Customer Reviews

Greatest Hits: Vols. 1-3

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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?

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.

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.

This collection is a great jumping off point for those who are looking to get an overview of Dylan's lengthy and storied career. Of course, some great rarities and favorites didn't find their way onto these CD's. In a way, the whole thing is a bit of a misnomer given the importance of Dylan's albums taken as whole statements. But, if you are needing the essential songs of his recordings, this is the one without reservation to buy.

There is nothing much to say about Bob Dylan. If Amazon had a 10 star rating. then I would give it some thought! Buy it!

I had always liked Bob Dylan's "hits", but let me tell you, I had no idea of this man's amazing talent until my husband shared his collection with me several years ago. We used to run our own shop and we cranked up the Dylan tunes! When I really listened to his lyrics, I fell in love. Nobody, and I mean nobody, can pull you in like Bob Dylan. If you're just getting to know Bob (and I think our young folks should!) and you want an awesome representation of his work, Greatest Hits, Vol I-III is it! He is just the best songwriter out there, ever enchanting us with his mystical, lyrical genius, and this collection brings all the best Dylan from the '60's to the '90's (although I find it hard to believe that "Shelter from the Storm" is not included..one of his best). We have a lot of Dylan cd's, but we had to get this collection as it has several songs we didn't have, like "Dignity" (first released on Vol III, "Drinkin' man listens to the voice he hears, In a crowded room full of covered up mirrors, Lookin' into the lost forgotten years...For dignity" - awesome lines!!), "Series of Dreams", "My Back Pages", "When I paint My Masterpiece", "Watching the River Flow", "Hard Rain" and "Under the Red Sky". His voice is heartbreakingly beautiful on songs like "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You" and "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight". I recall critcs early in his career slamming Bob's voice. What were they listening to?? It couldn't have been "Just Like a Woman" or "Rainy Day Women" or "Positively 4th Street" or "Lay, Lady, Lay". I also love the 2 songs produced by Leon Russell, "Watching the River Flow" and "When I Paint My Masterpiece". Having been a Leon fan from way back when, as well, from the first piano bars in "Watching the River Flow" I thought, hmmm, do I detect a little Leon Russell influence here? By the way, Leon did a fine cover of that song on the House of Blues "This Ain't No Tribute" cd of various artists doing Dylan tunes, and does anyone remember that Leon Russell had a huge hit with "Hard Rain's Gonna Fall"? Obviously, Mr. Dylan and Mr. Russell respect each other's work and collaborate well. Another interesting thing some folks might not know: "Like a Rolling Stone" was voted best rock song of all time by a huge group of Bob Dylan's own peers in the industry. This compilation is a joy for us trueblue Dylan fans. We're playing it again and again, and we highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get to know Bob Dylan at his best.

This box set is simply a joy. As I listened to it with my 21 year old daughter, she was laughing as I kept saying "This is a classic". Do not hesitate. Buy it!

I really like Bob Dylan's first Greatest Hits record. I love "Tambourine Man", love the subtle electric guitar. I adore "It Ain't Me Babe," it ain't no stinkin' love song. And neither is "Positively 4th Street." These are bitter and biting songs that grip like glue. "If you were standing in my shoes, you'd know what a drag it is to see you." What a line. Nobody writes them like Bob Dylan. "Rolling Stone", "Rainy Day Woman," and "I Want You," three jumpin' rockers. And then there is "Just Like a Woman," Lord I love that song that shows what a mesmerizing voice Dylan can have when he wants to. And, of course, I can't forget that song that is almost impossible to sing along with, " Subterranean Homesick Blues." Try memorizing the lyrics to that one, try singing them without the record playing. Was Dylan ahead of his time? You betcha.

There is a song on Dylan's second Greatest Hits record "Tomorrow is a Long Time," which is just about one of the best songs I've every heard. It's from a concert that, if all of the performances were delivered this well, then I don't know why they didn't release the whole show. Also I agree that it would have been nice to have a whole record of Bob Dylan and Happy Traum together. It also would have been nice to have a whole record produced by Leon Russell, because as we see with the two songs he produced on this record, "Watching" the River Flow" and "When I Paint My Masterpiece" Mr. Russell knew how to get a good rocker out of Mr. Dylan. Still, even though we don't have the records it would have been nice to have, we have snippets here of what they could have been. Several different styles, all good, but then Bob Dylan is always reinventing himself, but to reinvent himself a couple times on the same record, amazing, simply amazing.

Dylan's third Greatest Hits record is a masterpiece in it's own right. In fact because of the many different styles Dylan uses, it kind of reminds my of a Beatles' record. You know, how the Beatles would switch the lead singer from song to song between John, Paul, George and Ringo. I think because of that Beatles' records never get old. This record is like that. Dylan's voice is so different from song to song, the bands are different. It seems like a record full of surprises, one I know I'll never get tired of and I don't think you'll ever tire of it either.

Hard run of this artist, but you still managed to overcome as a collection is incredible, wonderful..

My oldest daughter has a thing for Bob Dylan at the moment and this CD has all of the best stuff he's ever done. Shipping , as always, was right on schedule. Thanks Amazon!