Customer Reviews

42 Ultimate Hits

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Kenny Rogers" has almost as many collections out as he does hits, but this is in fact his "42 Ultimate Hits". Two discs loaded with more classic country than most artists will ever have. So many hits here, including "Lucille", "Lady", "Coward Of The County", "She Believes In Me", and the classic "The Gambler". Plus numerous duets with "Dottie West", "Kim Carnes", "Sheena Easton", and "Dolly Parton". In short, this is a must for the classic country, or "Kenny Rogers" fan.

This CD is a must for any Kenny Rogers fans. From his First Edition songs to the new releases, Kenny's voice sounds spectacular. Who else could have number one hits in five decades?
There are a lot of Kenny Rogers' greatest hits collections and, while this isn't the most comprehensive, it's at the top of the list. Most importantly, it's the only place you can hear his great new song, "My World is Over" with Whitney Duncan. It's a terrific song.

It's easy to see that with all the hits Kenny Rogers produced over the years, this collection could have been released as a three part series, one volume of hits a year. However that was not an option and we are graced with a two disc set that boasts all the hits, as hit collections do. Any fan of Kenny will recognize the missing songs, and his album of standards recorded with David Foster and Johnny Mandel has been totally overlooked. Still, this collection is damned impressive. Other reviews mentioned by name the missing songs, mentioning them now would be redundant. I must mention a favorite of mine that wasn't mentioned before, "If I Knew Then What I Know Now," recorded as a duet with Gladys Knight and was a huge hit. The label tried to be as comprehensive as possible, including a track from "Back To The Well," Kenny's last studio album to date and knowing him, he'll make this current hits collection obsolete by next year. If more Kenny is wanted, try the four disc set "Through The Years."

While this is easily the best collection of Kenny's hits for casual fans who don't need the box set, it is missing "What About Me", his duet with Kim Carnes and James Ingram, as well as "This Woman". Both of those songs made the Billboard pop top 40 chart and should definitely have been included in this compilation. It's still worth purchasing, but it is a shame that Capitol didn't include ALL the hits.

Whether or not you like his music, you can't deny Kenny Rogers is one of the most prolific and commercially successful artists ever. This two-disc restrospective 42 Ultimate Hits is the first collection other than his box set Through The Years to contain recordings from each of his labels since he first hit the charts in the '60s.

Five recordings by Rogers with the First Edition (1967-1970, on Reprise) lead off the first disc and they are an impressively versatile lot. There's the psychedelic "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," the sexy, r & b lavored "Something's Burning" and best of all, the folk tales "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town" and "Reuben James." Sorely missed here, however, is their sweet country-pop hit "But You Know I Love You."

The First Edition broke up in 1975 and Rogers signed a solo deal with United Artists (later folded into Liberty, then Capitol) records. These are the recordings that made Rogers a superstar and they comprise 25 of the 42 tracks found here). Rogers' initial producer at United Artists, Larry Butler, encouraged Rogers to make his sandpapery vocals a trademark (created by rehearsing until hoarse and straining to hold those almost out of reach notes). Rogers' early solo hits like Lucille," "The Gambler," "Coward Of The County," "Lady," and "Love Will Turn You Around" were strong representatives of cross-over country during the Urban Cowboy era. With one major exception: "You Decorated My Life." Who was that intended for, Martha Stewart?

The real highlight of Rogers' United Artists/Liberty years were the duets. Pairing Rogers with diverse artists like Kim Carnes("Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer") and Sheena Easton ("We've Got Tonight") provided a great showcase for his harmonic talents. Even better are the half-dozen singles that Rogers recorded with the late Dottie West during the late '70s. Their mixture of honey (West) and gravel (Rogers) made for a surprisingly tasty mix, especially on the jazzy "What Are We Doin' In Love" and the delightfully lustful "Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight."

Dolly Parton succeeded West as Rogers' duet partner in the '80s when he jumped to the RCA label, but their potent natural blend on the megahit "Islands In The Streams" was weakened by their overly loud backup singers/producers, the Bee Gees. "Islands" is followed here by five more hits from Rogers' RCA years (1983-1988), including the beautifully reflective "Twenty Years Ago," the horny "Morning Desire" and the Ronnie Milsap duet, "Make No Mistake, She's Mine." Unfortunate omissions from the RCA era include the galloping "Evening Star," and the chart-topping Parton collaboration "Real Love."

Slighted even more on this set is Rogers' late '80s - early '90s tenure on Reprise. By this point, country radio was concentrating on the new traditionalists and Rogers was no longer topping the charts. He made some wonderfully eclectic music, however, like the intergalactic cowboy ode "Planet Texas," the inspirational "When You Put Your Hear In It" and the wedding anthem "The Vows Go Unbroken," but only the latter recording is included here. Check out Through The Years for a more healthy sampling of the RCA and Reprise solo eras.

After some lean recording years, Rogers made an improbable but highly successful comeback in 1999 with the one-two punch of the humorous baseball saga "The Greatest" and the number one hit "Buy Me A Rose" for his own Dreamcatcher label. The three new tracks that follow and close this collection - including "My World Is Over" with Shania Twain-soundalike Whitney Duncan - reveal Rogers is still making quality music. Even if they fail to reach the upper regions, he's had - as this impressive set reminds us - a hell of a ride.

Haven't gotten the album, but this collection couldn't be timely! Kenny Rogers transcended both country and pop with his songs and his duets. I loved his duets with Dottie West, Dolly Parton, Kim Carnes, Sheena Easton and others. But his solo hits I definitely liked. This is a better collection of 42 songs put together than the set 20 he did in 1978. I would say from '78 to about '83-84, he had this incredible string of hits, most times on the pop charts. His ballads are beautiful as well as silky. He even did two new songs, so he's still hungry for it in 2004. I think that his most recent hits like The Greatest and Buy Me a Rose will rank among his best along with his older hits years from now. A very high-class and dedicated artist and performer and this album proves it!

This is a great collection with all of Kenny's hits in one nice package. The boxed set is great too, but you have lots of album cuts mixed in there. This is great if you just want the hits. Pretty much every song of Kenny's you could want is here. Kicking off with five tracks from his days with the First Edition then it goes into the slew of hits he had in the 70's. The duets are here, the recent hits are here. A great collection. Only one flaw, "Daytime Friends" is credited as a duet with Dottie West, it isn't, it never was. A typo so if you thought you were getting something rare, you're not. Other than that, a great collection!

This intense collection validates the claim that Kenny Rogers as a vocalist knew how to select strong material that would bridge many musical styles and trends.
The first part of this double collection is his material from his brief stint in the late 60s as front man for the top 40 pop/folk group THE FIRST EDITION. You will also find numerous hits from his most celebrated epoch as the most successful pop/country cross over artist during the late 70s early 80s (LADY, COWARD OF THE COUNTY, LUCILLE & YOU CELEBRATED MY LIFE).

His numerous chart successful duets with 80' Top40 Divas KIM CARNES and SHEENA EASTON are also included in this collection not to mention the #1 Pop Hit ISLANDS IN THE STREAM composed by THE BEE GEES. The only single missing is his collaboration on the anthem WE ARE THE WORLD. If you have ever been a fan of KENNY ROGERS, this is the collection to own. This double cd gives to you an impressive overview of a massive career that crossed most musical genres. This is a great collection to own for anyone wanting to collect MOR pop/country music.