Robert Palmer — R.I.P.

[botley]

Wow, this brings back some memories. Especially 'Doctor Doctor'. He was played a lot in our house. Im pretty sure it was mainly 'Addictions' I used to listen too.

Addictions Vols. 1 & 2 are great on their own, but they are designed to be stand-alone projects, not a representation of the original recordings. Robert went back into the studio and re-mixed (and even re-sang) many of the tracks to his liking. If you get the original LPs (or the new "Collector's Edition" CDs that are now available on Amazon), many of the songs sound quite different.

[botley]

Got my hands on a couple of the Collector's Edition CDs; they look and sound fantastic. Just like the original LPs.

If you're looking for a good overall introduction to the Palmer catalogue, I'd recommend the 2-disc compilation called Gold. It's 33 tracks (basically the same lineup as the Addictions anthologies but more faithful to the original versions) and cheap at under $15. Then, if you like what you hear, pick up Drive — it's not only his swan song but a fucking awesome record, and none of it is repeated on any compilation.