[.ca] The Country Roads Collection (4CD)

From Amazon.co.uk:
Massive and impressively comprehensive, the Country Roads Box Collection is classic John Denver. Spanning four discs, the collection not only draws upon the obvious highlights of Denver's career, but also includes fan favourites that might not have received the same airplay as their more popular counterparts. Listening to Country Roads, the finesse with which Denver balanced his folk rock tendencies with his country leanings emerges as testament to his talent. As a box set, the collection would be remiss if it didn't include "Leaving on a Jet Plane", "Annie's Song", "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", or "Rocky Mountain High"--and, of course, the box set's namesake is here. Later hits like "Calypso", with its sea-shanty yodelling, portray Denver's ability to ease himself into the role of balladeer, regardless of the genre. Novelty duets with Placido Domingo and Emmylou Harris were intended to rekindle what seemed to be lagging popularity, but Country Roads establishes John Denver's contributions as timeless, nonetheless. --Steve Gdula

Excellent retrospective:
You have to enjoy John's music a lot to want this box, but you don't have to be a fanatic. This set provides a comprehensive overview of his career from his years at RCA (which are really the only ones that matter to most people). The first CD is interesting. It is made up entirely of tracks from Rhymes and reasons, Take me to tomorrow, Poems prayers and promises and Aerie. These were his first, second, fourth and fifth albums. The third album (Who's garden was this?) is mentioned in the accompanying booklet, but is not represented here at all. The collection starts with Leaving on a jet plane, which John wrote before he was famous. It became a huge international hit for Peter Paul and Mary. The most famous track is Take me home country roads, but there are many other great songs here. I would like to have seen his cover of Buddy Holly's Everyday and something from that third album included, but I have no complaints about what has been included. The second CD is compiled from the next four original albums - Rocky mountain high, Farewell Andromeda, Back home again and Windsong. This was the period when John's popularity was at its peak. Many of his famous songs are on this CD, including Annie's song, Back home again, Sweet surrender, I'm sorry and Rocky mountain high. Thank God I'm a country boy, originally a track on Back home again, was later recorded live and that recording became another huge hit. It is that version which is included here, not the original studio recording. The third CD begins with one last track from Windsong - Calypso, a tribute to Jacques Cousteau. During the period covered by this CD, John recorded two Christmas albums including one with the Muppets. Neither of these are represented here. So, the remainder of this CD contains tracks from Spirit, I want to live, John Denver (no other title) and Autograph. Although less successful than his earlier music, this was mainly due to changing public taste. The songs are brilliant. There are some great moments on the final CD, although lacking consistency. It was a decade of experimentation and change, but it yielded two superb duets - Perhaps love (with Placido Domingo) and Wild Montana skies (with Emmylou Harris). The albums represented on this CD are Some days are diamonds, Seasons of the heart, It's about time, Dreamland express and One world. This comprehensive collection contains many tracks not otherwise available on CD and is fitting tribute to a unique singer.

Country Roads Collection:
I got this because I absolutely love John Denver's music. I especially like Take Me Home Country Roads and Thank God I'm A Country Boy. I also like Sunshine on My Shoulders. I play them all the time. I would definately recommend this collection to anyone who likes John Denver's music, it would be a great buy.

a must have:
I grew up on John's music, my first song was Rocky Mountain Suite. I have close to a dozen of his albums, all of them phenomenal (Seasons of the Heart, Windsong, It's About Time, Farewell Andromeda and Poems Prayers and Promises being my favorites) but this boxed set had quite a bit of new material for me. I recommend this to anyone who loves John's music or people who maybe haven't yet discovered the wonderful tunes beyond the radio hits (like Country Roads and Rocky Mountain High) John is gone but his music will live on forever through his fans. "Though the singer is silent, there still is the truth of the song" -'On the Wings of a Dream', "It's about time"

It just doesn't sound right:
The remixing is so bad , THAT IT GETS ON MY NERVES. WHY DO THEY RUIN AN ARTIST MUSIC LIKE THAT? I WISH I HAD NEVER BOUGHT IT.

I own this. Bleh. Wish it was better.:
The sound on this collection is extremely muddy. Bleh. I just picked up Best of John Denver which is a Madacy budget collection of rerecordings of some of JD's best known songs. Although they are not the original recordings, they are crisp and clean and JD's voice soars and sparkles, along with a well produced mix of all the instruments. I'd recommend checking out other collections, perhaps the Rocky Mtn Collection or Reflections:Songs Of Love & Life. Note: I have no idea how the sound is on these. I can tell you that the sound on the Sony disk - The Best of John Denver Live is great. It is a live disk and it is from much later in JD's career, but boy does he infuse these performances with everything he's got.

• Leaving on a Jet Plane
• Circus
• Rhymes & Reasons
• Catch Another Butterfly
• Daydream
• Follow Me
• Aspenglow
• Molly
• Sticky Summer Weather
• Isabel
• Sunshine on My Shoulders
• My Sweet Lady
• Take Me Home, Country Roads
• I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado
• Poems, Prayers and Promises
• Starwood in Aspen
• City of New Orleans
• All of My Memories
• Casey's Last Ride
• Eagle and the Hawk
• Friends with You
• Rocky Mountain High
• For Baby (For Bobbie)
• Goodbye Again
• We Don't Live Here No More
• I'd Rather Be a Cowboy (Lady's Chains)
• Farewell Andromeda (Welcome to My Morning)
• Rocky Mountain Suite (Cold Nights in Canada)
• Annie's Song
• Back Home Again
• Grandma's Feather Bed
• Sweet Surrender
• Eclipse
• Thank God I'm a Country Boy \oLive\c
• This Old Guitar
• Spirit
• Song of Wyoming
• I'm Sorry
• Windsong
• Looking for Space
• Fly Away
• Calypso
• Come and Let Me Look in Your Eyes
• Like a Sad Song
• Polka Dots and Moonbeams
• In the Grand Way
• How Can I Leave You Again
• Ripplin' Waters
• It Amazes Me
• Singing Skies and Dancing Waters
• Dearest Esmeralda
• Thirsty Boots
• I Want to Live
• Southwind
• Garden Song
• What's on Your Mind
• You're So Beautiful
• In My Heart
• Mountain Song
• Song for the Life
• Autograph
• Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stone)
• Country Love
• Dreams
• Heart to Heart
• Shanghai Breezes
• Seasons of the Heart
• Perhaps Love - John Denver, Plácido Domingo
• Falling Out of Love
• It's About Time
• Wild Montana Skies - John Denver, Emmylou Harris
• Dreamland Express
• If Ever
• I'm in the Mood to Be Desired Tonight
• Don't Close Your Eyes Tonight
• Love Is the Master
• I Can't Escape
• Love Again
• Flying for Me