Released a few months after the mid-priced compilation
Platinum & Gold Collection,
Ultimate is a longer, more comprehensive overview than its predecessor, which doesn't necessarily mean that it's a better choice for the casual listener.
Platinum & Gold Collection has a concentrated selection of radio hits from
the Alan Parsons Project, featuring nearly all of their charting singles, including "You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned," a minor hit missing on
Ultimate; for that reason, along with its cheaper list price, it remains a better choice for listeners who want the pop-oriented side of
Parsons.
Ultimate is for the fans who listened to
the Project on album-oriented FM radio, yet never bought the full-length records. While all the big hits are here, the focus is more on the elaborate instrumentals and prog epics that made the group a staple of AOR in the late '70s and early '80s. There are some missing hits here -- not just the aforementioned "You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned" but also "Stereotomy," "Let's Talk About Me," and "Snake Eyes" -- but they're not particularly missed, since all the radio favorites are here, and it's a well-sequenced collection. Anybody looking for something more thorough than
Platinum & Gold will be happy with this, but, as mentioned above, if hits are all you need, that cheaper collection will serve you just as well as this. Nevertheless, this is a good comp. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine