I have never been one to get into Greatest Hits, unless it was from a band where I didn't feel it was worth buying all of their CD's in the first place. Right now, Great White has countless Greatest Hits, from all around the globe. You have the disc called "Rock Me : The Best of" from Holland, There is "Burrn : The Best of" from Japan. Don't forget about Capitol Records two versions, "Greatest Hits" and "Best of Great White." I also think that Burnn has just put out another. Basically, the market is flooded with Greatest Hits.

Well, it is time to add yet another one, but this one is quite different! This one is from Portrait Records, and is called "Great White : Latest and Greatest." While the other CD�s contained the songs we have come to love from Great White, this CD takes it one step further. All of the songs except "Rollin' Stoned" and "In the Light" have gotten a makeover! The band has updated the songs using today�s technology to make the songs sound crisper and more modern.

Here is the CD track by Track, the only way to do a Great White album. I give you, Great White : Latest and Greatest!

Track 1: In the Light (6:06)
Really not much to say about this song. It is the cover of the classic Led Zep song. If you have Great Zep, you have heard it. From what I understand, also slated to be the first single. So, get on the phones and ask you dj "Hey, can you Please play Great White's version of "In the Light" please?" Nonetheless, this is a great song, and a nice start to the CD.

Track 2: Rock Me (7:06)
Everything here sounds crisper, especially Audie's drum playing. The chorus, when the whole band sings "Rock Me," sounds fuller, and has more power. Another aspect I like is that Jack's voice sounds much more mature. The entire Cd takes on a live feel, especially if you have seen Great White in concert recently. Hard to tell that there is a difference, but it is there.

Track 3: Face the Day (5:57)
Funny, with this song, you can almost hear Jack saying "How bout you?" after he sings "I don't wanna face the day." There is definitely more of Jack whispering behind the music here. Mark plays around a bit more with his guitar, and the entire band sings lines like "hold back the light from my eyes" and "trapped in a tunnel of time." Very cool touch! This song has such a live feel to it... you can almost feel the air pumping back and forth from Jack slamming his microphone stand back and forth, missing your face by just inches. Nice visual huh? ;)

Track 4: Once Bitten Twice Shy (5:23)
For everyone who is so utterly sick and tired of this song, don't skip over it. The entire intro has been redone to give it a bit more of a grungy sound. Kinda neat. Also, the sound is crisper also. A good version, with a nice touch in the beginning.

Track 5: Rollin Stoned (4:09)
I guess this is the "Latest" part in the CD's title? But if you have "Can't Get There From Here" you have this version. And yep, it still rocks.

Track 6: Call it Rock 'N Roll (4:11)
This song contains the biggest change from any of the originals. Instead of rehashing the beginning to OBTS to start, Mark uses his intro from the live performances. Very Very cool change :) Also, Jack sings about getting in trouble with the "DEA" and not the "PTA." Now, if he could have just gotten the Panty and Head thing in OBTS, we would have been set on our alternate lyrics! This is one of the highlights on the CD. The sound is awesome, the music is awesome, and the energy is awesome. Great remake. Random thought: It takes balls for a band to cover themselves :)...

Track 7: Save Your Love (4:41)
More of an acoustic version, but not to the extent we heard on Jack's solo CD, "Shelter Me." There is an orchestration in the background which adds a haunting effect to the song. Mark changes the solo a bit, kind of making it more of a background solo than one that stands out... but it still sounds awesome. There is more harmony in the singing, and the maturity that almost 15 years adds to Jack's voice does wonders. This song is a highlight!

Track 8: Can't Shake It (5:08)
Main differences here are that Jack uses some kind of synthesizer on his voice to make it sound kinda distorted. The drums are brought more to the front and carry the rhythm. Not a huge fan of this song, but the changes make it a bit more bearable. In a perfect world, the only changes they would have made to this song is cutting the play time from 5:08 down to about :08 :) Just kidding! The end is pretty cool too... Jack does his live version for the ending... you know, where it sounds like he is talking in tongues.

Track 9: House of Broken Love (5:53)
No real big changes here that I can tell. There is an added acoustic guitar in the beginning that adds a nice touch, but I think that is about it.

Track 10: Mistabone (5:05)
The beginning is most definitely the live beginning. I know it may seem impossible, but this version has more attitude. Example. When Jack says "Take a walk" he emphasizes the "K" in walk. Just small things like that make this a better version. One thing I have noticed throughout the entire CD is that everyone seems to sing. This song is one you can hear really good. Another song where you can picture them doing it live, especially after the solo, when Jack is getting ready to sing... can almost hear him say "Springfield, are you with me tonight?" A very good version.

Track 11: The Angel Song (5:06)
If you have heard the concert that Great White put on in Myrtle Beach SC to help the hurricane victims, you have heard this version. Now, if you were there, Mary and Mary, you can actually say that you are on a Great White CD singing! This is a killer version of this song, and only the second time they played it live since bringing it back into the set. Hearing Mark's playing is moving and makes you long even more to hear his new stuff. This is just a great song, and is so much better live. You will get chills when you hear the crowd sing. A great move adding this to the CD. Michael rocks on the keyboards, period.

Track 12: Lady Red Light (4:38)
I know I have mentioned it 2 or 3 times, but in this song, Jack voice sounds so much better and crisper than the original. Once again, the back up singing is awesome, even though it is a bit different. Jack adds some extra lyrics too... like "She's a lady, yeahhhh." Another great song that deserved to be on this cd.

Well, there you have it, Great White's Latest and Greatest. If there is a downside to this CD, it is that other bands have included new songs on theirs. I know we got "In the Light" and "Rollin' Stoned" but I would have rather had 2 or 3 new songs, made just for this CD... but hey, we do have new killer versions of songs we love, so I think it is a even trade.

If you were not looking forward to this CD, I highly suggest picking it up. It is worth the money to hear the songs redone, even if you don't end up enjoying them. All in all, a very nice addition to a forever growing Great White CD collection.

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Go ahead and click on the CD cover to order your copy!