Product Details

• Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Eagle Rock Ent
• DVD Release Date: July 15, 2003
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00009W0W1
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,797 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This is an entertaining and valuable document, bringing together a disparate lot of live performances from Roy Orbison's career for a tour de force package of the singer's greatest songs, all in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Digital Surround. It's a treat to see Orbison at several stages of his career, in black & white and color, in a variety of places and with different musicians; the absence of dates or locations is a drag, but those familiar with Orbison's video catalog will recognize his Live at Austin City Limits show and the superb Black & White Night (with Bruce Springsteen and a host of other big-name backers). Not all of the clips are up to that standard, but this is still a superb collection by a great pop artist. Extras include his "Crying" video duet with k.d. lang, an audio-only version of a 1957 recording, and more. A must-have for Orbisonites. --Sam Graham

Product Description

For the first time ever, some of the all-time greatest performances from one of history's most unique artists are collected in one place on DVD. Roy Orbison may not have had the gyrating hips of Elvis to make the crowds go wild, but what he did possess was a voice so uncannily emotional and honest that his audience would sit in total silence, savoring every note and hanging on every word. While Roy's formidable songwriting skills could make virtually any singer sound good, when applied to his beautifully peculiar pipes, his creations simply soared. Featuring his timeless classics Only The Lonely, You Got It, Crying, Pretty Woman and many more, this is Roy Orbison at his absolute finest.

SPECIAL GUESTS: Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, T Bone Burnett, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, J.D. Souther, Tom Waits, & Jennifer Warnes.

Track Listing:
1. Go, Go, Go (Down The Line)
2. In Dreams
3. Blue Bayou 5. Only The Lonely
6. It's Over
7. Claudette
8. That Lovin' You Feelin' Again
9. You Got It
10. Crying
11. Walk On
12. Running Scared
13. Pretty Woman

Special Features:
14. She's A Mystery To Me (Music Video)
15. Crying (with k.d. lang) (Music Video)
* Electronic Press Kits for: King Of Hearts & I Drove All Night
* An Empty Cup (And A Broken Date)
Original Acetate version from 1957. Digitally Re-mastered.
* Crying (from 1965 Holland live) - Comparison of original video/audio and 5.1 version

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All music DVDs should be this good, December 12, 2004

By 

Peter Reeve (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Roy Orbison - Greatest Hits (DVD)

Roy Orbison's widow Barbara has put a lot of thought and effort into packaging compilations of his work and there is a wide selection available now, so you may want to visit his offical website and peruse what's available before deciding what to buy, but one thing is for certain; you cannot go wrong with this particular DVD. It has a great selection of concert tracks from various stages in his career, then when you switch to the special features you find almost a whole disk's worth of video and audio extras. There are even original and remastered versions of one audio ("An Empty Cup"), for comparison. So it is a great DVD for the serious collector as well as a perfect introduction for those new to Orbison.

Between tracks, Roy says a few words about each song. He comes across as personable, modest and sensitive.

He was at times a bigger star in Britain and elsewhere than in his native US, and his contribution to Rock 'n' Roll has only recently been fully acknowledged. This DVD should help put the record straight.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to the Big O, August 26, 2005

By 

Rezaul Hasan Laskar (New Delhi, India) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Roy Orbison - Greatest Hits (DVD)

This is defenitely not the best overview of Roy Orbison's amazing talents, but it is a great way to get a quick glimpse of all that set him apart from the rest - the heartfelt lyrics, the superb musicianship, and above all else, that magnificent soaring voice.

Roy Orbison's widow Barbara has taken a lot of care to put together this package which combines 12 live performances spanning Roy's career from the 1960s to the late 1980s and an early promotional video (for "Walk On") from the 1970s.

The video and audio quality is fairly spotty but a great deal of care has been taken to clean up these clips and upgrade them to 5.1 sound. In most cases, the refurbished tracks sound great and there is no gimmicky processing of old mono clips into surround sound. (For proof, check the mono-to-5.1 comparison of "Crying" that is included as a bonus feature.)

The surround sound comes in two flavors - Dolby Digital and DTS, but it's the latter that really shines. And there's also the original mono sound on some clips for the purists.

Even the old mono clips sound terrific, and have great presence. But of course they aren't a patch on the 5.1 clips from "A Black And White Night" and "Live At Austin City Limits" remixed by Elliott Scheiner.

The down side? If you already own the two above-named DVDs, this one has a lot of material in common with them.

The up side? The great care that has been lavished on this set, including little touches like the snippets from a Roy Orbison interview that play between the songs and let you hear from the man himself about he created and recorded some of his best known songs.

You also get two bonus videos - "Mystery Girl" and the duet version of "Crying" recorded with k.d. lang that have been remixed into 5.1 sound, and two electronic press kits.

One of the kits features interviews with the musicians who helped finish "King Of Hearts", Orbison's posthumous album, and the other focusses on the making of the video for "I Drove All Night" featuring a very young Jennifer Connelly and Jason Priestley. As a real bonus, this kit features the complete video for the song too.

Not a bad choice if you're looking for a DVD that introduces you to the many charms of the Big O.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Got(ta have) It!, August 14, 2004

By 

J. D. Styles (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Roy Orbison - Greatest Hits (DVD)

His greatest hits and truly a great DVD. I first viewed this as a special on TV and had to have it. The clips chosen are superb. The three from A Black and White Night, with Orbison backed by other music greats, are a treat - the contributions from Springsteen, Costello, Souther, Burton, et al are absolutely magical. And if you love "You Got It", you will have to get this DVD, if only for the exciting and memorable performance of that great song. Orbison introduces most of the clips, with interesting and witty stories behind the songs, including a great anecdote about how he hit that final high note on Running Scared. There's also a lot of extra value, including press kits with more interviews and music, tributes from those who knew and worked with him; and also the She's a Mystery to Me video. On Amazon's 1 to 5 scale, I'd like to give this 10!