Willard's Wormholes

The Essential Cheap Trick (2004)
The Best Of The Many Best Of’s

Following up from last week… I’ve only got a few of Sony’s Essential series of ‘best of’ releases, but they’re all good. Boasting solid hindsight picks and a smattering of rarities or single edits, they seem to be generous, well-considered collections that might be the ones to own – that is, if we didn’t already have the originals, remasters w/bonus tracks, deluxe editions, box sets or previous best of compilations. Personally, I prefer this 2CD gathering to the better known 4CD box, Sex, America Cheap Trick, which had a curious spate of live tracks tossed smack in the middle of disc one. Essential isn’t perfect either, pulling the same trick by substituting a few unnecessary live tracks (and violating my collection’s long-standing No Billy Corgan rule), while leaving off a few favorites (“Oh Caroline,” being one). Still, it’s Cheap Trick, a band generally credited with being a band for the right reasons. It’s @ Amazon.

ONE
ELO Kiddies (Single Version) (3:43)
Hot Love (2:32)
He’s A Whore (2:44)
Mandocello (Live, w/ Billy Corgan) (5:12)
Clock Strikes Ten (3:00)
Southern Girls (Single Version) (3:36)
Downed (4:11)
Hello There (1:42)
Surrender (4:16)
California Man (3:45)
High Roller (3:58)
Auf Wiederseh’n (3:42)
I Want You To Want Me (Live) (3:44)
Ain’t That A Shame (Live) (5:18)
Takin‘ Me Back (4:53)
Dream Police (3:51)
Voices (4:23)
Gonna Raise Hell (Live) (9:06)

TWO
Way Of The World (3:38)
Stop This Game (3:58)
World’s Greatest Lover (4:52)
Everything Works If You Let It (Full Version) (3:56)
She’s Tight (2:59)
If You Want My Love (Alternate, Extra Bridge Version) (4:27)
I Can’t Take It (3:28)
Tonight It’s You (4:48)
This Time Around (4:35)
The Flame (5:39)
Had To Make You Mine (3:16)
I Can’t Understand It (3:30)
Can’t Stop Falling Into Love (3:49)
Walk Away (Previously Unissued Outtake) (3:42)
Woke Up With A Monster (4:54)
Hard To Tell (Live) (3:46)
Say Goodbye (3:29)
Scent Of A Woman (4:49)