AMG Review of Ultimate Collection [UTV]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

UTV's 2000 release The Ultimate Collection spans two discs and 32 songs, considerably more than the 12 Greatest Hits that previously stood as the best, most concise overview of her career, yet more manageable than the 1991 box set, The Patsy Cline Collection, whose four discs do not lend themselves to an easy introduction. This two-disc set, however, does work as both a concise summary and good introduction, naturally containing all the classic hits, but digging deep enough into other areas -- smaller hits, album tracks, and earlier sessions -- to demonstrate the range and depth of her music. Serious fans will still want the box, and 12 Greatest Hits remains as perfect as greatest-hits albums get, but anybody who wants a more thorough selection of Patsy Cline's best should turn here.