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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spans the Big O's career but be aware of the remakes (Running Scared and In Dreams), April 30, 2006
The only compilation among a gazillion to span Orbison's Sun, Monument, MGM, and Virgin successes is a welcome add to the Essential series that now, post-merger, features RCA & Arista artists as well as Sony's. Roy Orbison is one of my absolute favorites. He simply may be the best rock 'n' roll singer ever.
Amazon really should update the track listing to reflect the few re-recorded versions. While the originals should be here, the remakes are a legitimate part of Mr. Orbison's career. Roy's popularity was at a deeply undeserved lull circa 1987, when David Lynch used some Roy songs in his classic/eerie film "Blue Velvet." In the wake of renewed public interest*, Roy released an LP of remakes called "In Dreams" (Virgin, 1987). It was very well done, an exception proving the rule that rerecordings are rubbish. The Wilburys, the live "Black and White Night," and "Mystery Girl" followed and the pop world was much better off for it. Then, tragically, Roy died in December 1988, rendering perhaps Rock History's best comeback bittersweet. "You Got It"'s ensuing Top Ten ranking in early 1989 is one of my all-time favorite chart events.
If I could, I'd dock this a half a star for not including the original of the #1 single "Running Scared." (Note definition of "essential.") It's just over two minutes long. Somehow they could have made room. But since it's Roy Orbison, I rounded back up to five rather than four.
*It seems Bobby Vinton did not enjoy the same resurgence. The reader may draw his/her own conclusions as to why.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful career overview, April 5, 2006
Give Sam Phillips credit. His little Sun label in Memphis gave us Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Charlie Rich, among others. But there was another fellow, a shy Texan with the voice of an angel, who's humble beginnings with Sun were soon eclipsed in a Monumental way.
That fellow was Roy Orbison, a peerless vocalist in all of rock and roll, who's untimely death 18 years ago robbed our culture of one of its kindest, most gracious, and most talented artists. Now, Sony has given us a beautiful gift in the form of this ESSENTIAL 2-disc career overview.
His earliest hits were rockabilly gems, alternately rooted in twangy guitar and soaring high on Roy's celestial crooning. As he moved into the 1960s, his songs gained an added sophistication...a sweet confection of rock, pop, jazz, country, and symphonic lushness.
In my opinion, there are no moments of "filler" here on these fantastic sounding discs. Most of Roy's best-known and best-loved hits are here, but there are also a few songs that--while not as famous--are wonderful revelations in this sparkling new context. Of special note are the selections from Roy's amazing 1989 posthumous comeback album, MYSTERY GIRL, and it's fine follow-up, KING OF HEARTS. The Jeff Lynne-produced cuts magnificently captured the essence of Roy's sound, wrapping that God-given voice with timeless arrangements and instrumentation. The Bono-produced "She's a Mystery to Me" is an absolute tour de force. And, Roy's fans will be thrilled to find--for the first time on any Roy Orbison disc--his original, gorgeous collaboration with Emmylou Harris, "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again."
I have thoroughly enjoyed these discs and look forward to some major upgrading of Roy's catalog. I do wish that Roy's spine-tingling "Not Alone Anymore" from the out-of-print Traveling Wilburys VOLUME ONE could have been included here, but there is news that the Wilburys catalog is being overhauled for re-release soon.
Sony released this set in honor of Roy's 70th birthday this year. While his death continues to leave a canyonesque void in the music world, his music does live on, and will reach many new listeners, thanks to this stellar set.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, April 17, 2006
The Essential Roy Orbison is the first full career overview of his career. That alone earns it its five stars in my book. Roy Orbison was without a doubt one of the most gifted performers and in Rock & Roll history. No one could write miniature opera's quite like he could. No debate is necessary here. The fact that it took until 2006 for a proper overview was a disgrace.
That is not to say these two discs are without problems aside from the obvious inclusion problems. Any serious fan will probably find some tracks missing. But compilations like this are not intended for them. So let's not dwell on that. The mayor problem is disc two. Disc one starts with a logical choice to this sort of compilation, the chronological one. Disc two suddenly abandons that approach. This unfortunately leaves a sloppy impression. The second problem is the inclusion of two eighties rerecordings, namely Running Scared and In Dreams. These eighties recordings have been plaguing Orbison fans since the eighties. There's not one good reason I can think of to include them here.
These are minor flaws in the end. The essential Roy Orbison proves once again the genius of Orbison. It leaves you churning out false notes trying to sing along with these classic songs, reminiscing, smiling, crying and dancing. It's pure joy. It's life in a three minute song. It's Rock & Roll.
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