Compilations are now accepted as a necessary bane for a slow music industry, but once in a hile, an album comes along that makes all the other trash bearable. This is exactly why you should pick this one up. For someone who actually knows that music existed before 'N-Sync and Britney Spears, this is a boon for the ears.
I just have to thank the guys behind it for their choice of songs. For the present generation, this is an ideal start to get a glimpse of actual good music. So, you have Jethro Tull’s incomparable classic "Aqualung" strutting its stuff alongside regular classics like "Born To Be Wild" (Steppenwolf), "You Sexy Thing" (Hot Chocolate), "Country Roads" (John Denver) and "Simply The Best" (Tina Turner). But the good part is that they’ve actually dug up lesser-known gems like "We Are An American Band" (Grand Funk Railroad) and "On The Road Again" (Canned Heat), which were some of the best Funk bands around. For once, we have a different number from Elton John, the upbeat "Crocodile Rock", together with music by Dire Straits and Genesis.
To actual connoisseurs of music, these might be mundane, but this is a good choice for kids who’ve never grown up to this sort of sound. The songs are well balanced and only a couple of disappointments mar an otherwise awesome album.
This article was first published on28 Sep 2001.