Search - Buddy Holly :: The Very Best of Buddy Holly

The best one volume Holly collection

Candace Scott | Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA | 04/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a marvelous collection and by far the best single-CD collection out there on Buddy's music. Most people listening to Buddy's music for the first time can never stop at just one CD, so this will serve as a fine introduction to some of the best music you'll ever hear. Though these songs are all more than 45 years old, they wear well and are timeless.Most casual rock fans can name only a few Holly tunes: "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue," but there is so much more than that. This collection includes two of his most haunting, beautiful ballads, "True Love Ways" and "Raining in My Heart." Listen to the innovative string arrangements on these tunes and you'll plainly know why Paul McCartney (who owns the Holly musical catalogue), adopted these arrangements ten years later as a Beatle. In addition, this CD includes the musicians and Buddy counting down as an intro to these two songs. It's sad to realize that just months later, he would be dead.Perhaps the best song on the album is the amazing It Doesn't Matter Anymore, about a love gone wrong. Again, the string arrangement is years ahead of its time and makes you ponder what might have been had Holly's life not ended so tragically and prematurely. He was a genuine innovator and talent. This compilation proves that. The sound quality is superb, I can't recommend this CD enough."

Best single-disc Holly offering; presentation varies but ove

Scott MacGillivray | Massachusetts, USA | 12/27/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 1999 release is a 36-song sampler of Buddy Holly's best recordings. Unlike some Holly collections, which include an overdose of his earliest, pre-stardom stuff, this material showcases Buddy at his height. You get all the hit singles ("That'll Be the Day," "Peggy Sue," "Maybe Baby," "Oh Boy!," "Rave On," etc.) as well as some good B-sides ("Take Your Time," "Everyday," etc.). The music itself ranges from good-time rock-'n'-roll to catchy pop, to funky rhythm-and-blues to introspective ballads, and Holly does justice to all of it.



Buddy Holly recorded so prolifically that his record label kept issuing new singles for 10 years after his death. One-third of this CD consists of Holly vocals overdubbed by studio musicians and released posthumously. Of his last six compositions (known among fans as "the apartment tapes," because he recorded the demonstration vocals at home), four are included here. "What to Do," "Crying, Waiting, Hoping," and "Learning the Game" are the 1964 versions, with surf-guitar arrangements; "Peggy Sue Got Married" is the 1959 version with backing vocals added. Holly's last single, "Love Is Strange," is also featured here.



Considering that three dozen songs are crammed onto a single disc, the fidelity for the most part is surprisingly good, with a few exceptions ("Peggy Sue Got Married" is muffled, with the last couple of seconds abruptly chopped off).



The price tag for this one disc may be a bit high in some situations; some dealers price it high, so you could get multiple-disc Holly sets for the same money. But if you're looking for single-disc portability and convenience, this CD has the best overall assortment. Incidentally, there is a production error: the track listing in the liner notes cites only 35 songs. So you might call track #36 a hidden "Easter egg": it's "Not Fade Away," the B-side of "Oh Boy!""

Great Collection!

Morten Vindberg | Denmark | 02/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"So many great tunes!Of course there will always be discussions about which songs are the greatest of any artist. I think this one pretty much covers the best of Buddy Holly - with a few exceptions. I don`t understand that "That`s What The Say", "Dearest" and "You"re the One" were left out; personally I would gladly have exchanged these great songs with "Raining in My Heart", "Valley of Tears" and "Shake Rattle and Roll".The version of "Peggy Sue Got Married"" is not the best I have heard - I prefer the shorter mix without the choir.But just the same - to be highly recommended.By the way I think it`s high time that a box-set "Buddy Holly : The Complete Recordings" were released. There is so much great music that needs to be heard. "Gone", "Smokey Joe`s Cafe", "Slipping and Sliding", "Wait Till the Sun Shines Nellie", "Come Back Baby", "It`s Too Late" etc. the list is so long!"