Excellent CD at a great value
342347
The CD arrived in new condition, and I already knew the music was going to be great before I bought it. I was hooked when I heard "Sympathy" on the radio.
962817
After looking & looking for a while for this double CD, I was able to find it used in ebay.  So I bid high like I've never bid before on ANY item, especially a cd.
I got it today, and I'm listening to it right this moment.  I am quite pleased & impressed.
A lot of Oakey's really good hits are included in this 2 CDs.  From "Someone" to "Sin City" to "El Nino."  There are a few tracks that I had not heard before, and I'm quite glad.
If you can find this cd, grab it by any means.  You will not be dissapointed at all, if you like electronic/dj/trance music.  This set has it all.
1218115
The material is well presented and complemented with an excellent CD. The price is reasonable for a learner reluctant to expend a large amount for material that may not be appropriate for beginners. Definetly recommend this item for a rank beginner!
3552005
The CD is the bomb. No more no less.  This was well worth the money.
4743900
Wow, this CD really is amazing.  There isn't much I can say that adds to what the other reviewers have mentioned except this: The same Gala disc is available under a different Amazon listen for much less.  I was rejoicing at having snatched up one of the last $9 copies of this CD until I ran across this:&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Joan-Sutherland/dp/B000028CRS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Joan Sutherland</a>.  I would have only saved $3.50, but you can save (as of today) $20 by going through the other listing -- and believe me, it's worth it!

There is some treasures here: *both* Queen of the Night arias, a delightful Spohr aria, and Lucia's first song, the latter from 26 February 2 1959, less than two weeks after Sutherland's initial international success in Lucia di Lammermoor.

The sound is all in mono, ranging from pretty good (tracks 1-4, 1957; 7, 1959) to very good (tracks 5-6, 8-12, 1962).  But unless you're an incurable audiophile, the thrill of these recordings is a requisite experience for anyone who has enjoyed (or wishes to enjoy) Sutherland's voice.
1161473
I am no music critic but the quality of the 130+ tracks seems quite good and the price cannot be beat. Excellent value.
487183
You know, I find it hilarious that this compilation is fetching for over $30 here! I picked it up for $5 in a clearance right next to bad Kyle Minogue CD's (her older stuff of course) and some too hastily produced Australian Idol releases!

That being said, I must add that it was an absolute steal at $5, and I reckon it's still pretty good value at $30 or even $40. Three CD's that just stop you in your tracks and invite you to just sit and... well, chill out.

CD one starts off with a real upbeat and worldly theme before calming down into a good solid groove that is really mellow and mixed flawlessly. I say 'mixed', because whilst the CD is made up of individual tracks, you'd swear they were written just for this CD. The producer has indeed done his or her homework when deciding what goes where for this production. By the time CD one has finished, you simply can't get CD two to start quickly enough. The strings that greet you on the 'theme from Schindler's list' are genuinely enough to bring tears to your eyes, and CD two really doesn't let up from that point on. This for me is the pick of the box set; CD two is the best by a long shot, and offers the most laid back feel of all three CD's. It has a surprise ending with some vocals that you realise have been rare througout the second disc, and David Sylvian's (or 'Japan', depending on how you view the man/artist) 'Ghosts' wraps things up really well on the tail end of the second disc.  Disc two is the kind of disc that makes you read the liner notes to find out more about who sang or performed certain tracks on it, and then you wind up buying individual albums from all sorts of people you never knew existed!

Disc three is a bit more upbeat, drawing you out of the hypnosis brought on by disc two , and it is the disc that releases you from the trance so that you can continue on your way to the toilet or kitchen or wherever it was that you were off to before you started listening to these CD's.

Anyone who likes music will be impressed with these CD's. They are not pretentious as many other 'Chill' CD's can be, and they are not mainstream, so what you get is a real worthwhile collection of great music and not a rehash of the slower songs that made it to the top 40 at some point in the past six months. As I said earlier, this compilation is brilliantly put together, and all who had a hand in it ought to be really proud of how it came together.

I can't rate it high enough to be honest.
3517753
i bought this just today at tower records. it cost me with the 70% discount- we are going out of business sale- $3.25. what a bargain for a power group cd of theirs.  with the first listen i know i will grow to really enjoy this cd.  i have spend many hours of pure bliss in tower record stores. i am at a loss now where to find cd such as this.  i am taking advantage of the bargain prices.  in the last three weeks i have shopped in tower 7 times.  get out a get your own copy of this cd. you will not be disappointed.
1557534
This CD is great. It is in my top three favorite CDs. All but maybe one or two of the songs have really catchy tunes and nice beats. My personal favorites on here are "Million Pieces" (I bought this CD to get this song) and "Fad of the Land". The songs "Thrive" and "Cornelius" would probably be two others of my more liked songs, although really I like them all and have memorized at least sections of all of the songs.

I would definitely recommend this CD. It is definitely a CD for playing over and over again. Also, if you like this CD, I would also recommend their "Remixed" CD. Six of the songs on "Thrive" are remixed on that CD and there are seven "new" songs for you to enjoy. Both "Remixed" and "Thrive" are well worth your money. Listen and enjoy.
3317909
an inspiring cd with a full range of genres to enjoy
4819398
I've always loved Billy Joel and this is a great cd at a great price.  The best songs, great sound, awesome value.
1360290
I like early Cliff the best and there were enough early tracks here to tempt me to buy it,especially in used condition off an amazon shop it was a bargain. However I had carefully listened to the mp3 samples before I bought the CD so I knew the sound quality was good.

Having carefully listened to the actual Cds,I am very pleased with the sound quality,it is never less than good and frequently reaches excellent,the early tracks are mono,as they were never recorded in stereo,from track 7 to the end on CD1 we have all stereo recordings,as is the whole of CD2,this is much better than offered on most compilations,even the much more expensive singles collection does not offer this.

The original issue date is given as 1979,however my copy also has 1989 on it,were the tracks remastered during this 10 year period as my observations on the sound quality is different in some ways from certain other reviewers,I cannot say any more on this as it is against amazon review guide lines.

To sum up,if you like the selection of tracks,buy it as currently there is nothing better,thoroughly recommended,also do see my other Cliff reviews.
916939
I am very happy with my purchase. Even though I already had 2 of the 5 CDs in the collection box it was still value for money.
Plus the bonus DVD. Very happy with my purchase
1453528
Great CD, especially for the price.  I listen to this CD every day on my way to work and on my way from work.
1561036
This set of five CD's is extraordinarily good value for starters, but it has some incredible songs on it as well.  Some of these "mega compilations" are seriously not worth buying as they're the scrapings from the bottom of many, many barrels.  But, have no fear, this one has the best of the best!  We play this in my cafe and we get our older customers complimenting our music when artists like Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra come on, and then the middle years customers who love the "Divas" CD, and just a general happy vibe from all the others!  I think there are something like 100 songs on this and my favourite CDS are Divas, Crooners and Nu Jazz.  The other ones are "classics" and an orchestral one that are catchy too.  I'd recommend this set to anyone who has a broad taste in music, but also who likes to choose a CD based on their mood - there's really something for everyone here and people will always ask you "what is that CD??!!"  Brilliant and well worth buying.
2048264
Great CD! Very pleased! CD is like brand new for just the right price. Will definitely buy more in the future.
4172224
I bought this album last week and I must say I am incredibly impressed.  I recently started listening to big band music on a more serious basis.  Having been a fan of Brian Setzer from his time in the Stray Cats band, I started listening to the Stray Cats Greatest Hits CD I bought a few years ago (I hadn't listened to it for a long time), and now I'm hooked on big band music.  This is really a great value (I didn't order it from Amazon.com, but I wish I had, as it would have saved me $5.00 -- I paid about $20.00 for it at Borders Books & Music).  If you like big band music, definitely get this 2-disc Ultimate Collection -- Disc 1 is a concert from Montreal and Disc 2 is a concert from Japan (my personal favorite is the Montreal concert, but they are both excellent, and there's just nothing like listening to live music)).