Customer Reviews

In Dreams: Roy Orbison's Greatest Hits

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I purchased this album as an LP when it was first released in 1987. I was glad at the time that the original arrangements were retained for the new digital recordings of Orbison's biggest hits. As for the vocal performances, while the original 50's and 60's recordings capture a certain vulnerable quality to Roy's voice (especially in his ballads) that helped give those songs such atmosphere and urgency, these later recordings show him to be in the best voice of his storied career, stronger throughout his wide range and with richer timbre. If the ballads do not have quite the interpretive freshness of the originals, the sheer beauty of the vocals compenates. If anything, the up-tempo numbers are perhaps more infectious in these versions---Orbison sings with real verve; one gets the impression he really enjoyed this recording project. In the end, there is really little to quibble with between these recordings and the originals. In either case, Orbison is fully revealed as both a master songsmith and vocalist. Purchase both and be twice as happy!

I usually detest "Greatest Hits" packages that contain live or re-recorded music. So I was initially a little miffed when I realized these songs were not the original 50's and 60's recordings. But wait... incredibly, it really doesn't matter. The arrangements are nearly identical ans Roy's voice remains as vibrant and thrilling as ever. Roy Orbison is still curiously underrarted and under-appreciated. I was ecstatic when he went through a revival in the late 80's, but it was tragically cut short when Roy died, then his reputation again fell by the wayside. His voice remains the purest instrument in popular music in the last fifty years. Listening to these remastered recordings is an absolute joy because I'm accustomed to listening to these treasures on vinyl, with the typical pops, buzzes and surface scratches. All of that has been eliminated on this disc. The sound quality is exceptional throughout.

Included are all of Orbison's signature hits, from the classic "Pretty Woman" to the haunting "Crying" with the poignant tenor cry at the conclusion. My personal favorite Orbison song has always been "Running Scared," a sort of mini-opera, replete with the soaring, rather syrupy arrangements his songs are noted for. I admit many of these arrangements sound dated, but the voice is the primary instrument anyway, and the only one you'll care about. If Elvis was blessed with a gorgeous set of pipes, Roy was in another league entirely and his gift never diminished. If you are an old Orbison die-hard fan, or a newbie to this incredible man, this collection will do you nicely. Just be forwarned that these are not the original recordings.

This album is by far Roy's greatest album. In Dreams, Only The Lonely, Blue Angel, and many other great love ballads are re-recorded versions that match if not exceed the quality of the original hits. An improvement in sound mixing and engineering is noticed immediately when playing the track Ooby Dooby, where the "Sun sound" and its foreground echoes have been replaced with vibrant background reverb and not to mention his voice is louder than the other instruments, making his voice soar above the guitar riffs and drum beats. In Only The Lonely the background singers voices are much softer and the rhythm of the song is lead by Roy's smooth deep voice instead of the heavy beat found in the original. Blue Angel is maybe the best improvement from the original. His falsettos are better and he doesn't hesitate for one moment to hit those high notes that we all love. In Blue Bayou we hear how Roy's voice has become more relaxed and the beat has been slowed down somewhat to give you a soothing at home feeling. The background voices in Candy Man don't overpower Roy's voice as in the original recording. Overall, this is my Roy Orbison album of choice. Although many may argue that it can't compete with the original, but as soon as you hear them it beings to grow on you and after a while you stuff away the original recordings and play this album for countless days memorizing all the lyrics, beats, and background lines such as "dum dum dum dumdy doo wah" in Only The Lonely.

Although I do agree there should be a disclaimer on the album cover stating that these are indeed RE-RECORDED versions of the classic releases, the only reason an artist does this in the first place is because of royalties, period.

I'm not positive, but chances are Roy was getting stiffed for contractual BS back in the day, and he wasn't getting the royalties for his songwriting from the original master tapes that he should have been. Whoever's fault that is, I haven't a clue. But the point is moot--this is a 1987 release that actually improves on most of his classics, and my only complaint is the background voices.

They sound more whitebread than usual, like mom and pop showed up for vocals. That being said, the versions of "Blue Angel", "Crying", and especially the title track just slay me every time. Lots of bang for your buck, too--the original cardboard packaging for this disc was nice.

I think these re-recorded versions really show the development of Mr. Orbison as a singer. When you compare these to the originals recorded about 25 years earlier, here you can hear a more mature singer much more comfortable of himself. The backing singers are better here too. I appreciate that he kept the arrangements practically identical to those of the old recordings.

In brief: He just sings better!

If you are a fan of Roy Orbison and you, like me, have purchased numerous "Greatest Hits" collections, then you know that Roy never disappoints. The voice, the arrangements, the great sidemen, and the unique approach to constructing a song are all there.
In the late 90's, while still at the top of his game and having fun as a member of the Traveling Wilbury's, Roy re-recorded all of his greatest songs. Coupling modern recording techniques with the same classic peformances, Orbison delivers big time! Every song is a gem and the title song, "In Dreams," has been added to the playlist of the Muzak that plays in Rock 'n' Roll heaven! Crank up the volume when Roy sings "...and I'll be happy in my dreams..." with the voices swelling behind him and you'll see what I mean. If you're in the car when you listen, pull over.
Buy it. No matter how many Orbison "Greatest Hits" collections you have, THIS is the one you will play...over and over!

IF this is the same album that I have on cassette, it is GREAT. This was the first Roy Orbison album that I had ever bought, except there is a big differance from what is pictured here; mine has a blue cover with a surrealistic, dream-like scene at a Drive-In with a pink caddilac. It has an Intro by Bruce Springsteen in the liner notes. It was put out in 1987 by Virgin Records. But I must belive that somehow these albums are one and the same. I am lead to this conclusion beacuse the tracks are identical, and in the same order. In addition to that, I cannot believe that a recording of this magnitude would simply disappear.

If somebody has any knowledge of these possible changes in label and cover design, please let me know. I would like to be certain that these two are one and the same before I place an order.

Back to the review; this is a great album, it is my understanding that this got started when they were making the movie 'Blue Velvet' and they wanted to use 'In Dreams' as a promonent song in the movie, but they wanted Roy to re-record it to fit their needs. I guess that he got so much positive feedback from that one song he decided to make an entire album.

My experiance is the exact opposite of some of the reviewers here. Like I said this was my first Orbison album, and it was on cassette. Many years later when I was replacing my entire collection with CD's, I picked up Roy's greatest hits (the original recordings), by now I was so used to the re-recorded songs that to me THEY were the original recordings, and the real originals were not as desirable to me.

Ever since then I've been looking for this particular CD. Now finally it looks like the mystery has been solved. I am just curious as to why they would take what I consider to be a more attractive cover and replace it with one that is less attractive, that makes little sense to me.

First got a hold of this back in the 80s in the midst of building a collection of rock and roll's founding fathers. Miffed upon learning these were re-recordings, I considered returning it. After a few hearings, though, I began to think I purchased a real gem.

Roy's voice had matured by the time "In Dreams" was cut, but had lost none of its pitch or resonance. In fact, one could argue that he was in full bloom as a singer here. Put aside, for a moment, the original Orbison recordings. Of course nothing can replace them -- they're history. But taken in its own measure, "In Dreams" gives you faithful performances of Roy's greatest songs with excellent production quality.

"In Dreams" contains neither schmaltz nor schlock nor the reverb-less Jeff Lynne sound that characterized Roy's work with the Travelling Wilburys. "Only the Lonely," "Leah," "Running Scared," and "Ooby Dooby" are still ghostly and still send shivers down the spine.

If not authentic, it is quite true to the original source matter. Kudos to Roy (R.I.P.) for keeping faith with the strength of his original arrangements and sound. Highly recommended.

These critics who are panning this album are doing so because they are obviously purists who believe that an artist should not re-record his "greatest hits"... I doubt they have even listened to the album, because if they had, they wouldn't be making such sweeping critiques of the album's quality. Roy Orbison's voice, suprisingly, improved with his age... the sound quality of the recordings is actually better... and it sounds JUST AS BEAUTIFUL as the original recordings... if not an improvement upon them! Fellow critics, get off your high horses and appreciate this album for what it represents. The timelessness of Roy Orbison.

If you've ever heard Roy Orbison sing, then this review is not needed. I've had all his recordings and though there are ones that are better than others, there is not a bad one in the bunch!! This CD is no exception. It has his greatest, most heart rendering selections plus a few 'feel good' tunes also.

If you have never heard Roy Orbison sing, then you should have this album just for the sheer joy of hearing something you have never heard before and will never hear anywhere else again!