Description
This9 CD set contains all of Siffres albumsLABI SIFFRE1970,THE SINGER AND THE SONG1971,CRYING LAUGHING LOVING LYING1972,FOR THE CHILDREN1973,REMEMBER MY SONG1975,HAPPY1975,SO STRONG1988,MAN OF REASON1991, andTHE LAST SONGS1998 all inCD wallet facsimilesof the original album sleeves. Amongst 146 tracks are44 bonus tracks,many making theirdebut on CD, and theHappy album is reissued here for the first time ever.Celebratedsingersongwriter Labi Siffrereleased hisselftitled debut albumin 1970, issuing a furtherfive albums during the 70s, scoringhit singleswithIt Must Be Love, Crying Laughing Loving LyingandWatch Me.Madnesstook their cover version ofIt Must Be Loveto 4 in 1981, and its been a staple ingredient of celebrations ever since.Crying Laughing Loving Lyingwas covered by bothOlivia NewtonJohnandRod Stewart.After a break in the early 80s,Labi returned in 1987 with the antiapartheid anthem Something Inside So StrongUK 4, asong perennially appreciated around the world, and a favourite of Nelson Mandela. The song was covered by a gospel choir as a tribute toRosa Parks. TheSo Strong albumwas followed byMan Of Reasonand Labis last albumThe Last Songs. Heremastered this albumfor this package, and also includedtwo new versions.Labis music has been sampled many times. Most notably,I Got The was sampled by Eminem1998 for his worldwide hitMy Name Is, as well as byJayZthe year before.My Song was sampled by Kanye WestforI Wonderin 2007, andThe Vultureby Jazz Liberatorz featuring Aloe Blacc in 2003. More recently Labis original recordings have been featured inads, includingBless The TelephoneTesco Mobile, My SongPuma, Superbowl LIV, and theUniversity of Arizona andIt Must Be LoveCoOp recycling ad.The32page bookletcontains anew 7000word note based on interviews with Labi in 2020, as well asphotos from his own collection, plusall the creditsfor the albums.Labi was recently thesubject of a major BBC TV documentary, part ofAlan Yentobs celebrated Imagineseries. Thedocumentary attracted a lot of acclaimfrom all quarters, and alsofeatured this box set, whichYentob described as fantastic.
