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Jul 28, 2021 Web Exclusive By Matthew Berlyant

Aside from their classic 1982 debut album, this best of could arguably be called the definitive Violent Femmes collection. Originally appearing in 1993 on CD and cassette and only available on vinyl in Greece, 2021 sees the first ever vinyl reissue, on black and several colored variants. Split into four sides and going in vaguely chronological order, the tracklisting actually makes sense in that context.

Side A concentrates on songs from the debut, such as the ubiquitous classics “Blister in the Sun” and “Gone Daddy Gone” (memorably covered by Gnarls Barkley in 2006) along with B-side “Gimme the Car.” Side B concentrates on material from 1984’s sophomore album Hallowed Ground. Whereas side C covers third album The Blind Leading the Naked and 1988’s excellent and underheard but confusingly titled 3 (it’s actually their fourth album and the title is a reference to them being a stripped-down trio again after the third album added additional instrumentation) along with 1991’s Why Do Birds Sing. Side D is a mish-mash of live tracks, including two of their most well-known songs (“Add It Up” and “Kiss Off”) in radically different arrangements that occasionally hint at the free jazz influence (particularly that of Sun Ra) that bassist Brian Ritchie displayed on some of his late ’80s solo albums.

If minor complaints can be leveled, well it’s odd that 3 is only represented by one song and it’s also a bit strange that live versions of two of the songs that many who only know a handful of songs would come here for, but that just signals that this compilation (while indeed a great introduction) isn’t really for casual fans, but more for deeper fans who appreciate the live material and rarities included here. Besides, their debut is an absolute must, one of the finest albums ever, so perhaps the compilation assumes that you know it already as generations of high school and college students have over the last almost 40 years! (www.vfemmes.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10