The Best That I Could Do 1978-1988

John Mellencamp | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 18, 1997)
• Original Release Date: November 18, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island
• ASIN: B000001EYI
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,567 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #8 in Music > Rock > Roots Rock
  • #33 in Music > Rock > Singer-Songwriters

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Best That I Could Do collects the singles that led John Mellencamp into the radio/jukebox pantheon he celebrated in "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." and "Cherry Bomb." While albums such as American Fool, Uh Huh, and Scarecrow held Top 10 spots for months, their spinoff hits made this Hoosier disciple of Jagger, J.B., and Iggy into something like a Reagan-era John Fogerty: not only were "Pink Houses," "Paper in Fire," and "Crumblin' Down" wise (and wiseacre) dispatches from an America where it wasn't always morning, they could fill a dance floor and get you pounding the dashboard on the way home. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of his early years, July 18, 2001

By 

James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley" (Sanatoga, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best That I Could Do 1978-1988 (Audio CD)

Initially this collection was envisioned as a lengthy single-disc career overview of the noted rocker, with 17 singles spanning his twenty years on the Mercury label. Ultimately, it was pared back to 14 singles emphasizing the first decade, with such recent hits as "Get A Leg Up," "Wild Night," and "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)" being dropped from the lineup (the prolific Mellencamp deserved a double-disc retrospective anyway, so hopefully we will see a second set highlighting his more recent material in the not too distant future).

After Mellencamps's first couple of albums on Mercury in 1979 and 1980, it was hard to envision that such a long, substantial career lie ahead. As represented here by initial hits "I Need A Lover" and "Ain't Even Done With The Night," Mellencamp (then known as John Cougar) came across as a rebel with a few good riffs (copped from the Rolling Stones?) and simplistic lyrics which rarely went beyond stud-boy prowling (a la Eddie Money). This trite image would thankfully be altered by 1982's American Fool album and, especially, its second single "Jack and Diane," a slice of life saga of a boy and girl growing up in the midwest (as Mellencamp did). The lyrics remained simple, but they acquired a nostalgic eloquence to which a broader audience could relate.

1983's Uh-Huh (with its enclosed singles "Crumblin' Down," "Pink Houses," and the raucous "Authority Song") showed even more of an emphasis on heartland reflections, while Mellencamp hit his artistic peak with 1985's thematically varied Scarecrow album. His odes to rock and roll heroes ("R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A."), the simple life ("Small Town"), and young love ("Lonely Ol' Night") made it onto this Best Of, while the throbbing yet haunting "Rain On The Scarecrow" unfortunately does not (it's the most sorely missed Mellencamp single from this era). After Scarecrow, Mellencamp closed out his first ten years at Mercury with his most sonically enjoyable effort to date, 1987's The Lonesome Jubilee (represented here by "Paper In Fire," "Cherry Bomb," and "Check It Out)." Collectively, these aforementioned singles make The Best That I Could Do one of the strongest compilations in recent memory.

The Best That I Could Do does not, as hinted in the subtitle (1978-1988), look exclusively at Mellencamp's first decade of Mercury hits. There is also one new track to end the set: a remake of Terry Reid's "Without Expression." Unlike most Mellencamp singles, the tune is not immediately infectious. Once this midtempo philosophical tale sinks in upon repeated listenings, however, it easily takes its place among Mellencamp's best recordings and bodes well for his future output. As for the past, The Best That I Could Do reveals Mellencamp to be one of the more important commercial rockers of the past twenty years. The "best that he could do" is indeed pretty damn good.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A near-perfect compilation, June 14, 2000

By 

John Jones "Musician" (Chicago IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best That I Could Do 1978-1988 (Audio CD)

Anyone who's ever stepped foot in a bar or put money in a jukebox is more than familiar with the work of John Mellencamp. His earthy pairing of rock and country, not to mention lyrics that often celebrate the American dream as well as its disillusions, produces a down-home feel that appeals to any hard-working guy sidling up to the bar for a cold one. Listening to a Mellencamp record always sounds like you're sitting in on a jam session; the musicianship is tight as can be but it still sounds like everybody's hanging loose. This compilation, then, featuring almost all of his major hit singles, sounds like a party from start to finish.

Early hits like "I Need a Lover" and "Ain't Even Done With the Night" still hold up well, and even the most modern rock would be hard-pressed to match the weight of the grooves found in "Hurt So Good" and "Jack and Diane." The songs that proved him heir to the Springsteen throne, "Pink Houses" and "Small Town," still sound as earnest as they did upon release, and if ever a pair of pop songs justified testing the volume limit of your stereo, they would be "Lonely Ole Night" and "Crumblin' Down."

To have the collection stop at 1988 is puzzling, however; this leaves out his amazing cover of "Wild Night" with Me'shell N'Degeocello, and the two major VH1 staples from his "Mr. Happy Go Lucky" release, "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)" and "Just Another Day." Had these been included (instead of the less-deserving "Check it Out," a "Cherry Bomb" knockoff) the compilation would have felt a touch more complete. Still, you hold in your hands thirteen classic examples of down-home, feel-good rock, one of which is a brand-new cut (the impressive "Without Expression"). Get your friends to a pool hall, order a round of brews, drop a couple of bucks into the jukebox, and enjoy.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Jack and Diane"- An Awesome Hit, September 9, 2004

By 

Tyler Waller - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best That I Could Do 1978-1988 (Audio CD)

It wasn't until I heard my Dad use the word "bling" that I realized what an odd time our generation has grown up in. We have become enamored with watching strangers thrown into a house together, we can take pictures with our phones, and we can even send our assignments to our teachers over the computer. As is expected our music has been affected as well. Then two weeks ago when I heard this song, "Jack and Diane" by John Mellencamp, I realized what today's music should be. This is an All-American song about "two kids growing up in the heartland". It is pure classic rock with a dash of today's modern feel. Unlike today's music this song is not about the dance moves that the artist can incorporate into its meaning, it is about life. No matter what happens to you in life we have to remember that "life does go on". In it's time this song was a pop culture icon (and still is) and it deserved to be. Although I am not to familiar with any of John Mellencamp's other songs, I just got this album and have really enjoyed it so far. I would recommend it to anyone and be sure to check out this "little ditty".