I know I've told (some of) you this before but it remains the truth - I love Lionel Richie. Well, specifically, I love one album; one compilation...I love Back To Front, the first Lionel Richie best-of.
It arrived in the early 1990s, introducing one of the biggest-selling artists of the 1980s to the next decade, I guess.
Lionel had released only three solo albums when Back To Front came out. The first three songs were brand new - exclusive to that compilation.
Since Back To Front, Richie has released quite a few albums - including more compilations and a live album. And at least half a dozen albums of original material...well I don't care about any of them. I only care about Back To Front. It's all I need... to get by...
I think I like Back To Front because it captures Richie's 1980s (and some late 1970s) achievements and it freezes them. The year 1992 was not that different to 1988. Back To Front could have been released then. It certainly could have been released in 1989 or 1990 - but it was 1992. And so there are three new songs - but they sound like they came from 1986 or any time around then.
Richie was one of the big sellers of the 1980s - alongside Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Madonna and Cyndi Lauper he was one of the mega-selling solo artists of the decade. And he had the credibility of having been in The Commodores; of having become a breakout star. Many would argue that he lost that credibility with some of his solo material. Others probably d
on't care for The Commodores that much - or don't notice the difference because they are more aware of The Commodores of Easy or Three Times a Lady than The Commodores of Machine Gun or Zoom.
I guess I grew up with Lionel - my parents were often blasting The Commodores and from there I was introduced to all three of the solo albums that are drawn from and distilled to elements of Back To Front - 1982's Lionel Richie, 1983's Can't Slow Down and especially 1986's Dancing on the Ceiling. I have them all on vinyl now - and I'd pick Can't Slow Down over Dancing on the Ceiling any day - but back then mum and dad had the Dancing on the Ceiling gatefold LP: Lionel resplendent in a trenchcoat, the huge singles being the title track and then Say You, Say Me. Epic.
But nowadays I'm covered with Back To Front - and it covers Lionel well. You get a snatch of The Commodores - and the direction Lionel wanted to take the band: Easy, Three Times a Lady, Still, Sail On - and you get all of the big singles from those three solo albums: Hello, All Night Long, Running with the Night.
You'll also get the duet with Diana Ross - Endless Love.
And those new songs are as good as anything on the album - opener, Do It to Me, followed by My Destiny and then Love, Oh Love.
It seems like Lionel Richie knew that he could always play to a black audience in 
the 1970s (with The Commodores) but by crossing over to a white audience in the 1980s he would really make some money. The black audience would enjoy his shows, would dance to his clips; the white audience would buy his records, would hand over money.
That move is what made Lionel. Or, it might be that you think that move is what ruined him.
I'm sure there are people who only care for The Commodores at their funky best and have no interest in Lionel Richie as a solo act. I like both. And I love Back To Front.
But what about you?
Can you enjoy Lionel Richie - or is he best left in the 1980s?
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Lionel Richie is the business. I concur with your thoughts in this blog.
Yeah, Lionel's pretty good. Still love Steve Lukather's solo from Running with the Night and it's hard to resist All Night long. SOme of the other stuff was a bit sh*t, though. Penny Lover was pants and I always wanted him to sing in hello: "Are you somewhere feeling lonely or is someone feeling you?"
At last, someone who will openly admit that they love one of my all-time favourite albums (even if I'm a little surprised that it's you, Simon)! <i>Back to Front</i> is an absolute gem for all the reasons you mentioned above and more, even if none of my friends recognise this, almost accusing me of harbouring yet another guilty musical pleasure! Somehow, it is a perfect representation of Richie's musical career to date and shows him for what he is: one of the most talented musicians and songwriters in the world. It's almost degrading to hear of Richie referred to now as "Nicole Richie's father", grrr! The orchestration and measured musical mastery in Still, All Night Long, and Three Times A Lady are simply magic, and there's a reason why Endless Love was the biggest selling Motown hit of all time. The only song I skip is Dancing in the Ceiling, not because it's necessarily bad but because it brings back bad memories of being the aerobic warmup for every. single. PE class while I was at college - otherwise, it's all good.
Eww
At the time it was a bit awkward but Lionel keeps getting better and better.
For those old enough to remember- Machine Gun was the original music for Ready to Roll...Awesome! Man I loved the excitement of the Countdown
I really dont like looking at him anymore, he took plastic surgery a bit too far i reckon
Sail On and Easy are two of the best piano songs in history, and the lyrics of Sail On are deceptively cutting...they have gotten me through a few break ups in the past and it is one of my all time favourites. I also dig the guitar solo on Hello (I thought it was George Benson until someone corrected me a few years ago) and some of the other MOR stuff is nice to listen to. The sad thing is the majority of his videos are so bad and cheesey that I can understand why his career went downhill in the 90's...in fact when I watched the new version of We are the World last night and saw him 'directing' some of the singers (like Celene Dion) to 'go for it' I cringed so bad I almost had a stroke...but he's a legend and I love him for the music!
Leave it in the 80's.
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Forget the 80s ... he's actually best left in the 70s as part of the Commodores. His solo career is/was little more than a nauseating procession of sickly bland MOR ballads. Mother-in-law music. Yuck. At least the Commodores had a bit of funk about them.