Customer Reviews

The Best That I Could Do 1978-1988

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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".

This album is exactly what the title implies, a collection of Mellencamp's singles recorded during his first decade. For what it is the album is a decent enough collection. You get no album cuts here, just the big hits and as the title implies there is nothing from any of his albums after 1988. So, there is a lot missing here. If you are just looking for the hits this is ok, but Mellencamp's work goes much deeper than this.

i don't actually have this album... my mom does. i used to find it embarrassing that she would blast this album from her car stereo while she was driving. but then i really started to listen to the songs on here and started to find some meaning in them. john mellencamp is now one of my favorite artists. the best songs are jack & diane, hurts so good, pink houses, and my favorite, paper in fire. some people think i'm weird because i'm 13 years old and i like john mellencamp- but at least i know good music when i hear it! go buy this album RIGHT NOW i guarantee you will love it.

Creating a good "Best of" CD is not nearly as easy at it seems, which is why there are so many medicre ones out there. "The Best that I Could Do," however, is exactly what it ought to be as it uncanilly hits just about all of the high points of John Mellencamp's first decade as a recording artist. Thankully, it includes only two tracks released before his breakthough "American Fool" ablum, "I Need a Lover" and "Ain't Even Done With the Night," which are probably the only two songs from his early Johnny Cougar days worth hearing. After that, the collection includes all of the best cuts from "Fool," "Uh-huh," "Scarecrow" and "The Lonesome Jubilee," many of which were staples of FM rock radio and MTV during the 1980s. Mellencamp also gets a plus for only taking up space on this CD with one "new" track, the catchy "Without Expression" that closes the CD.

Overall, "Best that..." is a first rate anthology album for fans who don't want to put up the coin for all of the original albums. It also leaves you looking forward to CD that will cover the next ten years.

Although I now own all but two of the original albums that these came from ,and many other Mellencamp albums, this is my favorite of his CDs. It only goes through 1988 and there should be a Volume 2.
I Need A Lover- Great opening track.
Ain't Even Done With The Night=- One of his best.
Hurts So Good- You gotta like this.
Jack And Diane- See above.
Crumblin' Down- This is awesome and the drums on it are great.
Pink Houses- The best on this CD.
Authority Song- I love the guitar on the intro.
Lonely Ol' Night- In my opinion, this is a good song but not one of his best and Rain On The Scarecrow should be in it's place.
Small Town- One of the highlights of the Scarecrow album is also a highlight here.
R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.- A tribute to the music he grew up on
Paper In Fire- A different style from his earlier stuff but is still great.
Cherry Bomb- I love this
Check It Out- Pretty good.
Without Expression- Bonus track and proves he still has it.
John has a new album called Trouble No More coming out June 3!!!

Johnny Cougar. John Cougar. John Cougar Mellencamp. John Mellencamp. Whatever name you know him best by, or whatever name he is going by, doesn't change the main thing that we know and like best about him. The music. Through all the name changes, the music has stayed the same and has stayed as true as he and the music itself can possibly get. This one disc collection of most of his best known hits represents a body of work that signifies down home, mid-west roots rock and roll at it's very finest. There have been unfair comments pointed towards Mellencamp as being a Springsteen rip-off. How untrue. While the boss has the blue collar, everyman thing going for him too, he didn't create it. The kind of every guy stuff that he and John do in their music is an open theme for everyone. It's like no one else can do a love song, or a country song, because someone else already did it. Doesn't make sense. I love the boss, but the anthems for the everyday people and the struggles of life is not something new. Mellencamp is a very gifted writer. He writes from the heart and writes what he knows. There is no falseness to him or his music. What you see is what you get. It's stripped down and it gets to the point. There are some omissions on this disc. His top 40 hit, "Hand To Hold On To", is not here, and it should of been. Two other noteable absentees on this collection are his two top 40 hits, "Rain On The Scarecrow" and "Rumbleseat", both off of his "Scarecrow" album. "Rain On The Scarecrow", was a hit, and the lyrics and meaning of that song represent some of the finest moments in his music and would of served the disc greatly by being included. His early 90's stuff is MIA as well. There is no "Get A Leg Up", or "Wild Night", but I am hoping that there will be a second volume, or at least a "essential" collection that includes these omissions and the songs he has had out since then. But let's take a look at what you do get. All of his famous hits are on here. His "Small Town" is as big an American anthem as you can get, and the 60's tinged nostalgia trip, "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.", shows his love and appreciation for the simplest of American rock and roll. I was not overly familiar with "Check It Out", and it didn't click for me. "Pink Houses" is here, and just like many other songs, is filled with natural observances of the land and people around us. "The Authority Song" is a song that you could of sworn was written before and John just covered it. Not so. It's an even bigger trip into the past than "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.", and is one of my all time favorites. There is a lot more to go through on this short, but ultimately enjoyable and satisfying set, but you should just go out and pick up a copy for yourself. In the meantime, we can just wait and wonder what Mellencamp will have to say to us on his next release.

I'm a huge fan of 80's rock music and i have over 60 cd's from that era (most of them greatest hits). Growing up i always liked John Mellencamp's music so i bought this cd to add to my collection. I listen to it more than just about all of my other cd's, especially while I'm driving back and forth to college. Even the songs that I haven't ever heard before like Paper In Fire, and I Need A Lover are great. It even tells a good story or biography of John in the booklet. My favorite songs are Ain't Even Done With the Night and Hurt So Good. I just don't see how Billboard and other critics couldn't have put more than one of Mellencamp's songs at #1.

Like the artist himself, this CD of greatest hits is solid and reliable, and radio friendly. Does this make for bad music? Not always and definitely not in this case. Mellencamp himself doesn't think of himself as a musical genius, and this is part of his charm. He knows his place in the order of the universe and his humility shows on his songs, in a good way. They are simple and straight forward. Most of the tracks on here rock, which is more than a lot of other more pretentious types can account for.