Greatest Hits: Vols. 1-3 [Box set]

Bob Dylan | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 23, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000254YLY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,834 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits: Vols 1 -3 is for the ultimate Bob Dylan fan. Packaged in a slipcase box, this four-disc box set is a thorough collection of Dylan's greatest songs spanning from the start of his career to 1993, when the final volume of the series hit the airwaves. Additionally, the Greatest Hits albums feature famous tracks that never appeared on any other album and are now considered standards. Favorites such as "Blowin In the Wind," "The Times They Are A-Changin,'" "Like A Rolling Stone," and many others are included.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great music, bad packaging, October 26, 2007

By 

J. McCranie (Brunswick, GA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Greatest Hits: Vols. 1-3 (Audio CD)

For music, I'd give this 5 stars. I like it all, except part of the last CD. I have the original G.H. vol 1 and 2 on LP, vol 3 on MD, vol 1 on the original CD and the remastered CD, and vol 2 on the original CD. I needed vol 2 remastered and vol 3 on CD, as the main reason I bought this box set.

But my complaint is with the packaging. There are less than 2-1/2 CDs worth of music on these four CDs. CD 1 has about 41 minutes, #2 and #3 are about 38+ and 41+. Number 4 is nearly full. What they did is simply take the Greatest Hits vol 1 LP and make it a CD and take the two Greatest Hits vol 2 LPs and make that two CDs - even though both of those would fit onto a single CD. At any rate, the whole set would fit onto three CDs with more than half a CD left over. So why not cut it down to three CDs and/or add more tracks?

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Overview of Bob Dylan's Career, March 4, 2007

By 

A. Smith "good music" (Jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Greatest Hits: Vols. 1-3 (Audio CD)

Unlike other Bob Dylan compliations, (The single disc The Best Of Bob Dylan and the double disc The Essential Bob Dylan)This is a thorough collection of Dylan's best songs. Blowin In The Wind, The Times They Are A-Changin', Subterranean Homesick Blues, Maggie's Farm, Mr. Tambourine Man, Like A Rolling Stone, Positively Fourth Street, I Want You, Rainy Day Women #12 & 35, All Along The Watchtower, Lay Lady Lay, The Mighty Quinn, Knockin On Heaven's Door, Tangled Up In Blue, and Hurricane are all here. If you are into Dylan and want all of his good songs, get this.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Three Greatest Hits Records of All Time, January 29, 2010

By 

Ken Douglas (Landlocked in Reno) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Greatest Hits: Vols. 1-3 (Audio CD)

Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits came out after Bob Dylan's motorcycle accident. Colombia was undoubtedly trying to capitalize on Dylan's growing fame. They didn't have the man himself to make a new record, so they put this out and a fine job they did. Back then, somebody at Colombia really cared about how Dylan was presented to the public. From Roland Scherman's gorgeous cover photo to the inclusion of Milton Glasier's psychedelic poster of Dylan, this package is first rate and the material is first rate too. All of the songs were recognized by Dylan's fans as important and most were radio hits. However, the stunning "Positively 4th Street" which was recorded during the Highway 61 sessions was new and Dylan's fans loved it, probably because it sounded so much like "Like a Rolling Stone" and that's probably why it was left off of the record. Anyway, it was out now and helped make this one of Bob Dylan's all time best selling records.

Bob Dylan didn't release a new record in 1971, but instead issued several unreleased songs on his second Greatest Hits record. "Tomorrow is a Long Time," is a beautiful song recorded during Dylan's 1963 Town Hall Concert. This concert was released on the Trade Mark of Quality bootleg "While the Establishment Burns" and the show is brilliant. I'm guessing, wishing, hoping that one day Bob Dylan and CBS/Sony will release the show as part of the official Bootleg Series.

"Watching the River Flow" and "When I Paint My Masterpiece" were produced by Leon Russell and are both outstanding. "Watching the River Flow" was kind of a hit single and is really a rocker. "Masterpiece" makes its first appearance here. "The three songs recorded with Happy Traum are really beautiful and I would have loved to see a whole album done this way, what a joy that would have been. Still, we take what we can get from Mr. Dylan and are thankful for all he's given us. Like his first Greatest Hits record, this album was huge, going five times platinum which makes the first two Hits records his all time best sellers.

Dylan's third Greatest Hits compilation is a fine stand alone record. It opens with "Tangled Up in Blue" as does Blood on the Tracks, but just as you're thinking you're going to be hearing "Simple Twist of Fate" which you naturally expect to follow that opener, "Tangled" seques into "Changing of the Guard," which is a great song from Street Legal and from there we get the excellent rocker from Shot of Love, "The Groom is Still Waiting at the Alter." This is the best song on "Shot" and is well placed here.

It's also nice to be able to listen to "Brownsville Girl" from Knocked Out Loaded without having to listen to the rest of that record. It's the best song from the record and the only reason to own it in my opinion, with this record, you can pass on Loaded. Also the title song on Under the Red Sky is the only reason to own that record and you can get that here as well.

But the real gems here are "Dignity" and "Series of Dreams" which both seem like they are leftovers from Oh Mercy. They are great songs and until now unreleased. It's nice the way you get some new stuff with Dylan's Hit's or Best of Records. And it nice to get the haunting "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" on this record, a great way to end it. Every time I hear it, I'm put right in the movie.