''The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988'' is the first

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

by American singer-songwriter

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation ...

, released by

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...

in 1997 (see

1997 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997. Specific locations * 1997 in British music * 1997 in Norwegian music * 1997 in South Korean music Specific genres * 1997 in classical music *1997 in country music * 19 ...

). It compiles Mellencamp's most popular material recorded during his first decade with Riva and

, beginning with 1978's '' A Biography'', up through 1987's ''

The Lonesome Jubilee ''The Lonesome Jubilee'' is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Cougar Mellencamp (credited as simply Mellencamp on pressings). The album was released by Mercury Records on August 24, 1987 (see 1987 in music). Four singles ...

'', with a new recording of

Terry Reid Terrance James Reid (born 13 November 1949), nicknamed "Superlungs", is an English rock vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist best known for his emotive style of singing in appearances with high-profile musicians as vocalist, supporting act and s ...

's "Without Expression". Mellencamp picked the songs for the album and also came up with the title for the album. The album reached No. 33 on the ''Billboard'' 200. This album and '' Rough Harvest'' came about because, after leaving Mercury Records for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, Mellencamp still owed the label two more albums.

Reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

of AllMusic.com said that the album's title was suitable and while it did not include all of Mellencamp's hits, it is a good summary of Mellencamp's "remarkably consistent" work.

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

described it as the best of John Mellencamp, which to him is not saying much. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' gave the album a "B" rating, describing it as "uncomplicated but sophisticated."

Track listing

Original release

Japanese edition

The version released in Japan features two additional songs ("Miami" and a cover of "Under the Boardwalk," tracks 2 and 15, respectively), and places "Lonely Ol' Night" before "Authority Song".

Personnel

Adapted from the album's liner notes. *

(a.k.a. "Little Bastard" on some tracks) – vocals, guitar, songwriter, producer * Larry Crane – guitars, harmonica,

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

, flutophone *Tom Knowles – drums on "I Need a Lover" *Robert "Ferd" Frank – bass, background vocals on "I Need a Lover" *Brian Bekvar – keyboards on "I Need a Lover" *

John Punter John Punter (born 27 January 1949) is an English and Canadian former record producer and recording engineer. He has worked with many bands and musicians, such as Spoons, Japan, Procol Harum, Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry, Re-Flex, Doctors of Madness, ...

– producer,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

on "I Need a Lover" * Rick Shlosser – drums on "Ain't Even Done with the Night" *Mike Wanchic – guitars, background vocals; producer on "Without Expression" *

Kenny Aronoff Kenneth D. Aronoff (born March 7, 1953) is an American drummer, best known for his work as a session and touring musician. He has toured and recorded with a wide range of artists throughout his career, including the Rolling Stones, the Smashing ...

– vibes on "Ain't Even Done with the Night", drums, background vocals, hammer dulcimer *Eric Rosser – keyboards *

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He was the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as ...

– producer on "Ain't Even Done with the Night" *

Bruce Robb Bruce Robb is an American musician, record producer, engineer, and music supervisor. He is most recognized for his time as a member of the Robbs during the 1960s, then as a founder of Cherokee Studios in the 1970s; followed by decades of produc ...

– engineer on "Ain't Even Done with the Night" * Dee Robb – engineer on "Ain't Even Done with the Night" *

George "Chocolate" Perry George Wesly Perry (born 1953), known professionally as "Chocolate Perry" is an American bassist, songwriter and producer. Perry has worked with the Bee Gees, John Cougar, Jon Secada, Stephen Stills, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Al Kooper, Di ...

– bass on "Hurts So Good" *Dave Parman – background vocals on "Hurts So Good" * Don Gehman – producer/engineer on "Hurts So Good" thru "Check It Out" *George Tutko – engineer on "Hurts So Good" *

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...

– guitar and background vocals on "Jack and Diane" *Toby Myers – bass, background vocals *Carroll Sue Hill – keyboards, background vocals *Greg Edward – engineer *David Thoener – engineer on "Pink Houses" *Sarah Flint – background vocals on "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." *John Cascella – keyboards,

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

Lisa Germano Lisa Ruth Germano (born June 27, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Indiana. Her album '' Geek the Girl'' (1994) was named one of the best albums of the 1990s by ''Spin'' magazine. She began her career as a viol ...

– violin *Pat Peterson – background vocals *

Crystal Taliefero Crystal Taliefero-Pratt (née Taliefero, born 5 January 1963) is an American multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Taliefero grew up with a musical family, performing rhythm and blues with her brother in the Chicago metropolitan area. During her ...

– background vocals *Dane Clark – drums on "Without Expression" *Miriam Sturm – violin on "Without Expression" *Andy York – guitars, background vocals on "Without Expression" *Moe Z – keyboards, background vocals on "Without Expression" *Corsillo/Manzobe-Design Monsters –

art direction Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to super ...

*Paul Jasmin – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best That I Could Do 1978-1988, The 1997 greatest hits albums John Mellencamp compilation albums Albums produced by Don Gehman Albums produced by Steve Cropper Mercury Records compilation albums