Don't get me wrong -- there are few Olivia fans as hopelessly devoted as I am. But this album falls short of what it could have been.

Obviously, with a name like OLIVIA'S LIVE HITS, we're not expecting an album containing new or rarely-heard material. In that respect, this album covers the bases pretty well (even though a couple of the songs, like "If Not for You" and "Don't Stop Believin'," were not exactly #1 hits).

The sound quality is also quite good, with a nice audio mix. No complaints there. Unlike many live albums, it contains gaps between songs -- the applause after each song fades to silence, giving the feeling that you're listening to an edited version of a concert (which you are).

What disappointed me about the album is its length. 10 songs, less than 38 minutes of music. Not only does it leave out some of Olivia's bigger hits (songs such as "Let Me Be There," "Please Mr. Please," "A Little More Love," etc.), but it also leaves out most of the concert from which this album was taken.

The DVD of this concert contains 27 songs. The brevity of the CD is certainly not due to a lack of available material. This makes it seem as if the CD was kept short just to keep from having to pay out as much money in royalties.

Had this CD contained between 15 and 20 songs, I'd say that it was a must-own for any Olivia fan. As it is, fans are much better off just buying the DVD and not spending the extra money on the CD.

"Olivia's Live Hits" simply falls below the mark. This is a blatant attempt by EMI to exploit not only ONJ, but her many fans. Instead, look for, and buy, ONJ's "One Woman's Live Journey", recorded in 1999 at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, and released on Hip-O Records in 2000. At two seconds shy of 80 minutes, it's a much better value, and all the songs on "Live Hits" are on it, save for "If Not For You". Don't give in to this corporate hack job; go for the real deal.

I titled my review as such, since there are a number of other artists lately who seem to enjoy recording and perorming cover songs more than their own material. Here, Olivia does justice to her own.

This CD is an edited version of a great DVD that features a entire concert she recorded at the famous Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Symphony, see my review.

This release does acheive what the DVD does, in that we have Olivia, a true survivor, treating her audience to a career restrospective of her hits, from Have You Ever Been Mellow, to her hits from Xanadu, and of course Grease. Her signature concert encore, I Honestly Love You, is here, and it never sounded better or more sincere.

Would it have been even better if this CD was exactly the same as the DVD ?? Perhaps, but maybe not, this CD will very well turn on some new fans of hers, who might not initially buy the DVD.

Ken

I was very disappointed in this album. I bought the DVD from Olivia's Sydney concert and presumed that this album was all the same songs as it had the same basic cover and came out at the same time.
It however only contained 10 songs, 12 songs less than the DVD had on it.
And it cost almost the same! I love Olivia Newton-John, but this was just wrong!

THIS IS ACTUALY DISSAPOINTING AS A CD, THEY HAVE TAKES ONLY A FEW SONGS FROM THE LIVE AT SIDNEY OPERA HOUSE DVD AND PUT SOME SONGS ON IT AND NOT GIVE US A "SOUNDTRACK" OF THE GREAT DVD WHICH IS AMAZING AND A MUST FOR THAT ONJ FAN, I GREW UP LISTENING TO HER MUSIC AND SHE STILL LOOKS AMAZING.

I SUGGEST THAT SHE HAVE THE ENTIRE DVD PUT ONTO CD LIKE THE BEE-GEES DID WITH ONE NIGHT ONLY, FANS WOULD LOVE IT.