Search - Van Morrison :: Still on Top: The Greatest Hits

Best As A Compendium For Casual Fans

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 03/23/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"What, yet another Van Morrison Greatest Hits assortment? Why do we need this continual barrage? Well, maybe one reason is that everything is remastered but the reason I bought it is that a review in an English music magazine promised some never before released outtakes on disc three. OK, turns out there is just one and that is on disc two. I'd already heard everything else before as I imagine most hardcore Van Morrison fans have, so what this package really amounts to is an excellent compendium for casual fans who think that he faded away in the 1970s.

This three-CD set is filled with undoubtedly great music and the price is very reasonable but like the first reviewer, I can think of many songs that could have been included and some that could easily be omitted. But that brings to mind the point that but for the quality of the remaster, any fan with a fairly comprehensive collection of Van's albums could have slapped this together himself.

Still On Top offers a broad overview of forty years of music, stretching from Morrison's days with Them to albums issued just in the last couple years. Nearly four hours long, it certainly covers a lot of musical territory yet somehow I was left feeling a lack of any real excitement about it.

Despite my slight disappointment, Still On Top: The Greatest Hits will often serve as my Van Morrison fix when I am taking a road trip and can't decide which of his many varied CDs to bring along. And here's an additional thought: Several songs from Moondance are featured here yet the album has never been remastered due reputedly to a dispute between Warner Brothers and Van Morrison. Can this mean a remaster of that classic is imminent? It was not listed in the remastering program included with this set."

Truly stupendous music.

Kevin H. Dudley | Roanoke, VA (USA) | 04/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Still on Top:Greatest Hits was originally released back in 2007 as a single disc 21 track set. For the more casual fan, it is still IMO the best option to get.



Now in 2008, Van Morrison has seen fit to re-release this set as an expanded 3 disc set with the same title. All of the 21 tracks from the single disc version are here but with the addition of 30 more tremendous tracks. While most die hard Van Morrison fans scoff at the idea of trying to distill his artistry to a compliation of sorts, this new 3 disc set represents the best option for people wanting to dig a lot deeper than the single disc version without having to buy individual albums.



The good part here is that all of the tracks are brilliantly remastered and each CD is almost maxed out close to 80 minutes. Disc One is just shy of 78 minutes, disc two is about 78 1/2 minutes and Disc Three is just shy of 79 minutes. One of my huge gripes when buying greatest hits CD's or anthologies is when they fail to max out the CD (or CD's) as much as they can to 80 minutes. Thankfully they didn't do that here and gave the buyer the absolute most music possible on 3 CD's.



The one thing I thought I would have a problem with is that the CD's are sequenced in chronological order. But upon listening to the set it's clear that Van Morrison sequenced each CD with a particular feel/mood in mind. This is most evident on Disc 3 which is very laid back and chilled out in a most relaxing and enjoyable way.



While there have been way too many compilation sets of Van Morrison's stuff over the years, I feel that this is the best one to get for people wanting a really thorough anthology of this legendary artist's long, long career.



For the more casual fan, the 2007 single disc set is still the best option for those seeking more of a lighter sampling of his work."

Definitive?...nah, still GREAT?...YES!!!

Barry Ellis | Pittsburgh, PA United States | 03/19/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is like the 4th Van compilation in recent times and is a greatly expanded version of the single disc greatest hits collection of the same name. The compiler did a wonderful job of stringing together 3 great sounding discs that flow in a wonderful manner. Most of the absolute "musts" are here on this set and the remaining choices sound so good together that it's hard to quibble. HOWEVER, we Van fans MUST quibble, mustn't we? What, no Caravan? Blue Money? ANYTHING from 'A Period of Transition'? Kingdom Hall? Haunts of Ancient Peace? Satisfied? Thanks For The Information? Got To Go Back? I'm Not Feeling It Anymore? Etc. , etc., etc. Any long-time van fan can make their own list of "musts" (and probably will) that were missed. BUT, despite my title's disclaimer, this is THE definitive collection (so far) and it sounds SO wonderful as a whole. This will get a LOT of play on my dansette. At least until they make a 4 disc box set and let me be the compiler!!"