The Hollies is one band that seems to has unlimited demand for the greatest hit collection. Truth to be told, aside from the box set, there are no definitive single-disc or double-disc collection for casual fan on the market yet. "Epic Anthology" captured the second half of their career very well but left out the first half. 2003's "Greatest Hits" left some hits for non-essential tracks, not to mention the random tracks order and a new song. This Australia compilation tried to make the band's career overview by gathering almost all the big hits from both UK and US charts between 1963 to 1974 into one single disc. Since that period are the band's most productive and commercial success time, it makes perfect sense to represent the band using the songs from that era. Almost every key songs from both Imperial and Epic periods are presented in chronically order. There are 12 songs from Imperial era and 13 songs from Epic era; from "Stay" (their first top10 hit in UK) to "Pay You Back With Interest", from "Carrie Anne" to "The Air That I Breathe" (their last top10). Some fan favourites (such as "Another Night", "Searchin'", etc.) might be missing, but this 25-songs album is probably the best that you can get from a single cd collection. It is an excellent band's overview for a casual fan and curious listener, but not ultimate.

Track of "The Ultimate Hollies "

Overall

Positive: It is an excellent band's overview for a casual fan and curious listener.

Negative: This album comes a little bit short because this is only one CD. There are still some materials from 60's and 70's need to be added to complete.