The Greatest Hits Ultimate Collection [shm Cd]

The Who's mighty catalog of beautiful, poignant, and often silly pop songs bashed out with Cassius Clay finesse has suffered in the past at the hands of multiple, butcher-shop best-ofs and horrible packaging. But this thrilling band–undeniably one of ye classicke rocke's greatest–gets the career-spanning entry-point compilation it deserves with the double-disc Ultimate Collection. The songs included here are no-brainers, for the most part–if they aren't huge hits like "My Generation," "I Can See for Miles," or "Baba O'Riley," they're long-standing fan favorites such as "Boris the Spider," "Pure and Easy," and "Squeeze Box." And while this reviewer wishes different songs were chosen from Tommy, and more than one tune was gathered from their arguably finest (and definitely silliest) album, The Who Sell Out, this record really isn't for fans (aside from the total trainspotter types) but for newcomers.

It’s been a long 16 years since Bon Jovi was last compiled, when Cross Road arrived for the holiday season of 1994, two years after Keep the Faith capped off a near-decade long run of dominance for the Jersey rockers. As it turned out, it was the first act of Bon Jovi’s career. A subdued second act followed in the ‘90s, with Jon Bon Jovi flirting with a solo career once again before returning to the fold late in the decade, with the band setting out for a decade of professionalism, sometimes cresting into the charts – usually with the assist of a canny country crossover – sometimes not. Greatest Hits condenses the highlights of this journey in a mere 16 songs, just two longer than Cross Road – its simultaneously released cousin, Ultimate Greatest Hits, adds a disc with 12 additional songs – and two of those are new tunes that are unlikely to show up on any subsequent best of.

Cardboard sleeve (mini LP) reissue from Steppenwolf features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD players) and the latest remastering. The cardboard sleeve faithfully replicates the US LP artwork, including its aluminium foil surface. Also comes with bonus sleeve that reproduces the design of Japan Limited Edition LP. Part of a 8-album Steppenwolf mini LP SHM-CD reissue series featuring albums "Steppenwolf," "The Second," "At Your Birthday Party," "Early Steppenwolf," "Monster," "Live Steppenwolf," "Steppenwolf 7," and "For Ladies Only." Becomes cardboard sleeve reissue for the first time.