Favorite Albums List: 132 - 129

I am breezing through these 4 because I really want to be done with these damned Greatest Hits collections. So, not anywhere near as in depth as they could (should?) be, sorry. Just really really really want to get these over with.

132. The Hits by Garth Brooks (1994)

The only country album on this list, and actually the only country album I own. (Sorry, I don't consider Johnny Cash country. More rockabilly than anything, for the most part, except for his gospel albums.) There are 18 songs here, and 14 of those 18 were #1 on the Billboard country chart. Don't really know what to say about it... I really like this album, but as far as his regular albums go, I think there was only one that I could actually listen to. He also put on one of the coolest concerts I've ever been to, so I guess that counts for something?
5 Best Songs:
5. "The River"
4. "Shameless"
3. "The Dance"
2. "Standing Outside the Fire"
1. "Unanswered Prayers"

"The Dance"


"Standing Outside the Fire"


"Unanswered Prayers" (Video is cheesy, so I suggest just listening, not watching.)


131. The Best Of INXS by INXS (2002)

I am definitely not getting into this one too much because the two albums that are featured most prominently, Kick and X, both appear later in the list. Really the only song that I can think of that is missing from this CD is "The Stairs." Other than that, every big INXS song is here. (Not that "The Stairs" was a huge hit, it was just one of their better songs.) The only bad thing about this CD is the jumbled order. Would have been a lot better going chronologically, although I can understand opening with "Need You Tonight." Great compilation, though.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Not Enough Time"
4. "Devil Inside"
3. "By My Side"
2. "Disappear"
1. "Never Tear Us Apart"

"By My Side"


"Disappear"


"Never Tear Us Apart"


130. Greatest Hits by James Taylor (1976)

This is a great album to fall asleep to. Not because it's boring, which I don't think it is, but just because it's so peaceful. From start to finish it is a very solid collection of Taylor's early work, except for the final track, "Steamroller," which is just a piece of crap. Taylor is without question one of the great songwriters, and this was pretty much him at his best.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Mexico"
4. "Something In the Way She Moves"
3. "Sweet Baby James"
2. "Shower the People"
1. "Fire and Rain"

"Sweet Baby James"


"Shower the People"


"Fire and Rain"


129. Substance by New Order (1987)

Technically, this is a singles collection, not Greatest Hits, but it pretty much passes for both. This is basically 24 of the best club songs of the '80s all in one spot, all by one band. This one took a while to grow on me, I must admit. But once it did, I really learned to appreciate it. The opening track, "Ceremony," is a beautiful song, and was actually written while the band was still Joy Division. The four most well known New Order songs are here, of course, and they all sound just as good now as they did back then. (Those would be "Blue Monday" "Perfect Kiss" "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "True Faith.") Most of the songs are a bit on the long side, with 18 of the 24 being over 5 minutes long, but surprisingly the album doesn't really drag on at any point. Granted, for a lot of people a lot of the songs sound the same, but the vast majority of the album is very good.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Blue Monday"
4. "Confusion"
3. "True Faith"
2. "Ceremony"
1. "Bizarre Love Triangle"

"True Faith"


"Ceremony"


"Bizarre Love Triangle"