The Ultimate Collection is a three-CD compilation of music by the Dutch symphonic rock band Solution

Solution (band)

Solution were a Dutch progressive rock band that existed from 1970 to 1983, during which time they released six studio albums and one live album...

. The first in-depth retrospective of the group, it was released by Universal

Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...

 and Hunter Entertainment in 2005. The sound is digitally remastered

Remaster

Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...

.

Contents

The first two discs feature studio recordings and the third comprises the entirety of their 1983 album Solution Live. Every song from their debut album Solution

Solution (album)

Solution is the first album by the Dutch symphonic rock group Solution. It was released in 1971 on the Decca label.-History:It is the only Solution album to feature original vocalist and bassist Peter van der Sande, who was replaced by Guus Willemse around the time of the LP release. Van der Sande...

is included on the first CD, and five of the six from the follow-up Divergence

Divergence (album)

Divergence is the second album by the Dutch symphonic rock group Solution. It was released in 1972 on the EMI subsidiary Harvest Records.-History:This album is among the most progressive by the group...

. The track "Fever" was omitted from previous CD editions of Solution/Divergence and makes its first digital appearance at the end of the live disc.

The Ultimate Collection features one version of every song Solution released, meaning that the studio recordings of tracks performed on Solution Live are not included. The rest of the set takes in three tracks from third album Cordon Bleu

Cordon Bleu (album)

Cordon Bleu is the third album by the Dutch symphonic rock group Solution. It was released in 1975 on Elton John's label Rocket Records.-History:...

, and four each from Fully Interlocking

Fully Interlocking

Fully Interlocking is the fourth album by the Dutch symphonic rock group Solution. It was released in 1977 on Rocket Records. The line "Fully interlocking" appears on jigsaw puzzle boxes, as referenced on the album cover.-History:...

, ...It's Only Just Begun... and Runaway

Runaway (Solution album)

Runaway is the sixth and last studio album by the Dutch rock group Solution. It was released in 1982 on CBS Records.-History:Runaway featured eight songs in a shorter, more direct format than previous recordings...

.

The 1975 song "Third Line" is split into two parts to end the first disc and begin the second. On Cordon Bleu they segue into each other and are virtually indistinguishable.

Packaging

The three discs are housed in a fold-out Digipak

Digipak

Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...

case with a biographical booklet. The photograph of the band on the front cover itself is from the vinyl edition of the Divergence LP.

CD 1

1. "Koan"
2. "Preview"
3. "Phases"
4. "Trane Steps"
5. "Circus Circumstances"
   • The album Solution.
6. "Second Line"
7. "Concentration"
8. "Theme"
9. "New Dimension"
   • From Divergence.
10. "Whirligig"
11. "Third Line (Part 1)"
    • From Cordon Bleu.

CD 2

1. "Third Line (Part 2)"
   • From Cordon Bleu.
2. "Carousel"
3. "Sonic Sea"
4. "Free Inside"
5. "French Melodie"
   • From Fully Interlocking.
6. "On My Own"
7. "Mirror"
8. "Logic"
9. "It Happened In September"
   • From ...It's Only Just Begun...
10. "Shame On You"
11. "Evil Love"
12. "Who's to Blame"
13. "Lovin' You Was Easy"
    • From Runaway.

CD 3

1. "Move On"
2. "Downhearted"
3. "Black Pearl"
4. "Song for You"
5. "Give Some More"
6. "Last Detail"
7. "It's Only Just Begun"
8. "Divergence"
9. "Bad Breaks"
10. "Captain Willie"
11. "Runaway"
12. "100 Words"
13. "Chapaqua" (sic)
14. "Empty Faces"
    • The album Solution Live.
15. "Fever"
    • From Divergence.