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"
"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