My only complaint about there "not being enough memorable material" on this collection to warrant a double CD release is that there most ceratinly IS enough memorable material. The fact that several songs are missing from collection ("Bruce", a hilarious track about mistaken identity, is also a top notch rock & roll song in its own right)...and I fail to see Mr. Springfield's material as being the least bit bland. Listen to "Affair of the Heart" and "Love Somebody" on a really good car stereo or home theater system and I defy you to even think of the word "bland". Better yet, go see him in concert. This is a show full of energy and joy, one of the most self-effacing and funny, not to mention one of the most energetic performers in rock & roll to this day.

I do agree with the other reviwer who said Springfield doesn't get enough credit for what he's done over the years. Oprah herself is one of the guilty parties here...the story is that she was doing a show about "one-hit wonders" and gave Rick a call to ask if he'd do the show. Rick Springfield has had over 15 top 40 hits in his career, and to ignore all of them except "Jessie's Girl" is just plain ignorance, as is calling the man's music "bland and unmemorable". Rick deserves plenty of credit for making music that's made him a lot of friends and exploded out of a lot of radios over the past three decades.

This is a fine collection...but a three-disc collection (and there is definitely enough material for that) would tell the COMPLETE story with a few more B-sides and live or rare tracks. "Tripe"? I think NOT!

With the success of his 1972 hit "Speak to the Sky," Capitol Records tried to market Rick Springfield as the next Donny Osmond. As a result, it would be nine years before his breakout hit--the million-selling chart topper "Jessie's Girl"--made him one of the most popular artists of the Eighties.

During that decade, Springfield would land sixteen songs in the Top 40, including hits like "I've Done Everything for You," "Don't Talk to Strangers," Affair of the Heart" and "Love Somebody." And he wrote nearly all of his own material. [The only hit he didn't write himself was the Sammy Hagar-penned "I've Done Everything for You."]

While nearly all of his hits were recorded for RCA, this anthology also includes his Capitol hit "Speak to the Sky," as well as material from his Columbia and Chelsea albums. There's even a cover of the Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" from 1970 by his first band Zoot. Zoot also recorded "Speak to the Sky," which went to No. 1 in his native Australia, but he rerecorded the song for release in America. [The only missing hit is the 1985 novelty hit "Bruce" (recorded in 1978), where Springfield expresses his concerns about being mistaken for Bruce Springsteen.]

While forty-two tracks may seem excessive, it's necessary to adequately cover the career of an artist whose recording career spans over three decades. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

He was an actor and a musician; how serious do you THINK the critics would take him? As such, Rick Springfield, despite several hits (including "Jessie's Girl" and "I've Done Everything For You," both of which you probably know even if you don't realize it), has been left to dust. This compilation comes out after his career has pretty much run its course (although a recent top-thirty hit on the Adult Contemporary charts is noteworthy), but it stands as a reminder that this guy was one of the best singer/songwriter/guitarists out there.

Starting from his earliest days, up through his most recent album of covers (the unfortunately bland THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW), WRITTEN IN ROCK is a CD for any rock fan. There's the rollickin' guitar/vocal styles of "I've Done Everything For You," "Jessie's Girl," "The Light of Love," "Calling All Girls," etc.; there're the sentimental ballads, such as "Souls," "Me & Johnny," "The Power Of Love," and others; there's the 80s "bop" of "Bob 'Til You Drop," "Don't Walk Away," and "Love Somebody." There're songs of reflection, songs of angst, songs of sex, songs of drugs, songs of fatherhood, songs of remorse, songs of happiness, and songs of...well, songs. It's all here, recorded over an impressive career that most artists would envy. Springfield has never really slowed down; he's always done it his way, and WRITTEN IN ROCK is a testimony to how far one man and a guitar can go...and the desire for a certain best friend's girlfriend...

Past compilations were very lacking... This is a great collection of hits. Human Touch, Love Somebody, Affair of the Heart, Souls, Rock of Life & Free are faves of mine... I agree w/ Todd (a review below) that Bruce should have been included. It would have made this compilation truly complete.

This collection helps to show why he's been called the "Father of Power Pop" by some critics (inspiring other recording artists to this very day)... & why his music still connects to so many fans out there (who still attend his awesome, energetic concerts).

The man ROCKS!

Take care & God bless...

~Rox

This is a great collection of Rick Springfield hits for even a seasoned Rick Springfield collector. It even has some rare songs from his Zoot days! What a find... This his a rockin' CD and a must have for any serious Springfield music lover.