Rick Springfield - The Best of Rick Springfield

If you are looking for his hits... you would be better off getting his first two albums... this "best of" is about 1/2 "best of" and 1/2 filler

If you are a Rick Springfield fan, or a least a casual fan of his biggest hits, this is the best compilation I have found. It has all the best hits on it, and the versions you want. The reproduction quality is very good. Highly recommended if you want one album with Springfield's best work.

Rick Springfield's early 80's work was very catchy and enjoyable, especially the material from his classic "Working Class Dog" album. As such, this collection of Springfield's hits has some excellent straight-ahead pop-rock like "Jesse's Girl", which is probably the song that he is most remembered for. After his initial success however, he focused more on creating "hits" rather than the same soulful, exciting songs of before. Therefore, his product became more focused on 80's style pop like "Don't Talk to Strangers". The latter material isn't bad, it's just not quite as good as the early stuff. All in all, this collection is the best you will find if you are a casual fan looking for the most complete collection of singles that he realeased. There are, of course, some songs that were released as singles that are missing, but unless you are a hardcore fan, you will be hard-pressed to notice. The remastering quality is excellent, and it is what prompted me to buy this collection instead of the others available. Top-notch collection for casual fans, although you will find that his later style of music to be very different than that which you remember him for. Very enjoyable.

Great compilation to have if you are a fan. Rick is an artist who really hasn't been recognized for his complete talent- not just as a dynamic performer and pop culture idol, but as a composer and musician. I've seen him in concert both in the mid-80s and again-twice- when he made the rounds in the last 10 years. He brings the house down, performs like a true rocker, and engages with the fans on a personal level leaving us all wanting more. He should not be seen as merely an 80's icon. His music is still fresh and enjoyable today. This DVD will not disappoint.

I am thirteen and my mom and dad listen to rick springfield. Me, being an offspring of 2 of the biggest rick fans, love this CD by far. This is an amazing CD, and you can always get the other ones cheap. If you are a fan of ricks this CD is totally for you ;)

Of all of Rick Springfield's best of and compliations, this is my favorite. It has a little bit of everything you want to hear, is fun to listen to and is reasonably prices. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.

I love his hit songs. I just want to be counted as yet another person who loves this CD. He really is a great artist. I love to relive my teen years when I listen to this

I'm sure when most people think of Rick Springfield they think one-hit-wonder. "Jessie's Girl" was indeed one of the best songs of the 80's. Even I wasn't expecting to know much when I got this, yet track after track I kept saying, "I know this song", and usually knew it well. My personal favorites here would have to be "Love Somebody", "I've Done Everything For You", "Don't Talk To Strangers", and the great "Affair Of The Heart". Many others are as good, and the only song here I don't like much is "Celebrate Youth". There's just no hook on that one. Maybe it was just the era, but Rick had the ability to sound new wave on one song, pop on another, and just rock on many. After a listen to this collection, I think it's easy to see he was at least a ten-hit-wonder.

If you're going to release an album called Rick Springfield's Greatest Hits, how do you omit his greatest hit?

"Honeymoon in Beirut" is by far the best song the guy did --

It's like when people talk about the Police's Synchronicity album and they say "Every Breath You Take" is the best song --

Hello? "Tea in the Sahara" is the song that exemplifies what that album was about.........anyway.........

Rick had a lot of great songs, but to leave out his best one and put some of the clunkers that are on this album is inexcusable.

Four things prompted me to get this collection. One, the fact that I'm an 80's music guy. Two, its inclusion in the 13 Going On 30 soundtrack, three, I remember a girl I knew in high school, Stacey Perkins, telling me she was really into Rick Springfield, and four, the release of his latest album, Shock Denial Acceptance Anger. Even though Rick Springfield became lumped in the 1980's hard-rock/pop genre like Canadians Loverboy, he was already a big star in his homeland Australia during the 1970's until his work in General Hospital put his music career on hold. However, with the 80's, he was reinvented and went full throttle with a sound best described as jamming and grinding hard rock with some keyboard meshed within. With his heartthrob looks, he was clearly marketed towards the teen girls back then.

From Working Class Dog, came his best known song, so quintessentially 80s in sound, and so full of yearning with that couplet "I wish that I had Jessie's Girl/Where can I find a woman like that?" The guitars and the synth solos inbetween verses brings things back.
Also from that album is the hard-driving rock/post-punk of the Sammy Hagar-penned "I've Done Everything For You" which has the accusatory "you've done nothing for me" aimed at some girl who's all money and jiving. "Love Is Alright Tonight" which mentions the album's title, has a similar sound.

From Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet, comes the Top Ten "Don't Talk To Strangers" whose mid-paced, reflective melodies, and electric piano reminds me of Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby." Notable line: "Love hurts when only one's in love." That is followed by the ballad "What Kind of Fool Am I" which starts with a lilting synth akin to a Lionel Richie or Whitney Houston ballad before going uptempo in the chorus. The opening guitar and power riffs of "I Get Excited" make it kind of like "Jessie's Girl" meets "Somebody's Baby" in the chorus. Recycled but still listenable.

Living in Oz showed no signs of changing the formula, although "Affair of the Heart" showed a hardened Loverboy/Foreigner/Journey-style in the guitars. In the seven minute "Human Touch" with its bouncy Cars-like sound interspersed in the usual Springfield formula, the singer mentions everyone talking to computers and dancing to drum machines, to which he proclaims "We all need a human touch." "Souls" veers towards a Journey sound.

Springfield's second wind came with his 1984 movie Hard To Hold, which was overshadowed by that other movie featuring a rock star-Purple Rain. It yielded single after single, including the catchy "Love Somebody" whose guitar and rhythm showed a more streamlined sound akin to "What Kind of Fool Am I" meets "Somebody's Baby." "Bop Til You Drop" featured a more funky beat while his ballad duet with Randy Crawford "Taxi Dancing" is merely decent.

His sound changed drastically with "Celebrate Youth" from Tao and "Rock of Life" the title track from his 1988 album, and by then, he was no longer the chart draw he was in the early 80's. Even though his peak era was from 1981 to 1984, he did provide part of that essentially 80's sound I look nostalgically back on.

I OWN THIS C.D. AMONG MANY,MANY, OTHERS AS A SINGER AND ROCK
GUITARIST I CAN SAY THAT RICKS MUSIC DEFINITELY ROCKS.I RECENTLY
JUST GOT INTO THE OLD VINYLS AND PICKED ANOTHER GREAT ALBUM THAT HE PUT OUT A WHILE BACK CALLED LIVING IN OZ. WOW!!! WHAT A GREAT PIECE OF MUSICAL ART THAT ONE IS AS WELL.ITS GOT SEVERAL HIT SONGS ON THE ALBUM BUT THE B SIDES ARE THE ONES I REALLY DIG.
SONGS LIKE JESSIES GIRL,BUT WITH ALOT MORE AGRESSION AND EDGE
(TIGER BY THE TAIL IS ONE THAT IS WAY WAY WAY COOL)AND LIKE FATHER LIKE SON IS HIP TOO!) BUY IT LATER,PIECE F ZACH!!!!

Rick Springfield is one of the more underrated artists of the early/mid '80s. The critics may have bashed him and his music's credibilty just 'cause he was a soap opera star, and guys might not have given him a chance since he had a large female audience. Well, they're all morons, this guy rules! His high energy mainstream rock is like a more pop friendly version of Eddie Money, The Romantics or Loverboy.

As far as this particular collection goes, basically, it's just an extended version of his earlier "Greatest Hits" from 1989. 4 other tracks are added here, as well as the album versions of other songs which were the hit single versions on the earlier collection.

With that out of the way, let's get to the music itself.

The debut album, WORKING CLASS DOG, not surprisingly, gets a bit of attention. Rick's signature song, the surging jealous-of-love happy yet rocking "Jesse's Girl." The fast-paced dating tale "Love is Alright Tonight" is another winner, as is his own classic rock-ish version of Red Rocker Sammy Hagar's message to a girlfriend "I've Done Everything For You." It's a little lighter than Sam's version, but no less good!

1982's SUCCESS HASN'T SPOILED ME YET is, at least in my opinion, his best album, which nearly every song could've been a hit. Included here is the slightly cautionary mid tempo, cooled down keyboard rock of "Don't Talk to Strangers," the slower but no less fun low key ballad "What Kind of Fool Am I," and the lite arena rock of "I Get Excited," an underrated masterpiece left off the earlier collection.

1983's LIVING IN OZ was a little harder rocking and more serious themed, but just as good. Included are the poweful and passionate synth rocker "Affair of the Heart," the look of technology and its effects on us in the danceable, almost hard rock of "Human Touch," and the uptempo but more laid back "Souls."

His contributions to 1984's HARD TO HOLD soundtrack include what just might be my all-time favorite, the mid tempo keyboard rocker "Love Somebody." Straight fun arena rock like mid 80's Starship might've done, but even better! The guitar solo rules too (and rocks a little harder than you'd think).

After that, it might be hard to have the remaining tracks as good, but by no means are they bad. The new wavey dance of "Bop Till' You Drop," is okay, but the saxophone based rock ballad "Don't Walk Away is a nice underrated tune I only recently heard of. The softer duet ballad "Taxi Dancing" was a little strange, but not terrible.

TAO marked the change suggested in OZ of harder edged, yet more mature and serious songwriting. This time around, it ain't as good (this guy is just better at happy rock), but the loud drumming and synths of "Celebrate Youth," and the more typical, slight new wave rocker "State of the Heart," (which, weird as this sounds, reminds me a bit of a male version of Gloria Estefan's "Uh-Oh" in sound) are still not bad at all.

The late 80's effort ROCK OF LIFE includes the title track, a possibly autobiographical, mature-ish effort similar to something from TAO, but a little more toned down.

Well, there we have it. This is just about as complete a collection as I could imagine, unless you're a die hard fan. The only missing tracks might be "Alyson," or "Calling All Girls," but I have those on old casettes of the original albums.

Great songs that hold the test of time for the most part. Highlights: I've Done Everything For You, Love is Alright Tonight, Don't Talk To Strangers, Affair of the Heart, Human Touch, Love Somebody, Celebrate Youth and State of the Heart. Alot of hits, some minor some major, but a great collection of ALL the hits.