You know, I really hate it when other people review best-of albums because it's like stating the most obvious of all observations. ("You know, that best-of is definitely their best!"). But I feel like it's almost my duty to let people know that R.E.M, one of the greatest and somewhat forgotten bands in the history of music, have a new best-of celebrating their last fifteen years. If you're one of those people that wrote these guys off after 1995's somewhat disaster Monster, then buddy you're in a heap of trouble with me. Their next three albums after that, my two personal favorites New Adventures In Hi-Fi and Up, and the fantastic Reveal are represented here with two songs a piece from each respectively. Also on here are the standards like "Losing My Religion," "Man on the Moon," and "Everybody Hurts." What's really cool are the inclusion of great songs like "The Great Beyond" from the Man on the Moon soundtrack, and "All the Right Friends" from Vanilla Sky. And there are also two new songs that are right up there with their best, "Bad Day," and "Animal."

The only complaint I have is that some of these songs just don't fit in here. They leave off "Shiny Happy People" which in all honesty I'm grateful for, but they put "Stand" on there? I can't express to you how much I loathe that song. And "E-Bow the Letter" and "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite?" Sorry, I'll take "Crush With Eyeliner" and "Drive" over those two any day of the week. But that is just the point with R.E.M. So many good songs, and you think on CD will hold them all? You can try, but it just won't happen.