When I get a really good cd, I always pass it on. So, this is the second or third time I have bought this cd. I love it! The only thing that could have been better would be including the acoustic verison of "Small Town"!

An excellent selection of JCM's music for a greatest hits type collection. Nice to see some of the choices such as 'Martha Say', 'Jackie Brown', 'Again Tonight'. Not top hits but great tracks. A good mix of old and new. A good pick to keep in the car or to groove to around the house.

There is not one rock artist over the last 30 years that can match Mellencamp pound for pound when it comes to devising short, punchy true rock and roll singles. Many casual fans will find it hard to believe that the guy who did "Jack And Diane," "Hurts So Good," and "Pink Houses" actually had enough great ideas to fill up two cds of 37 songs. Here is the surprise..He absolutely does!!! There are very few better "Greatest Hits" collections on the market and this captures all of his greatest moments up until 2004. In addition to 35 proven classics, Mellencamp also included two (at the time) new songs that are exclusive to this release. Both of those songs, "Walk Tall" and "Thank You" hold up very well against the older material and although they are pleasant enough, they are not the highlights. Mellencamp's most productive decade was obviously the 80's when his songs and videos were unavoidable on both MTV and radio respectively. From his late 70's hit "I Need A Lover" through his classic 80's material like "Small Town," through his underrated 90's material like "Human Wheels," "Key West Intermezzo" and "Get A Leg Up" every album is well represented by it's best tracks. In addition to the two new songs his post 2000 material is here as well with tracks like the melodic "Peaceful World" and the classic cover of "Teardrops Will Fall."

This collection is one that when you play it will give you that "Hey, I remember THAT one" moment as each recognizable track reveals itself. What makes this collection great is that the songs that you may not recognize stand up as well as the ones you do. Mellencamp was a more well-rounded artist than given credit for. Often writing commentary for small town America in his music and seeing that many of these issues are still relevant today has kept this music fresh and vital. Mellencamp did the first Farm Aid back in 1985 and wrote the song "Scarecrow" which became the exclamation point on the farmer's plight and these problems, 20 something years later, are as relevant as ever.

Mellencamp proves that he deserves his induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with this slice of Americana from his 'regular guy' viewpoint. The one disc "The Best That I could Do" does not do him justice like this set does. John Mellencamp had too many great songs for one disc and this release nails it!

This CD was a replacement for 'The Best I Could Do' CD and a few of Mellencamps other CDs. This is a very good collection save for one thing. I was surprised and disappointed that there were no lyrics included with the CD. I guess I took the CD title too literally.

Ok, so this release doesn't have the DVD, but wow, what a great two disc set! This collection has all the hits, plus many other great songs. The sound quality of this collection is very good, with sensational disc mastering by Bob Ludwig. If you are on a budget, this is the only John Mellencamp CD you'll ever need to buy.