Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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107 of 107 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All the essentials, October 20, 2004
John wrote Leaving on a jet plane before he was famous. It became a huge international hit for Peter Paul and Mary. As well as John's own recording of that song, this collection includes all his big American hits including Take me home country roads (a UK hit for Olivia Newton John), Sunshine on my shoulders, Annie's song (his biggest hit - number one in Britain and America), Back home again (my favorite song of his), Sweet surrender, I'm sorry, Rocky mountain high, Thank God I'm a country boy and Calypso (a tribute to Jacques Cousteau). The eighties were less successful but yielded two superb duets - Perhaps love (with Placido Domingo) and Wild Montana skies (with Emmylou Harris).
The bonus CD contains some fascinating alternative versions of Leaving on a jet plane, Annie's song and Calypso, plus a cover of The weight, a song normally associated with The Band.
The first CD is the strongest single CD collection of John's music yet released. Furthermore, the sound quality is better than on any previous collection.
Dedicated fans should be aware that this collection was released as Definitive all time greatest hits in the USA, but as A song's best friend - the very best of John Denver in Britain, where the collection has been issued in two versions - with and without the second CD. This difference is justified since only Annie's song and Perhaps love made the UK charts. Just don't waste your money buying both. Buy your local version.
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54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Selection of Songs on Disc 1. Disc 2 Isn't Impressive., January 22, 2005
"Definitive All-Time Greatest Hits" was released on the 35th anniversary of John Denver's first album and aims to be a comprehensive collection of Denver's most popular songs for a general audience, while providing big Denver fans who have everything with some previously unreleased material.
The first disc contains the hits: 20 songs representing 12 albums from 1969 to 1983 remastered from original studio recordings. Among the big hits which most everyone will recognize from radio airplay are "Sunshine On My Shoulders", the Tchaikovsky-inspired "Annie's Song", and "Fly Away", all of which reached #1 on the adult contemporary charts, "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Rocky Mountain High", "Calypso", "Shanghai Breezes", "Wild Montana Skies" (duet with Emmylou Harris), and a live version of the twangy, upbeat "Thank God I'm a Country Boy". "Leaving on a Jet Plane", which John Denver wrote, was a hit for Peter, Paul & Mary, but Denver's version is also excellent. Casual John Denver fans will be pleased with this great selection of songs.
Disc 2 is "bonus" material: 4 previously unreleased recordings of "Leaving on a Jet Plane", "The Weight" (written and made famous by The Band), "Annie's Song", and "Calypso", for a total of about 14 minutes of material. This is the earliest recording of "Leaving on a Jet Plane", from 1966, recorded before John Denver got his first solo recording contract. "Annie's Song" and "Calypso" are acoustic versions with only guitar, mandolin, and voice. "The Weight" sounds good but just doesn't have the emotional impact of some other recordings of the song. The bonus tracks tend to have more prominent vocals than the same songs on disc 1, but the quality of the recordings is not as good.
Included is a small booklet that begins with an essay about John Denver by "Rolling Stone" contributing editor David Wild. That is followed by comments and stories about each song by Milt Okun, who was Denver's frequent producer and long-time friend. Dates of original recording and other vital info about each song are also provided, including the songs' highest achievement on the pop, country, and adult contemporary charts. No lyrics, unfortunately.
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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Buy the Original Greatest Hit's Instead....., August 25, 2005
As a longtime fan who actually saw John perform at the Forum in L.A. way back in 74' and again a year before he died, I agree with the other reviewer who would have preferred the "Greatest Hits" versions of these songs to have been included. There was a reason that John re-recorded those song's for that album way back in 73'. He felt his voice was better (and it was!)and the songs had grown since he first recorded them (and they do sound better). To my ear, he was right. For my money, I'll take the newly remastered "Greatest Hits", which by the way, sounds amazing and the newly remastered "Back Home Again", where I can find one of Denver's best songs "Matthew", which is amazingly NOT on this collection, and the "Rocky Mountain Collection", where I can find gems such as "I'de Rather be a Cowboy" in remastered glory. And I'll wait for John's best album's, "Rocky Mountain High","Farewell Andromeda" and "I Want to Live" to be properly remastered. For those of you who are more than casual fans, buy the remasters and listen to the songs the way you remember them from all those years ago. I have a feeling that that's the way John would have liked it!!
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