This message is for all those who want to explore Roy Orbison, but don't know which discs to buy first. I have checked out everything Amazon has to offer, and I will be straight foward. Most people consider Roy's "Golden" era to be the Monument Years ('60-'65). If you just want to spen... on one CD which gives you about 20 of the "common classics" from this era you could either buy this CD or one by RHINO called "For The Lonely: 18 Greatest Hits ('56-'64)." This RHINO CD is offered by AMAZON a little further down the inventory list, and I would recommend it above the disc you're looking at now. But truthfully, I would not recommend buying one 20 song greatest hits disc. If you truly want a solid collection of Roy's best material, do the following: On the Amazon inventory list (of 83 items!), scroll beyond the US Releases until you find IMPORTS. One of the first ones you will see is "Big O: Singles Collection" (for ...). This (50 songs) is the ultimate collection of A sides & B sides from '60-'65. If you seriously want to discover some precious Roy material, you should buy this and also a disc by RHINO which covers the MGM years '65-'68 (which for some bizzare reason is rare and untouched by all the hits collections). This disc is also availble on AMAZON (for ...), and you can find it close to the beginning of the U.S. Releases inventory list. It's called "The Classic Roy Orbison ('65-'68)." So if you buy the two discs I strongly recommend, you will have 70 songs from 1960 - 1968 (for ...), which includes the basic hits you would find on any Roy disc, PLUS tons of brilliant A sides and B sides which are harder to find and just as good if not better. I hope this message has help you.

It was once said that Roy Orbison's voice had a quality that made him sound like he was from another planet. The voice was so great and had such a unique quality as to make it almost surreal. With his three octave range he could be lighthearted as in "Pretty Woman" or tragic as in "Crying," "It's Over," and "Running Scared." His voice literally could give me chills. Orbison is a true rock n roll legend and a great anthology such as this one is an essential item in every rock lover's collection. His voice could produce raw emotion and this well selected collection demonstrates why so many consider Roy to be the greatest voice ever.

This is a great CD. There are other more comprehensive Orbison collections which might fit well for those inclined to delve more deeply into his work, this one disc is the best place to start listening to the Big O.

Lots of folks in the '60's sang well. Not too many could be downright operatic in their range and tembre. One was Roy Orbison. He sang with passion, which most often translated into the pain of unrequited loves.

Back in the day, when things were not too cool with me and my honey (which seemed like a constant state of affairs for me in high school), I could not listen to "Crying" without wanting to. I think this was the greatest track he ever laid down. Roy was the only one who knew what time is was, as evidenced by "Only the Lonely". This album has just about every hit he ever did, with other highlights like "It's Over" and "Running Scared".

I pity anyone who had the experience to sing of this kind of pain. No one other than Roberta Flack sang so often of such delicious heartache.

As he mutters while lamenting the state of things with that classic "Pretty Woman": MERCY!

There are a lot of Roy Orbison collections available today. There is at least one Roy Orbison collection more comprehensive than this collection. However, this collection, in spite of its name, is Roy's hits for the six years he was with Monument Records, 1960-1965.

Prior to signing with Monument Orbison was virtually unknown. Until working for Monument he was too shy to allow his three octave voice to take control of the songs he sang. However, when "Only the Lonely" hit the airwaves it was an instant success and Roy Orbison's career was launched.

Usually I talk about the songs on a CD in detail. However, these songs need no one to talk about them. These songs are that good. Admittedly, these songs are representative of but a short period in his career, and his latter years, including his work with the Traveling Wilburys, will have to be found in another collection.

Roy's hits from that era are well represented. "Crying," "It's Over" and "Blue Bayou" shows his vocal range. "Mean Woman Blues" shows that Orbison could sing a faster-paced song. These songs have a timeless air to them as well. "Love Hurts" was also covered very well by Nazareth. "Pretty Woman" became the basis of and theme song for one of Richard Gere and Julia Robert's best movies.

I usually rely on my own words with brief quotes, but in this case I think Bob Dylan's words are appropriate: "Orbison...transcended all the genres...With Roy, you didn't know if you were listening to mariachi or opera. He kept you on your toes...His voice could jar a corpse...His songs had songs within songs. Orbison was deadly serious...There wasn't anything else on the radio like him."

Roy Orbison could and did wring emotion from anything that he chose. His voice was one of the most powerful in rock history. Roy has had three songs (all in this collection) recognized by Grammy Hall of Fame Awards; "Oh, Pretty Woman," inducted in 1999; "Crying" inducted in 2002; and "Only the Lonely" inducted in 1999. Roy also received five Grammy awards between 1980 and 1990. "Rolling Stone Magazine" has listed these three songs and "In Dreams" on its list of the "Greatest 500 Songs of All Time." In 1989, Roy Orbison was posthumously inducted into the National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame.

No less a personage than Elvis Presley called Roy "the greatest singer in the world." Barry Gibb called Roy Orbison "the voice of God." In 1964 Orbison's single "Oh, Pretty Woman" soared to #1 on Billboard charts, displacing the Beatles. This record became the biggest selling single up to that point.

It is presumptuous of me to think that I could give Roy Orbison and his music any greater accolades than those who were his contemporaries and among some of the musical greats. Roy Orbison was a power in music. Buy this collection and you will see why.

There are few surprises here: This 20 track, 2 volume in one CD is a first rate compilation of Roy's golden years with Monument records in the early to mid 1960s. Naming favorite tracks is highly subjective, for each of us has our pet choices. Roy had so many hits and most were done his unique triple octave voice that led up to climactic fadeouts or endings. (This reviewer does not actually know what a "triple octave" voice is but I have heard it used often in referring to Roy). The best goldies from this viewpoint are "It's Over" and the ultimate climax song "In Dreams". Who else could hit that high note? Who else would dare attempt it? This reviewer also liked "Blue Bayou" and "I'm Hurtin". And yes, "Pretty Woman" is here too. Some amazon friends have complained that none of Roy's selections from his later years are included but those are beyond the scope of this CD. It is vital to note that amazon has an extensive (!) selection of Roy CDs. I don't know of any that match the value of this particular one. Why keep scrolling down? Why wait? Hit the "add to shopping cart" button. It's difficult to end a positive review on a negative note but the skimpy and thinly written informational jacket insert is truly pathetic! Surely Roy derves more respect!