The Best Of (James album)

The Best Of is the first compilation album by English rock band James, released in 1998. It contains singles from the band's studio albums Gold Mother (1990), Seven (1992), Laid (1993), Whiplash (1997), plus one track from the EP James II (1985) and two new tracks. The compilation reached number one in the UK Albums Chart.

Reception
In a review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album four out of five stars, describing it as "An imperfect collection of a frustratingly uneven band" and "a tantalizing missed opportunity", opining that the album's lack of chronological order made it "difficult to listen to [the] songs". Despite this, he went on to say that "no other James album accurately conveys [the band's] eclecticism or their musical strengths".

Awarding the album five out of five stars, Q magazine's John Aizlewood observed that "They're as stubborn (another admirable James trait) as disenfranchised mules; their audience is not growing (Whiplash sold 150,000) and they've influenced precisely nobody, but every track here – including new songs 'Runaground' and 'Destiny Calling, which unveil the mature James: "Tell us when our time is up/Show us how to die well/Show us how to let it all go" – bristles with inspiration."

Clash included "Destiny Calling" on their list of the top 10 best James songs.

Track listing
All tracks written by James, except where noted.

A limited edition version contains a second CD of live material, recorded at Whitfield St Studios in London on 21 January 1998:


 * 1) "Runaground"
 * 2) "Ring the Bells"
 * 3) "Out to Get You"
 * 4) "Johnny Yen"
 * 5) "Lose Control"
 * 6) "Laid"
 * 7) "Sound"