I've never really been a fan of "Greatist Hits" or "Best Of" compilation albums. It seems to me that the only purpose they serve is to milk an artist for all they're worth just to make a few bucks. Not only that, but a lot of the time you pass up on some of the artists best work just so you can get an album filled with stuff you've probably heard before. Luckily for us, "This Is It: The Best Of Faith No More" contains most of the best FNM songs, but it is missing some of my favorites like the tremenously underrated "Just A Man" (from "King for a day, Fool for a Lifetime") and "Everything's Ruined".

"This Is It..." begins with four songs from the Chuck Mosley era, including the band's first small hit, "We Care A Lot". Even though Mosley's vocals can be a bit annoying, and the song writing wasn't that great then, the band truely shows off their talent by sometimes single-handedly saving songs that were going nowhere with Mosley on them. The one thing that Mosley had going for him was that he could come up with some catchy choruses for tracks like "Anne's Song" and the sarcastic humor in "We Care A Lot" is hard not to love.

Next we have five songs from the band's second most popular album, "The Real Thing". This includes FNM's biggest hit and the song that most people probably know them for: "Epic". While that song, with it's somewhat annoying and repetitive bass playing, didn't showcase the full amount of talent that the band had, it did give them loads media recognition. The cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" is also a great showcase of how well guitarist Jim Martin can really play.

The band's best and most popular album, "Angeldust" is showcased next with the songs "Midlife Crisis" (Truely, the best song FNM has ever done), "A Small Victory", and "Be Agressive" (A keyboard dominated song with hilarious lyrics).

It should also be noted that, like any compilation album, "This is It..." contains three songs that weren't on any of the band's L.P.s. "As The Worm Turns" was originally a FNM song sung by Chuck Mosley, but in this live version, Patton really takes the song and makes it his own. "The Cowboy Song" has a great chorus but "The Perfect Crime" (originally off of the Bill & Ted's Bogus Adventure soundtrack) is somewhat boring, although I do love singing some of the lyrics to it.

Overall, this is a great showing of some of FNM's best songs (the booklet that comes with it is fantastic as well, detailing the band's long history) . However, if you're only interested in getting one FNM compilation album, I'd suggest getting "Who Cares A Lot? The Greatest Hits" instead. It has better songs on it and a 2nd disc featuring 8 rare tracks.

It runs at an impressive 79 minutes and 40 seconds. Only twenty seconds shy of using the full 80 minutes of space. Well, with 19 songs (just 4 songs less than the double "Who Cares A Lot? The Greatest Hits" double CD) it would need all the space it can allow.
This is a greatest hits package just like the "Who Cares A Lot? The Greatest Hits", and it does have some of the same songs.
The tracks that appear on both CD compilations are:
1. We Care A Lot (but a different version)
2. Introduce Yourself
3. From Out Of Nowhere
4. Epic
5. Falling To Pieces
6. Midlife Crisis
7. A Small victory
8. Easy
9. Digging The Grave
10. Evidence
11. Last Cup Of Sorrow
12. Ashes To Ashes

So that leaves seven other songs that is not on the "WCAL? TGH" double CD. They are:
1. Arabian Disco
2. Anne's Song
3. War Pigs
4. The Cowboy Song
5. As The Worm Turns (Live 1990)
6. Be Agressive
7. The Perfect Crime

The songs that were on the "WCAL? TGH" CD are:
1. Gentle Art Of Making Enemies
2. I Started A Joke
3. Stripsearch
4. World Is Yours
5. Hippie Jam Song
6. Instrumental
7. I Won't Forget You
8. Introduce Yourself (4-track demo)
9. Highway Star
10. Theme From Midnight Cowboy
11. This Guy's In Love With You
(depending on which version of the CD you own.

The good things on this CD ("This Is It..") is 'The Perfect Crime' previously available only on the Bill & Ted Bogus Journey Soundtrack CD, and 'Be Aggressive' from the "Angel Dust" CD, which is my personal favorite track off of that CD.

These are contract fulfillment related releases obviously, as I am not sure that this is what Faith No More fans would ask for, (a consecutive release Greatest package only within a couple of years), a live CD, or even a live DVD would have been better.

It has a very cool booklet and funny pictures throughout the CD artwork. The booklet contains a Faith No More biography, and a pretty good one at that.

What I did not like about this CD is the inclusion of 4 songs with previous frontman Chuck Mosley (pre-Real Thing). It's not that he is a bad singer or even entertaining because he is, but Mike Patton is where the magic begins, and verythiong the man touches is filled with the same magic.

I guess I would recommend this CD, although I hate to recommend any rehashed compilation. I would rather point someone toward "Who Cares A Lot? The Greatest Hits" but this has some important songs on here as well, and is not a bad place for a beginner to start learning about Faith No More.

Though imperfect, this disc should appeal to newcomers, or fanatics looking for rare tracks. This is missing many good songs, but as far as the "hits" go, everything is here. Included is their big break "Epic", "We Care Alot", "Midlife Crisis", "Evidence", and "Last Cup Of Sorrow". Plus this has many other great album cuts, and a few hard to find songs. Your other option would be the "Greatest Hits". That's a solid 15 track disc of hits, and a 2nd disc of extras. That would probably be my choice. Or you could always just get "Angel Dust", their best album. But this collection is a lengthy 19 tracks, and is an "Easy" way to see the "Evidence" of how their success came "From Out Of Nowhere" before they started "Falling To Pieces".

This Is It: The Best of Faith No More (2003.) A compliation from Faith No More.

Faith No More. When you think of that band name, you think of funk rock/metal. And while also being experimental when lunatic (in a good way of course) multi band frontman Mike Patton came on board after underrated previous singer Chuck Mosley left, that's what they were. Faith No More have released many awesome songs and a few albums in the late 80s-early 90s, and a few compliations have been made consisting of the band's singles and more, as well as backlashing on MTV. Does This Is It do the band any justice? Find out of course.

OVERVIEW:

WE CARE A LOT (1985)
TRACKS PRESENT: Arabian Disco, We Care a Lot, As the Worm Turns (Live)
COMMENTS: It's nice to see they gave a nice emphasis on the vastly underrated Mosley era, so the choices on this album couldn't have been any better. I know the live version of As the Worm Turns is with Patton, but since I have no place else to put it since it was a Mosley original, here it is.

INTRODUCE YOURSELF (1987)
TRACKS PRESENT: We Care a Lot, Anne's Song, Introduce Yourself
COMMENTS: Well maybe I didn't have to put We Care a Lot, but it was also on this album since it was rerecorded. Their major label debut couldn't have a better emphasis either since the Mosley era was so underrated.

THE REAL THING (1989)
TRACKS PRESENT: Epic, From Out of Nowhere, Falling to Pieces, War Pigs
COMMENTS: Here it is. The album that started it all with Patton and becoming legends. This has a good emphasis too since it has the 3 big hits and their excellent cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs (equally as good as the original). It would've also been nice to see Zombie Eaters, Surprise! You're Dead!, and the title track too, but I barely have any complaints.

LIVE AT BRIXTON ACADEMY (1990)
TRACK PRESENT: The Cowboy Song
COMMENTS: Some of the live versions of songs from The Real Thing that weren't on here could've gone here but that's cool. The Cowboy Song is a studio track, I know, but this is the only album it's on.

ANGEL DUST (1992)
TRACKS PRESENT: Be Aggressive, Midlife Crisis, A Small Victory
COMMENTS: Arguably Faith No More's most popular album. The song choices here couldn't be any better since it contains the 2 big hits and the not as popular but still is cheerleader like anthem Be Aggressive. Caffeine and RV would've also been good additions, but these selections are just fine.

SONGS TO MAKE LOVE TO (1993)
TRACK PRESENT: Easy
COMMENTS: Now this is technically the only song on this remix of it EP/single. It was normal to put Easy here, since it was their only Billboard 100 hit besides Epic and Falling to Pieces, and it's a great cover of the Commadores classic. It was also a bonus track on the Angel Dust rerelease.

KING FOR A DAY, FOOL FOR A LIFETIME (1995)
TRACKS PRESENT: Evidence, Digging the Grave
COMMENTS: This is my favorite Faith No More album, and I was disappointed that it didn't get at least a bit more emphasis. Granted, these are 2 of the best songs and big hits from the album, but why didn't they also include other masterpieces like Ricochet, Take This Bottle, The Last to Know or Just a Man as well? The album is every bit as great as its 2 preceeders, and why it didn't get at least 3 songs is beyond me. Oh well, there is one more song to be found on their other compliation Who Cares a Lot?, The Gentle Art of Making Enemies.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR (1997)
TRACKS PRESENT: Last Cup of Sorrow, Ashes to Ashes
COMMENTS: AotY was the band's most underrated album, and sadly their last. And it sure was the album of the year. It didn't get the best emphasis either, but the 2 big hits are here, so that's a good thing. Stripsearch (also on Who Cares a Lot?) and Collision would've made good additions too.

NEW/UNRELEASED/BONUS SONG - The Perfect Crime
COMMENTS: This song was an outtake from The Real Thing, and I must say it's great and I'm glad it has a place to be on a CD.

OVERALL: This was overall a very good compliation from one of the best late 80s-90s bands that nearly fills up the 80 minute time limit. A few more songs could've worked, but I'm not complaning now, am I? Another great thing about it is that the songs are in approximate order! (Well, The Perfect Crime could've been after The Cowboy Song, but since it wasn't released til this nah.) If you're a casual fan looking for the big hits and some underrated greatness, start here. Or if you want to start with an album, go with The Real Thing or Angel Dust, then get everything else after.

EDITION NOTES:

This compliation was released 2 1/2 years ago and is still readily avalible in local retailer stores. So you'll have no trouble finding it.

Let me tell you right now -- alongside Tool and R.E.M., Faith No More is one of my most favorite bands. I own all of their albums, and that being said, I have also burned my own greatest hits compilation for Faith No More in the past, because I felt that their first greatest hits project only focused on the singles (unless we're talking about the rarities bonus disc that came with it -- that was a definite plus).
The REAL reason to buy this CD is for "The Cowboy Song" and "The Perfect Crime" -- two of my most favorite Faith No More songs. "As the Worm Turns" was pretty good as well, but it didn't hold up as well in comparison to the two other classic cuts I just mentioned. Also, if you don't own their version of "Easy", then this would be the place to get it. Otherwise, there is no real reason to buy this CD. Some of the choices are hits, and some are misses. I'm glad they included "Midlife Crisis", but they also included "War Pigs", which, while it was great, really shouldn't have been on there -- Faith No More has enough original,beautiful material of their own to include. "Epic" shouldn't have been put on purely for the fact that it still has some radio airplay and it really pales in comparison to some of their other songs. And including "Be Aggressive" was the biggest mistake of them all, in my book. In that slot could have been "RV" or "Land of Sunshine" or, especially, "Everything's Ruined". But NO -- they chose "Be Aggressive", a song that, while being strikingly original, is nothing in contrast with the rest of the Angel Dust album.
But I DO like the artwork in the CD, and it's good to have a little biography to go along with it as well. I guess that would be the only other positive.
In conclusion,I have this to say -- buy all of Faith No More's albums, download their rarities, and make your own greatest hits -- because that is the type of band Faith No More is : an in depth, personal music experience.