20th+century+masters+-+the+millennium+collection

Those who do not pay much attention to record company affiliations should be warned that this discount-priced album, billed as the "best of Aerosmith," represents only their most popular recordings made for Geffen Records between 1987 and 1994. That said, it represents them well, including all 11 of Aerosmith's Top 40 hits from the period ("Angel," "Janie's Got a Gun," "Love in an Elevator," etc.), plus the track "Deuces Are Wild" from the album The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience. This, of course, was the period when the bandmembers were collaborating with such songwriting hacks as Desmond Child, Holly Knight, and Jim Vallance to considerable commercial effect, maintaining the comeback they had launched with Run-D.M.C.'s remake of "Walk This Way."

Yeah, Kingdom Come were a bit too enamored with Led Zeppelin on their first album, and their career didn't last much longer after that, but at the very least they were one of the very examples of what was storming the rock charts back in 1987-1988. Zep-styled riffs and that sorta watered-down boogie-guitar swagger were everywhere, and Kingdom Come were just one of the many bands getting loads and loads of criticism from purists. Oddly, though, the kids (for a short time) loved it, and the records sold enough to convince those at Polydor to release this collection of some of their more well-known tunes.

You might have thought that, since the 1998 merger of MCA and PolyGram, creating Universal Music, brought the hits Cher scored in the 1970s and '80s for Kapp, MCA, Casablanca, and Geffen under one roof, the next time they got around to doing a best-of they would combine all those catalogs. No such luck. In the wake of Cher's 1999 comeback with "Believe," Geffen issued its own comp, If I Could Turn Back Time: Cher's Greatest Hits. So, when MCA came to compile The Best of Cher as part of the midline-priced 20th Century Masters/The Millennium Collection series, they simply took the 1974 MCA Greatest Hits album, stripped off two B-sides, and added the 1979 Casablanca disco hit "Take Me Home" and the 1971 Sonny & Cher hit "All I Ever Need Is You."

Donna Summer's contribution to Universal's mid-priced 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection series is a decent, concise look at the queen of disco's career, including such natural choices as "Love to Love You Baby," "I Feel Love," "Bad Girls," "Hot Stuff," and "On the Radio," as well as early-'80s hits like "She Works Hard for the Money" and "Love Is in Control." 1995's Endless Summer remains the best single-disc introduction, since it covers more territory, presents a more rounded look, and includes many other singles that charted, but this works perfectly for those who want to stick to the basics.

Assembled with the cooperation of the band, Styx's entry in Universal's 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection series of discount-priced best-of's, surveys the group's tenure at A&M Records, where they scored most of their popular success. Of course, the early hit "Lady," recorded for RCA-distributed Wooden Nickel Records (and thus in the vaults of rival major label BMG), is not included. Neither are the Top Ten hit "Don't Let It End," or the Top 20 hit "Renegade" (mistakenly called a Top Ten hit in the liner notes). But the rest of Styx's big A&M hits – "Too Much Time on My Hands," "Come Sail Away," "Mr. Roboto," "The Best of Times," "Babe," "Show Me the Way" – are on the disc, along with several Top 40 entries and the popular album track "Boat on the River," from 1979's Cornerstone LP. Now, fans reluctant to put out the money for Styx's two volumes of Greatest Hits can have the bulk of their radio hits on one inexpensive album.

The Millennium Collection: The Best of .38 Special focuses on the Southern rock group's original lineup and includes hits and radio staples like "Back Where You Belong," "Caught up in You," "Wild-Eyed Southern Boys," and "Rockin' Into the Night." Though it's not quite as comprehensive as Flashback, The Best of .38 Special's dozen tracks provide a good starting point for casual fans.

Another one-stop shop from Universal's 20th Century Masters Millennium Collection, here's all the Joe Cocker you need in one packed-with-hits single-disc collection. Kicking off with "Feelin' Alright," "With a Little Help From My Friends," and "Delta Lady," the set also includes his later hits like "You Are So Beautiful" and his duet with Jennifer Warnes, "Up Where We Belong." This may only clock in at 11 tracks, but it's a very potent little package and highly recommended as the perfect starter set.

Released in 2003, the exceptional two-CD Rainbow collection Catch the Rainbow: The Anthology provides a deeper understanding of how the band influenced the direction of hard rock and heavy metal. Between 1975 and 1984, former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore guided his new band (which had dizzying revolving-door lineup changes) through visions of mystical heavy metal and polished, radio-friendly hard rock. Blackmore's employment of vocalists Ronnie James Dio, Graham Bonnet, and Joe Lynn Turner created three distinct periods, all of which Catch the Rainbow: The Anthology expands upon further than 2000's perfunctory 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rainbow and 1997's stellar The Very Best of Rainbow.