweet Pea Atkinson, Vince Gill (background vocals).Audio Mixers: Chris Fogel; UE Nastasi; Chris Albert; Mikael Ifversen; Ross Pallone; Tim Leitner; Tom Lord-Alge; Bruce Swedien; Charles Paakkari .Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Gary Peterson; Bill Inglot.Audio Remixer: Humberto Gatica.Liner Note Author: Barry Alfonso.Recording information: A&M Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Axis Studios, New York, NY; Bill Schnee Studio, North Hollywood, CA; Bullet Recording, Nashville, TN; Can-AM Recorders, Tarzana, CA; Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA; Circle 7 Recording, Pacific Palisades, CA; Conway Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Dilling Street Studio, North Hollywood, CA; East Hill Studios, New York, NY; John Tesh Studios, Santa Monica, CA; Lion Share Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, CA; One On One Recording, North Hollywood, CA; Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA; The Power Station, New York, NY; The Villa Studio, North Hollywood, CA; Warner Bros. Recording Studio (Amigo), North Hollywood,; Westlake Audio, Los Angeles, CA.A solid collection that features all of McDonald's greatest hits from the early '80s. ~ Stephen Thomas ErlewineFor too long, there wasn't a Michael McDonald compilation available domestically. Rhino/Warner Archives' 2001 release The Very Best of Michael McDonald corrects that situation, offering a generous 16 tracks, including duets and a previous unreleased version of Higher Ground. The collection concentrates solely on his solo recordings for Warner/Reprise, which means it ends in 1993 and doesn't include anything from his long-delayed 2000 album. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, because McDonald stopped having hits in the late '80s, so there's nothing missing (even though casual fans can be forgiven for wondering why latter-day Doobie Brothers singles aren't here; at a certain point, those became indistinguishable from McDonald's solo work). At its best -- which would be "No Lookin' Back," "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)," "Yah Mo Be There," "On My Own," and "Sweet Freedom" -- this captures everything that's good about laid-back, West Coast, soul-tinged soft rock. At its worst, it's professional, well constructed, and listenable, lacking only songs that work their way underneath your skin. In a way, the length works against the compilation, since the merely pleasant feels like padding, but McDonald's greatest hits remain sterling examples of finely made, soft blue-eyed soul. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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