Billy Ocean

The Billy Ocean Collection, released through Sony in the U.K., contains material that predates Ocean's move to Jive and the singer's subsequent U.S. mainstream breakthrough. Prior to the likes of "Caribbean Queen" and "Suddenly," he was more popular in the U.K., recording for the GTO label and scoring late-'70s hits with "Love Really Hurts Without You" (number two in the U.K., but also a Top Ten club hit in the U.S.), "L.O.D. (Love on Delivery)," and "Stop Me (If You've Heard It All Before)." The disc also includes some highlights from his early-'80s albums, including "Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)" -- an excellent slice of slick disco-funk that reached number seven on the Black Singles chart. For an overview of Ocean's entire career, The Ultimate Collection (2004) is the place to go, but The Billy Ocean Collection demonstrates that he had a lot going for him prior to full-on U.S. stardom. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide