This compilation of Dolly's RCA recordings includes nearly all the famous songs she recorded during that period such as Jolene, Here you come again, Bargain store, 9 to 5, My Tennessee mountain home, The seeker, Love is like a butterfly, Heartbreaker (which is here despite its omission from the track listing) and many others. Dolly fans (like me) can point to missing tracks that could have been included. With the exception of Islands in the stream, none of them are absolutely essential to the casual buyer, at whom this collection is targeted.
This compilation is similar to the Australian compilation, Legendary, which included Islands in the stream and Real love, both duets with Kenny Rogers. It would appear that the British branch of BMG were unwilling to pay the required royalties, as the other forty-eight tracks are identical to the Australian compilation. Note that this was previously released in different packaging but also titled Legends.
Never mind - the absence of some tracks (which can be found elsewhere) is more than compensated for by the inclusion of the original Two Doors Down. Dolly recorded two different versions and this is the only compilation (apart from Legendary) to include the first version on CD. It was available on early vinyl pressings of the album Here you come again but Dolly didn't like it and later pressings had the version that most fans are familiar with from various compilations.
For those who only want an overview of Dolly's music, this is a good choice, while Dolly's diehard fans will buy this for the original and otherwise rare version of Two doors down.
I agree with the previous reviewer that, despite omissions noticed by die-hards, this collection is the most comprehensive of Dolly's body of work recorded by RCA (BMG). The sequence of songs is presented stylistically rather than chronologically and this keeps the music fresh. The overall mastering rivals the latest compilations of Dolly's work. My only issue is there is nothing here from her Sony years and there is plenty of space on all three tracks for a few of those sides. Aside from this slight mis-step this is a worthy collection.
