'Best of' collections are always a bit dicey for old fans of an artist. After all, we already own all the albums these hits are culled from. And in the case of Springsteen, many of his best songs never had any radio play to speak of (e.g., 'Jungleland'). What's more, by starting off with Born to Run this album misses some great songs from his first albums (e.g., 'Growing Up')

Yet I have to disagree with Madam Marie (review written 11/10/99) who questions why an existing fan would buy this CD. The reason is simple: sometimes it's fun to hear songs from throughout Springsteen's career in one sitting. It's a reminder of how his music has changed over time, of how his themes have evolved and of why he's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And, as all these songs are familiar, it's a great CD for listening to during an hour's drive or working in the office on a Saturday or while working out. True, it lacks the depth and cohesiveness of one of his albums. And while these aren't ALL his greatest hits, they are some of them.

So, for those new to Springsteen it's a fine introduction. For those already fans, it's a nice, easy-to-take package worth having.

Don't waste your time with this. 1 cd is not even close to capturing Bruce's best songs. Seeing how he is on the SONY label, you are bound to see "The Essential Bruce Springsteen" 2 cd set coming out any time (unless Bruce blocks it). Here you go, Sony, I'll make it easy for you: CD 1: 1. Blinded by the Light 2. Growing Up 3. It's Hard to be a Saint in the City 4. Rosalita 5. Kitty's Back 6. 4th of July Asbury Park (Sandy) 7. Thunder Road 8. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out 9. Backstreets 10. Born to Run 11. Badlands 12. The Promised Land 13. Darkness on the Edge of Town 14. Hungry Heart 15. The River 16. Fade Away 17. Atlantic City CD2 1. Born in the USA 2. Cover Me 3. I'm On Fire 4. I'm Goin Down 5. Glory Days 6. Dancing in the Dark 7. My Hometown 8. War (live) 9. Tunnel of Love 10. Brilliant Disguise 11. One Step Up 12. Human Touch 13. 57 Channels (and nothing on)14. Better Days 15. If I Should Fall Behind 16. The Ghost of Tom Joad 17. The Rising 18. My City of Ruins

Advice to new fans: It will be much more rewarding to but Springsteen's original studio albums. I am a huge Bruce Springsteen fan, and there really isn't a bad cut on this album...but any Springsteen fan cannot deny that there are many, many "hits" missing. The new material recorded for the album is great stuff, but if this is supposed to be a greatest hits album, it should have included the obvious hits "Cover Me", "I'm On Fire", "I'm Going Down", "Tunnel Of Love", "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"...the songs we hear on the radio...and maybe even an earlier cut like "Growing Up", just for some pre-Born To Run material. Again, a fun listen, but it's a bit dissapointing considering this is likely to be the only Boss cd that a lot of people from my generation will ever own (I'm 23).

Even though Bruce Springsteen has had tremendous success on the singles chart, he has always been an album artist first. Some of his most popular songs like "Badlands", "Thunder Road" & "Atlantic City" were never actually released as singles. You are always going to quibble with the selection of an a greatest hits album, especially with someone who has the amount of great songs that Bruce has. This album is a great introduction for fans unfamiliar with him or casual fans who may not want to invest in his entire catalog. It is a cd that should be in the collection of hardcore fans as well as it has four unreleased tracks including the amazing "Murder Inc." A single disk can never truly do Bruce justice, but within the time constraints of a single disk, this is best you can do.

I will leave it to others to say whether a Bruce Springsteen box set is overdue. Leaving that issue aside, I feel that this CD is just fine, if you aren't wishing it to be something more than what it is.

Of course, most of the obvious hits are there -- "Born to Run", "The River", "Hungry Heart", etc. What is the most striking inclusion on the album is "Atlantic City", a deeply depressing song from the "Nebraska" album that didn't chart high enough to really be considered a "greatest hit". However, this dour song sets up the last half of the album beautifully -- the next songs are his "Born in the USA" hits, all of which are either upbeat or, at least in the case of the "USA" title track, highly spirited.

For the final stretch of this album, it's a mix of post-"USA" hits that define a change in Springsteen's attitude. Many of the lyrics from songs such as "Better Days" and "Human Touch" show a more reflective songwriter. For those of us living the second half of our lives, this has particular significance.

The last few songs are new ones, one of which is "Secret Garden", which would be used prominently shortly thereafter in the movie "Jerry MacGuire". This isn't to put a gravestone on Bruce's career, but this album from the mid-90s might provide the essential Springsteen, if not the comprehensive Springsteen.