Top Famous Love Songs and Music

It's a shame that only one side of Elvis' multi-faceted talent is remembered 25 years on from his death but there is so much more to the millennium's greatest performer than garish jump suits and shaky legs. The 50 Greatest Love Songs reminds us what a great singer Presley was; coming from the heart with more feeling and passion than most could ever imagine, all 50 of these songs are classics of the last four decades. The double disc set includes all the up-tempo standards like the incredible "Suspicious Minds", "I just can't help believin'" and "Always On My Mind" plus the Dusty Springfield signature tune "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me". Also included are some of his older works from before and during the cinema years like "Good Luck Charm", "Love Me Tender" and "Old Shep". So no blue shoes, no sequinned jump suits, just the king singing about life, love and heartache. --Georgina Collins

Singer-songwriter Stephen Merritt's ironically morose lyrics, Tin Pan Alley stylings, sugary melodies, and idiosyncratic sound have earned his band the Magnetic Fields cult status and the adulation of grad students everywhere. The ambitious, genre-hopping, and intensely heart-tugging three-disc set 69 Love Songs probably won't gain Merritt the wider recognition he deserves, but the clever misanthrope likely wouldn't have it any other way. --Mike McGonigal

Initially conceived as 100 love songs arranged in alphabetical order for theatrical revue performance, Stephin Merritt--indie-pop songsmith and Magnetic Fields spearhead--downsized his ambitious concept project to 69 Love Songs, his first recording under this moniker in four years. Parleyed into three volumes, Merritt, as on other outings, is joined by a rotating cast of musicians including manager Claudia Gonson. These players take on the role of orchestra and cast to Merritt's madcap composer, librettist, and performer, augmenting his lo-fi electronic-based rock with sparkling instrumental touches and narrative vocals for a portion of his absurdly wondrous ditties. Endlessly intriguing, the Fields revisit not only earlier themes of love both shunned and requited, but continue to forge a seemingly impossible synthesis of country-tinged Euro-pop and old-school musical theater. No stranger to melancholy, Merritt's twinkly music-box world, in shades of resplendent violet, is beautifully peopled with incurable romantics who drop pop-culture references and shed gender identity as often as most folks change their underpants. Not surprisingly, 69 Love Songs is delicious defeat on the romance front while pulling ahead as Merritt's most coherently engaging listen. --Paige La Grone

Re-mastered limited edition (3,000) deluxe vinyl re-issue of their classic 1999 3-CD box set rumination on love. Funny, smart, dark, and memorable. Stephin Merritt solidifies his songwriting genius on his "most ambitious and fully realized work" - AMG. Beautifully packaged in a 10-inch slip case box with three double gatefold sleeves and the original booklet in 10-inch size. Includes coupon for MP3 download of entire album.

three dble-gatefold 10"s, MP3 coupon, slipcase - early release for RSD

The line between evangelist and entertainer has always been somewhat indistinct. But as showcased on this 43-track, double-disc collection culled from his '87-'96 recordings for Elektra/Nonesuch/Atlantic, Michael Feinstein's dedication to spreading the gospel of the American song often blurs it beyond recognition. While the singer's pedigree for the task is impeccable (a long-term stint as Ira Gershwin's assistant and early career sponsorship by Liza Minnelli), his interpretations often succeed by playing off a tense axis of fervent emotionalism and a joyous sense of irreverence. If his readings of romantic standards can sometimes tend toward the precious, they're often balanced here by sheer dramatic power and telling insights ("Isn't It Romantic" fairly bristles with ironic chauvinism) and a few loopy curves ("The Mole People," the Sherman Brothers' "The Ugly Bug Ball," and the previously unreleased "Rhode Island Is Famous for You"). Feinstein's dedicated song archaeology is also showcased on several gems: "Violin," a duet with Liza Minnelli; "My Favorite Year," a rejected ballad for the film of that name; the sublime "lost" Gershwin classic "Ask Me Again." Sprinkled with live performances (the forum where Feinstein's talents seem most energized) and studio outtakes and featuring a lengthy print interview with the singer, the set chronicles both the pioneering efforts of one of pop music's most successful revivalists and, crucially, the cream of his beloved American songwriters, from stalwarts Gershwin, Berlin, and Porter to later legends like Herman, Styne, Lane, Martin, and Mercer. --Jerry McCulley

Track listing DISC 1: 1. Nice Work If You Can Get It, song (from A Damsel in Distress, film) 2. Isn't It Romantic?, song (from film "Love Me Tonight") 3. Swinging On A Star (used in the film "Going My Way") 4. Ask Me Again, song 5. Inside U.S.A., musical play: Rhode Island is famous for you 6. 'S Wonderful, song (from Funny Face, musical) 7. Wonder Why 8. Too Marvelous for Words, song 9. Where Do You Start? 10. Bad and the Beautiful, film score, The 11. Easy to love, song (from the film "Born to Dance") 12. Alexander's Ragtime Band, song 13. Who Are You Now? (from Funny Girl) 14. You're An Education (for the film Gold Diggers In Paris) 15. You Are There 16. Sophisticated Swing 17. Love Can Change the Stars (for the film Athena) 18. Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are (for the film Step Lively) 19. Half of April (Most of May) 20. Marianne (from The Grand Tour) 21. They Can't Take That Away from Me, song (from Shall We Dance?, film) 22. I Love a Piano, song (from Stop! Look! Listen!") DISC 2: 1. That's Entertainment! (from The Bandwagon) 2. My Favorite Year 3. Ten Feet Off The Ground (for the Disney filmThe One And Only Original Family Band) 4. I Never Felt Better (for the film Athena) 5. Someone to Watch Over Me, song (from Oh, Kay!, musical) 6. Kiss Her Now (from Dear World) 7. Ugly Bug Ball, The (for the Disney film Summer Magic) 8. For You, for Me, for Evermore, vocal duet (completed by Kay Swift, from The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, film) 9. Mole People, song, The 10. And So To Bed 11. You're All the World to Me 12. Old Friend (from I'm Getting My Act Together...) 13. Isn't It a Pity?, song (from Pardon My English, musical) 14. Patisserie, The 15. Open Your Eyes (from Royal Wedding) 16. For Love Alone (for the TV film For Love Alone) 17. Work(s): Medley: I Won't Send Roses/ Time Heals Everything 18. Get Out and Get Under the Moon 19. My Romance, song (from "Jumbo") 20. Love Is Here to Stay, song (from The Goldwyn Follies, film) 21. Violin