There are many albums and artists in this list that I am unfamiliar with, but this is most definitely not one of them. I have always been a huge Queen fan, the musicianship, talent for songwriting, and the ability to avoid getting pigeon-holed as a particular brand of music has always been something I have greatly admired. Simply put, this is a perfect collection of eccentric songs from four men at the very top of their game. I challenge anyone, anywhere in the world to listen to this album and NOT find a handful of tunes they are familiar with - such has been the influence of Queen on the world since their very early days. The only criticism I have of this is that while many people own a copy of this album, they are missing out on some utterly fantastic music that you don't find here, but do on the original albums these hits came from (too many songs to mention ... '39, Brighton Rock, etc, etc). So have a listen, kick back and just enjoy this fantastic selection of hits - but remember to go and revisit the albums from which these hits came!
Standout Tracks: Every single last one of them. Utter brilliance.
I'll admit to never being that big a fan of No Doubt, Stefani's former band, so a little trepidation was there when putting this record on. You get all the usual girly pop stuff, little bit of rapping, lots of harmonies, driving drum and bass lines, but with a little extra on top - a little bit of attitude, the sort of stuff that was missing from Britney Spears the other day (yes I know I keep ragging on Britney, but trust me it was truly an awful experience). I always said I liked music that either took real talent to make, or had attitude to it, and this album has the former in bucketfuls, it's not too bad. It has quite an 80s feel to the album (synthesizers abound, but lack that warmth synonymous with older synth structured music), a decade I particularly enjoyed, but by the end of the album you are left feeling a bit empty, and there is little particularly memorable about the whole experience. On the whole, not bad, but nothing I would write home about. Symptomatic of much pop music today, it threatens to flatter but ends up hollow.
Standout Tracks: Hollaback Girl, The Real Thing (bonus track)
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