![John Denver: Greatest Hits [Bonus Tracks] (2005)](http://img206.echo.cx/img206/8462/johndenvergreatesthits6wo.jpg)
Pat Benatar: Greatest Hits (Capitol, June 7, 2005) ***
John Denver: Greatest Hits [Bonus Tracks] (BMG Heritage, June 7, 2005) ***
Kiss: Greatest Hits (Universal International, June 7, 2005) ****
The Beautiful South: Solid Bronze: Great Hits (Universal International, June 7, 2005) *****
This week's notable reissues, in stores this week:
Pat Benatar: Greatest Hits
This 20-song retrospective might be too much Pat Benatar for most people; even at her greatest, she wasn't really all that great. She is best known for her operatic, multi-octave voice, which was accompanied by competent but fairly unarresting arena rock featuring the guitar of Neil Giraldo, whom she married. Her best hits all came within a narrow period from 1979-1980, including "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", "Heartbreaker", "You Better Run" (a cover of the Young Rascals), all included here. By 1981, she was already approaching a more pop-oriented direction, and while she hit the top-10 twice, with "Love Is A Battlefield" in 1983 and "We Belong" in 1984, her rock fan base eroded fast. The hits dried up abruptly in 1985; her last top-20 was the forgettable "All Fired Up" in 1988. This collection rounds up all the hits, and near-hits, and a few misses; it certainly is the most thorough document of her career. However, cut-for-cut, her 1980 sophomore album Crimes of Passion is a far more engaging listen than this one.
John Denver: Greatest Hits [Bonus Tracks]
This compilation was originally released in 1973, just as Denver (Henry John Deutschendorf) was reaching his peak; it includes his hits though "Rocky Mountain High" and cuts off before "Annie's Song"; thus, none of his #1 hits are here (they appear on Greatest Hits, Volume 2). Still, this does include the best of his early years, which were more consistent than his mid-late 70's output. Three songs have been added to flesh out the CD: "Daydream", "I Guess I'd Rather Be In Colorado", and "Sail Away Home". Denver has always been an example of MOR housewife music, with little rock credibility, but he did leave a few footnotes to music history, having written "Leaving On A Jet Plane", a hit for Peter, Paul, and Mary (his version is included), and as a latecomer to the Chad Mitchell Trio, a second-tier folk combo in the 60's. While this collection has always been a fan favorite, non-fans would probably be much better off with a career-spanning single disc collection, of which there are plenty; Definitive All-Time Greatest Hits on RCA is the best. Denver died in 1997 when his experimental aircraft crashed into the ocean off the coast of Santa Monica, CA.
Article comments
1 - cali
This review it truly a piece a crap. 1st- Get your facts straight. 2nd- you need to review the cd not just say what you thought about the singer. Just cause u don't like the singer ingeneral doesn't mean they can't put out a good cd
3rd- spell Giraldo correctly. It's G-I-R-A-L-D-O not GEraldo. any 1/2 decent critic would know how to spell the artists names. Last but not least- did you notice that many of the songs were different on this CD???? DDid you listen to the CD???
2 - Bennett
That's way too harsh cali. When uao reviews individual albums, the focus IS on the songs, whereas this is a "Reissue Roundup". The author's writing is clear and informative, and it's obvious that a lot of thought and work went into this piece.
Feel free to point out typo's, but try to look at the post in its entirety, not just the parts you disagree with.
Good job uao!
And cali, where is YOUR review?
3 - uao
Hi cali--
Say, you wouldn't happen to be married to Pat Benatar, would you? :-p
Only kidding; it was an honest typo. My spell checker didn't catch it.
Here's how I review reissues: I seldom review the individual songs, because they're usually well-known already; these are hits compilations.
Instead, I focus on how useful the compilation really is. Does it serve the needs of fans? And does it serve the needs of someone trying out an artist for the first time?
In the case of Pat Benatar's Greatest Hits, the fact remains that Benatar's albums got patchier and patchier after her second album. It's a rare critic or fan who would disagree with me there. So the hits collection starts off with a bang, and consistently runs out of steam with each passing tune.
I suggested listeners would be better off with Crimes Of Passion, a better overall listen, and, quite frankly, a better album.
I stand by that.
If you disagree, well, fine. If you've got a thing for "We Belong" and "Love Is A Battlefield", then go for it.
As for the fact some of the songs are remixed, and re-mastered, it hardly seemed worth mentioning in this case. But yes, the songs are remastered (as are nearly every major-label hits collection), some have been remixed; the differences are minor and don't affect my overall conclusions.
But feel free to click the Amazon link and add it to your collection. I gave it a decent *** after all.
Thanks, Bennett.
4 - Bill
Pat Benatar continues to provide fans with excellent cds. Her last cd, GO, was fantastic and produced some real rockers to go along with Heartbreaker, Hit Me With Your Best Shot and Promises in the Dark. While the hits may have dried up, it doesn't make the music any less compelling. The 20 songs included in this hits package are excellent and today's female "rockers" should listen to these tracks to see how it's done. Benatar is one of a kind!
5 - Paul Roy
How many frickin KISS "Greatest Hits" albums do they think we need!? This must be like their 10th one. All you need is Alive I and maybe II and you'll be all set. Pat Benatar is still a captivating live performer and her vocals are some of the best in the business. Alot of her new and non hit songs are excellent as well. Check out her "Live, Summer Vacation Tour" DVD from 2001 to see what I mean.