Personnel includes: Kenny Loggins (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, harmonica, bass); Michael McDonald (vocals, Fender Rhodes piano); David Crosby, Graham Nash (vocals); Robben Ford (acoustic guitar); Lee Ritenour, Eric Gale (electric guitar); Jim Messina (guitar, mandolin, bass, background vocals); Earl Klugh, Steve Lukather (guitar); Al Garth (violin, bass clarinet, alto & tenor saxophones); Jon Clarke (flute, clarinet, oboe, saxophone, English horn); Marc Russo, Everette Harp (saxophone); Richard Tee (organ); Bob James (keyboards); Terry Wilson, Brian banks (synthesizer); Ed Mann (vibraphone); Freddie Washington, Nathan East, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Baird (bass); Kevin Ricard (drums, percussion); Harvey Mason, Carlos Vega (drums); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion).

Producers include: Jim Messina, Phil Ramone, Bob James, Tom Dowd, Kenny Loggins.

Compilation producer: Jeff Magid.

Recorded between 1972 & 2000. Includes liner notes by David Wild.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Personnel: Kenny Loggins (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica, keyboards, background vocals); Jim Messina (vocals, guitar, mandolin); Chris Rodriguez, Mike Hamilton (vocals, guitar); Steve George (vocals, piano, keyboards, background vocals); George Hawkins, Larry Sims (vocals, background vocals); Steve Perry , Stevie Nicks, Smokey Robinson (vocals); Dean Parks (guitar, acoustic guitar); Bob Mann (guitar, mandolin); Dann Huff, David Pack, Earl Klugh, Michael Hart Thompson , Michael Landau, Neil Geraldo, Ray Parker, Jr., Richie Zito, Steve Lukather, Tim Pierce, Fred Tackett, Vernon "Ice" Black, Howard "Buzz" Feiten (guitar); Guy Thomas (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Hiram Bullock, Hugh McCracken, Robben Ford (acoustic guitar); Eric Gale, James Harrah, Lee Ritenour (electric guitar); David Lindley (slide guitar); Munyungo Jackson, Bill Summers (berimbau, bata, djembe, pandeiro, shekere, tambourine, tom tom, caxixi, percussion, bells); Al Garth (violin, fiddle, recorder, bass clarinet, woodwinds, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, horns); Lester A. Garth (violin, recorder, saxophone, steel drum, background vocals); Jon Clarke (flute, alto flute, bass flute, recorder, soprano recorder, clarinet, bass clarinet, oboe, English horn, woodwinds, saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass saxophone, horns, steel drum, tambourine); Vince Denham (flute, saxophone, horns); Ed Rockett (pennywhistle); Brian Mann (accordion, keyboards); Michael Omartian (concertina, keyboards, synthesizer, steel drum); Lorin Grean (recorder); Everette Harp, Marc Russo (saxophone); David Foster (piano, grand piano, keyboards, synthesizer); Steve Wood (piano, keyboards, synthesizer, background vocals); Robbie Buchanan (piano, keyboards); Michael McDonald (Fender Rhodes piano); Richard Tee (organ); Claude Gaudette (keyboards, programming); Dan Shea, Greg Phillinganes, Jai Winding, Bob James, Walter Afanasieff (keyboards); Giorgio Moroder, Anthony Marinelli, Terry Wilson , Brian Banks (synthesizer); Michael Boddicker (bass synthesizer, percussion); John Barnes (Synclavier); Ed Mann (vibraphone); Freddie "Ready Freddie" Washington (fretless bass); Dennis Conway, Michael Baird , John "J.R." Robinson , Harvey Mason, Sr. , Omar Hakim, Alvino Bennett, Carlos Vega (drums); Paulinho Da Costa (congas, percussion); Lynne Fiddmont (shaker); Vince Charles (steel drum); Ralph MacDonald (tambourine); Peter Asher (percussion, drum programming); Lenny Castro, Milt Holland, Steve Forman , Zakir Hussain, Kevin Ricard (percussion); Jeff Pescetto, Melissa Larson, Richey Washington, Lori Raffa, Michelle Rodino, Matt Hayutin, Amy Rubinroit, Marilyn Dorman, Melanie Howard, Kate Price, Laura Williams, Richard Page, Terry Nelson, Sheryl Crow (background vocals).

Recording information: 20th Century Fox Music Stage, Los Angeles, CA; A&R Studios, New York, NY; Amigo; Area 51, Santa Barbara, CA; Audio Resources, Honolulu, HI; Bill Schnee; Burbank Studios, L.A; Can-Am Recorders Inc., CA; Can-Am Recording; Capitol Studio A; Clinton Recording Studios, NY; Columbia Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Conway Recording, Hollywood, CA; Conway Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Devonshire; Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CA; Filmways; Gateway Studios, Carpintera, CA; Jai Winding Productions, Santa Monica, CA; KM Studios, Honolulu, HI; Lahaina Sound; Larrabee Sound Studios; Lighthouse; Lion Share; Los Angeles, CA; Mancina Music, Inc., West Los Angeles, CA; Music Grinder Studios; Oak Springs Studios; Oasis Recording Studios, Universal City, CA; ocean way; Oceanway Recording; Packs Place Studio, Shadow Hills, CA; Padaro Studios, Santa Barbara, CA; Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA; Red Zone; Santa Barbara Sound; Signet Studios; sony Music Studios; Sound Design, Santa Barbara, CA; Sound Factory; SoundCastle; Soundmixers, New York, NY; Studio 55; Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA; Tejas Recording Studios, Franklin, TN; The Blue Tube, Carpinteria; The Enterprise; The Power Station, NY; the Record Plant, Hollywood, CA; The Shakespear Festival Glen, UC Santa Cruz, CA; Village Recorders, Los Angeles, CA; Wally Heider Studio, San Francisco, CA; Wally Heiders, Studio 4, Hollywood, CA; Wally World Studios; Westlake Audio.

Photographers: Robert Matheu; Sam Emerson.

Unknown Contributor Roles: David Sanborn; Munyungo Jackson; Bill Summers.

Arrangers: David Pack; Kenny Loggins; Robbie Nevil; Bob James.

Columbia/Legacy's 2001 release The Essential Kenny Loggins lives up to its billing, and not just because it has all of Loggins' solo hits. No, this collection earns its title because it contains no less than seven Kenny-fronted Loggins & Messina tracks, along with all his big solo hits, plus a sharp selection of album tracks and latter-day material, for a grand total of 35 tracks over two CDs. That's a lot of material, and many listeners may find that they are drawn to the first disc, which truly captures him in his prime by spanning from "Your Mama Don't Dance" to the era just before "Footloose." This is a compulsively listenable disc, from the sweet singer/songwriterisms of "Danny's Song" and "House at Pooh Corner" to the exquisitely crafted soft rock of "This Is It" and "Heart to Heart," two of the greatest singles of their kind. If the second disc isn't as good, it's largely because it's a mishmash of dated '80s productions and latter-career cultism; there's still good stuff here, but apart from the first six songs, it's for the serious fan. That, however, is not a criticism that can be lodged of The Essential Kenny Loggins as a whole, since it far exceeds any other compilation in its scope and its success, presenting all sides of this fine, mellow singer/songwriter. Plus, the first disc is a stellar listen in its own right. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine