Mr. Rob O'Connor may not want to own any Rick Springfield albums, but plenty of people do, and this album proves why he has a greatest hits cd! He has proved why he has been around for 3 decades and is still releasing new material. Although he took a break for his family and health, his grammy winning "Jessie's Girl" to "Rock of Life" about his son's birth leave you moving and "moved." If you want to hear a true performer and songwriter who writes ALL his songs, this is the CD! I am sure Mr. O'Connor did not even listen to this CD, but from someone who owns it, it is a CD you will LOVE! He doesn't need to write about "pizza" to get his great words across. He KNOWS how to write!

Rob O'Connor might not want to own all of his albums, but many people do and this CD shows why HE has a greatest hits. Every song proves why Rick Springfield has been around since the 70's and is still touring and releasing new material. This greatest hits focuses is on the 80's material that got a lot of airplay and gave him his grammy, with "Jessie's Girl." It keeps you moving and totally listening to not only a GREAT performer but songwriter, who definitely gets some great lyrics across again and again. How refreshing to know every song is written by him. I prefer this cd over anything Rob O'Conner might have to write about "pizza?" I only imagine Mr. O'Conner has not actually heard the cd himself, but any true Rick Springfield fan has to have it!

I find it laughable that anyone could compare Springfield to Bobby Sherman, David Cassisdy, or Donny Osmond. Listen to the lyrics, "Heart in my mouth, pulse in my head, mercury rising into the red, the smell of your skin can light up all the fires within....every night I am burning to make love to you..." from Affair Of The Heart,"He held her tighter and tighter as he danced inside her, she knew from the moment that she let him in that they were two souls searching for each other..." from Souls, "Don't walk away....no one is ever going to make you wrong for me" from Don't Walk Away. Sprinfield started out as a "gentle soul" on his earliest efforts Beginnings (with Speak to the Sky) and Comic Book Heroes. When he hit success, yes, he played rock star to the hilt, even to the point of stud at large, evidenced in the song Calling All Girls. He hit a chord with his passion and sometimes even frightening intensity, as well as catchy tunes and lyrics, but there is definitely that underlying intensity that may not be apparent to the casual listener. In his later years, however, he sang more of his inability to sustain interpersonal relationships, a concern for the human condition, and a search for inner peace. I also feel a little sorry for the reviewer who doesn't have any desire to hear the rest of Springfield's albums because he is depriving himself of some good things! Greatest Hits serves as a wonderful introduction to some of Springfield's greatest successes, but I feel that the man has been "dissed" as a serious musical artist. I would advise buying the album, listening for a retrospective, then moving on to later work such as Tao, Rock of Life, and his new one Karma. Springfield is one of my favorite musicians because of his range of abilities including a "storytelling format" (mainly on his earlier works but also in evidence on Karma), catchy hits, an "older but wiser" side, etc.

Oh dear, Oh Dear, Rob O'Connor - What have you started! Without a doubt Rick Springfield is an icon of the 80's, and the fact that he is still going strong in the year 2001 must say something for the man himself. Not many bands or artists (or Actors!) can boast such a feat (bearing in mind he is releasing NEW material as well). This album contains some of Rick's Classic Tracks that made the man, but to fully appreciate the man's talent in singing & writing (Don't forget he doe's write his OWN material!) maybe listen to TAO, Rock of Life, or Karma amongst other CD's out there. Bare in mind as an example that 'TAO' was released in 1985 and even today it is still ahead of it's time! In the years 'RS' has matured in his singing & writing ('Karma' being a good example), but has not compromised anything. You may say "oh... he's biased towards this guy", DAMN RIGHT!, believe me, upon seeing this man perform in the UK in '85 (Not been back since! - HINT! HINT!) I was hooked. I have all the CD's this man has released and trust me; this man has talent oozing from every pore. Listen to his music! Listen & Read the Lyrics! (He hasn't thrown these words together because they sound good! they actually mean something!). Believe me, nowadays listening & understanding lyrics and there meanings, are something that is rare in today's musical climate. Enclosing, if you have not got any of this man's work, you can do no wrong than sample genius at work. Forget that the majority of these tracks were released in the 80's; this man was way ahead of his time...

Ricks hits are great. His greatest hits are great. He's a great entertainer - buy it, enjoy it, relive the memories and enjoy the music which is still live and vital and fun for today. He really has done everything for us - music-wise! Terrific CD