The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison [Monument]

Originally released as ALL-TIME GREATEST HITS: VOLUME 1 & 2, on Monument (45116) in 1989.
Personnel includes: Roy Orbison (vocals, electric guitar); Grady Martin, Hank Garland, Jerry Kennedy, Larry Parks, Paul Garrison, Billy Sanford (guitar); Charlie McCoy (harmonica); Boots Randolph (saxophone); Floyd Cramer (piano); Bob Moore (acoustic bass); Harold Bradley (electric bass); Buddy Harmon (drums); Nashville Symphony Orchestra, The Candy Men, Bob Moore's Orchestra & Chorus.
Producer: Fred Foster.
Compilation Producer: Steve Hoffman.
Recorded at RCA-Victor "Nashville Sound" Studio B, Fred Foster's Monument Studio, Nashville, Tennessee; Pye Recording Studio, London, England. Includes original liner notes by Boudleaux Bryant. Additional liner notes by Bill Porter.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Liner Note Author: Boudleaux Bryant.
Unknown Contributor Role: Roy Orbison.
The listener is immediately convinced, from the opening a cappella bits of "Only the Lonely," that no one conveys pain and longing more sublimely or succinctly than Roy Orbison. But his songs are also masterpieces of production: so technically precise that his deceptively simple tunes and lush melodies flow even more smoothly behind his desperate baritone croon and quivering falsetto. This collection captures that astounding fidelity and corrals many of the Orb's most memorable works. The DCC series has been discontinued, as even the most ardent audiophile couldn't distinguish between the sound of its 24-karat gold CD and the standard run-of-the-mill store copy. The hefty price tag naturally contributed to its extinction as well. So hold out for the more economic, standard version. But don't attempt to live without an Orbison collection in your possession; such a life would be as bittersweet and tragic as "Crying" or "In Dreams," but lacking the rewards of listening to one of rock's truly heroic geniuses. ~ Doug Stone