To the great
relief of many hard rock fans, Axl, Slash and company have finally released a best-of
album. This fourteen-track disc features the following hits (in order): “Welcome to the
Jungle,” “Sweet Child of Mine,” “Patience,” “Paradise City,” “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,”
“Civil War,” “You Could be Mine,” “Don’t Cry,” “November Rain,” “Live and Let Die,”
“Yesterdays,” “Ain’t it Fun,” “Since I Don’t Have You,” and “Sympathy for the
Devil.”
The digitally remastered tracks sound so crisp that you might
think you’re in the recording studio with the band. The truly nice thing about this
album is that it was recorded before the over-sampling explosion that has plagued rock
‘n’ roll since the mid-nineties. The songs sound raw and real and that makes a big
difference to die-hard rock purists.
Of course, one issue with best-of
albums is always the songs that are not included on the disk. Some noteworthy
omissions are “Night Train,” “My Michelle,” “Mr. Brownstone,” “Used to Love Her,” and
“Bad Obsession.” The absence of these and other favorites suggest that perhaps a
double-album would have been justified. Despite the exclusion of these tracks, the disk
remains a solid purchase, providing a greater level of consumer satisfaction by virtue of
its well-known hits.
All in all, if you enjoy guitar-driven music and
the high-pitched shriek of Axl Rose’s vocals, this compilation album is for you.