Kenny Rogers - Greatest Hits

Kenny Rogers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Liberty Records-A Subsidiary of Capital Records
• ASIN: B000002U86
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,565 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #95 in Music > Country > Cowboy

Track Listings

1. The Gambler

2. Lady

3. Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer

4. Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town

5. She Believes In Me

6. Coward Of The County

7. Lucille

8. You Decorated My Life

9. Reuben James

10. Love The World Away

11. Everytime Two Fools Collide

12. Long Arm Of The Law

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Twelve timeless classics from one of the true greats, May 6, 2004

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kenny Rogers - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

The early 1980s was a strange musical time period. As a child, I didn't really know that pop and country were distinct genres because the local radio station played songs of both types all the time. My favorite singers around 1981 were Stevie Wonder and Kenny Rogers - weird, huh? Kenny Rogers was huge back then, though. Lucille, Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town, Coward of the County, Long Arm of the Law - these are great cross-over hits that made Kenny Rogers a star. Then there was The Gambler, a song so popular and enjoyable that it spawned a TV movie (as did Coward of the County). The kicker, though, was the song Lady (a song written and produced by Lionel Richie); I had a teacher who would melt at the very thought of this song, and I myself, a lad barely past the "cooties" stage of growing up, pretended to woo the young ladies with my own rendition of the song (in the utter privacy of my room, of course).

As an adult, I have an even greater appreciation of the songs included on this album. She Believes in Me is one of those rare ballads that speaks directly to your heart; it's a great tribute to all the women who put up with all of us men who don't deserve their love. A man doesn't want to admit he needs anything or anybody, but the love and trust of a good woman means much more than most men would ever admit. Just ask the husband of Lucille, who finds himself trying to raise four children by himself after his wife picks "a fine time to leave" him. You Decorated My Life is a beautiful homage to the miraculous life-giving power of love, and Love the World Away works the same kind of wonders. Lady, of course, is one of the greatest love songs ever recorded.

Story songs were one of Kenny Rogers' greatest strengths. Virtually everyone is familiar with the story of The Gambler. Coward of the County illustrates the point that, while you don't have to fight to become a man, sometimes you do have to fight when you are a man (especially when some ruffians hurt the woman you love). Long Arm of the Law is a rather moving song; here, a judge is determined to punish the young man who got his daughter pregnant - until the face of his new grandson softens his heart. Then there's Reuben James, who is still walking the fertile fields of our minds; there's plenty of giddy-up in this tribute to an ordinary, hard-working black man. Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town goes in yet a different direction, presenting us with an injured Vietnam veteran struggling to keep his marriage intact. This album also includes two duets. The husky-voiced Kim Carnes teams up with Kenny to deliver the energetic, pop-oriented Don't Fall In Love With a Dreamer, then the incomparable Dottie West joins Kenny for Everytime Two Worlds Collide, a classic country duet.

I'm not what you would call a country fan, but Kenny Rogers is much more than a country singer; he represents country, pop, and contemporary music all rolled up in one distinctive voice. This is a singer who still appeals to different generations of listeners. The great success Kenny Rogers enjoyed in the late 1970s and early 1980s can best be seen by his continued fame today, many years since his last bona fide hit song. Certainly, there are better, more complete Kenny Rogers collections out there than this one (which was released in 1980, after all, long before Kenny stopped releasing chart-topping hits), but I can't say anything bad about an album containing twelve songs of such high caliber and lasting appeal.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The One and Only, January 6, 2003

By 

Surfgreen (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kenny Rogers - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

This is the Kenny's Greatest Hits your Mama had on 8-Track. I think it sold like 7 million copies. It's got the best selection of songs from his late 70s / early 80s heyday. The only shortfall of this recording is the fidelity. Not much of an improvement over the 8-track. Always a favorite party CD. Pick this one up first and then go for one of the Kenny and th First Edition collections.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kenny Rogers fan, June 9, 2007

By 

William S. Keck Jr. "country music & sci-fi fan" (wauconda, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kenny Rogers - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

I actually have this on a record not a cd. I love the record. It has all my favorite Kenny Rogers' songs on it.
This album, whether you have it on record format or cd format, is a must for all Kenny Rogers' fans.