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Don't look for a richly illustrated, critical essay-packed hagiography with this 40-track, double-disc overview of the Bee Gees recording career. In typical, telling fashion, the Brothers Gibb have eschewed such exercises in ego inflation and simply let the best of their remarkable body of music speak for itself. Through it all, their familiar voices lock together in the sort of transcendent, seemingly genetic harmony that few singers since the Everly Brothers (early Gibb inspirations) have managed. Beginning with the plaintive 1966 hit "New York Mining Disaster 1941," this set traces the Gibbs' journey from successful Beatles-era balladeers to '70s white R&B gods and the undisputed kings of disco (we're reminded here that their shrewd metamorphosis began with "Nights on Broadway" and "Jive Talkin'"--long before the mega-success of "Saturday Night Fever"). But even as that dance craze faded, again threatening to turn the Bee Gees into pop anachronisms, the Gibbs simply stepped out of the limelight for a while, turning their talents to MOR hit-making for the likes of Samantha Sang, Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, and Dionne Warwick. Those hits ("Emotion," "Heartbreaker," "Islands in the Stream") are featured here in modern rerecordings by the band, along with the Streisand-Barry Gibb duet, "Guilty." And if the Gibbs haven't had much of an American chart presence in recent years, they remain superstars throughout the rest of the world, a richly crafted pop music presence that simply won't be denied. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (130)

That is just OK ! (6.5 / 10points)
I have been a big fan of Bee Gees for a long time. To my honest, I do not like the sounds of this CD. I have a feeling it seems NOT to be stereo sounds at most of the songs. I wondered why did Gibbs brothers really forget many their great songs as: Edge of the universe, Someone belongs to someone, Wedding day, Come on over, Shine shine, Woman in you...
Every CD of Bee Gees always has: Jive Talking, New York mining disaster 1941, Holiday, Lonely days, To love somebody, I've gotta get a message to you, Run to me, How can you mend a broken heart, Nights on Broadway... They are good but they were repeated many times, so they got bored. The producers of Bee Gees lack of creation and selection to make a better CD for audiences.
Now, regarding to some particular songs in this CD.
"Island in the stream": Barry Gibb is better than Robin Gibb at this particular one. If you heard this song in CD title "One night only", you will agree with me Barry performed it better.

"Immortality": Barry Gibb really FAILED to perform this song. I really like Celine Dion singing this song. The reason Barry failed is his high voice was not suitable for that. He himself break that such beautiful song! I grade Barry for this song 4 points/10 points.

Timeless and Incomparable Gibbs!
This new package covering 35 plus years spotlights some of the best pop music ever recorded. For anyone who ever thought that the Bee Gees were just about "disco", here's the evidence that smokes that argument!

From the early 60's gems to the latter day classics, this compilation illustrates why the Bee Gees are one of the most important groups in popular music.. Tight harmonies, superb melodies,touching lyrics, and excellent production values...the Bee Gees are masters of their domain. If you are a collector, you probably have most of the hitscontained in these discs..but this collection is worth the price just to have recordings of the Bee Gees doing versions of songs they originally penned for other artists.

The sound quality is great, but I wish they would have included more liner notes...maybe some factoids or artist thoughts..This collection is still a superb way to spend a couple of hours!

More Tales From The Brothers Gibb
From their Beatles - like hits int the 1960s' to their 70s' heyday right up until today, The Bee Gees have remained vibrant forces in the music industry as writers, artists and producers. Although no longer together as an act (due to the untimely passing of Maurice Gibb last years), they still remain legends.

2001'S "The Bee Gees - Their Greatest Hits - For The Record" is a sort of a cheap way to obtain the great hits alread released n the boxed set, but that doesn't make it any less of a fantastic album. These disc encapsule what American pop music should be.

Disc 1 begins with their hits between 1967 and 1968. During this time they were written off assecond - rate Beatles clone. I disagree with this statement, because at this time, as The Beatles were making complex albums like "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", the three Austrailian brothers were cutting simple, enjoyable (not The Beatles' music wasn't) love songs during this time, such as "To Love Somebody", "Words", "I've Gotta Get A Message To You" and my personal favorite, the whistful, sad "I Started A Joke". Though thye remained cold throught the rest of the 1960s' and into the 1970s' - made offical by Robin's departure - the material they recorded during this time is among their best - "First Of May", "Don't Forget To Remember", "First Of May", "Saved By The Bell" (from Robin's solo album).

The 1970s' begin with the eerie singalong "Lonely Days". This song, their first top 3 American hit, is unlike anything they had done up to that point, though the lead singer (I think Barry), sounds an awful lot like John Lennon). Then came their first number one hit, the haunting ballad "How Can You Mind A Broken Heart". Originially offered to Andy Williams, he passed and The Bee Gees turned it into one of their finest recordings. "Run To Me" ws another lovely ballad and a big hit for the group, but soon they hit it bigger than ever with 1975's classic "Main Course". Thye resuced their career with that album plus three hit singles: the funky number one smash "Jive Talkin'", the pulsating "Nights On Broadway" and the warm "Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)". The Bee Gees were all of a sudden superstars after 8 years of struggle. 1976's "Children Of The World" yielded another number one smash, the thrilling "You Should Be Dancing", as well as the powerful ballad "Love So Right".

Disc 2 begins with their heyday. This time period (1977 - 79) was then they hit their peak of popularity. First there are the three number one smashes from the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack: the smooth ballad "How Deep Is Your Love", the exhillrating "Stayin' Alive" (probably their signature song) and the funky "Night Fever" (this song was probably their biggest hit, as it spent 8 weeks at number one). Next comes the three number one hits from "Spirits Having Flown": the haunting "Too Much Heaven", the electrifying "Tragedy", and the funk - injected ballad "Love Inside Out". With these songs, The Bee Gees became the first artists since The Beatles to have six consecutive number one hits. Also included is "More Than A Woman", a hit for Tavares, and a new recording of "Emotion", a hit single they wrote for Samantha Sang, who scored her only hit with the song.

The 1980s' begin with the only non - Bee Gees song. "Guilty" was the hit duet between Barry and Barbra Streisand, and a lovely song at that. Next comes "Heartbeaker" and "Islands In The Streams". These are new recordings of old hits they produced for other artsist in the 1980s', during their third artistic slump. The former was a top 10 comeback hit for Dionne Warwicke, while the latter was a number one duet for Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. "Heartbreaker" is done well, but the Gibbs version of "Islands In The Stream" is too modernized, as it includes portions of "Ghetto Supastar", the rap version of the song.

1987's "You Win Again" is a great unknown song. "One" was their 1989 top 10 comeback hit. In the 1990s', they kept a low profile, though still releasing albums, and scoring a top 30 hit with "Alone". Closing the set is an old 1966 number, the somber romp "Spicks And Specks".

Though is a great sets, there are plent of singles missing. There are to many to list here, so I'll just name a few that I would hav liked to have seen myself:

"Jumbo" (number 57)
"My World" (number 16)
"Boogie Child" (number 12)
"Edge Of The Universe" (number 26)
"He's A Liar" (number 30)
"The Woman In You" (number 24)
"Still Waters (Run Deep)" (number 57)

But those singles are not well - known and there absence is not noted. This a great 2 - disc Bee Gees set that I highly recommend, as well as their boxed set "Tales From The Brothers Gibb" and the live album "2 Nights Live", plus their studio albums and the soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever". Buy them as soon as possible.

Awesome!
I got this as a gift and was not a huge Bee Gees fan save for those moments when I felt "retro" and had to hear "Stayin Alive" and their other disco hits. Well I was pleasantly surprised when I put this album on and just decided to listen all the way through. I had no idea the Bee Gees had so many fantastic songs, (Like "Holiday" for instance). "Nights On Broadway", although I'd heard it before, is now one of my favorite songs of all time. I wish they'd have put the original version of "Emotion" on here as opposed to the updated version but that is a small complaint for a 2 CD set filled with tons of great music.

Great Collection
Since 1967, The Bee Gees have been a constant hitmaking force as writers and producers. They reached their peak in 1978 - 79 with a string of dance classics that made them one of the most successful artists of all time. By the 1980s', they were considered hasbeens, so they turned to writing hits for big artists of the day. By the 1990s', they resurfaced with new material and worked dilligently until the death of Maurice last year.

Disc 1 starts in 1967. This was the year The Bee Gees hit big. They scored with 5 consecuitve top 20 hits, including "New York Mining Disaster 1941", "To Love Somebody" and "Words". They were written off by fickle critics as Beatles clones, but that didn't stop them. In 1968, they made the top 10 for the first time with "I've Gotta Get A Message To You" and "I Started A Joke". But soon, they hit a slump that took a while to get out of. They reemerged in 1971 with the "2 Years On" album, which yielded the single "Lonely Days". The song was their biggest American hit yet, going to number 3. "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" followed, and it topped the charts for 4 weeks beginning on August 4, 1971. "Run To Me" made the top 20, but once again their career soon hit the skids. In 1975, they began work on the "Main Course" album. The first single was the discofied "Jive Talkin'", which went to number 1. "Nights On Broadway" was next, and it peaked at 7. "Fanny (Be Tender With My Love" went to number 12, giving them a hat trick of hit singles. The "Children Of The World" album was next. Its first single was the dance classic "You Should Be Dancing", which became their third charttoper. "Love So Right" came next and went to 3.

Disc 1 begins in 1977. That year, the group was asked to record some songs for the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack. The first single from the film was the pretty ballad "How Deep Is Your Love". The song went to all the way to number 1 and stayed there for 3 weeks. It stayed in the top 10 for 17 weeks. "Staying Alive" came next", and climbed to number 1 and stayed there for another 4 weeks. "Night Fever" followed, and was their biggest hit ever, staying at number 1 for 8 weeks. To show how successful they were during this period, at one point, all 3 of these songs were in the top 10 simultaneously. After the 25, 000, 000 - selling soundtrack, they released the "Spirits Having Flown" album. It yielded 3 more number 1 singles: "Too Much Heaven", "Tragedy" and "Love You Inside Out". With these 3 hits, they became the first artist since The Beatles to have 6 number 1 hits in a row. It also marked the end of the hitmaking era. By 1980, their career had yet again gone stale. They decided it was time to write songs for other artists. They penned hits for Dionne Warwicke ("Heartbreaker"), Jimmy Ruffin ("Hold On To My Love"), Barbara Streisand ("Guilty"), Diana Ross ("Chain Reaction"), Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (the platinum - selling duet "Islands In The Stream"). By the late 1980s', they resurfaced, and scored a top 10 hit with "One". They continued to perform together until Maurice died last year, thus ending one of the most enduring partnerships in music history.

Overall, it's a great collections. I have one small complaint. I wish they would've left off the recordings of their hits for other artists and replaced them with a few other singles like "Boogie Child", "Living Eyes", "Someone Belonging To Someone", Robin's version of The Beatles classic "Oh Darling", "The Woman In You", "He's A Liar" and Robin's German number 1 hit "Juliette". Otherwise, it's a stunning collection of hit singles. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

It's the most complete single-disc collection of EWF chart rockers, and Greatest Hits' splendid remastering makes one of the major exponents of '70s funk positivity sound sparkling. From the driving "Shining Star" to the syncopated mastery of "September" and "Boogie Wonderland" to the slow-jam heaven of "After the Love Is Gone," this is a reminder of what made the group so special. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Great EWF Compilation!
Like another reviewer has posted, EWF's Greatest Hits is just that...all their hits in one cohesive cd.

This set is great for people who are re-discovering EWF like myself - who really only heard their popular hits on the radio, but never bothered to buy a single EWF CD/Album.

What is neat about this set when I bought it is that with some of the titles, I never knew... until I heard the song and said..."oh I know this one!... "didn't know they did this song"!

It ended up I knew about 12 of the 17 track on here already, which was great!

Bottom line: Great funky tunes, R&B classics, as well as nice soulful ballads. That's what EWF is and will always be... a shining star.

Get it!

EWF Greatest Hits Collection Shining Bright To See
Mid-1970s black music seemed dominated either by fun, mindless party jams like "Jungle Boogie" and "Skin Tight," or dour warnings like "Future Shock" and "Living For The City." Stevie Wonder sang his share of life-affirming music but Earth, Wind & Fire, here with a definitive one-disc greatest hits, made such positive strength the heart of their musical identity.

Some of the era's most needed, heeded messages ran deep and sweet atop Verdine White's bass grooves (front and center on "Getaway"), brother and leader Maurice's drum and percussion tracks honed over years with Chess Records' rhythm section ("Saturday Nite," "Kalimba Story," 1977's dazzling "Serpentine Fire"), Louis Satterfield's horn section scrambling through jazz-rock mazes every track (becoming a 80s rock stalwart backing Phil Collins), and Phillip Bailey's high, clear falsetto on "After The Love Has Gone," the prom dance standard "Reasons," the soaring chorus of "September," and the elegant "Fantasy" which, with "Serpentine Fire," gave R&B one of its best 1-2 LP opening tracks. (It's restored to album length here, with Larry Dunn's superb keyboard intros, after being edited on two previous best-ofs).

Messages like "You're a shining star...shining bright to see what you can truly be," "If you sing a song today, you will make a better way," "Try to resist all the hurt that's all around ya..." moved feet and hearts, misinterpreted by spiritual seekers and hedonists alike in the "Me" decade's last discofied days. The Whites understood disco's falsity: "Morning deals a bad hand to a woman who has made too many bets," Maurice sings on 1979's galloping disco smash "Boogie Wonderland," adding, "You dance and shake the hurt." But by early 1982, needing a hit after a slow-selling double-LP the year before, EWF gave in to the dance grooves and party-down lyrics of "Let's Groove," their last Top 5 hit.

Despite a generous 18 tracks (and an excellent geneology of the group by Kevin Goins), longtime fans will miss "In The Stone," "Fall In Love With Me," "Head To The Sky," "Let Me Talk," and others. These are found on 1995's "Eternal Dance" box, the "Elements of Love" ballads collection, or two previous best-ofs. This "Greatest Hits" packs their best-known pop songs into an exceptionally sounding disc (thanks to Mark Wilder's remastering), providing an essential introduction to one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's most surprising, satisfying member groups.

best CD of all time
If I could give this CD more than 5 stars I would. I'm 23 and my mom (43) and grandma (63) were on a road trip listening to the CD. All of us LOVED it. This is the greatest CD of all time.

Lovin' It!!!
I am in the sixth grade and I LOVE this CD! (In fact, I'm listening to it as I write this!) For school, we had to bring in CDs that people don't listen to now (2004) and I brought in this CD. EVERYONE in the class loved it, including myself and my teacher, who remembered it, and loved it, both when she was a kid and now! She was even singing along to "Let's Groove"! :) Kids asked me what the songs were called, who sings them, etc. and we all love it! It's great music to sing along to and dance to and, as one kid in my class put it, "You can just picture all these guys with afros in bell-bottoms singing it into the microphones! :)" Lately, instead of popping in Black Eyed Peas or Now 15 (which are both great modern-day music CDs...thumbs up to them, too!) in my portable CD player, boom box, or parents' cars, I've been listening to Earth Wind & Fire! I love disco music and, for me, disco never died and never will! If you love disco, too, you HAVE to get this CD and listen to it! Enjoy! :)
P.S. I recommend "Shining Star", "September", "Got to Get You Into My Life", "Fantasy", and "Let's Groove" as the Top 5 songs on the CD!

la-la-LOVE IT!
So I'm you're average high school student who's in love with Earth, Wind and Fire [kudos to my parentals]. I just have to say that this is by far the best cd I have in my collection. It has the perfect mix of songs to dance to, sing to, get intimate to, and just to feel good to. Thank you Earth, Wind & Fire. ... Read more

Reviews (90)

Twenty-Six Million Sold...And Still Climbing
It is typical to write off the decade of the 1970s as just the era of disco, polyester, glam rock, and such, though there was much more to the era than those things. But in that now much-maligned style known as disco, there remains one undisputed masterpiece, the soundtrack to the 1977 blockbuster SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER.

Even though both the film and soundtrack are now approaching the quarter-century mark, the music here seems timeless and holds up to a great deal of scrutiny. Three #1 hits from the Bee Gees and one #1 from Yvonne Elliman originated from this album, which sold a then-unheard-of twenty-six million copies, a figure which keeps climbing. The album stayed at #1 on the US album chart for twenty-six consecutive weeks.

Among the many lesser-heard gems of the album are Kool and the Gang's "Open Sesame", MFSB's "K-Jee" (originally a hit for the Nite-Liters in 1971), and David Shire's "Night On Disco Mountain" (a discofied adaptation of Mussorgsky's 1867 tone poem "A Night On Bald Mountain"). The entire albums captures the time, the feel, and the essence of an era that a lot of people make the mistake of ridiculing. Time has shown the SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER soundtrack to have endured well beyond its Seventies heyday. In twenty years, can the same be said for the soundtracks to either THE BODYGUARD or TITANIC? Only time will tell.

Not the great CD most would lead you to believe it is
Okay, okay! "Saturday Night Fever" is a classic album an' all, and yes, it's one of the biggest selling soundtracks of all time. But let's not hide from the fact that most of these tracks featured sound rather dated now.

Sure, the Bee-Gees contributions have stood the test of time, along with those from Yvonne Elliman, The Tavares (singing a Bee Gees track!), The Trammps and KC & The Sunshine Band. But COME ON! Can anyone really admit to liking "Open Sesame" by Kool & The Gang, "Night On Disco Mountain" by David Shire, "Calypso Breakdown" by Ralph McDonald or even "K-Jee" by MFSB?? Apart from Kool & The Gang, have you heard anything else by these performers? Don't kid yourselves folks, these are NOT Disco classics!

Of course "Saturday Night Fever" was a great movie. I own the soundtrack CD, and still play it every once in a while. More to the point, I only PLAY the bona fide CLASSICS and skip the rest of what can only be described as JUNK!

If you're after a 70s soundtrack you can play over and over again and ENJOY, buy "GREASE".

Jon.

Best Selling Soundtrack Ever
Apart from the soundtrack of Bodyguard, this is surely one of the best selling soundtrack ever. Starting with the Bee Gees, they are originally slow ballad singers. From a interchange at Main Course, they changed themselves to R&B music singers. Stayin' Alive, Night Fever, More Than a Woman, and If I Can't Have You are surely the best rocking songs in the Bee Gees's history. How Deep Is Your Love is rocking on around the world till now. Surely, the Bee Gees ruled the disco era during 1977.

Yvonne Elliman and Travares, are also great, but they used Bee Gees's songs, Yvonne Elliman sang If I Can't Have You (Bee Gees's own edition in Bee Gees Greatest), and the Travares sang a different version of More Than a Woman
Saturday Night Fever movie wasn't that good, but with the soundtrack, it's surely the world's top LP.

Classic!
Can everyone please spare me the lengthy diatribes and just say thumbs up, or thumbs down? If you don't like disco, why in the hell would you buy the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever? HELLO! This disc brings back lots of fond memories. I will always appreciate the role disco played in my life.

disco sucks
For my review, I'll reply to Melting Pot, who said "I feel folk-rock from the 1960's was the bane of music."

Not only are you wildly incorrect, there exists one major diffrence between the Folk Rock and Disco. Folk Rock is gaining more and more YOUNG listeners. Same applies to all the music of the 60's. Disco on the other hands is getting NO new listeners.

DISCO is a hokey, sequin and polyester strewn mess. At least Folk Rock musicians were genuine and were playing for love of the music(rather than love of the paycheck), and to make political changes.

THE 1970's PRODUCED ONLY ONE GREAT MUSIC GENRE: FUNK

instead of the beegees, listen to War. They're 500 times better. ... Read more

Reviews (44)

Drowning In A Glass, Can't Find Love At All
Let's be honest we're not buying this CD for the hits, we're buying it for the new material. "That's The Way"--Giorgio and Keith hit the nail right on the head. This has radio hit written all over it. Donna's vocals shine in this very slick, well produced production. Very breathy and playful. She hasn't used her voice in this way for years, and it's a very welcome change. This is the new sound of Summer and I like it! "I Will Live For Love"--Donna's previous co-writes with Nathan DiGesare haven't impressed me at all, but this song is a complete twist. Written for Donna's children's musical "Dreamway Express", the lyrics and the vocals scream classic Broadway. Giorgio lifts this fairy tale from standard theater fare, by wraping the production in enticing effervescent dance beat. "You're So Beautiful"-- Loved it. Although I would love even more to hear a version that features Donna's vocals more prominently. This at least proves that Donna was on the right musical track when she was at Sony. All and all, these new recordings show a Diva awaiting (and deserving) a rebirth. Will it happen? I can only pray. Mykol (I Wanna Love You Baby Like You Know I'm Donna Summer)

The Long, Long Journey
Well, to begin, I must say that I am a biased Donna Summer fan, and have been for the better part of 25 years. That is why I am hard-pressed to give this CD only 4 stars instead of 5. But, there are two major flaws in this release. The first is that one of the new tracks ("Dream-A-Lots Theme...I Will Live For Love"), is a Mouseketeer anthem, very much in the same vein that "Someday" was for the Mouse House CD back in '96. It is very cookie-cutter, dance fodder in it's original version. In my opinion, this is something that Donna should steer away from at least from a production aspect. The second flaw (though hair-splitting it may seem), is that this summer's best dance floor anthem, "You're So Beautiful" was left off the CD's cover credits. Having gotten that out of the way, these remastered classics are as clear as a bell! And the collection, though I personally find some of her greatest songs missing, is a SUPER BUY for the casual Donna fan.

Now, onto the really great news about this CD. The remix of "I Will Live For Love" is a fantastic dance tune that should have everyone hitting the dance floor over and over at least through the Christmas holidays. But, the show-stopper is the cool and breezy "That's The Way". Her throaty and teasingly optimistic vocals just make me shiver with anticipation to replay the song (and to hear an entire CD with Giorgio Moroder).

So Donna, I can't give you 5 stars this outing, but hopefully 4 will do for you and the rest of the listening world...

A Great Donna Summer Collection
The Journey is a superb greatest hits collections for new Donna fans as well as old. All of the top hits are on it along with some new songs and a second CD of extended play singles.

A must have for any Donna fan and a great CD for new Donna fans.
Her music is timeless as evidenced by her staying power.

Highly recommended!!

hirickybear
What can any one say about one of the greatest female singers of our time...DONNA SUMMER is truely in a class all by herself...and this latest trubute to her is lacking POWER HOUSE songs Like..."Once Upon a Time," "Fairy Tale High," " I Remember Yester Day," "Rummor Has It," "Summer Fever," "Autum Changes," "Dim all the Lights," "Sunset People," "Walk Away". These are the songs that Made Donna Summer truly a legend within her life time.

Great Collection. Excellent Price!!
This CDs are a steal at $12. I paid $18 when it first came out and it was well worth it.
Most people are complaining that there are only 3 new songs. In this day and age, this is Donna's easiest way to get some new music out there. Plus this CD was also meant to go with her autobiography so it makes sense that it would be a Greatest Hits.
The three new songs are amazing. I also had the privilege of hearing Donna sing almost every song on this CD(include the three new ones) at a rare concert in Orlando this year and it's incredible how she sounds better than ever.

The remixes are great and they are a great way to play some Donna Summer music at a party. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

disco's best cd
this cd is a genius mix of great disco songs. its hard not to like it. to understand why, just look at whats on it: celebration by kool & the gang (classic), funkytown by lipps inc, dancing queen by abba, ymca by the village people, and many more. i mean, who doesnt know YMCA? also on this cd are less popular songs, such as knock on wood and hot stuff, but they were still popular and you will most likely know them as soon as you listen to the cd. at the end is the awesome grease megamix that anyone who likes the movie grease will know all the words to. on the megamix are grease lightning, you better shape up, you're the one that i want, and summer nights. this cd is great for parties along with personal listening because once you turn it on, everyone will want to get up and dance. Pure disco is the best disco mix around.

Disco is making a come back.
Well maybe Disco isn't really coming back, but at least this compilation sounds better than ever. Plus, when thinking about it, when did it ever actually end? There's not much that really separates the music of twenty-five to thirty years ago with today. Disco was the generic term for dance music of the 70s and maybe 1980 and 81 up until MTV came into the scene. Today dance music still is around, even if several of these artists are not. But it is fun hearing the roots of clubbing and rave. Look at what you will get with this CD:Funkytown by Lipps Inc., which featured members of the Prince's Revolution Band famous for his Purple Rain disc, Abba's Dancing Queen which inspired a Broadway play Mamma Mia, Celebration by funk-disco band Kool and the Gang, a classic. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor which is one of the most covered tunes and a top dance song of all time. The Gap Band is here and they are an eighties favorite. Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, and Barry White are legends and they're here. My favorite song is Amii Stewart's Knock on Wood from this collection. Plus among other's the famous mix of Grease tunes from the movie not found elsewhere. Give it a try and buy the other two as well. I am sure you will dance all night.

Great collection of Classic Disco
Yea, we all love to dance- but this collection of music
are classics and they always get people young and old up to
dance. Disco is NOT dead!

What a great series!
Let me first go on record saying that my favorite artists of all time (at this point) are Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. In that vein, you wouldn't really expect a guy with a taste for that sort of music to dig disco. But I really do. Disco music defines "good times." If you've ever been to any sort of party in your life (hosted by a professional DJ, that is), the odds are you've heard a number of the songs on this compilation. And they're all great.

Some are better than others, of course, but each song is catchy and the bass lines are funky. Not to mention cheesy. If you're looking for a cool collection of disco music and don't want to splurge the cash for expensive box sets or individual artists' albums, the "Pure Disco" series is a great investment. Throw in the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack and you've got enough great disco songs to blister your feet up.

Why only four stars instead of five? That's easy. Barry White's "the First, the Last, My Everything" isn't the REAL version. Polygram omitted the spoken introduction and the phrasing is just a bit different from the original version. Must be some sort of radio edit.

Despite this, great compilation. Two other recommendations: "the Bee Gee's Greatest Hits: the Record" and "Barry White: the Ultimate Collection."

PURE DISCO / VOL . 1, 2 & 3
This is the best disco set available!!! Although,disco music
was short lived,it was an era that no one will forget.To some it
was a fashion statement.To others,a threat of,the downfall of
rock & roll music,as we knew it.No matter how you felt about it you must agree that some of best feel good music came from that
generation.I also feel that the word: "CHEESY" came from this time period.I,myself,liked it because I could sleep in my clothes
without the fear of wrinkling them... ... Read more

Amazon.com

Given a five-decade career that's been one long series of critical write-offs and subsequent comeback triumphs, it's tempting to argue that the natural elements are actually earth, wind, fire, water--and Cher. Anchored by her 1998 international mega-success "Believe" (the song that made Cher the oldest woman to score a chart topper) and its equally club-savvy contemporary collaborations with producers Mark Taylor and Brian Rawlings, "Song for the Lonely" and "A Different Kind of Love Song," this 21-track anthology is indeed the first to contain all her No. 1 hits, stretching back to her epochal 1965 duet with Sonny Bono on the faux-Dylan "I Got You Babe." And if it shortchanges her Phil Spector-rooted origins and a true perspective on her '60s and '70s career (though kitsch classic chart toppers "Dark Lady," "Half-Breed," and "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" are all here) to focus on her string of '80s and '90s pop successes in service of writers like Diane Warren ("If I Could Turn Back Time") and Desmond Child ("Just Like Jesse James"), it's good to remember that, according to the pop soothsayers, none of them were even supposed to happen, let alone make her an icon for a whole new generation. It's a tribute to sheer, fashion-defying willpower--and as unlikely an argument for the notion of "the singer, not the song" as one is likely to find. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (147)

Cher and Cher Alike.
I realize that confessing a love for Cher is credibility suicide in many circles, but I couldn't resist reviewing her latest greatest hits CD, which has been selling rather well. Whether you like Cher or not, you have to admit that her ability to endure five decades is hardly a result of mere blind luck. As we all know, the media and public can be ruthless to divas who are past their sell-by date, but Cher has been able to outlive them all. You can credit that to tenacity, a strong will, and the ability to market yourself as shrewdly as Madonna. On "The Very Best of Cher," we witness the singer formerly known as Ms. LaPierre embrace the good, the bad, and the tacky in pop music. There are the predictable songs from her days with Sonny Bono ("I Got You, Babe"), her remarkably solid solo work from the 1970s ("Half Breed" and "Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves"), her affair with adult contemporary pop rock schlock ("If I Could Turn Back Time," "I Found Someone"), and glittery neo disco ("Believe," her biggest single to date). At 21 tracks, the collection captures all eras of her career impressively, but it does have flaws. It omits "We All Sleep Alone," and Rodney Jerkins' remix of "Different Kind of Love Song" is inferior to the original album version. But "The Very Best of Cher" gets bonus points from me for including the fantastic discocentric "All Or Nothing," an underrated and overlooked flop single that's just as good as "Believe." Cher is hardly a critics darling, and many will turn their nose and laugh contemptuously. Who cares? "The Very Best of Cher" makes for a qualified guilty pleasure from one of the most resilient female entertainers around.

Cher's Most Accurate Overview...as of 2003
Cher has had quite a winding career over the past 40 years, as her songs have touched various genres like folk, girl group, soft rock, disco, arena rock, adult contemporary, and house. She has also had the fortune of producing hits in each of these genres, so a career like hers should result in a rich, sprawling greatest hits compilation. Unfortunately, over that same period of time, she has worked with three different major labels, and thus her collections have generally resulted as incomplete introspectives.

And, all things considered, the 2003 issue THE VERY BEST OF CHER follows that trend, but it's actually Cher's most complete collection to date. The reason for that it contains more of her big hits than any prior collection from the infamous "I Got You Babe" with Sonny Bono in 1965 to the insistent "Believe" in 1999, while taking in other essential tracks like "All I Really Want to Do"; "The Beat Goes On"; "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)"; "Gypsys, Tramps, and Thieves"; "Half-Breed"; "Dark Lady"; "Take Me Home"; "I Found Someone"; "After All"; "If I Could Turn Back Time"; and "The Shoop Shoop Song."

But the biggest problems with this collection do not really consider that some big songs are still missing. First off, there are too many tracks from BELIEVE and LIVING PROOF; "Believe" was the only top 40 hit Cher had in those two albums, and the rest of the material was pretty generic. The sequencing of this collection also does not work very well (even if it does roughly work from the present to the beginning) largely because those particular tracks from the last two albums, plus the new mix of "A Different Kind of Love Song," slow down the collection's pace considerably. It is because of these flaws that the collection only emphasizes what's missing: "You Better Sit Down Kids"; "Where Do You Go"; "Alfie"; "Living in a House Divided"; "The Way of Love"; "All I Ever Need Is You"; "A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done"; "Train of Thought"; "We All Sleep Alone"; and "Love and Understanding" could have been possible candidates.

But yet, if you're trying to look for that one definitive Cher collection, THE VERY BEST OF CHER is the closest record to that title. And even if the overall listen is a little tiring because of the unnecessary tracks, it is still nice to have a concise collection that gives consideration to all of the styles Cher has achieved fame with over the years.

despise it
please get rid of this cd and this old woman who should call it a day.it is a shame to call this package of 21 terrible songs as best of collection as to me it sounds more like lousy hits.trash this immediately.avoid.

really awful
i would request that this is one album which you should avoid at all costs.this awful cd is bad beyond description and i really wonder when this old woman will call it a day and stop harrasing us.she only became famous because of her short lived association with the great greg allman.avoid.rating 1/2 out of 10.get rust in peace from megadeth instead.

This album would convert anyone...
1. Believe: awesome dance song 5 stars
2. If I could turn back time: ditto
3. Heart of Stone: nice, 4 stars
4. Just like jesse james: the best rock song of all time 5 stars
5. Save up all your tears, catchy, 4 stars
6. After All: ok one of the greatest love songs/duets of all time, instantly likeable, will make you cry, 5 stars
7. I found someone: i actually love the verses more than the chorus, 5 stars
8. one by one, um i don't know about this one, not modern ear friendly, 3 stars
9. stong enough, great dance song again, 5 stars
10. all or nothing, ditto
11. song for the lonely, ditto
12. take me home, not my fav, 2 stars
13. it's in his kiss: classic 4 stars
14. all i really want to do, not my fav again, 1 star
15. bang bang, much better live, 1 star
16. Half-breed: so original, tribal but pop sound at same time, 5 stars
17. gypsies, tramps and thieves - i love this one, 5 stars
18. dark lady - i like these creepy mystical songs, we need more of them, very catchy, 5 stars
19 and 20, classics
21. a different kind of love song - this remix is great for this song, 4 stars ... Read more

Reviews (7)

OK, so it's a bit eclectic...
I think that was the whole idea behind this collection. Country, folk, stadium rock, R & B, pop, Motown, funk, disco, and a little jazz; it's all there. Sure you could argue that some really great songs from the 70's have not been included, but this is a compilation of Sony owned music; some of these records I remember as being on ABC Records and Epic. I grew up in the 70's and I would recommend this collection just for the cheap trip down memory lane!

Great compilation CD!
This CD series has a bunch of really great songs from the 70's - early to late. It is a winner for the value ratio too! Check it out and you'll love what you hear.

This is a slack compilation
I think the seventies have many more representative hits than the offered in this compilation. A good compilation needs at least 10 cd's to bring together the highlights of "golden era of music production" This is not a good stuff to buy. I recomend AM Gold Collection, Superhits of the 70's (have a nice day) - rated by myself as the best - , a year of your life, and others.

Garden Variety Compilation
The sound is good, and that earns my three stars. What some call eclectic, I call incoherent. There's no theme. It's a random post-mortem of 70s pop that includes one of the most hated tunes of that era: "Arizona", by Mark Lindsey. Where's the masterpieces? There are none. The 70s deserves much better recognition than is offered here. This is not testimony, it's nearly slander.

Must Have Multi-Set
so many Great songs here.this really captures the 70's&it's full range of styles&Artists that represented the time period.this was the Era of Songwriters&story-telling.I have all of these songs be it on the Artists Albums or on other sets this 3 Disc Set is a Must have. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

The Best of the Series
This is the best of the "Pure Disco" series. It contains all the best songs. It kicks off with a decent remix of Gloria Gaynor's disco standard "I Will Survive" and the album takes off after that. My favorite track would probably be "Turn the Beat Around," an explosive purscussion-based track. You also get "What A Feeling" from the movie Flashdance which was which hit long after disco's hey-day and "Rock the Boat" which was is considered by some the first disco song. Abba are included with "Gimme Gimme Gimme" which was not one of their bigger songs, but a great disco track anyways and the Weather Girls are a great addition with "It's Raining Men." This is an awesome CD for a party. It'll be sure to have everyone up and dancing to these great disco classics!

Wow! A Fun Disco Compilation!
Who knew a disco compilation could be so fun? This is actually one of the best (And funnest) CDs I have ever listened to. The album starts out with the fantastic I Will Survive Remix, which is followed by the classic Shake Your Booty by KC & The Sunshine Band. Vicki Sue Robinson's song Turn The Beat Around combines catchy hooks and great vocals to make one of the biggest dance anthems ever. Then the CD gets corny for just a little bit to include Macho Man and We Are Family. Irene Cara was a huge star after the songs from Fame and Flashdance, and she shows she has some killer vocals on the uplifting Flashdance (What A Feeling). The next few songs are sort of medium until you hit Rock The Boat by The Hues Corporation, which was recently featured on a Pepsi commercial. Then comes Love Rollercoaster, which was definately one of Disco's biggest hits. The rest of the highlights are Abba's haunting and catchy Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie! (A Man After Midnight), Anita Ward's unique vocals on Ring My Bell, the two classic hits Last Dance by Donna Summer and It's Raining Men by the Weather Girls, and then finally the Diva Megamix. If you are a fan of disco, or are just looking for a fun party CD, this is definately the one for you!

The best of the Pure Disco series.
This is a great compilation album! It starts off with a remix of "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor. I prefer the original, found on Pure Disco #1. The second track is the KC and the Sunshine Band Hit, "Shake Your Booty", which I doubt anyone doesn't know at least one line of. Then is one of my favorite disco songs, Vicki Sue Robinson's "Turn the Beat Around". It is a song with so much going on you almost get lost! After that is "Macho Man" by the Village People, which is definitely not one of my favorites, but some people like it. Next is Sister Sledge's "We Are Family", which is just a bit repetitious. After that is the famous "What a Feeling" by Irene Cara. It may not technically be disco, but it's a nice inclusion. Next is Andy Gibb's "I Just Want to Be Your Everything", which I like the beat and melody, but not Andy Gibb's vocals. After that is "Everlasting Love" by Carl Carlton, a quite unappreciated song. Then you'll hear "Can't Get Enough of Your Love", a Barry White song I'm not too fond of. After that is The Hues Corporation's "Rock the Boat", which annoys me for some crazy reason. Then you'll get "Love Rollercoaster" by the Ohio players, the most annoying disco song of all time. The only songs after that worth mentioning are "Upside Down", a fun song by the Motown/Disco legend Diana Ross. "Gimme Gimme Gimme", one of my favorite ABBA songs, "It's Raining Men", a song with about 3 other versions floating around, and "Last Dance", the most energetic disco song I've heard. The best songs on here are "Last Dance", "Turn the Beat Around", and "What a Feeling". I reccomend this to any disco fans.

My kids Love This Collection!
I do too...Listening, i forget how long it has been since these
songs were popular! Few of these artsts had great albums,but if you are looking for a collection of good disco music from a fun
era...when you could still escape with music...this is a must-have! My kids love it too...and they are very young!
Regina

Flash Back in Time
Great selection of favorite listening and dance hits from the 70's. Although some of the songs I really wouldn't classify as disco, every one on the cd brought back many memories. ... Read more

Amazon.com

KC and the Sunshine Band, led by Harry Wayne Casey, brought a bit of male bravado to the predominantly diva-led disco scene. KC and company incorporated a Caribbean feel to their music, with swelling--and staccato--horn parts and multilayered vocals. The repetition of the choruses of "Shake Your Booty" and "That's the Way (I Like It)" had every gold-chain wearing male on the dance floor singing along.While these hits, and "Get Down Tonight," are now disco cultural reference points, "Sound Your Funky Horn," a minor hit earlier in the band's career, has more of an island feel to it. The Best of KC and the Sunshine Band provides a fairly broad sampling of the Sunshine Band's music, including "Keep It Comin' Love," "I'm Your Boogie Man," and the tropical funk of "Boogie Shoes." --Steve Gdula ... Read more

Reviews (26)

All the KC Most People Need
KC & the Sunshine Band, for whatever reason, don't strike me as the kind of band with a massively devoted following. Most folks will probably just want to hear a good collection of their work. This is probably your best bet - containing all the hits (and several that weren't!) from the band. "Get Down Tonight", "That's the Way (I Like It)", "I'm Your Boogie Man", the ballad "Please Don't Go" and the late-period "Give It Up" get the most plays in my player, but the rest of the tracks probably won't disappoint. The inclusion of the early junku/disco tracks "Sound Your Funky Horn" and "Queen of Clubs" adds some needed variety. "Let's Go Rock and Roll" isn't exactly rock, and you'll start swearing you heard "Do You Wanna Go Party" just four or five songs ago - around this point, my interest starts to wane. The liner notes are notably lame for a Rhino Records release, but hey, just peruse 'em once and forget about 'em. Anyone interested in some KC should pick this up, listen to it once, then program around the tracks you're not crazy about. That's what CDs are all about, right?

Still Booty Shakin'
KC was a real guilty pleasure every time his songs got played on the radio, super hooky, catchy as hell and so easy to dance to. Like Motown, its amazing his best tunes can still pack a dance foor in seconds after 20+ years! KC's stuff has been repackaged many times but Rhino has done the best job if you looking for the hits. You get all the original single mixes and excellent liner notes.

My only (little) gripe is that the compilers should have included his 1978 cover of the 4 Tops "It's the Same Old Song" - the song didnt do so well nationwide (it barely scraped the Billboard Top 40) but it still got a lot of regional and dancefloor airplay. Other than that, this whole CD is a lot of fun.

Just excellent!!!!
KC and The Sunshine Band are represented very well, here. All of the songs are terrific and Rhino does their usual fine job of compiling a hit package. I think KC and The Sunshine Band are underrated and they were an important part of the disco/funk evolution. They are without a doubt, one of the funkiest disco bands, ever. This is highly recommended to anyone who likes good disco, with a funky flavor and R & B. I love it!!!

The Best of KC & the Sunshine Band [Rhino 1990]
The Best of KC & the Sunshine Band [Rhino 1990]~ KC & the Sunshine Band is a good collection of their best tracks. Their music is hypnotic with very good tracks and fun lyrics.

I like it
KC and the Sunshine Band were the most successful disco group of the 1970s. They produced a lot of fun records. The songs didn't have any serious messages, but they were had a lot of charm. This is just good time, get up ... and dance music. This CD contains all their big hits and some songs that weren't big hits, but should have been. I would recommend this CD to anybody who is a fan of disco. ... Read more

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Collection of Blondie Hits that Accompanies the Band on their Winter 2002 Tour. This Disc Updates the Collection and Adds their Comeback #1 in the UK "Maria" to Make this the Most Up-to-date Blondie Set Ever Released. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Crystal clear hit sounds
This is the best Blondie hits compilation by far and the sound is crystal clear; the hits are not arranged chronologically however, which makes it impossible to chart the development of the band. But that doesn't matter - this collection demonstrates the band's versatility - compare their early punk-pop Rip Her To Shreds or X Offender with the hypnotic synthpop-disco of Heart Of Glass or Atomic! My favorites include the wistful I'm Always Touched and the bilingual Denis (a classic slice of sixties pop), as well as Tide Is High with its percolating reggae rhythm, plus Sunday Girl (more lovely 60's pop). In my opinion, their best albums are Parallel Lines and Plastic Letters, and these are well represented with 6 of these gorgeous 19 tracks. I wouldn't call this a "Best Of" since there are some album tracks that I like more than some of these hit songs. These include Fan Mail and Bermuda Triangle Blues from Plastic Letters and Fade Away And Radiate from Parallel Lines. But this was never intended to be anything else but a greatest hits collection and serves it purpose very well. It just goes to show that classy pop music is timeless, and Blondie always had that special something, whatever the style they chose to do it in.

For Blondie's Hits, This is the Place to Go
Over the past twenty years, there have been at least a couple dozen collections of Blondie's hits put on the market. However, only two of those compilations have given an effective overview of the group's career- THE BEST OF BLONDIE from 1981 and PLATINUM COLLECTION from 1994. But fortunately, this GREATEST HITS edition can also stand alongside those two retrospectives, rather than be buried among the other budget collections that have probably picked up plenty of dust over the years.

To put it bluntly, the title says it all- GREATEST HITS collects nineteen of the biggest hits Blondie has scored from 1976 to 1999. Besides including their biggest hits on both sides of the Atlantic- "Heart of Glass"; "Call Me"; "The Tide Is High"; "Rapture"- this collection also includes lesser-known US hits ("Dreaming," "One Way or Another," "Atomic"); songs that only became hits in the UK ("Sunday Girl," "(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear," "Maria") and standout album tracks ("X Offender," "Rip Her to Shreds", "In the Flesh"). So basically, every essential hit and album track that Blondie scored during their career is here (with the exception of the UK hit "War Child," which is barely a loss at all). Hardcore fans will likely have a personal favorite or two missing, but GREATEST HITS pretty much tells everything a casual fan needs to know about one of the greatest new wave bands.

If there is any complaint about this collection, it's that upon listening, it may seem that more than one group is being represented, for GREATEST HITS does not sum up all of Blondie's styles into one effective mix. That may actually be nitpicking, but casual fans should still consider purchasing THE BEST OF BLONDIE instead, for not only does it focus on the very best of Blondie (and for the record, everything from BEST OF BLONDIE is on GREATEST HITS), but its nonchronological sequencing actually works so that it showcases only one group- a group that was seemingly consistent. But if you want to get virtually every essential Blondie hit and album track on one collection, then you should purchase GREATEST HITS.

BLONDIE IS BLONDIE
It's undeniable that Blondie has to be one of the best band out there(diggin' many musical styles and territories a fine example to groups like NO DOUBT), her last single GOOD BOYS represents the band at their best if you haven't heard it. So without a question this new compilation includes all their charted hits and some exclusive favorites, it would be out of place to describe each song because the titles of the songs speak for themselves, HEART OF GLASS, ATOMIC, CALL ME, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER all classic songs of the late 70's early 80's, this is one of the best compilations of Blondie around today, + include here is their hit MARIA, not available in another GH package...so delightful Blondie will always be Blondie...a must have.

The Price of Admission
"Dreaming" is one of the best pop songs ever written and makes this CD worth purchasing. The rest is great, too.

A TRUE GEM!!!
There is no doubt about it, Blondie is the band that has redefined music in a whole other way! They have gone from pop to rock, from disco to jazz, from rap to punk, and they have even done country! Every song on this compilation deserves to be here!

THE SONGS
Dreaming- A mix of pop and Debbie Harry's voice can really make some sweet music!

Call Me- One of my favorites!!! Also the theme from American Gigolo. (which happened to be a great movie)

One Way Or Another- Truly a great ROCK N' ROLL SONG!

Heart Of Glass- A true gem!!! One of Debbie's finest songs.

The Tide Is High- A happy summertime beach song! FUN!!!

X Offender- Classic as always!!!

Hanging On The Telephone- A great punk-rock tune!

Rip Her To Shreds- Reminds me of some of the girls at my school.

Rapture- I think Debbie can rap!!!

Atomic- You can really dance to this one!!! Or at least I think so!!!

Picture This- A nice sweet song thats likeable.

In The Flesh- Sounds like something out of the 50s. But its a great song!!!

Denis- Gotta Love Denis!

(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear- Not my favorite, but I like it.

Union City Blue- A great vocal performance!!!

The Hardest Part- Loved It!!! She Can Sing!!!

Island Of Lost Souls- Catchy tune!

Sunday Girl- Love the French!

Maria- Another true pop gem!!!

Blondie is a band! (A great one I might add) And I am so glad they made such enjoyable music! Thanks!!! Peace Out!!!

Blondie Is: Debbie Harry
Chris Stein
Clem Burke
Jimmy Destri ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Among the BEST Soundtracks of all time

1983 Academy Award Nominees
Best Original Song from a Motion Picture

Flashdance: Giorgio Moroder, Keith Forsey, Irene Cara [Song: Flashdance...What a Feeling]
Flashdance: Michael Sembello, Dennis Matkosky [Song: Maniac]
Tender Mercies: Austin Roberts, Bobby Hart [Song: Over You]
Yentl: Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman [Song: Papa, Can You Hear Me?]
Yentl: Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman [Song: The Way He Makes Me Feel]

. . .and the Oscar goes to:

"What a Feeling!" by Irene CARA!!!

It made the film FLASHDANCE a monster success, and also went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Too bad the song "Gloria" by Laura Brannigan is not on this soundtrack, because it was in the film.

The Saturday Night Fever for the 80's
I have owned this soundtrack in first cassette, then vinyl, now on c.d. format. What I would have hoped for in the remastered version was the classic extended versions of some of these tracks radio stations use to play when Flashdance was hot ! Tracks like What A Feeling, Maniac, and a couple of others had some remarkable extended counterparts which are now completely difficult to find.Flashdance did not conform to the "breakdancing" period like other movies or soundtracks did. It was pop-rock at it's best before the Top Gun soundtrack.The only artist to still carry some weight after all these years is Donna Summer.Everyone else is just a faint memory. Where's Kim Carnes ? Michael Sembello? Laura Brannigan? and let's not forget the blue-eyed soulful voice of Joe "Bean" Esposito who was a soothing cross between Michael McDonald and a lightweight version of Barry White on Lady, Lady, Lady.

There is very little difference in the remastered version with regards to sonic quality. The sound level is a little bit higher with a little more bass and a little more treble. Otherwise, nothing that could be considered a revelation ...

Very Excellent Stuff
I must say- this is some very excellent stuff. All the music in this thing sounds very great- especially the title track. The others are also just as good, even "Maniac". So- to sum things up- this is a great soundtrack!

Soundtrack better than the film
I've owned this soundtrack in various mediums and it stands the test of time. Just a really good CD. Soulful, upbeat, different. NICELY done.

Sweat like the girls in Flashdance, in your very own home!
All in all, this is a good soundtrack if you like this movie. Bummer that Joan Jett and a couple of the other really good songs aren't on here, but it is still great. Bottom line: IF YOU'RE A HARDCORE FLASHDANCE FAN, YOU NEED THIS. ... Read more

Album Description

Here's another ultra-high quality collection from Eric, the first to venture into the SEVENTIES.Seventeen of these songs made the Billboard Top 20!As usual all recordings have been digitally re-mastered from the best available sources in true stereo. Includes detailed 8-page booklet with notes on each song by Paul Grein (who wrote the notes for Rhino’s "Have A Nice Day" series). ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Some rare hits, "Hard To Find"?, On one cd, yes,
I think they did a great job, This is called "Hard To Find 45's"Not hard to find CD's. And Hard to find doesn't always mean, "Hard To Find", does it?couldn't it mean, a long forgotten hit song or "Remember this hit from 1972"? Ok, I admit, the first 5 CD's in the series did have some VERY hard to find 45's, but, you have to account for copyright laws, etc. Right? I'm not a expert on copyright laws, but, that just seems like some problems that comes with this job. I'll say, maybe they couldnt get the VERY "hard to find 45's", and got some that were not heard often on radio like other over play'd songs. So, I think they did a great job in finding these. I don't believe you'll be hearing some of these song's on the radio very often, they're not played enough, Thats one of the big reasons CDs like this sell good.Just buy this and enjoy, put it in, relax and enjoy the trip to the 70s. You want it, buy this CD.

Most of these are easy to find
While there is a wealth of great 70's songs on this set, only Chris Rea's "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" is really a difficult find, and even that one can be had with moderate effort. For a better sampler of hard to find hits, try "Lost Hits Of The 70's" on EMI-Capitol Music or the Barry Scott "Lost 45's" series (although Vol. 1 of that series is hard to find itself, and doesn't come cheap used).

Nevertheless, there are a lot of good memories here, so it's a decent value. Just don't kid yourself into thinking you're getting rare songs on this CD, because most of these songs are all over the place.

More classics than hard-to-find
The key here, in Eric Records latest collection of 45's on CD, is that while many of these songs have been available elsewhere on CD, the versions found here are the original singles. All of the 20 tracks here were top-30 so even the casual listener will be humming along with just about every tune. The hard-to-find aspect comes into play here with the appearance of the likes of Prelude's "After The Goldrush" and domestically at least, Boney M's "Rivers Of Babylon". While there are only a few such uncommon tracks in this collection, there are finds here such as the original version of Chris Rea's "Fool If You Think It's Over", a song often encountered in its rerecorded version in other compilation CDs. While the hard-to-find nature of this collection is thinner then other Eric CD's, the quality of the production is everything that we have come to expect from this small independent label. Sound quality is excellent with all tracks in stereo and interesting backround is provided on each of the included tracks in the liner notes booklet. While not quite as interesting from the collectors' standpoint as previous ones, this volume in the "Hard To Find On 45..." series does offer an excellent tour of the mainstream pop music of the 70's done to Eric's usual high standards.

An even harder to find 45 of the 70s
A good collection but some of them arent all that hard to find. I am impressed that they included "After the Goldrush" by Prelude. I had forgotten all about that one. I hope they do a second collection of these hard to find 45s of the 70s and include "Once you understand" by Think. You cannot find this song on a CD and are hard pressed to find it on a 45.

How hard could they be to find?
Of all the tracks on the album, only 3 haven't already been released by Rhino on one or another of their Have A Nice Day series. So how "Hard-to-Find" could they have been?

Those 3 are McCoo & Davis, Prelude, and Boney M. And at least in Canada, every CD store has a bargain Boney M's greatest hits collection around.

Nonetheless, the songs themselves are great, but I'd like to find some of the REALLY hard to find hits of the 70's.

Like the following:
Song of Joy - Miguel Rios
Evil Woman Don't Play Your Games with Me - Crow
Go Back - Crabby Appleton
God Love Rock & Roll - Teegarden & VanWinkle
House of the Rising Sun - Frijid Pink
My Baby Loves Lovin' - White Plains
Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep - Mac & Katie Kissoon
Only You Know & I Know - Delaney & Bonnie
Resurrection Shuffle - Ashton Gardner & Dyke
Timothy - The Buoys

... and that only covers 1970-71. So how about some REALLY hard to get tracks, please? ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Kool and Funky Wins The Race On This Greatest Hits CD
THE greatest hits CD to own from one of the 80s top hitmakers. Never as groundbreaking as Michael Jackson or Prince, or as flamboyant as George Clinton or Earth, Wind, & Fire, Kool & The Gang earned a steady stream of Top 10 hits throughout the decade that, heard together, indicates how quietly prevalent their sound was.

Never as popular as the comparable Ohio Players at their mid-70s peak, Kool & The Gang with producer Eumir Deodato crafted a funk/R&B/pop formula that clicked literally as the clock struck midnight to begin the 80s. They hit equally with funkier tunes and lush ballads, many with one-word titles: "Fresh," "Misled," "Cherish," "Joanna," "Tonight," and the cliched #1 hit "Celebration" (refreshed little by a house remix).

You also hear the group's bass-heavy, influential and heavily rap-sampled early hits like "Funky Stuff," "Hollywood Swinging," and the "Pulp Fiction"-featured "Jungle Boogie." Together, these songs form nearly 15 years of hitmaking that, despite personnel changes that ultimately sunk the group, stands with the best in modern classic R&B. Recommended.

All the Hits!!!
I knew Kool and the Gang was an awesome band. I grew up listening to them. But I never realize the impact that they had on modern music until I got this collection. Just hearing the songs (hits) back to back, made me respect their work even more. In a time, where R&B artists actually wrote, produced, and played their own music, what set Kool and the Gang apart from others is they had alot of crossover hits. But they never lost their funkness or koolness. Get this collection and learn to love Kool and the Gang all over again.

You're Right...ALMOST the Greatest Hits
This thumping, soulful collection of one of the greatest pop/dance and R&B/Rock bands that exploded out of Harlem and took the disco craze by storm in the 70s' and 80s' is almost complete. It includes all of their songs from the funk intro era of the late 70s' to the more pop/rock mixed and synthesized dance hits they made in the 80s'...except for 'Stone Love'! How could they leave that out? There are other collections made by tons of companies that feature all of these songs plus 'Stone Love' and others that are missing, plus several remixes and liner notes. If this is your collection though, its perfect sounding and a good edition.

Almost "The Very Best of...
Overall, this is a very good compilation that should satisfy most listeners. However, if they really want to hear just how diverse and talented this band was, they should have included the classic, "Summer Madness" It was (and still is) a mind trip of massive Jazz/Funk/and R&B proportions. Any true Funk Aficionado should hunt for this song and give it a listen.
Also, Where is the disco era's "Open Sesame" ? The horns on this cut are ree-diculous, The nasty bass line propels this song like a freight train, and the soaring vocal harmonies are not to be missed.

A full tilt boggie ride!
This collection by Cool and the Gang will turn your everyday living room into a funky disco tech. Immediately, as my wife and I were jamming out to tracks like Fresh, Misled, and Take It To the Top,we both were transported back to the time when roller skating on Saturday nights was so cool and so fun. This collection of hits by Cool and the Gang is a full tilt boggie ride for those of us who still love the way disco makes us move and feel. Treat yourself and buy this funky collection of hits. You won't be sorry. Enjoy! ... Read more

Amazon.com

In the path of enormously popular collections of number one singles by Elvis and the Beatles comes this crammed (seconds shy of the 80-minute mark) disc from another pop-culture icon, Diana Ross & the Supremes. 14 Diana Ross/Supremes tracks appear in some of their most vivid sound ever, while the post-Ross Supremes get their due with "Stoned Love." Ross’ Hollywood years make for the weakest music here ("Touch Me in the Morning," "Endless Love"), but disco smashes "Upside Down," "I’m Coming Out," and "The Boss" prove as smart, canny, and enduring as Supremes 45s like "You Keep Me Hangin’ On" and "Reflections." The contemporary, yet already dated, remix of "Hangin’ On" at album’s end suggests, in fact, that Ross might make one more dance-floor comeback if paired with the right behind-the-scenes team. Basement Jaxx, anyone? --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (67)

Supremely Amazing, Supremely Different
Looking to start your Diana Ross and The Supremes collection? This is THE CD to do it with. Already got the hits? Well, you need this too, because the versions are different, and better than ever!

This collection is amazing and worth every penny. Unlike other compilations that have been remastered, the first 15 songs on this compilation have been REMIXED from their original 3, 8, and 16 multi-track session tapes! For those who don't know, remastering and remixing are very different. Now the songs are crystal clear, have longer fades, and the mixes are a vast improvement. They sound like they were recorded yesterday!

Another reviewer inaccurately wrote that the versions between older compilations are indistinguishable, but he is so wrong. The differences are like night and day. I guarantee it!

Harry Weinger, Andrew Skurow, Jeff Moskow and Suha Gur did an incredible job on this compilation. They must be fans because the proof is in the results. I like their past compilations on Diana Ross (The Motown Anthology, diana - Deluxe Edition, To Love Again), and the Supremes (DR&S Anthology, The '70s Anthology, Rodgers And Hart), but this time, they've outdone themselves. Thank you guys, and keep up the great work!

This collection is wonderful! It includes the best #1 hits, and a few that were #1 on dance charts, AC charts, R&B charts, and regional charts. They even mention other number ones that wouldn't fit on the single disc and TELL YOU where you can find them!

Finally, the Almighty remix is incredible. It has club hit written all over it. These guys have done the best remixes on Cher, Elton John and JLo.

Again, this is the perfect set to to have. You won't be disappointed! Buy it now!

NEW AND OLD, YET STILL A CLASSIC
This collection is fabulous, and here's why:
1. This collection is strictly the number ones (Pop, R&B, AC and Dance). If you want just one collection in a neat package, this is it.

2. The songs are newly mixed for clarity and many songs have extended fades. The songs actually sound better than any other collection out there, and not slightly, the differences are truly amazing. One cannot hear the difference on a streaming download, the proof is in the purchase.

3. For those purists who want original mixes, or perhaps more hits than exist here, there are MANY Supremes collections currently available: The Ultimate Collection (Mono masters), Anthology (Stereo masters on 2 CD sets for DR&S, 70s Supremes and Diana solo), a box set, and countless others.

4. Some people are giving this CD less than 5 stars because they want the original albums (there are over 30). I don't think this CD deserves to be penalized this way. Besides, Motown's new Hip-O select line will surely re-introduce several of these albums in the near future, I look forward to it.

Bottom line: Buy this CD, it's well worth every penny...and what a great price!

The New Motown Is To Blame
First of all, let me say that if nothing else the cover is beautiful and the pictures were enjoyable. I'm a young woman, however the songs that were released on this album are the same songs that I have always indenifed with the Supremes and have therefore been on compilation after compilation. Where are the previously unreleased tracks? As a buyer, this is the last time I will be sucker to nice packaging & promotion by the likes of Motown. Give us the gems that haven't seen the light of day and it would be nice to keep the ones that are already known in tact! Some of this material was downright butchered.

The new mixes are Supreme! BUT --
Tracks 1 thru 14 on this CD are amazing. Track 15 is not as good as the original. Track 24 is fantastic (the new dance remix!)

BUTT - What about tracks 16 thru 23 - the Diana solo #1's???

These are unfortunately BADLY REMASTERED. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is not the wonderful mono single mix that appears on "The Motown Anthology" or even the stereo single mix from "Motown Year-By-Year: 1970". It is a murky, muddled mess that sounds like it was culled from one of the old 80s CDs.

"Touch Me In The Morning" is - criminally - the early fade rather than the sublime long fade (3:52) that first appeared on "All The Great Hits" and was mixed and remastered by Paul Elmore.

"I'm Coming Out" is slightly SPED UP! It is actually noticeable upon listening. The best mix of the single mix is to be found on the "Disco Years: Vol. 4", remastered by the guru Bill Inglot. And for the best remastered single mix of "Upside Down", you must get "Billboard #1 Dance Hits: 1980", also remastered by Bill Inglot!

Ultimately, while most of the new 1960s Supremes mixes are exciting and pleasing on the ear, the Diana Ross solo mixes on this CD are shoddy. The Diva deserves better!

Diana Ross and the Supremes the #1's
I buy every every Diana Ross and the Supremes Package because Holland Dozier Holland produced the greatest songs of the 1960s.The Supremese remain tyhe best charting group in American history. 19 top ten hits including 12 number one hits in just eight years.The HDH team is the greatest American-born composers of the Rock Era., and maybe their race is the cause of them never getting grammys. All together HDH produced and wrote 12 number 1 and 27 top ten hits in four years. Only Lennon and McCartney surpass them. Each song is memorable and delicious. The remix of "You Keep Me Hangin'On" is worth buying the disc by itself. I liked some of the new re-mixes of the other songs. Diana's music was an addied bonus. Imagine what could be done with other songs by the Supremes if remixed with some verve and nerve? Each song is good,it is too bad that there were not more re-mixes. They are Supreme angels of 1960s and 1970s Rock and Soul. They just keep me and all their other loyal fans hanging on for the next re-issue. These sisters were aand are the paragons of glamour and good taste. Nobody will be unhappy with this package. The Diana Ross song are classy anbd remind us that before BET African Americans could be romantic and funky and en vogue without looking, dressing, and singing like self-hating stereotypes of demimondain in black-face. The showman ship and dedication to excellence with always made new fans for these girls from the Brewster Projects. They will never be replaced given the current crop of performers with no respect for themselve or their race. ... Read more

Amazon.com

God bless punk and new wave. Without them, '80s pop music might well have ended up as vapid and ghettoized as, well, pop music of the '90s. Those late '70s movements were frankly reactionary at heart (seeking to counter what was perceived as the overwrought tendencies of rock's prog and hard-rock elite and calling for a return to the diverse energy of '60s Top 40), but their influences can be felt on nearly every cut of this triple-disc hits anthology, from the Buggles' all-too-prophetic "Video Killed the Radio Star" to the nouveau funk of Kool and the Gang, the Dazz Band, and the Gap Band, to the nascent big-hairdom of Night Ranger ("Sister Christian") and Whitesnake. If you're looking for the roots of alternative rock or obscure college playlist fodder, look elsewhere; this is prime-time '80s pop chart glory, as seen on MTV (over and over and over). Though the songs here cover a breadth of style and genre (if not necessarily substance), there's a remarkable unity of purpose and hook-laden musical accomplishment that's sorely missed. If this collection woefully shortchanges hip-hop, it still underscores a distinctly irony-free era where style admittedly triumphed over substance, as opposed to the '90s, where style caricatured substance. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Spud from Idaho
This was a great CD. There were a lot of artist missing, but not too many minor artists included. I bought another 80s CD set and there were a lot of songs in it that I'd never even heard of. This is a great CD if you don't have many 80s CDs. I had a lot of them on tape, but needed to upgrade to CDs.

This CD has a lot of good memories, but some are still missing.

Overpriced overview
Goodness knows there are enough 80's compilation CD's out there, and many cover exactly the same territory.

ROLE CALL! Culture Club, present. Blondie, present. Tears For Fears, present. Michael Jackson, absent. Soft Cell, present. Duran Duran, absent. Eurythmics, present. Frankie Goes to Hollywood, present. Cyndi Lauper, absent. Thomas Dolby, absent. Peter Gabriel, present. Madonna, absent. Kool & the Gang, present. Bryan Adams, present. New Kids on the Block, absent, but who cares? Not a bad turn out.

Given that there's under 50 tracks, there's a pretty good representation of the hits of the day, and even a few misses (Tempted, Oh Yeah, Weird Science) that have aged better than several high charted songs.

If somehow, by this point in your life, you've avoided buying these tracks separately, this is a good way to get them together for your next retro party. But you probably already have more than half of them or you wouldn't be reading this far. As such this may be more than you want to spend.

Check out Rhino's New Wave Dance Hits (Just Can't Get Enough) series for a lot more depth and a lot less repetition with your current collection.

Wonder who'll be included on the first 3-CD review of this decade...

Good Collection, not Great
This is a good collection of a variety of the pop side of the 80s music, although still lacking some of the most popular artists of the time, where is "The Material Girl," Madonna, Michael Jackson's "Thriller"? Cindy Lauper's "Girls Just Want to have Fun"? Huge hits from the 80s pop culture, all missing. Also missing, is another huge part of 80s music, the "hair bands" that were so wildly popular. Where are Cinderella, Poison, Faster Pussycat, Tesla, Motley Crue, Mr. Big, Skid Row? Not to mention it's missing the heavy metal, such as Metallica, Halloween, Jackel, WASP, Quiet Riot? I still have them on tapes that I bought throughout the 80s and I remember hearing them on the radio, why drop a huge part of the 80s music era? Also missing is the collections of the alternative bands of the 80s like Love and Rockets, The Cure, where are they? I like this collection, I just feel that they focused on one type of music that came from the 80s and ran with it. This would have been a great collection had they dropped some of the lesser known songs and added some of the other genres of the 80s sounds.

Lots of memories (of better songs)
It's a good collection of tunes from the 80s that appeals to those of us who came of age during the time. But, after a listen-through, it left me craving a collection with a few more of the high-points from the decade.

Music I grew up with...
There is not a bad song in this set. It is full of wonderful, classic music from the 80's and not to be missed. Ahh, the 80's. How I miss that time. At least now I can relive some of it with this music! ... Read more

Reviews (36)

I'd give it ten stars if I could...
This is one awesome CD. I originally bought it because I saw two songs I liked on the CD case - "Brickhouse" by The Commodores, and "Car Wash" by Rose Royce. Not being too familiar with the funk genre at the time, I figured this would be another of my CDs where I bought it for the two or three songs I liked, and the rest were throwaways. Besides, it was on sale, and looked like a good bargain.

After having played the CD, I was like, WOW! Every song on this CD totally jams! I found myself buying albums from the likes of Issac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield just through the influence of this CD. I now have a much broader musical taste and enjoy the strains of "The Theme from Shaft" while rolling down the highway. This is my favorite CD by far, and is unlikely to be unseated by another in the near future.

Yes!
This CD rocks the house. It's got all the classic funk songs, from Shaft to Superfly to Brickhouse and Car Wash. It is excellent. The tunes just keep bouncing around in my head. It's great dance music as well. This is a classic, buy it today.

luv da funk
volume 1 and 2 of pure funk r the twon best funk cds out there buy them 2day

PURE!
Thank you, oh funk-compilation-geniuses. This CD introduced me to funk and lifted me out of the disco genre. While "Don't Stop the Music" is a low point, and i have developed a pyschological block to "Car Wash" (very like my relationship with fleetwood mac's "Landslide") the rest of the album is funk, at it's purest best. "Brick House" "Shining Star" and "Lady Marmalade" are very, very worth the money. It's a great CD for listening to when you're having a low day (i.e. Mondays), or at a party. Basically rooted out all of the crappy funk that otherwise innocent souls would have had to sift through.

Solid!
Pure Funk is the best compilation CD of funk I've seen. Although there are a couple of misses and boderline songs (Cameo, Yarbrough and Peoples), the disc holds up very well. It would be hard to include more funk hits into one disc, but a glaring missing-in-funk-tion is James Brown's "Get on Up" or "Hot Pants". The first four songs are worth the price of the album. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The accompanying film recreates the original vibe of the '70s television show so brilliantly it's no wonder the producers decided to stick with the real thing for the soundtrack to Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson's hilarious remake of Starsky & Hutch. So no embarrassing contributions from Sugar Ray or OutKast (Anyone remember the unfortunate "Land of a Million Drums" from the Scooby Doo movie?), but a great if slightly used roller-disco soundtrack courtesy of the Jackson Five ("Dancing Machine") and KC & The Sunshine Band ("That's The Way I Like It"), balanced out by some marshmallow pop like Starland Vocal Band's "Afternoon Delight" and earnest country rock by Johnny Cash ("Folsom Prison Blues") and Waylon Jennings ("I'm a Ramblin' Man"). This is what the radio used to sound like before the robots took over. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Good, but could have been better...
This soundtrack isn't a total loser. There are some definite highlights such as; "Dazz" by Brick an all-time favorite. Chicago's "Old Days" is a great 70's tune and a great way to open this disc. "Afternoon Delight" is truly is a delightful piece of pop confection. I always enjoy anything by Bill Withers. But the album would have been better without the cover versions by Owen Wilson, Dan Finnerty, and Brigette Romanek. The originals are far superior.
A few songs in the movie that were not included would have made the soundtrack much better. One is Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion", a great 70's hard rock tune. The other is the Carpenters' classic "We've Only Just Begun". I'm sure though that royalties for "We've Only Just Begun" are very expenisve.

Disappointing
David Soul's version of "Don't Give Up On Us" was not included - to me, that would have been the ONLY reason to purchase this CD. David Soul has a wonderful voice, and shouldn't have been mocked by Owen Wilson's version. But after listening to this CD, if I were David Soul, I'd keep my version of the song off of this CD. There's only two original version songs that I liked. And the original Starsky & Hutch theme song should have been included on here. I know the movie's a re-make, but let's not forget the originals, they can never be replaced!

Worth it for Owen Wilson alone
When is Owen Wilson coming out with his own album?
He's tops in my book!

NOT ENUFF FUNK IN THE 70'S TRUNK
I listened to this CD, and I was highly disapointed! Why? because there was not enough funk in the CD trunk. Sure they had Brick doin' Dazz (which is available on every funk CD compilation on planet Earth). However, where's the rest of it? I mean, if you're gonna have Snoop Doggy Dog in a movie, and only have 1 funk song, to me, that movie is a failure! Anyway, the reason I am writing this review is to find out about the other songs that did not make it on the soundtrack. For instance, there was 1 instrumental 70's funk track that did not make it. I am currently looking for that group / track. If anyone out there knows the rest of the songs in the movie (that did not make the CD cut) please let me know. And for the record: Leon Haywood is funky; Bill Withers is funkier, and KC & the Sunshine Band is funkiest, however, the Jackson 5 is still considered pop to me, but Dancing Machine is an extremely infectious, and funky tune. As a final note, the reason I'm giving this disapointing CD 5 stars is because I liked the aforementioned 5 songs, and musical artists. And these days if you can get 5 good funk / funky / funkier / funkiest songs on 1 CD, then you found yourself a gem!

Nothing without Owen Wilson
Most of these songs are straight off of albums you can get at almost any thrift store for a buck or less.
Despite what other reviewers might have you think, the only reason to get this is for the Owen Wilson song-- it gets 10 out of 10 for hilarity. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A three-note horn blast, a disco groove calling from the dance floor, a woman's voice charging in to sing "never, ever do I feel discouraged."It's the '70s again. You're surrounded by freedom at its most complete, and trivial. This is how Boogie Nights, a film about the rise and fall of a porn star, begins. The soundtrack consists of dance and trash pop songs playing non-stop, forming a kind of historical narrative behind the action. Vol. I rescues some great nuggets of fluff, both black and white--"Magnet and Steel" and "The Best of My Love," for example. Then, it deliberately goes too far with Night Ranger's "Sister Christian." The song, defiantly candy-ass, challenges our capacity to recycle the pop culture past. Its earnest emptiness and lack of irony make it the most uncool, and fascinating, thing on the record. --Steve Tignor ... Read more

Reviews (21)

"Feel The Heat" With This Classic Disco Era Soundtrack!!!
From the first selection/snippet from the movie, "Feel the Heat" with actors, Mark Wahlberg & John Reilly, you know that you are gonna be in for a WILD and WEIRD ride, listening-wise. Followed up by disco tune "The Best of My Love" from The Emotions, the grinding, sexy, moaning "Jungle Fever" by Chakachas the sweet and sexy double entendre song, "Brand New Key" by Melanie and the weird, wild, dreamlike, drug induced "Spill the Wine" with Eric Burdon. This is a great disco/drug era CD soundtrack with many hits and little misses. Marvelous Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up, Pt. 1" is certainly a highlight along with the love ballad, "Magnet and Steel" by Walter Egan and cool,"Livin' Thing" from The Electric Light Orchestra.

Misses are: the instrumental "Machine Gun" - The Commodores
the corny "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" - McFadden & Whitehead, and the embarrassing, Sister Christian - Night Ranger

God Only Knows by The Beach Boys and the eerily instrumental
Big Top composed by Michael Penn are fair.

Check out VOLUME TWO of Boogie Nights soundtrack also! It's great!

Happy Listening!

Great Soundtrack, but you need both...
There were so many great songs in Boogie Nights, and only 13 of them made it onto the original soundtrack. You really need this one PLUS the Boogie Nights #2 CD (which is just as good, if not better) in order to get all of them. However, this one probably has the songs most essential to the movie (including Mark Wahlberg singing that horrible, horrible yet funny song, Feel The Heat). My favorites are Best of My Love (The Emotions), Brand New Key (Melanie) -- it's hilarious, Spill the Wine (Eric Burdon), Sister Christian (Night Ranger), Machine Gun (The Commodores), the classic Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now (McFadden & Whitehead), Livin' Thing (Elo) and God Only Knows (The Beach Boys). If you like this one, I'd definitely recommend buying the Boogie Nights #2 CD as well.

Great album!
Boogie Nights is one of my favorite soundtracks of all time. It's so groovy and seventies, with a nice mix of disco tracks, and some mellower stuff like "Magnet and Steel" and the Beach Boys classic "God Only Knows". I could do without the score track at the end, although I adore Michael Penn. You have to go allll the way through it to get to the hilarious secret song. Night Ranger's "Sister Christian" is also pretty cheesy, but it does fit in well. All in all, a great soundtrack to a great film.

Feel the heat.
This disc will definitely remind you of the movie, but even better than that, it's just a cool bunch of songs. Besides the intro of "Feel The Heat" from Dirk, this has 70's classics from "The Emotions", "Marvin Gaye", "The Beach Boys", and "The Commodores". My faves would have to be "Magnet and Steel", "Machine Gun", and the track "Brand New Key", because it reminds me of "Rollergirl", played flawlessly by "Heather Graham". A few lines from the movie itself would have been cool too. Oh well. The only thing I really miss here is "Jessie's Girl", but that's on volume 2. Otherwise this is the best soundtrack for your next few "Boogie Nights".

Didn't feel it...
There are a lot of great songs on this CD, sure. But I only wanted one: Dirk Diggler's "The Touch". 'Nough said. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Is there anything that simply screams the 1970s' most indelible pop cultural clichés--the sunny romanticism, perfect vocal hooks, feathered hair, stacked heels, and flared sateen britches--more than the Swedish pop phenomenon Abba? And while many a pundit snootily dismissed them during their prime as some sort of prefabricated aberration, their worldwide popularity peaked somewhere just south of Beatlesmania. Indeed, Abba's music was as finely tooled and crafted as anything to come from a Volvo or IKEA factory--if occasionally more economically potent. This double-disc, 37-track anthology comes neatly on the heels of Mama Mia!, the smash, if unlikely, Broadway show based on the band's hits, and documents every single released by the band's Polar label in their home country as well as key tracks released internationally.

This is the canon from whence the term "Europop" sprang. With a continental sense of vocal neoclassicism, informed by just the right ethnic clichés (and oft wed to the era's insistent 4/4 disco beat) to make songs like "Mama Mia," "Fernando," "Chiquitita," and "Voulez-Vous" work on a global scale, the writing team of Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and their respective partners in music and life, Agnetha Faltskog and Frida Lyngstad, developed the seamless, wall-of-sound productions contained herein. The Definitive Collection features a rare single remix of "Ring, Ring" and a 1979 promo-only extended mix of "Voulez-Vous" as bonus tracks, as well as a concise, illustrated history of the band and each track. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (20)

All the singles in one double CD
This collection includes all the songs that were released as singles in Sweden, plus re-mixes of two of them. All their British and American hits can be found here, though some songs were not released as singles outside Sweden, while others were released in some other countries but not others.

The set begins with the pre-Abba track People need love - it features Benny and Bjorn but not Agnetha or Frida. The featured female singer is Svenska Flicka, who is otherwise unknown to me. Ring ring was Abba's first real single, while He is your brother is an interesting song, but Abba only really hit the big time with Waterloo, which was their first British number one and also reached the top ten in America. Subsequent singles met with varying degrees of success and it was not until Dancing queen was released in 1976 that Abba had another hit that could be called truly international. It went all the way to number one in Britain, America and many other countries.

Their other British number ones were Mamma Mia, Fernando, Knowing me knowing you, Name of the game, Take a chance on me, Super trouper and Winner takes it all. Many of their other singles went into the top five, including I have a dream, which spent a month at number two. In America, Take a chance on me was a huge hit but the others were markedly less successful.

This is a wonderful collection of Abba's music. If you only want one Abba collection, this is a good one to choose.

Admit it, they're good!
This greatest hit set blows away previous ABBA greatest hits sets. It has all their hits and great album tracks, thereby completely making "Gold" and "More Gold" obsolete. Most people still refuse to acknowledge ABBA as a worthy musical entity simply because their music is poppy and their lyrics aren't socialogically significant. However their tunes and carefully crafted productions are, and will be timeless. The songwritering team of Anderson-Ulvaeus are as strong as Lennon and McCartney when crafting melodies. The two female vocalists, Anni-Frid and Agnetha, do a superb job of layering their vocals to fit the song. From the excitment of "Waterloo" to the disco beat of "Dancing Queen," from the horn-driven "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" to the super-low bass synth in "One of Us" this two disc has it all. Put them in your CD and let it go. Don't worry if you can't "get" what other artists are trying to tell you or if their "angst" doesn't move you. Just put ABBA on and smile. Good music does that. You'll be singing these songs for days. Sometimes good music doesn't have to be about anything---and thats what makes it good.

ABBA rules!
I also was in Jr. High School and High School when Abba was cranking out top 10 hits. In those days I snuck into the record shop and hid my Abba albums under the cover of Led Zeppelin and then ditched the Zeppelin at the check out counter. It was imperative to hide your face while purchasing Abba albums. They were that uncool. To admit you loved this group in geometry class was to court disaster and be ostracized for the rest of your life.

Such nonsense mattered as a 14 year old, now I can openly say Abba's music is wonderful and their arrangements were as innovative as anything coming out of the 70's. It is simply impossible to listen to Dancing Queen or Take a Chance on Me and not want to hear the songs again and again. The vocal intricacies on Take a Chance are equal to the harmonies on most Beach Boys records. How about Waterloo? Three minutes of the most pulsing, catchy music ever put on a disc.

Abba's music sounds better today than it ever did, particularly when you know what dreck was produced by other bands in the intervening years. They might not have been Dylanesque lyrically, but few have ever written songs with such clever hooks, bridges and infectious rhythm. Thirty years after the fact, the impossible has happened: Abba has finally become cool!

Renders "Abba Gold" obsolete
this 2 disc set of Abba spanning 1972-1982 (their entire run) is worth getting, even if it costs a little more than the famous Abba Gold. Abba has too many good songs for just one measly disc. For those who want more than one disc, but don't want to fork over $60 for the box set (which is a great box set if you like Abba enough), The Definitive Collection is the title for you. The best part is that except for the two "bonus" tracks at the end (the 12" remix of Voulez-Vous and the US single version of Ring Ring), everything on here is chronologically. Spanning 1972's People Needs Love to 1982's The Day Before You Came. I prefer it when compilation cd's are in chronological order instead of in a mishmash.

For the 3 people who still hate Abba, GET OVER IT!!! To deny Benny/Bjorn as great pop songwriters (IMO, in a league with Lennon/McCartney, Taupin/John and Brian Wilson in terms of writing great pop songs) is showing that you still hold the image of Abba against them. Get over it. Abba still rules and people will be listening to them until the end of time.

Folks, This Is Just Abba
Abba, when I first heard them on American radio in the 70's were considered an insipid, sacharine joke. That is what they still are. I am dismayed by the "reassessment" of this group that has taken place recently. Who's next-the classic Carpenters or the essential DeFranco family? ... Read more