Posted on: December 1, 2016 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0
Roy Orbison – The Ultimate Collection (CD)

To be honest there are a slew of Roy Orbison albums out there packed with “hits” and “best of” tracks, but this latest 26-track offering from Legacy is among the best to date, including his late career tracks and going all the way back to his legendary Sun Records period.

Frustratingly the order is not chronological, but that is one of only a few knocks against this CD. Along with the obvious Orbison classics, (“Pretty Woman,” “Only the Lonely,” “Cryin” and “Walk On”) it includes some of his surprisingly late in his career hits like “You Got It,” that came out in 1989 shortly after his death as well as two songs from The Traveling Wilbury’s – likely the best super group in history, comprised of Orbison, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynne (“Handle With Care” and “Not Alone Anymore”).  The collection also includes “I Drove All Night” a song written for Orbison and recorded in 1987, but oddly not released until 1992 after it had already become a global hit for Cyndi Lauper.

“The Ultimate Collection” is just one more reminder of how brilliant a singer Orbison was, managing to win over fans across four decades.

Roy Orbison – The Ultimate Collection/26 tracks/Legacy/2016 / https://www.legacyrecordings.com/

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