John Mellencamp - The Best That I Could Do 1978-1988 320cbr (Big Papi) 1997

Initially this collection was envisioned as a lengthy single-disc career overview of the noted rocker, with 17 singles spanning his twenty years on the Mercury label. Ultimately, it was pared back to 14 singles emphasizing the first decade, with such recent hits as "Get A Leg Up," "Wild Night," and "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)" being dropped from the lineup (the prolific Mellencamp deserved a double-disc retrospective anyway, so hopefully we will see a second set highlighting his more recent material in the not too distant future).

After Mellencamps's first couple of albums on Mercury in 1979 and 1980, it was hard to envision that such a long, substantial career lie ahead. As represented here by initial hits "I Need A Lover" and "Ain't Even Done With The Night," Mellencamp (then known as John Cougar) came across as a rebel with a few good riffs (copped from the Rolling Stones?) and simplistic lyrics which rarely went beyond stud-boy prowling (a la Eddie Money). This trite image would thankfully be altered by 1982's American Fool album and, especially, its second single "Jack and Diane," a slice of life saga of a boy and girl growing up in the midwest (as Mellencamp did). The lyrics remained simple, but they acquired a nostalgic eloquence to which a broader audience could relate.

1983's Uh-Huh (with its enclosed singles "Crumblin' Down," "Pink Houses," and the raucous "Authority Song") showed even more of an emphasis on heartland reflections, while Mellencamp hit his artistic peak with 1985's thematically varied Scarecrow album. His odes to rock and roll heroes ("R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.
The Best That I Could Do does not, as hinted in the subtitle (1978-1988), look exclusively at Mellencamp's first decade of Mercury hits. There is also one new track to end the set: a remake of Terry Reid's "Without Expression." Unlike most Mellencamp singles, the tune is not immediately infectious. Once this midtempo philosophical tale sinks in upon repeated listenings, however, it easily takes its place among Mellencamp's best recordings and bodes well for his future output. As for the past, The Best That I Could Do reveals Mellencamp to be one of the more important commercial rockers of the past twenty years. The "best that he could do" is indeed pretty damn good.