The Best of Billy Ocean: Reliving the Soul of the 80's with One of the Decade's Premiere Pop Hitmakers
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 12, 2006--Luck Media & Marketing, Inc.:

-- The 15-Track Collection, Due In Stores June 6 From Jive/Legacy, Includes Such Era-Defining Classics As "Caribbean Queen," "Suddenly," "Loverboy," "Love Zone," "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going" and "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car"

-- The Singer/Songwriter's First Worldwide Tour In Over Ten Years Begins June 16 In Tacoma, Washington,

Everyone with a pulse and a radio remembers where they were when they first heard the funky, calypso grooves of "Caribbean Queen," the breakthrough million selling, Grammy Award winning hit that made Billy Ocean an international superstar.

That song, coupled with a hard driving "Loverboy" (which hit #2 on the U.S. pop chart) and the lush ballad "Suddenly" (#4), resulted in Ocean's album Suddenly going triple platinum and spending a year on the U.S. charts.

The Trinidad born singer/songwriter, born Leslie Charles, became so identified with 80's pop soul that many forget that he actually had his first chart success many years earlier--in 1976, with "Love Really Hurts Without You," which hit #22 on the Billboard Pop Chart in the U.S.

While that early hit is included in The Best of Billy Ocean, the exciting new greatest hits package from Jive/Legacy, the 15-track collection--due in stores June 6, 2006--is truly a celebration of a uniquely 80's pop culture phenomenon whose classic songs remain staples on radio to this day.

In addition to the hits from Suddenly, The Best of Billy Ocean includes a hit parade of songs that most fans know from the first chords or lyrics: "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" (U.S. Pop #1), "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going" (#2), "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)" (#1), "Love Zone" (#10), "Love Is Forever" (#16) and "The Colour of Love" (#17).

In June, 2006, after an absence of over ten years, Ocean will launch a major worldwide tour in celebration of his 30 year career in music, beginning with a show at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington on the 16th. The tour, which will eventually hit 25-30 dates, includes stops in Reno (6/24), San Diego (6/25), Kansas City, MO (7/07), Belterra, IN (7/08), St. Charles, MO (7/13), Hershey, PA (7/16), Westbury, NY (7/26), New York, NY (7/27) and Uncasville, CT.

( 1981 - Epic Records )

1 - Are You Ready
2 - Don't Say Stop
3 - Whatever Turns You On
4 - Another Day Won't Matter
5 - Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)
6 - Who's Gonna Rock You
7 - Stay the Night
8 - Everlasting Love
9 - Taking Chances

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( 1982 - Epic Records )

1 - Calypso Funkin'
2 - Rock-A-Bye Baby
3 - No Matter What
4 - Dance With Me
5 - I Can't Stop
6 - Tryin' to Get Through to You
7 - Mind Games
8 - Was It You
9 - Inner Feelings


His best 2 albums ( imo ).
Tight hooks , solid jams.
Billy's manager posted some years ago on a Soulradio-forum the background-stories of these albums.
The Nights-project was recorded in one week and there was a lot of creative energy around that recording-era .
Producer/musician Nigel Martinez almost played every instrument on that album .
Billy's manager was just in awe to witness that process .
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[Edited 4/25/06 9:33am]

Billy Ocean is great! I hope his tour is successful. I would pay to see him perform any of his songs .

A great talent - He could have been bigger but he doesn't exactly fit the American Idol kind of guy, LOL. My mother used to always say, he can sing, but he's so unattractive. I would be like, what the fuck (no, i didn't say that, but thats what i was thinking) does that have 2 do with anything.

goat2004 said:

I've often heard this alot over the years that Billy Ocean was not necessarily pretty to look at , but damn that man can sing!

My favorite tune...

I like Billy Ocean, but.... my oh my..... those 2 album covers posted above are just awful

Didn't they just release another Billy Ocean set which wasn't all that different from "Greatest Hits"? He's great but let's stop releasing the same collection. I actually have a budget set of his early songs before the huge smashes but never really listened to it. I really liked "Love Really Hurts Without You".

In the summer of '81,"Nights (Feel Like Gettin' Down)" was da jam

I like that song much better than some of his latter material,which was more pop-ish.He lost me when he recorded that awful 1988 song "Get Outta My Dreams,Get Into My Car".Dreadful!

NorthernLad said:

A book is easily judged by it's cover ,
but the music speaks louder
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[Edited 4/25/06 9:30am]

DavidEye said:

yup...

sure was....

"There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry) - such a beautiful POP record.

goat2004 said:

yup you went back on that one. I always remembered hearing "Carribean Queen" a lot and "Get out of my dreams, get into my car" when I was little.

I like "love zone" too.

missfee said:

"Love Zone" bumps .

"Carribean Queen" was intentionally titled "European Queen" .
It didn't hit the US-charts with that name , but after changing it to " Carribean " it went up the billboards ...
Strange process if you ask me for a track which ( imo ) is less exciting than his early 80's stuff .

DavidEye said:

That whole summer rocked!

uPtoWnNY said:

DavidEye said:

Yes it was!