Ultimate Collection [Original recording remastered]

Black 'N' Blue | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 3, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Hip-O Records
• ASIN: B00005LNHQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,683 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Ultimate Collection [Original recording remastered] Black 'N' Blue | Format: Audio CD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why weren't these guys huge?, December 7, 2001

By 

Crooked Reign "BIFF" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Collection (Audio CD)

This quintet from Portland, OR should have been massive. Very hard to find material by them, and this collection is definitely worth the $$. A pretty good choice of cuts from their 4 albums, although obviously could have had more ("The strong will always rock" for one). Like most people who have bought this album, I used to have their tapes and records in the 80s but have long since lost them. Upon getting this release, I can't help but wonder "why didn't these guys hit it big?"
With great hard rock vocals from Jamie St. James, and the intricate interplay between the two outstanding guitarists (current KISS confidant Tommy Thayer and returned Rose City resident Jef "Woop" Warner), this band had ALL the elements to be gigantic. Patrick Young's basslines are perfect..sometimes AC/DC-esque, sometimes some odd flair thrown in to keep you saying "hmmmm." Drummer Pete Holmes doesn't really go off like he can in the studio, but that was the case for a lot of drummers in that era.
The strongest part of this band is their sound as a whole...and the tunes ROCK. Stylisticly, they are heavy, with the famous German producer at the knobs for their first album, but as they progressed, their range widened and they released some GREAT straight ahead hard rock.
Anyway, this is a band worth listening to. In fact, it's probably a good thing they didn't make it big, otherwise they'd probably have the same lack of respect that most of that era's bands enjoy. By the way, LOTS of guys who did make it big don't hesitate to sing the praises of this great band - Gene Simmons, Steven Tyler, Jon Bon Jovi, Sambora, and many more.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By far the most under-rated AOR band from the 80s`, July 10, 2004

By 

Jesse "if it ain't metal, it's CRAP" (Winsted, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Collection (Audio CD)

I'd like to begin by saying that this is a great compilation of the 4 Black 'N Blue albums from the 80s. If you're looking to re-live the glory days when music was still good, this collection is a must. Maybe it's just me, but I don't care as much for the Gene Simmons produced albums as it appears their style had changed significantly and not for the better. Overall, there isn't a bad song on this compilation. My favorites include "Rockin' On Heaven's Door", "Hold On To 18", "Wicked Bitch", "Without Love", "Miss Mystery", and "Chains Around Heaven." All of those are from the first 2 albums, self-titled and "Without Love." Don't miss out on this one...it's solid rock all the way.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, if just for a few songs, May 13, 2002

By 

Christina V. Spangberg (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate Collection (Audio CD)

Getting this album is second best to waiting (maybe in vain) for their first self-titled album to be re-released. It's pretty good to get 6 out of its 10 tracks represented on this compilation. Back when it came out, I was totally blown away by each track. They were my second favorite group for a long time, just because of that one album. When Without Love came out, I quickly shelled out the money for the record and I was sorely disappointed. Then came Nasty Nasty, which had only one or two decent songs on it and I gave up on them ever returning to their glory days.
As far as this collection goes, it's worth picking it up just for those six songs and I guess "Rockin' on Heaven's Door" is better than average. But the rest of it is simply bubble gum, beach rock, Def Leppard wannabe stuff. If they kept to the caliber of their first album, their career would have had a lot more longevity than it did.