Pros: 35 classic Mellencamp tunes collected in one place!
Cons: A few notable omissions.
The Bottom Line: Tracing the artistry of one of America's best songwriters, Words and Music is a stellar representation of the music of John Mellencamp.
kknox0616's Full Review: Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits by ...
John Mellencamp hasn't been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and it's an oversight of the most glaring kind. For nearly three decades, this "smalltown boy" has been writing and recording the kind of rich, vibrant music that is on par with the best that rock has had to offer. Like his more widely praised luminary, Bruce Springsteen, Mellencamp has emerged as the kind of rock musician with a conscious that invites comparisons to American folk heroes like Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. Whether singing about the struggles of the common man on indelible classic tracks like "Rain on the Scarecrow," "Pink Houses" and "Paper in Fire," or tackling the evils of racism and injustice on more recent offerings like "Peaceful World" and his latest, "Walk Tall," Mellencamp has always managed to combine social commentary with music that is more than just merely hummable; it's unforgettable.
Mellencamp's absence from the Hall of Fame is made all the more noticeable with the release of Words and Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits, an insanely good two-disc retrospective that brilliantly sums up the most productive years of his long-spanning career. Tracing his growth as a songwriter from 1979 to 2004, it shows an artist of uncompromising integrity and values, one whose mission in his chosen field is not simply to write songs that please the eardrums but that nourish the soul.
Most of his best tunes are offered here, from the addictively bombastic "I Need a Lover" (from 1979's John Cougar--back when he was still using the silly last name given to him by his hack manager) right up through both "Walk Tall" and another newly recorded track, "Thank You," an ode to the working-class people who have provided him with so much inspiration over the years. Not to mention nearly everything in between; in fact, the two discs are loaded with so many of his best tunes that one is almost ashamed to admit that they'd forgotten how many masterpieces this guy has churned out over the years. And, while all of Mellencamp's charting songs are represented here ("Hurt So Good," "Jack and Diane," "Authority Song," "Wild Night," etc.), it's also great to see some of of his more underappreciated tunes as well (like the three-minute wonder that is "Jackie Brown" and the earthy, bluesy "When Jesus Left Birmingham").
Though there are some disappointing omissions (it's a shame that "Between a Laugh and a Tear" is a no-show, while his stellar 2001 record Cuttin' Heads--one of his best offerings in years--is sorely under-represented), Words and Music is as close to a definitive representation of Mellencamp's music that we are likely to get, and it's definitely one for the time capsule. Not to mention the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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