Definitive All-Time Greatest Hits

Performer: John Denver
Producer: John Denver; Barney Wyckoff; Milton Okun; Milton Okun; John Denver; Barney Wyckoff; Rob Santos (Compilation)
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Initials pressings include bonus disc. Personnel: John Denver (vocals, guitar); Emmylou Harris, Pl�cido Domingo (vocals). Audio Mixer: Chris Theis. Liner Note Authors: Milton Okun; David Wild. Recording information: Goldstar Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA (??/1966-04/1983). Photographer: Lowell Norman. Arrangers: John Denver; Milton Okun; Dick Kniss; Lee Holdridge; Mike Taylor . The title of this collection by the Jesus of 1970s soft pop makes no bones about its intentions. Fortunately, it delivers what it promises in spades. DEFINITIVE ALL-TIME GREATEST HITS chronicles the hit-packed career of John Denver without missing a trick. From his earliest, most folk-oriented material ("Leaving on a Jet Plane," a hit for Peter, Paul & Mary) to his more country-flavored compositions ("Take Me Home, Country Roads," the stomp-along "Thank God I'm a Country Boy"), we're given a full picture of Denver's abilities. Early-'80s duets with Placido Domingo ("Perhaps Love") and Emmylou Harris ("Wild Montana Skies") underscore both the far-reaching ripples Denver made in the music world and the full range of his own gifts. Such gentle, melodic ballads as "Annie's Song" and "Sunshine on My Shoulders" are the distilled essence of what made '70s AM radio tick, and will elicit instant nostalgia for the era when Denver's brand of quiet, graceful songcraft reigned supreme. For the hardcore fan, a bonus disc includes previously unreleased versions of some of Denver's classic tunes. Placing the word definitive on a best-of collection is usually a panicked label attempt to fill last-minute Christmas stockings, but in the case of RCA's Definitive All-Time Greatest Hits John Denver retrospective, it's a truly apt description. Coinciding with the 35th anniversary of Denver's first album release on RCA, the two-disc, 24-track overview of the country-pop singer's storied career is the most concise and nuanced yet. Digitally remastered from the original master tapes, road-trip classics like "Take Me Home, Country Roads," "Rocky Mountain High," and "Back Home Again" are as warm as the singer's lauded tenor. There are no gimmicky re-recorded cuts or disappointing live tracks -- "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" spent its time on the charts in its live incarnation -- and his spotty '80s material is only briefly covered ("Perhaps Love" and "Shanghai Breezes"). The only real omission is "Grandma's Feather Bed," but the 20-page booklet and song-by-song commentary by longtime friend Milt Okun more than suffice. The bonus disc, maddeningly sparse at just four tracks, makes up for its brevity by including a goose bump-inducing 1975 acoustic version of "Calypso." With the pompous string section, clanging ship bell, and unnecessary drum fills removed, his ode to Jacques Cousteau's tenacious vessel is a wonder of emotion and nautical kinsmenship that inarguably exhibits Denver as one of the greatest vocalists of his time. For those unwilling to sift through the exhaustive four-CD Country Roads Collection, this Definitive package is a good buy and a rewarding visit with an old friend. ~ James Christopher Monger

As John Denver, the former John Henry Deutschendorf was a ubiquitous icon of the 1970s. Although he had been a musician and songwriter in the 1960s, penning "Leaving on a Jet Plane" for Peter, Paul & Mary, Denver hit his stride in the '70s with earnest folk songs celebrating the glories of the natural world and life's simple pleasures. Although he was sometimes savaged by critics for his overarching earnestness, his songs speak for themselves, and his records still sell in large numbers. In the wake of his premature death in a 1997 plane crash, a number of contemporary artists have recorded Denver's songs, without any hint of irony.

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