Track Listing

1. Have a Little Faith in Me
2. Thing Called Love
3. Riding With the King
4. Cry Love
5. Slow Turning
6. Way We Make a Broken Heart - Rosanne Cash, John Hiatt
7. Memphis in the Meantime
8. Child of the Wild Blue Yonder
9. Drive South
10. Angel Eyes
11. Buffalo River Home
12. Feels Like Rain
13. Love in Flames
14. Perfectly Good Guitar
15. Tennessee Plates
16. Take Off Your Uniform
17. Don't Know Much About Love

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9301 in Music
• Released on: 1998-08-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

Amazon.com
John Hiatt has had such extraordinary success as a songwriter that, even if you haven't followed his career as a performer, you'll find you know most of these songs by virtue of their hit cover versions. Bonnie Raitt ("A Thing Called Love"), Suzy Bogguss ("Drive South"), Rosanne Cash ("The Way We Mend a Broken Heart"), Jeff Healey ("Angel Eyes"), and Aaron Neville ("Feels Like Rain") have all dipped into the Hiatt songbook with spectacular results. Hiatt's originals (plus a couple of new tracks) are terrific in their own right, thanks to his gritty vocal style and stellar accompaniment on some tracks by Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe, Jim Keltner, and Sonny Landreth. The only missteps here are a rerecorded version of "Have a Little Faith in Me" (the original is one of Hiatt's most powerful performances) and the inclusion of "Take Off Your Uniform," a distant memory from Hiatt's days as a new waver in the Elvis Costello mold. --Daniel Durchholz

Entertainment Weekly
...Where are "Lipstick Sunset" and other Hiatt classics? Suggested title: Some of the Best of John Hiatt.

People
Hiatt can light Fourth of July firecrackers under even the most familiar three-chord vamp. At his best, the Nashville-based songwriter paints an authentic American portrait of Shangri-la.

Customer Reviews

BEST OF THE "BEST", AUDIO-WISE

There are many John Hiatt compilations in existence, but in the latter 90's, it got especially confusing, as three competing record labels weighed in: this one from Capitol in 1998, A&M with "Greatest Hits" in 1999, then HIP-O with the 2-disc set, "Anthology" in 2001. Oy!

Of the two Capitol and A&M single-disc compilations, which to buy? Is there a difference in the audio quality between the two?

You bet. If you're looking for the disc with the best audio, this is it.

The Capitol & A&M titles share eight identical tracks:

2. Thing Called Love
5. Slow Turning
7. Memphis In The Meantime
8. Child Of The Wild Blue Yonder
11. Buffalo River Home
12. Feels Like Rain
14. Perfectly Good Guitar
15. Tennessee Plates

Six of these tracks have noticeably better audio on this disc vs. the A&M version. Tracks 2 & 14 sound identical.

Two tracks whose titles appear on both CD's, but in actuality are different versions are (on this disc):

1. Have A Little Faith In Me (re-make with chorale, I prefer the original version)
9. Drive South

This CD has six other tracks which do not appear on the A&M version.

Compared to HIP-O's more expensive, 2-disc "Anthology", the audio on this disc is virtually identical, though both sets were mastered by different engineers at different studios. So, it looks like HIP-O & Capitol tried harder or had better source material, and the A&M is sub-standard.

There are only 5 tracks on this disc that do not appear on the HIP-O "Anthology" (#'s 1, 6, 13, 16, 17).

So, the HIP-O set is probably your best investment, as its resale value, should you ever choose to sell it, or more likely, when ANOTHER Hiatt "Best Of" shows up, will be higher than the other two discs.

A very good sample
The problem with making a "best of" album for Mr. Hiatt would be the same with making one for John Prine or Tom Waits. All have written hits for many artists but none have one of their own. Devoted followers will always bemoan their favorites that were left off. But cds like these aren't for the true fans. They are for the uninitiated. In this respect this is a fine album that I enjoy immensely. I own a few of John's albums and am glad that four of my favorite songs from them are included but the real treasure here is finding the gems I've never heard. This artist is a great songwriter and an enthusiastic performer. This cd showcases both aspects quite well.

A Grab Bag of Hiatt's Tunes. Not Necessarily His Best.
Best of? Not exactly. Music buyers would be better off skipping this disc and loading up on a half dozen or more of Hiatt's other recordings, including these wonderful tunes: Seven Little Indians (Stolen Moments) Through Your Hands (Stolen Moments) Blue Telescope (Perfectly Good Guitar) Is Anybody There? (Slow Turning) Lipstick Sunset (Bring The Family) Stood Up (Bring The Family) Ethylene (Walk On) One Step Over The Line (Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Volume II: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, featuring a terrific duet with Rosanne Cash) and John H.'s best song and one of the best songs from anybody in a long time: Don't Think About Her When You're Trying To Drive. (Little Village with John on vocals and Ry Cooder on electric guitar.)