Franco Corelli The Very Best of Franco Corelli (2003)

It only seems like there has been an endless stream of Grateful Dead compilations. In reality, there has only been a handful, and the most notable of those were released while the band was still an active recording and touring unit in the '70s – and before they had belated chart success in the late '80s, 20 years after their debut album. So, Warner/Rhino's 2003 collection The Very Best of Grateful Dead marks the first attempt to do a thorough single-disc overview of the group's career, encompassing not just their classic Warner albums but also the records they cut for their own Grateful Dead/UA and Arista.

This two-disc, European import serves up a nice career overview of U.K.-based, blue-eyed soul/Sophisti-Pop outfit Simply Red. Split into two parts, disc one ("Hold Me") focuses on the ballads ("Holding Back the Years," "If You Don't Know Me by Now," "Stars," and "We're in This Together"), while the second disc ("Thrill Me") narrows its sights on the group's penchant for radio-friendly dance-pop ("The Right Thing," "Moneys Too Tight (To Mention)," "Something Got Me Started," and "Fairground"). At 38 tracks, Very Best of Simply Red may be a bit much for the casual fan (2008's definitive 25: The Greatest Hits remains the group's most cohesive and streamlined collection), but it's a goldmine for listeners who have followed Mick "Red" Hucknall and his rotating cast of players since 1985.

The Very Best of Cher is the eighth compilation album by American singer-actress Cher, released on April 1, 2003. The album includes many of Cher's most popular songs, such as "If I Could Turn Back Time", "Believe", "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" and "Take Me Home". It debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 albums chart and later reached number four on the issue date of May 17. The Very Best of Cher was released by Warner Bros. Records, MCA, and Geffen Records. The original U.S. edition features 21 tracks, while the various later editions typically feature more songs or different selections. Live! The Farewell Tour is the only live album by Cher. The album was recorded at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, United States on a show from her Living Proof: The Farewell Tour. The album was released on limited edition form, with only 200,000 copies available. Packed with 18 hits, the album debuted at a peak of 40 on the Billboard 200. The album was also included in the Special Edition of The Very Best of Cher.

Sheryl Crow was one of the key artists of the '90s, if the yardstick is capturing the sound and spirit of the time. A former backing vocalist for Michael Jackson – an association that led to dubious tabloid headlines romantically linking her with the singer long before she was a star in her own right – she rode the first great wave of Women in Rock hysteria of the alt-rock explosion to fame with her first album, Tuesday Night Music Club, in 1994, settling into the weary aftermath of the post-grunge years with her brilliant eponymous second album in 1996, riding out the end years of the Clinton administration with the measured, mature Globe Sessions in 1998, and then defying the gloom of the W years by soaking up the sun on 2002's C'mon C'mon.