Eddy Arnold - RCA Country Legends: Eddy Arnold (2000)

There have been many Eddy Arnold collections released over the years, but Buddha's 2000 compilation RCA Country Legends stands as one of the best. This is especially true because CD-era collections of his RCA countrypolitan work have been confusing, either existing as budget-line discs or as jumbled overviews that didn't hit enough of the high points. Since this collection focuses on his RCA recordings, it doesn't have any of his early, rawer sides, and since it only runs 16 tracks, it does leave off many of his hits. However, it has most of the big songs -- "I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)," "Anytime," "Bouquet of Roses," "The Cattle Call," "What's He Doing in My World," "Make the World Go Away" -- and its song selection is superb, offering a good overview of his commercial peak of the late '40s through the mid-'60s. Until a more thorough overview comes along, this stands as the most thoughtful overview of Arnold's RCA work. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine