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THE ALBUM
"My Love: Essential Collection" is a greatest hits album by Celine Dion. It was released by Columbia Records on October 24, 2008 as the follow up to her previous English-language compilation, "All The Way... A Decade Of Song" (1999). "My Love: Essential Collection" was released as a single disc, consisting of Celine´s most successful singles. The two-disc edition, entitled "My Love: Ultimate Essential Collection" has been further expanded to include rare songs that have not previously appeared on her albums. Both editions include a new track, "There comes a time". The album wasn´t released in Japan because Sony Music Entertainment Japan decided to issue another compilation, "Complete Best" in February 2008. Worldwide , "My Love: Essential Collection" has sold over 1.955.000 copies as of october 2009.
...> About The Album
Celine took the stage for her final performance of "A New Day..." on December 15, 2007. The Las Vegas show that had been viewed by nearly three million spectators at 717 performances since its premier in March 2003 had come to an end. On February 14, 2008, she embarked on her first worldwide concert tour in over nine years. Celine performed her biggest hits along with songs from her new album, "Taking Chances". The "Taking Chances Tour" played to sold-out stadiums and arenas throughout 2008. By its completion, at the end of February 2009, it had crossed five continents, twenty-three countries, and ninety-three cities, en route to playing for an audience of over three million people. On August 27, 2008, Celine´s official website announced that a new greatest hits album will be released in October 2008. On September 5, 2008, it was revealed that the album will be available in two formats: a one-disc edition called "My Love: Essential Collection" as well as a two-disc edition called "My Love: Ultimate Essential Collection", with the track listing posted on September 11, 2008. "My love", originally from "Taking Chances", was confirmed as the first single in an official press release on September 22, 2008. "My Love: Essential Collection" features a live version of the song, which premiered on September 17, 2008 and the live music video was released seven days later. The lyrics to the only new track on the album, "There comes a time" were posted on October 7, 2008 on Celine´s official website and an excerpt of the song was posted on October 23, 2008. Before releasing "My Love: Essential Collection", Celine had already sold over 200 million albums worldwide. In the album´s liner notes, she dedicated this collection of songs, recorded between 1990 and 2008, to her fans who supported her throughout the years. The performance of "My love" was aired for the very first time on TV on August 31, 2008, during the 43rd annual MDA Labor Day Telethon. On October 28, 2008, an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" was dedicated to Celine, as well as several inspirational journeys of parents and their young children, who suffered from many diseases. Celine was featured throughout the special titled, "Miracle Children" with Celine due to the personal struggles and difficulties she was facing at the time with childbirth. Towards the end of the special, she performed a live rendition of "My love". The following day, Celine was forced to reschedule her October 30 concert in Minneapolis, as well many others in November 2008, citing illness as the cause for the postponements. On December 1, 2008, she performed "My love" on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. On December 13, 2008, her official website posted a behind-the-scenes clip of Celine in the recording sessions for the song, "There comes a time". The "Taking Chances Tour" ended on February 26 and on March 1, 2009, Celine gave her last public performance on "Star Académie" in Canada, singing a medley of her popular French and English-language songs alongside the contestants. Following the performance, Celine began her temporary retirement from the music industry, in order to focus time on her family and conceiving another child. Aside from the several televised appearances, "My love" was performed throughout Celine´s "Taking Chances Tour", beginning with her concert in Seoul on March 18, 2008. "My love" was included later on the "Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert", released on DVD and CD in April 2010. "My Love: Essential Collection" features seventeen songs on the US version and eighteen songs on the European version of the album. The US version includes the Billboard Hot 100 number one singles: "The power of love", "Because you loved me", "My heart will go on" and "I´m your angel", and the European version contains the UK number one single, "Think twice". The two-disc edition, entitled "My Love: Ultimate Essential Collection" was released simultaneously. It is a twenty-seven song set on the US version and thirty-six song set on the European version. "My Love: Ultimate Essential Collection" released in the United States contains three rare songs not released on a Celine record: "(You make me feel like) A natural woman" (from "Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute To Carole King"), "Dance with my father" (from "So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute To Luther Vandross"), and "I knew I loved you" (from "We All Love Ennio Morricone"). The European version also includes singles successful in Europe. In July 2011, the album was re-issued as "The Essential", and the limited edition, called "The Essential 3.0" was released in the United States on August 29, 2011. It is expanded with a bonus third CD with seven tracks, including alternate versions of "Think twice" and "Only one road".
...> Track Listing
01. "Where does my heart beat now"
02. "Beauty and the beast" [ ft. Peabo Bryson ]
03. "If you asked me to"
04. "The power of love"
05. "My love" [ live version ]
06. "Because you loved me" [ Theme from "Up Close And Personal" ]
07. "The power of the dream"
08. "It´s all coming back to me now"
09. "All by myself"
10. "My heart will go on" [ Love theme from "Titanic" ]
11. "I´m your angel" [ ft. R Kelly ]
12. "That´s the way it is"
13. "A new day has come"
14. "I´m alive"
15. "I drove all night"
16. "Taking chances"
17. "There comes a time"
...> Additional Notes
Other editions of "My Love: Essential Collection" from Europe and France includes other songs as "Think twice" and "Alone". And "My Love: Ultimate Essential Collection" with 2CDs, includes different track listings according to the countries; North America, Asia, Australia and Latin America.
...> Album Photo Sessions
The artwork for "My Love: Essential Collection" features a close-up shot of Celine, wearing a white blouse with a black camera hanging from her neck, originally made in 2007. Footage from the original photo session was used as part of the introduction video for the "Taking Chances Tour". The cover´s background is blurred white and purple imagery, with the singer´s name and the album title written in white letters. The photography was done by Denise Truscello, and shot in a studio in Los Angeles, USA in 2007. Celine was very grateful working with Truscello, and described their professional experience positively: "Out of all the people I´ve worked with, she´s the absolute best. I´ve worked with her for six years, and she´s always kind to everybody. Super, super kind".
...> Chart Success
"My Love: Essential Collection" debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200, becoming Celine´s eleventh top ten album on the chart, with first week sales of 57,000 copies. On the Canadian Albums Chart, "My Love: Essential Collection" debuted at number two, with sales of 17,700 copies, and the following week, the album dropped to number three, selling another 11,000 copies. By its third week on the chart, "My Love: Essential Collection" sank another three spots to number six, and by January 2009, was certified double-Platinum by CRIA, denoting shipments of 160,000 copies. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number five, selling 42,411 copies. In Ireland, it peaked at number one and was certified double-Platinum in 2008. "My Love: Essential Collection" proved to be very popular in these two countries, as it re-entered the charts in 2009, 2010, and 2011, spending 116 weeks on the Irish Albums Chart. It debuted at number one in France and the Netherlands, occupying the top for two weeks in both countries. "My Love: Essential Collection" also topped the chart in Belgium Flanders and peaked inside the top ten in many European countries, reaching number six on the European Top 100 Albums. The album also peaked inside top ten in New Zealand and Mexico, and was also certified Platinum in Belgium, Gold in Mexico, Finland, New Zealand and Hungary. Worldwide, it became the forty-second best selling album of 2008, according to the IFPI.
...> Critical Reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, senior editor of Allmusic, called "My Love: Essential Collection" an overcompensation for how "All The Way... A Decade Of Song" (1999), concentrated on newer recordings at the expense of hits. According to him, "My Love: Essential Collection" "fits the bill well" for those listeners who are looking for an overview of Celine Dion´s two decades as an international superstar, as it has all her big adult contemporary hits. Erlewine also noted that although Celine has had more hits in the ten years since "All The Way... A Decade Of Song", apart from her cover of Roy Orbison´s "I drove all night", almost none of her new-millennium hits are as memorable as her singles from the ´90s.
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THE EDITIONS
| Cover | Edition/Title | Description |
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UK Edition | Is "My Love: The Essential Collection" CD album, with 18 tracks. Celine´s first true, cross career hit collection features all of her huge UK hits, including "My heart will go on", "Think twice", "All by myself", "Tell him", "The power of love", "It´s all coming back to me now" and much more. |
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German Edition | Is "My Love: The Essential Collection" released on October 31, 2008 in Germany. |
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German Edition | Is "My Love: Ultimate Essential Collection" released on October 31, 2008 in Germany. |
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Taiwanese Edition | Is "My Love: The Essential Collection" released in an exclusive limited edition with 27 tracks in 2-CD album set containing a career spanding collection of hits including collaborations with Barbra Streisand and R Kelly, plus a live version of "My love" and the hidden recording "My love medley", presented in uniques cards picture slipcases complete with extensive booklets. |
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Russian Edition | Is "My Love: The Essential Collection" released in Russia in 2008. |
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Chinese Edition | Is "My Love: Ultimate Essential Collection" released by Sony, with 27 tracks in 2CDs album set containing a career-spanning collection of hits, plus a live version of "My love", presented in a DVD-sized case with lyric booklet, housed in a unique sealed card picture slipcase with Mandarin text. |
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Chinese Special Edition | 2009 Chinese official Sony issue 27-track 2-CD album set containing a career-spanning collection of hits, presented in DVD-sized case with lyric booklet, housed in a unique sealed card picture slipcase with Mandarin text. |
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Paperback | It´s an exclusive "My Love" paperpack, created by Alfred Publishing Staff and released in 2009. |
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Hardback Notebook | It´s a Taiwanese official promotional hardback notebook, issued exclusively by Sony and BMG in strictly limited quantities to promote the album release throughout Asia, measuring 5" x 7", featuring the album artwork plus with each page printed discreetly in the top right hand corner with "Celine Dion My Love" text and logo. |
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Mousepad | Is "My Love Mousepad", a 9.25" x 7.75" rectangular mousepad made of a durable heat-resistant polyester fabric top. Backed with a neoprene rubber non-slip backing, keeps the mousepad from sliding. |
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"My Love: Essential Collection" 1CD Special Box Edition | ----- |
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"The Essential" Edition | In July 2011 Sony Music released this re-issued titled "The Essential". It is basically a re-release of 'My Love: Ultimate Essential Collection". |
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"The Essential" Canadian Edition | ----- |
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"The Essential Celine Dion 3.0" Limited Edition | A limited edition, called "The Essential 3.0" was released in the United States on August 29, 2011. It is expanded with a bonus third CD with seven tracks, including alternate versions of "Think twice" and "Only one road". |
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"My Love: Essential Collection: Girls Night In" Limited | Released on September 27, 2011 by Sony Music UK. |
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"The Essential" Taiwan Edition | ----- |
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"The Essential" Korean Edition | ----- |
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"Celine Dion: The Ultimate Collection" Edition | Costco exclusive 2CDs, 34-song collection of greatest hits titled "Celine Dion: The Ultimate Collection", released in all Costco´s warehouses on November 6, 2012. |
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THE PROMOS
| Cover | Edition/Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
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"My Love: The Essential Collection" | Original scarce 18-track advance promo only CD, with custom Sony/BMG Disc, insert and exclusive. |
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THE SINGLES
...> "My love"
"My love" is the lead single from the greatest hits album "My Love: Essential Collection". The song went to radio on September 22, 2008 and became available as a music download on the next day. The physical 2-track single was released on October 20, 2008 in the United Kingdom and October 31, 2008 in Germany.
"My love" was written by Linda Perry and originally featured on Celine´s 2007 album "Taking Chances". In 2008, it was recorded live in Stockholm, Sweden during the "Taking Chances Tour" and included on "My Love: Essential Collection". However, radio stations received a radio version of the studio recording, although little or no differences can be heard in this version. Celine performed "My love" at the 43rd annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon via satellite from her "Taking Chances Tour". The telethon took place on August 31, 2008 and was simultaneously broadcast on television stations throughout the United States and Canada. On October 28, 2008 Celine performed the song also on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and on December 3, 2008 on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. "My love" reached number 9 on the Hungarian Singles Chart. The CD single was released in the UK and Germany with virtually no promotion surrounding it in the media, leading to its peak position at number 129 on the UK Singles Chart and not charting on the German Singles Chart. The song did much better on the adult contemporary charts, peaking at number 8 in Canada and number 15 in the United States. On the Canadian Hot 100, "My love" reached number 67. The video of recording "My love" in studio (during the recording sessions for the album "Taking Chances") was included on the Japan only released "Ultimate Box" (2008).
| Cover | Description | Track Listing |
|---|---|---|
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Digital download released on October 17, 2008. | 1. "My love" [ radio version ]; 2. "My love" [ live ] |
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Digital download released on October 17, 2008. | 1. "My love" [ radio version ] |
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CD single released in UK on October 20, 2008. | 1. "My love" [ radio version ]; 2. "My love" [ live ] |
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CD single released in Taiwan in 2008. | 1. "My love" [ radio version ] |
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CD single released in China in 2008. | 1. "My love" |
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Promo CD released in UK in 2008. | 1. "My love" [ radio version ] |
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Promo DVD released in USA in 2008. | 1. "My love" [ music video ]; 2. The making of "My love"; 3. "Taking Chances World Tour" B-Roll footage; 4. "My love / Heart / River" [ 6 TV spots ] |
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...> "I´m alive" [ Maurice Joshua remix ]
In October 2008, an album version of "I´m alive" (originally from Celine´s album "A New Day Has Come" in 2002) was included on "My Love: Essential Collection". A new remix made by Laurent Wolf was released in October 2008 as the second single to promote the new album in France.
Later, in January 2009 another promotional remixes were made by Maurice Joshua for the U.S. clubs. They entered the Hot Dance Club Play chart the next month at number 48 and peaked at number 35.
| Cover | Description | Track Listing |
|---|---|---|
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Promo CD released in USA in 2009. | 1. "I´m alive" [ Maurice Joshua vocal club mix ]; 2. "I´m alive" [ Maurice Joshua dub mix ]; 3. "I´m alive" [ Maurice Joshua remix radio edit ] |
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Promo CD released in USA in 2009. | 1. "I´m alive" [ Maurice Joshua vocal club mix ]; 2. "I´m alive" [ Maurice Joshua dub mix ]; 3. "I´m alive" [ Maurice Joshua remix radio edit ] |
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THE MUSIC VIDEOS
...> "My love"
The music video premiered on September 25, 2008, is a live perfomance from the "Taking Chances Tour" and a via satellite perfomance from the 43rd annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, simultaneously broadcasted on television stations on August 31, 2008 throughout the United States and Canada.
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