With all the surprise of a Rickroll, British singer Rick Astley went from pop star to Internet meme to solid entertainer over the past three decades. This fall, he's got a new compilation celebrating that evolution.
The Best Of Me, to be released October 25, collects his biggest international hit singles and beloved cuts throughout his career, including tracks from 50 (2016) and Beautiful Life (2018), which marked a return to original music after 15 years. 50 debuted atop the U.K. albums chart and Beautiful Life made the Top 10, and both were supported by well-attended tours.
Those albums mark a full-circle moment for the red-headed crooner, who rose to prominence with energetic dance-pop songs written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman team. Debut single "Never Gonna Give You Up" was a worldwide No. 1 and more smashes followed, including "Whenever You Need Somebody," "Together Forever" (a U.S. No. 1), "It Would Take a Strong, Strong Man," "She Wants To Dance With Me" and "Hold Me In Your Arms." In the '90s, Astley parted ways with his producers in search of a more mature sound, resulting in one last worldwide Top 10 in "Cry For Help"; by the mid-'90s, only in his 20s, he retired from the business.
He had already released two more albums when, in 2007, the Rickrolling phenomenon - surprising Internet users with a link to the "Never Gonna Give You Up" music video - swept the globe. By the following year, YouTube made it a sitewide April Fools joke, and Astley returned to America to surprise the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York with a performance.
The Best Of Me features all those hits from across his career plus the new single "Every One Of Us" (written, produced and performed solely by Astley) and a rearranged "pianoforte" version of "Never Gonna Give You Up." A deluxe edition (available in a standard digipak or casebound book packaging) features a bonus disc of 10 additional "reimagined" recordings. A vinyl pressing is available in the U.K., and signed editions are for sale on Amazon U.K. as well. Full links and the track list are below!
The Best Of Me (BMG Rights Management, 2019)
1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD Autographed Edition: Amazon U.K.
Disc 1
- Every One Of Us
- Never Gonna Give You Up
- Whenever You Need Somebody
- When I Fall In Love
- Together Forever
- It Would Take a Strong, Strong Man
- She Wants To Dance With Me
- Take Me To Your Heart
- Hold Me In Your Arms
- Cry For Help
- Sleeping
- Lights Out
- Keep Singing
- Angels On My Side
- Dance
- This Old House
- Beautiful Life
- Try
- She Makes Me
- Never Gonna Give You Up (Pianoforte)
Tracks 1 and 20 previously unreleased
Tracks 2-6 from Whenever You Need Somebody (RCA, 1987)
Tracks 7-9 from Hold Me In Your Arms (RCA, 1988)
Track 10 from Free (RCA, 1991)
Track 11 from Keep It Turned On (Polydor, 2001)
Track 12 from Cruz Music digital single, 2010
Tracks 13-16 from 50 (BMG, 2016)
Tracks 17-19 from Beautiful Life (BMG, 2018)
Disc 2: Reimagined (previously unreleased)
- Together Forever
- Whenever You Need Somebody
- When I Fall In Love
- Beautiful Life
- She Wants To Dance With Me
- Hold Me In Your Arms
- Cry For Help
- Keep Singing
- Angels On My SIde
- Try
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