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I have most of the original records these songs are culled from, and fortunately most of them are still available if you look around. Check out Sage's new label as well... Certainly the older albums are classics, but the new ones are just as good and you'll hear how the music has progressed over the years, maturing and getting better all the time. The Wipers never gave a toss about being trendy or sounding like what's popular at a given time. Their music holds up after all these years, unlike so much of the stuff that fills used vinyl and cd bins all over the world.

They have a sound that I can't completely describe here. Some of the songs are blazing with distortion and speed, but through the noise you can hear every single tone and note in the chords being played. On others the band lays way back and takes you on a wistful and sad journey, with the guitar cleanly laying down timeless melodies. The spare instrumentation of guitar, bass and drums is sometimes filled out with piano or percussion, but no matter what, the guitar is ever present and his tone is incomparable. The closest thing I can think of is Hendrix's sound, but somehow Sage is more constrained and subtle than he was and never plays anything "wanky" if you know what I mean. It's not guitar playing for guitar playing's sake, every note counts toward making the song a whole statement. The bass and drums lay down some of the most driving, tight rhythyms I've ever heard from a rock band. The different drummers and bass players on these recordings deserve special praise for creating such a huge, hypnotic sound.

Okay, so this band rocks, and there are lots of other bands out there who do the same, but one thing I didn't mention above is that Greg Sage is also a fantastic singer. No need to hide the vocals under a mix of loud guitars because the guy has a beautiful voice that rings clear and true, always on pitch, full of expression without being overwrought, and able to convey the real emotion behind the songs.

Incidentally, if you get the chance to hear their live recordings you'll be stunned to find out that they sound almost exactly the same as they do on record. No studio trickery involved in these recordings, just masterful playing.

Although I consider myself rather knowledgeable about music, the music of Greg Sage was a very recent discovery. All the songs on this collection prove worthy of many playbacks. Actually, I find it quite baffling that this band did not get more recognition, for it certainly deserved much critical praise. This is guitar driven music that definitely influenced bands such as Nirvana. I highly recommend this album. I only wish that I knew of them sooner.

This is the place to start for anyone who is interested in The Wipers.
A good helping of songs on here, 16 in all. The Cd also contains three extra songs not on the cassette. Of course I think nowadays, no one buys cassettes anymore, vinyl, yes.
This Best of release doesn't include everything. Unfortunately there are no tracks from some of their earlier works such as 'Youth Of America' and my favorite 'Is This Real ?'
Besides that, this is the one disc Cd to get (Get the Box set if you can).
It includes some of the Band's finest tracks.
"My Vengeance" has a classic psychadelic rock feel and features the best guitar passages on this album.
"Better Off Dead" is the earliest song on this compilation. Truly a standout and it shows the listeners a taste of Greg Sage's aggressive punk-like attitude.
"Blue Cowboy" really shows Sage's songwriting talent. A more laid back ballad while "Romeo" is a catchy, straightforward Rock hit.
As the guitar blazes through I just love it when Greg Sage Screams - "JUUUULIET!!"
Sounds like a true Rock n Roll force, and if you ask me this is a band that needs to be paid more attention to by the mainstream public.
Sadly, the band never got their due.
Greg Sage and The Wipers were key influences on bands to come in the late 80s noise rock and the early 90s grunge era.

This disc is a good compilation of what are (in my opinion) Greg Sage's more angst-ridden tunes. There's lots of emotion here . . . and lots of guitar. The guitar is always at the center of the mix, sometimes fuzzed out ("My Vengeance"), sometimes smooth and liquid ("Someplace Else").

Many cry foul that this compilation lacks any songs from Sage's seminal debut album "Is This Real?" While I agree a couple tracks might have gone well here, I think this compilation tries to show the more developed, shadowy side of Sage's songwriting. Many of his earliest songs have a bouncy punk attitude about them. They're GREAT, but they don't quite seem to fit the overall feel of this compilation. I would advise the interested listener to pick up a cheap used copy of the Wiper's 3-disc box set if they want to hear Sage's punk roots.

So, know what to expect - a good dose of what was to influence other great northwest bands like Nirvana and Unwound (my all-time favorite). It's more Joy Division than Talking Heads, if I could draw parallels with his comtemporaries. Bottom line - Sage is a guitar player who is a suprisingly and refreshingly good singer. You'll enjoy this compilation.

If you must only have a snapshot of this incredible band, then a "best of" will do. Criminally, most of their crucial songs didn't even make the cut. Tragically under-represented is the MIND-BLOWING "Over the Edge" album, as well as the "Youth of America" EP. That's not to mention that "Is This Real" ain't even included (rights weren't held by Restless). All bitching aside, this is a taste of one of THE BEST bands of the late 70's and 80's (yah, yah, I know Sage is still around). FIND AND BUY ALL REISSUES. THEY ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON "GIFT OF LIFE" RECORDS.

This compilation is very misleading. I've been read the reviews here, and one thing I've noticed is that nobody has pointed out how this compilation covers his weakest period ('85-'88) with a few inclusions from his critically accepted period ('77-'84). Not only that, but only a few of the good-to-great songs from '85-'88 are included. I'll try to break this compilation down for everyone since it needs to be done.

('77-'??) Early Demos and Outtakes
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11. Better Off Dead
12. No Solution
13. My Vengeance

Arguing against the inclusion of these songs would be unfair since they're early demos and outtakes, though "Better Off Dead" is the only good one.

(1981) Youth of America
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7. Taking Too Long

This song is definitely the weakest tune from Youth of America. And though the title track would take up too much space (it lasts over 10 minutes), "No Fair", "Can This Be" or "Pushing the Extreme" would fit in its place.

(1983) Over the Edge
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9. Romeo
10. Messenger

Among his best albums, Over the Edge should be listened to on its own. It's that good.

(1985) Straight Ahead (Greg Sage' first "solo" album)
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5. Soul's Tongue
6. Blue Cowboy

Straight Ahead is a pretty good album, and could have been represented better. The title track and "On the Run" (one of my favorite Sage/Wipers tunes, period!) would have been welcome additions.

(1986) Land of the Lost
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1. Nothing Left to Lose
2. Way of Love
14. Just a Dream Away
15. Different Ways

Take "Different Ways" off and add "The Search" and "Just Say". It would round it out a bit more. Many seem to enjoy the title track, so that probably would have helped as well. Like Over the Edge, this album is best as a standalone.

(1987) Follow Blind
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3. Someplace Else
4. The Chill Remains
16. Losers Town

There isn't a lot to help the representation of this album. It is definitely the weakest Wipers release. However, if you took "Someplace Else" and "Losers Town" off and added the title track and "No Doubt About It" you'd hear what could have been.

(1988) The Circle
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8. The Circle

The Circle is actually a good album. However, the inclusion of the title track is about as baffling as the no-show of "On the Run" from Straight Ahead. Adding "I Want a Way", "Goodbye Again", "Be There" and "Blue & Red" (and/or "Time Marches On") would have made MUCH more sense with this one.

The compilation should have looked more like this:

1. Straight Ahead
2. Soul's Tongue
3. Blue Cowboy
4. On the Run
5. Just a Dream Away
6. Nothing Left to Lose
7. The Search
8. Just Say
9. Follow Blind
10. The Chill Remains
11. No Doubt About It
12. I Want a Way
13. Goodbye Again
14. Be There
15. Blue & Red

I urge everyone to give this period a shot with the suggestions above.

In closing, this compilation has no coherent order and should have strictly stuck to his '85-'88 period. Switch some tracks around and you'd have a good compilation without all the crap he recorded during the period it mostly represents. The earlier albums are fine on their own and all 3 can be bought as a 3-disc box set for fairly cheap; there's no need to include content from them on a compilation that covers his middle period. His first three albums are where everyone goes for their Wipers/Sage fix, but for his second greatest period ('93-'96), try Silver Sail and The Herd.

The Wipers were a Portland, Oregon, based band of awesome power and presence but absolutely no record sales to speak of in America of the '80s when "alternative" seemed to equal "we don't play that stuff on the radio." If they started off in the Nirvana era, they, NOT Nirvana, would be rock gods. No kidding, the Wipers were that good. Oh, they are not 100% dead as leader/guitarist extraordinaire Greg Sage continues on with his latest "Herd" released in 1997 ('98?), but it does not match his prime. All in all a great package but would've preferred more tracks like "Doom Town off Land of the Lost album. Also, "Youth of America" should have been on here though it is a tad long. Luckily, you get Romeo with its all-time classic tag line --"Roam, Romeo. Romeo roam" plus the mesmerizing "Taking Too Long." Buy this and toss your Nirvana CDs away. This band is the goods!

i've seen greg sage 1996 in salzburg. one of the real heroes of independent rock history playing his songs in front of a 50-people audience. it was absurd. he is the father of a generation of bands who are said to be revolutionary for rock music. in fact greg sage was!!!

I had been curious about Greg Sage's work for some time. The near-unanimous critical aclaim, the high profile extollers (Cobain, etc.), the uncompromising musical ethic and semi-recluse life intrigued me. This sampler seemed a good place to start investigating Mr. Sage's creative output.

Sadly, I find myself underwhelmed. Rather than criminally neglected genius, I hear rather pedestrian though competent American post-punk with little to distinguish it from dozens of similar 80s groups. The guitar playing so often referred to as bearing comparison to Hendrix struck me as proficient but hardly inspiring. The vocals are indistinct, and the lyrics are repetitive, cliche ridden and at times cring inducing ("speak to me with your soul tongue"? Sheesh.)

Overall pleasant, workmanlike and inoffensive, I regret that these tracks, ostensibly among the best of Sage's first 15 years, show scant evidence of the godlike skill and intense urgency so often claimed by Wipers fans.

Toss away NIRVANA! Nirvana is for babies. Sage and his Wipers were (are?) the best. Enough said. Listen to these raging guitars. Nowhere matched!