2006's The Definitive Collection replaces 1996's Greatest Hits as the best available single-disc Buddy Holly collection on the market, and it replaces 1985's From the Original Master Tapes as the best single-disc Buddy Holly CD yet released. At 26 tracks, it's eight songs longer than the 1996 set and six songs longer than the 1985 set, so it's more comprehensive than either of the previous discs, adding such strong relative obscurities as "Midnight Shift" to the standard hits that form the bulk of this collection. Listeners who want a more thorough retrospective should turn to 2005's double-disc Gold, which is nearly twice as long, but The Definitive Collection has all of Holly's major songs -- "That'll Be the Day," "Words of Love," "Not Fade Away," "Everyday," "Oh Boy!," "Peggy Sue," "Maybe Baby," "Rave On," "Well...All Right," and "Think It Over," among others -- in one thoroughly entertaining package, which makes it a terrific overview and introduction of one of the greatest rockers in history. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Herbert Bourne (Violin), Leonard Posner (Violin), John Pickering (Vocals (Background)), Bill Pickering (Overdubs), Bob "Crow" Clarke (Drums), Beth Stempel (Producer), Leo Kruczek (Violin), Robert Harter (Vocals (Background)), Owen Bradley (Producer), Don Guess (Bass), Norman Petty (Producer), Douglas Kirkham (Drums), Robert Bollinger (Vocals (Background)), Ray Bush's BBC Jazz (Vocals (Background)), Panama Francis (Drums), Adam Starr (Product Manager), Sonny Curtis (Guitar), Irving Spice (Violin), Michael Diehl (Design), Clifford Leman (Drums), Gary Tollet (Vocals (Background)), Glenn A. Baker (Inlay Photography), Ray Free (Violin), George Atwood (Bass), David Schwartz (Viola), Bob Linville (Overdubs), Vi Petty (Celeste), June Clark (Vocals (Background)), Ernie Hayes (Piano), Donald Armone (Guitar (Rhythm)), Paul Winter Consort (Violin), Helen Way Singers (Vocals (Background)), Merril Ostrus (Vocals (Background)), Jerry Allison (Percussion), Al Chernet (Guitar), Bob Lapham (Vocals (Background)), Larry Welborn (Bass), Niki Sullivan (Guitar (Rhythm)), The Roses (Vocals (Background)), David Bingham (Vocals (Background)), Billy Altman (Liner Notes), Abby Hoffer (Vocals (Background)), Al Caiola (Guitar), Andy McKaie (Compilation Producer), Bill Pickering (Vocals (Background)), Bob Linville (Vocals (Background)), Vi Petty (Piano), Erick Labson (Digital Remastering), Grady Martin (Guitar (Rhythm)), Buddy Holly (Vocals), Tommy Allsup (Guitar), Sanford Block (Bass), Ryan Null (Photo Coordination), Julius Held (Violin), Abraham Richman (Sax (Tenor)), Buddy Holly (Guitar), Niki Sullivan (Vocals (Background)), Jerry Allison (Drums), Phil Kraus (Drums), Buddy Holly (Guitar (Rhythm)), Howard Kay (Viola), Norman Petty (Organ), Dick Jacobs (Producer), Sam "The Man" Taylor (Sax (Tenor)), Joe Maudlin (Bass), David Bingham (Overdubs), George Barnes (Guitar), The Roses (Overdubs), Dick Jacobs (Orchestra Director), Maurice Brown (Cello), Maurice Bialkin (Cello), John Pickering (Overdubs), Bob Thiele (Producer), Ray Bush's BBC Jazz (Overdubs), Ramona Tollet (Vocals (Background)), William Marine (Vocals (Background)), Bob Lapham (Overdubs)
