The Blues Brothers - Best Of (remastered) - Music & Performance - CD

The immediate need to establish a greatest-hits record for a comedic duo whose output consisted of one studio album, a movie soundtrack and a live album is a bit head scratching, but consider the group's popularity at the time -- along with the tragic passing of John Belushi -- it seems mildly appropriate to collect the highlights in one convenient package. This 1981 collection has been followed by several others including 1992's excellent Definitive Collection and 2003's curiously erratic Essential compilation, and falls somewhere in between the two in terms of quality and quantity. Of course, the gratuitous inclusion of "Soul Man" and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," as well as "Expressway to Your Heart" and "Gimme Some Lovin" make this a strong collection, but the compilation's sequencing gives it a roller coaster-like, inconsistent feeling. Not the best collection available, but certainly not the worst. ~ Rob Theakston, All Music Guide