Best of

Standells | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 12, 1989)
• Original Release Date: May 30, 1989
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B0000032BS
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,313 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Dirty Water

2. Riot on Sunset Strip

3. Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White

4. Why Pick on Me

5. Mr. Nobody

6. Mainline

7. Have You Ever Spent the Night in Jail

8. Try It

9. Medication

10. Little Sally Tease

11. Barracuda

12. Black Hearted Woman

13. Rari

14. Can't Help But Love You

15. All Fall Down

16. There's a Storm Coming

17. Animal Girl

18. Don't Say Goodbye

Editorial Reviews

This CD is an out of print collectible! It is the original 1989 Rhino release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Standells - 'The Best Of The Standells' (Rhino), September 11, 2004

By 

Mike Reed (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

I've always said that the Standells SHOULD'VE had more hits.Apparently,their short existence had come to a halt in late 1967.Something about you simply cannot encourage people to 'have a good time'.They mention it during their 1999 reunion on the 'Cavestomp' disc.I've listened to this disc MANY times as it compiles the several 'actual' lp's the band did release.After hearing 'The Best Of...',you'll fully understand as to where hard rock had originated.Starts off with their one big hit,"Dirty Water",but there are many other catchy tunes on here like "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White","Why Pick On Me",the gem "Barracuda"(bet no one remembers this rocker),"All Fall Down" and the beautiful "Animal Girl" with some great sitar.This CD has been out for eons,but is still very much available.Don't let it slip through your hands,it's a great disc to have.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One-Hit Wonders...But What a Hit!, February 7, 2000

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

It was one hit and out for this Los Angeles-based quartet--but what a hit! Written by producer Ed Cobb, "Dirty Water" is all snarl, attitude and a great guitar riff with a pounding backbeat and has become a garage band classic. [Historical note: "Dirty Water" was featured on the original double-LP Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era in 1972. Rolling Stone put this album on their list of 100 best albums. It is now available in its entirety plus three more CDs on the Rhino re-issue Nuggets Box. (It is essential garage rock listening, but I digress...)]

"Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White" maintains the swagger, but brings Larry Tamblyn's Farfisa to the forefront which lacked the bite of Tony Valentino's guitar.

"Why Pick On Me" sounds like they borrowed heavily from Cher's "Bang Bang." "Have You Ever Spent the Night in Jail" is a semi-comical song with a cowbell-driven beat. The horns on "Can't Help But Love You Baby" has the band reaching for R&B territory (and it doesn't work).

Some of the songs approach the gritty sound of "Dirty Water": "Try It" and "Mr. Nobody" with its snarling lead guitar lines, "Barracuda" and its cocky vocal. "All Fall Down" with its backward guitar (a la "Rain")and a guitar feedback fadeout, and the sitar in "Animal Girl" illustrate the Beatles' influence on the band.

The rest is fairly pedestrian. This CD contains some worthwhile music, but also shows why the Standells were unable to maintain their popularity. If "Dirty Water" isn't enough Standells for you, you can't go wrong with this Rhino collection. If it is enough, but you want to hear what other garage bands were doing in the mid-sixties get, Rhino's Nuggets box set.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST HAVE for any fan of that classic sixties sound!!, August 20, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Mt. Pleasant, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

The Standells are truly one of rock-n-roll's forgotten treasures. From the classic opening riff of "Dirty Water" through the moody sway of "Rari" then all the way to the heartfelt plea of "Don't Say Goodbye" this collection will leave you wondering why this group isn't as renown as The Animals or other such contemporaries. The Standells were masters of that quintessential 60's sound and are the Godfathers of garage rock.