John Mellencamp - Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits
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Artist: John MellencampEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2004-10-19
Music Label: Island
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Walk Tall
- Pink Houses
- Lonely Ol' Night
- Jackie Brown
- Rain On The Scarecrow
- Love And Happiness
- Check It Out
- Peaceful World
- Paper In Fire
- Your Life Is Now
- Human Wheels
- When Jesus Left Birmingham
- Authority Song
- What If I Came Knocking
- Crumblin' Down
- Small Town
- R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. (A Salute To 60's Rock)
- Cherry Bomb
- Pop Singer
- Thank You
- Martha Say
- Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)
- Hand To Hold On To
- I Need A Lover
- Hurts So Good
- Get A Leg Up
- Wild Night
- Dance Naked
- Teardrops Will Fall
- Ain't Even Done With The Night
- Just Another Day
- Jack & Diane
- Rumbleseat
- I'm Not Running Anymore
- Again Tonight
- This Time
- Now More Than Ever
Music reviews of Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits
Music Review: Ultimate Mellencamp collection - this version doesn't have the dvd
Rating: 5 Stars
A major fixture in American music for over 25 years, Words & Music is John Mellencamp's first (near) career-encompassing collection. Its two discs contain 37 digitally remastered selections - including all 22 of his top 40 hits - covering 14 albums. Mellencamp's only musical phase neglected here is his initial recordings for MCA Records from the mid-70s when he was using the Johnny Cougar moniker (and frankly, they deserve to be ignored).
Even after Mellencamps's first couple of albums on Mercury in 1979 and 1980, it was hard to envision that a long, substantial career lie ahead. With his initial hits "I Need A Lover," "This Time," and "Ain't Even Done With The Night," Mellencamp came across as a rebel with a few good riffs and simplistic lyrics that rarely went beyond stud-boy prowling. "Hurt So Good" - the ultra infectious leadoff single from 1982's American Fool album was more of the same, but Mellencamp's next hit would forever alter his image: "Jack and Diane," a slice of life saga of a boy and girl growing up in the Midwest (like Mellencamp did). The lyrics for "Jack and Diane" and its follow-up "Hand To Hold Onto," remained uncomplicated, but they hold a nostalgic eloquence to which a broader, post adolescent 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 1985's thematically varied Scarecrow album - with vignettes of rock and roll heroes ("R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A."), the simple life ("Small Town"), young love ("Lonely Ol' Night," "Rumbleseat"), and the plight of the modern farmer ("Rain On The Scarecrow)" - found Mellencamp really coming into his own as a storyteller. At this time, he also became actively involved in Farm Aid as one of its founding members. After Scarecrow, Mellencamp closed out his first decade 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)." This release began Mellencamp's prominent use of violin, giving his recordings more of a down home feel.
Aside from its sarcastic leadoff single "Pop Singer," 1989's Big Daddy was even more folk-oriented, with its character study "Jackie Brown" ranking among Mellencamp's most moving recordings. After exploring this gentler side, 1991's Whenever We Wanted presented some of Mellencamp's hardest rockin' material like "Love And Happiness" and "Get A Leg Up." Then Mellencamp really surprised us with the somewhat somber, always eclectic Human Wheels from 1993, highlighted by its hypnotic title track, the atmospheric "When Jesus Left Birmingham," and the scorcher "What If I Came Knocking." The follow-up - 1994's Dance Naked - was short (about 30 minutes in length) and simple, stripped down rock and roll. Its enclosed title track and effective cover of Van Morrison's "Wild Night" (that introduced Me'Shell Ndegeocello to the masses) are the album's lone standouts. Much better was 1996's adventurous Mr. Happy Go Lucky that featured "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)" and "Just Another Day."
Disappointed by the sales of his recent Mercury albums, Mellencamp moved to Columbia Records in 1998. Album sales at Columbia would become increasingly sluggish, however, and success at pop radio would now elude him completely (despite no drop off in quality). Mellencamp's 1998 self-titled release offered some of his most introspective material, including the enclosed singles "Your Life Is Now" and the exotic shuffler "I'm Not Running Anymore." 2001's Cuttin' Heads served up the timely - released just prior to 9/11 - single "Peaceful World" which featured the debut of duet partner India.Arie. Mellencamp then took another stylistic detour with 2003's Trouble No More, an inspired collection of rootsy and bluesy cover tunes represented here by "Teardrops Will Fall."
Words And Music also includes two new Mellencamp compositions that feature production and background vocal collaborations by Babyface: the social commentaries "Walk Tall" and "Thank You." Both hold their own amongst Mellencamp's best work. Mellencamp also provided the sequencing for this collection. Instead of just placing the tracks in chronological release date order, he decided to group recordings with similar themes and succeeded in creating two well-paced cds. While a few low charting singles ("Small Paradise," "Rooty Toot Toot") were left off this set, every significant Mellencamp recording has been included here (with only the final track "Now More Than Ever" rating as less than essential). It's a must-own retrospective of a gifted musical icon.
Description of Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits
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