2/5 Not what I expect
  by Jesse D. Landry (New York)
Sorry I can't justify a positive review of a PvD's greatest hits album when the first track is the 2009 remake of the track that set the stage for his greatness...

Tell me Why - Club mix isn't on here and that is downright robbery for fans and newcomers alike....

Forbidden Fruit not in it's entirety - Terrible!

I expect more!

That might be half or all of my problem with him now but I expect more after my 14 years as a fan!

4/5 Must have PVD Collection
  by Daniel Murphy (Queensland, Australia)
For the last 15 years, there has been one name that has left all the others behind when it comes to dance music and that name is Paul Van Dyk. In 1993, he released his first DJ-mix album X-Mix-1 The TFS Trip which featured a remixed version of Humante's trance hymn Love Stimulation. Then in 1994, he released his Green Valley EP featuring his first single Pumpin'. Now, in 2009, Van Dyk has released his greatest hits Volume.

The album doesn't hold back and launches into his catalogue of hits with the 2009 reworking of For An Angel. The track is as anthemic as the original and going to be just as huge now that it's been lifted as a single.

As the second track Home featuring Johnny McDaid (which is consequently his new single), it becomes apparent that the disc is mixed and, as always, Van Dyk has spun his magic with seemless mixing and perfect sounds that are reminisce of his Politics of Dancing compilations.

It's near impossible to find a favorite track on the first disc which is all of Van Dyk's own work. Pick your favorite single and chances are that it's one of the 16 tracks which have been tastefully selected and mixed together into one massive release. All the best tracks are included on the album including Another Way, Tell Me Why (The Riddle), and We Are Alive which features the stunning vocal talents of Jennifer Brown.

Where this release starts to leap beyond other best of releases by dance artists is the inclusion of a second disc which includes the highlights of his remixing careers. Van Dyk has remixed some of the biggest names of today and he's made sure that they are included in the 17 track compilation.

The first remix is that of What Goes Around... Comes Around by Justin Timberlake. It's not hard to hear the signature waves and rolls of Van Dyk's music across the track. The track is edgy and definitely worthy of the reputation of both artists.

Also included in the disc is Elevation by U2, Spooky by New Order and Say Hello by Deep Dish. These aren't necessarily the highlights because it's near impossible to pick any that stand out over the others. Each track includes a special uniquity that makes it's own special feel noticeable on the disc. Worthy of note though is Gimme More by Britney Spears where he has freely commented that the remix was one of his favorites to do stating that Britney is more than an artist, she's an ideal and he had immense fun with reworking her music.

This is an out and out winner hands down and a must have for any Paul Van Dyk fans. It's his greatest hits and his greatest remixes all rolled into one. It's impossible to look at the case and not see something that you have heard in the past and enjoyed. Grab it now and play it loud.

5/5 Energy, Detail, Passion
  by D. A. Theisen (WI, USA)
Paul Van Dyk has always had a bit of an identity crisis in his CD releases. At first, people thought they had 'the feel', then he turned around and produced a full-mixed album "Out There and Back", Went back to an individual track setup and toyed with different sub-genres in "Reflections", tried to repeat that again in 2007, and all the meanwhile he seemed to be tripping over his own feet with the unusual and seemingly out-of-character "Politics of Dancing" series. Now, combine the different styles and detailed learned from that all and try to mash it together into one CD? Not possible. This is why we have 2 here, and I would HIGHLY recommend getting the Import version of this CD as it has a third disc which splits apart the tracks on disc two on this release and fills in with more personal remixes.

You can see PvD's objectives just by looking at the case and the track list. This is an expression of his passion and so much work he's put into his career over the years. The entire first disc is a continuous mix of singles spread out from over the years, and there's scant a track on disc two that isn't his remix. He's even been kind enough to offer some unusual and rare remixes of some things here.

Even though I'd heard everything on the first disc before on his albums and misc mixes, it still felt 'new'. Familiar, but not in a format you had figured it to be. It's the same continuous mix of "Out There and Back", just with a wider track selection. You could say it's a way for him to express what he himself has built from scratch as a summation of what he's most proud of.

Conversely, disc two is the work of others that has been tweaked by PvD. Normally "pop club" styled remixes and trance don't exactly combine well, but this is where a massive level of detail is found. Everything feels entirely seamless no matter what he hops to, and there are subtle tempo changes all over the place that the average listener won't even notice. It's not as though there were a shortage of tracks and personal remixes he had at his disposal to keep things to one style and tempo, so it's all the more impressive he decided to piece it together this way. Classic trance anthems fill in some of the gaps, and still nothing feels as though it's out of place.


Any fan of the artist or genere follower should have this on his or her shopping list anyway, but I'd also offer this as a good compromise for anyone looking to explore new tastes that is confused by there being so many different releases under one artist/DJ's name. Keep it simple and start here. This is his refined presentation to you. Just let it grab your ears and enjoy.

5/5 Once Again
  by S. W. leon (santiago, RM, chile)
Again Paul Van Dyk delivers a great album.
With some classic tracks remixed as For An Angel, and new ones like Home, this album is great to enjoy... dancing or just sitting back and relaxing with trance. After Global wchich was also a kind of best of, this album with new remixes is a must have from PVD.

5/5 buy the UK import [3 disc set]
  by rubyriva (pittsburgh, pa)
I highly recommend to buy the UK import of this release: The Volume: The Best of Paul Van Dyk [IMPORT]. It is priced at $18.99 and is well worth the extra $4. A three disc set compared to the two disc for North America.

My review for the import version:
Just received this cd in the mail yesterday. I own every cd Paul has released and am an avid fan. That being said, looking over the tracklist it doesn't seem that appealing because I already have almost track on it and heard them millions of times. There a few previously unreleased tracks on here that I am excited about - Paul's remix of Timo Maas - Pictures to name one!

The packaging on the set is pure class. I love the silver embossed print on the black background. I thought the booklet inside was put together well too. I am proud to own this set.

Only on disc 1 right now, but I love it. It flows really well and when the next track comes in, all of these memories associated with it come flooding back.

If you're a fan of Paul van Dyk, this set is a must have. It will bring back so many memories, and hopefully inspire you to create new ones.

I am anxiously looking forward to the next PvD gig and future productions.