Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 05/25/2004
Since
Mr. Big had their big hit with the campfire singalong
"To Be With You," it's easy for the average listener to assume that
Mr. Big is one of the poppiest of the
pop-metal bands, when precisely the opposite is the case.
Mr. Big was formed by two virtuosos, shred kings
Paul Gilbert (formerly the guitarist for
Racer X) and
Billy Sheehan, who came to prominence as the bassist for
David Lee Roth's solo band, and the band was designed as a way for both to flash their chops. At least at first, songs were a secondary consideration, a vehicle for the two to play. Tunes were gradually introduced to the band, taking hold on their second album, but remnants of the instrumentalists-first mentality persisted, even after
Gilbert flew the coop at the end of the '90s, since he was replaced with fellow guitar virtuoso
Richie Kotzen, who briefly filled
C.C. Deville's shoes in
Poison. Both eras are accurately represented on
Rhino's 2004 collection
Greatest Hits, which contains all the hits, all the songs that were transcribed in guitar magazines, and a few rarities to boot. Those expecting a bunch of
"To Be With You"s or even
pop-metal in the vein of
Poison will find this a bit disappointing, since this isn't very hooky and on the harder side of
pop-metal, giving
Gilbert and
Sheehan room to roam. But fans of those two, as well as
Kotzen, will find
Greatest Hits a satisfying distillation of
Mr. Big's erratic albums, containing everything of note they recorded.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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