[.ca] Very Best Of The

Without a doubt the one to get for Americans:
I agree with a lot of the comments made below, especially waiman. I had the first CD years ago as I've always loved the British scene, but never had their early singles or the 2nd CD. When I looked into it, there was quite the discussion in both review sections between this and the Complete Stone Roses as to which one was the better compilation. First off, this one sounds far better and if you like to listen to your CDs on a decent home theater or car stereo there is no choice. Ever make a CD mix with other CDs and throw in something from the first CD or Complete? You will notice the drop in quality. Secondly, this one has Love Spreads which, at least in Chicago, was their big hit on MTV and radio. People tend to remember the "she's my sister" video when thinking about the Roses, at least people I've met and tried to convert. That's good in a way... this compilation has the song and will introduce the casual music fan looking for it to their superior sound from earlier work. It basically has all the essentials... I bought it on Amazon, and now own every Stone Roses CD including Garage Flowers so it truly converted me. Yes, it would have been nice to have some of the B-sides, especially Mersey Paradise, Going Down and Where Angels Play, but I'm hard pressed to think of a track that would be dropped to make room. Some may say anything from Second Coming, but I like the fact that this CD is TRULY Complete. Also, in my opinion only, the Very Best of has the superior version of Elephant Stone. You will play this CD over and over and not get sick of it if you like upbeat, positive anthems. It was actually incredible that most of these songs were from their first CD... they sounded like a band that had totally perfected their sound. Any fan of the Flaming Lips "Soft Bulletin" should check this out.. it's an essential addition to your CD collection. You will not be dissapointed- nobody I've played this for, from my friends stuck in their hard rock closemindedness to people who only listen to what's on the radio, has not praised it.

Outstanding Remaster:
The comments below mine notwithstanding, I think this is a great CD and a fantastic remaster. Sure, there was a prior compilation but it was not as complete as this and was not remastered as perfectly as this disc was. The difference in audio quality is quite dramatic, in my opinion, between this disc and the first compilation.

Fantastic remastering job:
What the previous reviewers have said about the excellent remastering job on this compilation is an understatement. The remastering is easily 10 times better sonically than the original and 100 times better than "The Complete Stone Roses" on Silvertone which sounds terrible next to the standard first CD or this compilation. I'd also wager that John Leckie (producer/engineer of the best Roses material) actually remixed "She Bangs the Drums" with more background vocals and better reverbs/outboard gear...it sounds like an actual remix-check it out...it's that good! This band is easily one of the best English bands of all time. There's a reason why fellow musicians and the critics continually rate the first Roses CD as one of the top 10 English rock CDs ever released.

Delectable:
Me oh my, what an outrageously good record this is. I had never heard of The Stone Roses until my brother played me "I Wanna Be Adored" a few years ago. I loved the song, but I thought they would be a band very much like The Smiths or The Cure (which isn't a bad thing at all, I just wasn't interested at the time), so I never followed up and bought any of their albums. Thankfully, my father received this cd from my brother for his birthday a few months ago, and I've had the pleasure of listening to it everyday since then. All of these songs exude an indomitable vitality that lends an extra cachet to the already stellar music. There is a distinctive 80s sounds to The Roses, but after listening to all the material present on The Very Best Of, it's apparent that these songs transcend their era and will always remain as timelessly great pop confections. Highlights of this recording include the ebullient "What the World is Waiting For", the dreadfully pleasing "I Wanna Be Adored", and the anthemic numbers "Made of Stone" and "I am the Resurrection". I highly recommend this to all.

A pretty good collection:
If you only buy one Stone Roses cd. Buy the first album. If you buy two Stone Roses CDs buy this too. What you get are 15 classic Stone Roses tracks (all the best from the first album, all the singles, and the best tracks from Second Coming). Remastered. My only real complaint is the absence of some substantial B-sides (Mersey Paradise, Standing Here) and the inclusion of the shorter version of "One Love." Other than those minor compaints this is an essential collection for any Roses fan.

• I Wanna Be Adored
• She Bangs the Drums
• Ten Storey Love Song
• Waterfall
• Made of Stone
• Love Spreads
• What the World Is Waiting For
• Sally Cinnamon
• Fools Gold
• Begging You
• Elephant Stone
• Breaking into Heaven
• One Love
• This Is the One
• I Am the Resurrection