The Collection 1982–1988

The Collection 1982–1988 is a French-language compilation album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released in Europe in 1997. It features twenty-eight rare songs recorded between 1982 and 1988 on a two-CD set. Previously these songs were released on separate albums: Gold Vol. 1 (1995) and C'est pour vivre (1997). The album was issued under many different titles, with many different covers, and by various music labels. It charted in European countries reaching number eleven in Denmark, number twenty in Belgium Wallonia, number twenty-seven in Sweden and number thirty-seven in the Netherlands.

The Collection 1982–1988
Compilation album by Celine Dion
Released	4 July 1997 (1997-07-04)
Recorded	1982–88
Genre	Pop
Length	103:43
Label	Arcade BR Music Divucsa Elap Music MCP Sound & Media Metro Doubles Moon Records Snapper Music Union Square Music White Collection
Producer	Didier Barbelivien Urs Peter Keller Eddy Marnay Romano Musumarra Rudi Pascal Atilla Şereftuğ
Celine Dion chronology
C'est pour vivre (1997) The Collection 1982–1988 (1997) Let's Talk About Love (1997)

Background and content

Thanks to the success of D'eux, which became the best-selling French-language album of all time, various music labels around the world issued compilations with Dion's early and rare recordings from the 1980s. After 1995's Gold Vol. 1 and 1997's C'est pour vivre, a two-CD compilation featuring songs from both of these albums was released in 1997 and 1998 in Europe. It was issued under many various titles: The Collection 1982–1988, The Greatest Hits 1982–1988, Premiers succès, Amour, Sus Canciones Más Bellas, C'est pour toi, Lo Mejor de Céline Dion, The French Collection, The French Love Album, The Solid Gold Collection, The Best of the Early Years: The French Collection, Ne partez pas sans moi and Avec toi: the Very Best of the Early Years. The compilations were released with many different covers and by various music labels.

Critical reception and commercial performance

Jose F. Promis of AllMusic gave The Collection 1982–1988 two and a half out of five stars and wrote that this album collects most of Dion's essential recordings from her pre-superstar years, when she was a very young French singer, popular in Canada and France. Promis noted the heavily synthesized Europop of the 1988 Eurovision contest winner "Ne partez pas sans moi", which was the song that introduced Dion to international audiences, and is a milestone in her career. According to him, many of the songs on this set are fair, and differ from the processed teen pop of the late 1990s because of the ever-present sincerity in Dion's voice. Highlights include the elegant ballads "Tellement j'ai d'amour pour toi", "Benjamin", and "La voix du bon Dieu", the shimmering "Avec toi" and "Du soleil au cœur;" and the anthemic "C'est pour vivre". Other songs almost make the mark, such as the dramatic "La religieuse", but are marred by sometimes bizarre production, and, in this case, a truly off-putting bridge. Others are sing-song, nursery rhyme-type material, especially "Hymne à l'amitié" and the incredibly 1980s sounding "Hello Mister Sam".

The Collection 1982–1988 peaked inside top forty in European countries, reaching number eleven in Denmark (in July 1998), number twenty in Belgium Wallonia (in August 1997), number twenty-seven in Sweden (in March 1998) and number thirty-seven in the Netherlands (in March 1998).

Track listings

The Collection 1982–1988 (disc one)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"D'amour ou d'amitié"	Eddy Marnay Jean Pierre Lang Roland Vincent	Marnay Rudi Pascal	4:00
2.	"Visa pour les beaux jours"	Marnay Christian Loigerot Thierry Geoffroy	Marnay Pascal	3:25
3.	"Ne partez pas sans moi"	Nella Martinetti Atilla Şereftuğ	Urs Peter Keller Şereftuğ	3:08
4.	"Les oiseaux du bonheur"	Marnay André Popp	Marnay Pascal	3:39
5.	"Tellement j'ai d'amour pour toi"	Marnay Hubert Giraud	Marnay Pascal	2:57
6.	"La religieuse"	Didier Barbelivien	Barbelivien	3:28
7.	"C'est pour toi"	Marnay François Orenn	Marnay Pascal	4:02
8.	"Avec toi"	Marnay Loigerot Geoffroy	Marnay Pascal	3:28
9.	"Mon rêve de toujours"	Marnay Jean-Pierre Goussaud	Marnay Pascal	4:19
10.	"Du soleil au cœur"	Marnay Jean Claude Massoulier Popp	Marnay Pascal	2:42
11.	"À quatre pas d'ici"	Marnay Peter Sinfield Andy Hill	Marnay Pascal	3:55
12.	"Un amour pour moi"	Marnay Loigerot Geoffroy	Marnay Pascal	3:18
13.	"Billy"	Marnay Patrick Lemaitre	Marnay	3:05
14.	"Comment t'aimer"	Marnay Romano Musumarra	Musumarra	4:01
Total length:				49:41

The Collection 1982–1988 (disc two)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Mon ami m'a quittée"	Marnay Loigerot Geoffroy	Marnay Pascal	3:00
2.	"La dodo la do"	Marnay Christian Gaubert	Marnay Pascal	3:02
3.	"Hymne à l'amitié"	Marnay Dario Baldan Bembo Nini Giacomelli Sergio Bardotti	Marnay Pascal	3:59
4.	"Je ne veux pas"	Marnay Musumarra	Musumarra	4:02
5.	"C'est pour vivre"	Marnay Popp	Marnay Pascal	4:02
6.	"En amour"	Marnay Loigerot Geoffroy	Marnay	3:14
7.	"Ne me plaignez pas"	Marnay Steve Thompson	Marnay Pascal	3:41
8.	"Les chemins de ma maison"	Marnay Alain Bernard Lemaitre	Marnay Pascal	4:14
9.	"Hello mister Sam"	Marnay Loigerot Geoffroy	Marnay Pascal	4:12
10.	"Trois heures vingt"	Marnay Lemaitre	Marnay Pascal	3:37
11.	"Trop jeune à dix-sept ans"	Marnay Paul Greedus Barry Blue	Marnay Pascal	4:50
12.	"Paul et Virginie"	Marnay Loigerot Geoffroy	Marnay Pascal	3:50
13.	"La voix du bon Dieu"	Marnay Suzanne-Mia Dumont	Marnay Pascal	3:14
14.	"Benjamin"	Marnay Pierre Papadiamandis	Marnay Pascal	4:36
Total length:				54:02

Charts

Weekly chart performance for The Collection 1982–1988

Chart (1997–1998)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	20
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)	11
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	37
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	27

Release history

Release history for The Collection 1982–1988

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
Belgium	4 July 1997		CD

External links

• The Collection 1982–1988 at Discogs (list of releases)