Greatest Hits Vol. 16

Last updated
Greatest Hits Vol. 16
Donnas Greatest16.jpg
Compilation album by
ReleasedJuly 7, 2009 (2009-07-07)
Recorded1995–97, 2001, 2003, 2007–09
Genre Hard rock, punk rock
Length38:16
Label Purple Feather, RedEye
Producer
The Donnas chronology
Bitchin'
(2007)
Greatest Hits Vol. 16
(2009)

Greatest Hits Vol. 16 is a compilation album by the American rock band The Donnas, released in 2009 through Purple Feather Records, the band's independent record label. Despite its title, it is neither a greatest hits album nor the sixteenth volume in a series; rather, it is a collection of new material, B-sides, live recordings, previously unreleased tracks, and alternate versions and new recordings of songs from the band's back catalog, which together form a retrospective look at their career. [1] [2] The "Vol. 16" in the title refers to the album being released in the band's sixteenth year, the group having formed in 1993. [2]

Contents

Background

The oldest material on the album are the tracks "Teenage Rules" and "I Don't Wanna Break Your Head", which are previously-unreleased outtakes from the recording sessions for the band's debut album, The Donnas (1997). [2] "Teenage Rules" was recorded and produced by Darin Raffaelli, who ghostwrote most of The Donnas' early material and released their first album through his Super*Teem! label. [3] [4] Raffaelli shares writing credit with The Donnas on all eight tracks on the second half of Greatest Hits Vol. 16 and sings lead vocals on "I Wanna Be with a Girl Like You", which is an alternate version of the early Donnas song "A Boy Like You" from their debut single, "High School Yum Yum" (1995). [3] "I Don't Wanna Break Your Head" was recorded and produced by Robert Shimp (producer of 2001's The Donnas Turn 21 and 2002's Spend the Night ) and re-mixed by Jay Ruston (who produced 2007's Bitchin' ). [3] An alternate version of The Donnas' "Hey I'm Gonna Be Your Girl" is also included on Greatest Hits Vol. 16; this version was also recorded and produced by Shimp and re-mixed by Ruston, as were "I Wanna Be with a Girl Like You" and a re-mixed version of "Play My Game" (the original mix appears on The Donnas Turn 21). [3]

Two outtakes from the band's seventh album, Bitchin' (2007), are included on Greatest Hits Vol. 16: "We Own the Night" and "She's Out of Control" were recorded, mixed, and produced by Ruston during the Bitchin' sessions at Clear Lake Audio in North Hollywood, Los Angeles. [3] Also included are live recordings of the band's two highest-charting singles, "Take It Off" and "Fall Behind Me". [3]

For the album's new recordings, The Donnas returned to Clear Lake Audio and used the same production team they had for Bitchin'. [3] "Get Off" and "Perfect Stranger" are new material, while the remaining five tracks are new recordings of songs from the band's back catalog: "High School Yum Yum" was the band's first single, released in 1995, while "I Don't Want to Go to School" appeared on the "Da Doo Ron Ron" single the following year. [3] One song from each of the band's first three studio albums was re-recorded: "Get Rid of That Girl" from The Donnas (1997), "You Make Me Hot" from American Teenage Rock 'n' Roll Machine (1998), and "Get You Alone" from Get Skintight (1999). [3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Robert Christgau Five Pointed Star Solid.svg Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [5]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic rated Greatest Hits Vol. 16 three and a half stars out of five, calling it "a collection of odds and sods that by its nature would seem to hold interest only for diehards, but there's a smidgeon of truth that this, like other albums called Greatest Hits, can be used as an introduction to The Donnas because it captures their reckless roar as well as any of their other albums. Arguably, it captures their sound better than their glossy major-label platters for Atlantic." [1] Critic Robert Christgau gave it an honorable mention, calling it "one shallow, sexed up, hard rock thing." [5] Keith Carman of Exclaim! reviewed it negatively, calling it "probably one of the most confusing releases in the history of punk rock" and "proof-positive that some bands shouldn't be in charge of their output." [6] "Everything from the title to the song selection and overall rationale behind this (one hesitates to use the word) 'effort' is pointless", he opined. [6] "Starting weakly, a few forgettable B-sides slide into live versions of some mid-career tracks. Fine. But then the affair is rounded out with updated recordings of their formative releases. Why? Who knows, but what's worse is that The Donnas don't even pick their cool songs; they just grab whatever they felt like at the time. Sure, the updated performances are better than the originals but they lack the spunk of those juvenile-yet-enthusiastic versions recorded some ten years ago. And why, at this stage in the game, would they bother going to the trouble?" [6]

Jayson Harsin of PopMatters rated the album five stars out of ten, stating that "For partiers, perverts, and the girl power posse, Greatest Hits Vol. 16 is a must-have. For everyone else—well, if you don't love them by now, this ain't gonna hook your gills. Moreover, its nostalgia may be a turnoff." [2] While speaking positively of "Get Off", the two Bitchin' B-sides, and the live tracks, he found "Perfect Stranger" to be "a cut that sounds right out of early ‘80s pop-rock, with reined-in lead vocals and purring backups. It’s quite a break with the past, and, for this listener, both ill-fitting and a bad omen." [2] He remarked that the album's lyrical content "falls between the two simple poles of catfights over boys and sex-tease power trips over boys. It's hardly a John Hughes film." [2] He also found the re-recorded early songs to sound uncomfortable now that the band members were adults: "When the album shifts away from this power trash theme to meditations on high school ennui, the music has an odor of somewhat uncomfortable nostalgia. Witness Brett Anderson whining 'I Don’t Wanna Go to School No More': 'I don't want to grow up well / I just want my Taco Bell.' This is now coming from thirty year-olds. Ditto for 'Teenage Rules' and “I Don’t Wanna Break Your Head', which are otherwise another couple of great Ramones homages." [2]

Track listing

Writing credits and track information adapted from the album's liner notes. [3]

All tracks are written by (Tracks 1-8) Allison Robertson, Brett Anderson, Maya Ford, Torry Castellano; (Tracks 9-16) Robertson, Anderson, Ford, Castellano, Darin Raffaelli

No.TitleLength
1."Get Off"2:46
2."Perfect Stranger"3:05
3."We Own the Night" (previously unreleased B-side from the Bitchin' sessions, 2007)2:49
4."She's Out of Control" (previously unreleased B-side from the Bitchin' sessions, 2007)2:34
5."Take It Off" (live; studio version appears on Spend the Night , 2002)3:31
6."Fall Behind Me" (live; studio version appears on Gold Medal , 2004)3:34
7."Get You Alone" (2009 recording; original recording appears on Get Skintight , 1999)2:43
8."Play My Game" (remixed; original mix appears on The Donnas Turn 21 , 2001)3:06
9."You Make Me Hot" (2009 recording; original recording appears on American Teenage Rock 'n' Roll Machine , 1998)2:29
10."Get Rid of That Girl" (2009 recording; original recording appears on The Donnas , 1997)1:50
11."Hey I'm Gonna Be Your Girl" (alternate version; original version appears on The Donnas, 1997)2:04
12."I Wanna Be with a Girl Like You" (featuring Darin Raffaelli; alternate version of "A Boy Like You" from the "High School Yum Yum" single, 1995)1:33
13."I Don't Want to Go to School" (2009 recording; original recording appears on the "Da Doo Ron Ron" single, 1995)2:16
14."Teenage Rules" (previously unreleased B-side from The Donnas sessions, 1997)0:55
15."I Don't Wanna Break Your Head" (previously unreleased B-side from The Donnas sessions, 1997)1:15
16."High School Yum Yum" (2009 recording; original recording appears on the "High School Yum Yum" single, 1995)1:45

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Donnas</span> American rock band

The Donnas were an American rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1993. The band consisted of Brett Anderson, Allison Robertson, Maya Ford and Torry Castellano. Amy Cesari replaced Castellano, who left the band in 2009 due to tendonitis. They drew inspiration from the Ramones, The Runaways, Girlschool, AC/DC, Bachman–Turner Overdrive and Kiss. Rolling Stone has stated that "the Donnas offer a guileless take on adolescent alienation; they traffic in kicks, not catharsis, fun rather than rage". MTV has stated that the band offers "a good old-fashioned rock & roll party".

<i>The Donnas</i> (album) 1997 studio album by The Donnas

The Donnas is the debut studio album by American rock band The Donnas, released in 1997, re-released in 1998.. The last nine tracks on the re-released version are bonus tracks; they are the nine tracks that were released on three singles prior to the original release of this album.

<i>Spend the Night</i> (The Donnas album) 2002 studio album by The Donnas

Spend the Night is the fifth studio album and major label debut by the American hard rock band The Donnas, released in 2002 on Atlantic Records. It was the band's first charting record on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 62, and features their most successful single, "Take It Off", which peaked at 19 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

<i>Meet the Beatles!</i> 1964 studio album by the Beatles

Meet the Beatles! is a studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released as their second album in the United States. It was the group's first American album to be issued by Capitol Records, on 20 January 1964 in both mono and stereo formats. It topped the popular album chart on 15 February 1964 and remained at number one for eleven weeks before being replaced by The Beatles' Second Album. The cover featured Robert Freeman's iconic portrait of the Beatles used in the United Kingdom for With the Beatles, with a blue tint added to the original stark black-and-white photograph.

<i>Elton Johns Greatest Hits Volume II</i> 1977 greatest hits album by Elton John

Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume II is the sixteenth official album release for English musician Elton John, and the second compilation. The original 1977 US version features one song from 1971 and two songs from 1974 that were not on the first greatest hits album. It also features several hit songs from 1975 and two hit singles from Elton's last year of performing in 1976. The cover photograph was taken by Gered Mankowitz.

<i>Bob Dylans Greatest Hits Vol. II</i> 1971 greatest hits album by Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II, also known as More Bob Dylan Greatest Hits, is the second compilation album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on November 17, 1971 by Columbia Records. With Dylan not expected to release any new material for an extended period of time, CBS Records president Clive Davis proposed issuing a double LP compilation of older material. Dylan agreed, compiling it himself and suggesting that the package include a full side of unreleased tracks from his archives. After submitting a set of excerpts from The Basement Tapes that Davis found unsatisfactory, Dylan returned to the studio in September 1971 to recut several Basement songs, with Happy Traum providing backup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Wanna Be Free (The Monkees song)</span> 1967 single by The Monkees

"I Wanna Be Free" is a song written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart that was first performed by The Monkees and appeared on their debut album The Monkees in 1966. It was released as a single in some countries, reaching the Top 20 in Australia. It was also covered by The Lettermen.

<i>Desolation Boulevard</i> 1974 album by Sweet

Desolation Boulevard is the third studio album by the British glam rock band Sweet, originally released in the United Kingdom in November 1974. Two noticeably different versions of the album were released: one by RCA Records in Europe, and another by Capitol Records in the United States, Canada and Japan.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (The Temptations album) 1966 greatest hits album by The Temptations

Greatest Hits is a 1966 greatest hits album for The Temptations, released by the Gordy (Motown) label. It peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200 album chart and remained on the chart for 120 weeks. Included are popular Temptations hits such as "The Way You Do the Things You Do", "Get Ready", "Since I Lost My Baby", "My Baby", "Don't Look Back", and their signature #1 hit, "My Girl". One non-album single, "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep", is also included; it was a #3 hit in the summer and fall of 1966.

<i>The Modern Lovers</i> (album) 1976 studio album by the Modern Lovers

The Modern Lovers is the debut studio album by American rock band the Modern Lovers. It was released on Beserkley Records in 1976, although, bar "Hospital", the original tracks had been recorded in 1972. Six of the original tracks were produced by John Cale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheena Is a Punk Rocker</span> 1977 song by Ramones

"Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" is a song by American punk rock band Ramones, released in 1977 through Sire Records. Written by front man and lead vocalist Joey Ramone it appears on the band's third studio album Rocket to Russia (1977). The song is well known for its early 1960s influence of surf rock and bubblegum pop that influenced Joey; it has since remained one of the band's most popular songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do You Want to Dance</span> 1958 song by Bobby Freeman

"Do You Want to Dance" is a song written by American singer Bobby Freeman and recorded by him in 1958. It reached number No. 5 on the United States Billboard Top 100 Sides pop chart and No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart. Cliff Richard and the Shadows' version of the song reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom in 1962, despite being a B-side. The Beach Boys notably covered the song in 1965 for their album The Beach Boys Today!. Retitled "Do You Wanna Dance?", their version reached No. 12 in the United States. A 1972 cover by Bette Midler with the original title restored reached No. 17.

<i>On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II</i> 1979 greatest hits album by Donna Summer

On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II is the first greatest hits album by American singer Donna Summer, released on October 15, 1979. It was her fourth consecutive double album, and also made her the first person ever to take three consecutive double albums to the number one spot on the U.S. album chart. This would become Summer's third multi-platinum album to date.

<i>The Donna Summer Anthology</i> 1993 compilation album by Donna Summer

The Donna Summer Anthology is a double compilation album by the American singer Donna Summer, released by Polygram Records in 1993. The compilation featured the majority of Summer's best known songs right from the start of her success to the present day. Summer had originally made her name during the disco era in the 1970s and in the decade that followed had experimented with different styles. Most of the tracks on this compilation are the original album versions of the songs, which were sometimes edited down for their release as a single. Included for the first time are two remixed tracks from her then previously unreleased I'm a Rainbow album, which had been recorded in 1981 but had been shelved by her record company at the time. The album also featured the Giorgio Moroder-penned and produced song "Carry On"', marking the first time Summer and Moroder had worked together since 1981. Summer and Moroder, together with Pete Bellotte had written the vast majority of her 1970s disco hits. Four years later, "Carry On" would be remixed and become a big dance hit. It also won Summer a Grammy for Best Dance Recording, her first win since 1984 and her fifth win in total.

<i>Endless Summer: Donna Summers Greatest Hits</i> 1994 greatest hits album by Donna Summer

Endless Summer: Donna Summer's Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer, released on November 8, 1994. It contains many of Summer's best known songs, from her 1970s breakthrough to the release of the album. Unlike 1993's The Donna Summer Anthology, which contains the majority of the songs in their original longer forms, Endless Summer generally includes single versions of the songs. However, the version sold in the United Kingdom uses the album version of the track "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt",, not the more club-oriented mix released as a single there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Don't Wanna Get Hurt</span> 1989 single by Donna Summer

"I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" is a song by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer. It was the second single from Another Place and Time and, like other tracks from the album, was produced by Stock Aitken Waterman. The song was remixed from the album version and released on May 15, 1989, by Warner Bros. Records, in several European countries. It was a top ten hit in UK and the second most-successful single from the album, behind "This Time I Know It's for Real".

<i>From There to Here: Greatest Hits</i> 2003 greatest hits album by Lonestar

From There To Here: Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by American country music group Lonestar. In addition to chronicling the greatest hits from their first four studio albums, the album includes three newly recorded tracks "My Front Porch Looking In", "Walking in Memphis" and "I Pray", as well as a second recording of their 2001 single "I'm Already There". "My Front Porch Looking In" and "Walking in Memphis" were both released as singles.

<i>Bitchin</i> 2007 studio album by The Donnas

Bitchin' is the seventh and final studio album by the American hard rock band The Donnas, released in 2007 on their own label Purple Feather and released through RedEye. It is their first album since leaving Atlantic Records. The record was produced by Jay Ruston and The Donnas. Two of the tracks, "Wasted" and "Here for the Party", were co-written with songwriter Holly Knight.

<i>The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2</i> 1988 greatest hits album by Earth, Wind & Fire

The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2 is the second greatest hits album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, which was released in November 1988 upon Columbia Records. The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2 has been certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.

Robert Steven Shimp is an American record engineer and producer. He was an engineer for Toast Studios from 1996 until they closed their doors. He is known for his work with the West Coast rock band The Donnas, for whom he was a live engineer turned producer, and was an engineer For R.E.M.'s Up. In 2018, Robert Shimp opened his own recording studio, Technical Earth Recorders, in Montgomery, Alabama.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: The Donnas – Greatest Hits Vol. 16". allmusic.com. Allmusic . Retrieved 2016-09-01.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Harsin, Jayson (2009-11-01). "Review: The Donnas – Greatest Hits Vol. 16". popmatters.com. PopMatters . Retrieved 2016-08-29.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Greatest Hits Vol. 16 (CD liner notes). Purple Feather Records. 2009. PFR 1002.
  4. Huey, Steve. "Biography: The Donnas". allmusic.com. Allmusic . Retrieved 2016-08-29.
  5. 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: The Donnas". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  6. 1 2 3 Carman, Keith (2009-08-06). "Review: The Donnas – Greatest Hits Vol. 16". exclaim.ca. Exclaim! . Retrieved 2016-09-01.