The Best of Sugar Ray

The Best of Sugar Ray
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedJune 21, 2005
May 16, 2006
Recorded1994–2005
Genre
Length53:50
LabelAtlantic
Producer
Sugar Ray chronology
In the Pursuit of Leisure
(2003)
The Best of Sugar Ray
(2005)
Music for Cougars
(2009)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

The Best of Sugar Ray is a 2005 Sugar Ray greatest hits album, released by Atlantic Records, consisting of 12 previous hits and 3 new recordings. Tracks 1, 9, and 14 are new tracks. Tracks 7 and 10 are from Lemonade and Brownies, Tracks 3 and 12 are from Floored, Tracks 4, 6 and 8 are from 14:59, Tracks 2, 5, and 11 are from Sugar Ray, and Tracks 13 and 15 are from In the Pursuit of Leisure. The 3 new songs are: "Shot of Laughter", a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time", and a song written by a teenage Howard Stern, "Psychedelic Bee". "Mr. Bartender" is the only hit single absent from the album.[2]

Reception

The Philippine Daily Inquirer noted the inclusion of the heavier material from the band's early albums. They wrote in their September 2005 review, "originally a funk metal band [they've] included two tracks from their debut in this 'best-of' — "Mean Machine" and "Rhythm Stealer". Let's just say that their moving away from metal was the best career decision they ever made."[3]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic awarded it four out of five stars, writing that after the commercial underperformance of In the Pursuit of Leisure it "became clear that it wouldn't be long before that hits disc came along", adding "and here it is: Greatest Hits, released in the middle of June 2005, just as the summer was getting under way. That's appropriate, [it] is the perfect soundtrack for lazy days at the beach." He also noted that the mood of the album is "occasionally broken by such remnants of the group's metallic beginnings as 'Rhyme Stealer' and 'RPM,' which stand in uneasy contrast to the sunny, friendly sound."[1]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Shot of Laughter"
previously unissued3:42
2."Answer the Phone"
  • M. Karges
  • Frazier
  • McGrath
  • Don Gilmore
Sugar Ray (2001)3:58
3."Fly" (featuring Super Cat)
Floored (1997)4:53
4."Someday"
  • McGrath
  • Sheppard
  • M. Karges
  • Frazier
  • Bullock
  • Joe Nichol
  • Kahne
14:59 (1999)4:04
5."Under the Sun"
  • Frazier
  • Karges
  • McGrath
  • Gilmore
  • Terry Karges
Sugar Ray3:22
6."Every Morning"
14:593:41
7."Mean Machine"
  • McGrath
  • Sheppard
  • M. Karges
  • Frazier
  • Nichol
  • Charlie Ryan
  • W.S. Stevenson
Lemonade and Brownies (1995)2:42
8."Falls Apart"
  • McGrath
  • Sheppard
  • M. Karges
  • Frazier
  • Bullock
  • Nichol
  • Kahne
14:594:16
9."Time After Time"previously unissued3:56
10."Rhyme Stealer"
  • McGrath
  • Sheppard
  • M. Karges
  • Frazier
  • Nichol
Lemonade and Brownies2:53
11."When It's Over"
  • Frazier
  • Sheppard
  • McGrath
  • Bullock
  • Kahne
Sugar Ray3:39
12."RPM"
  • McGrath
  • Sheppard
  • M. Karges
  • Frazier
  • Bullock
  • David Sabo
  • Kahne
Floored3:22
13."Is She Really Going Out with Him?"Joe JacksonIn the Pursuit of Leisure (2003)3:50
14."Psychedelic Bee"Howard Sternpreviously unissued1:54
15."Chasin' You Around"
  • Bullock
  • Sheppard
  • McGrath
  • M. Karges
  • Kahne
In the Pursuit of Leisure3:38

Personnel

Sugar Ray

  • Mark McGrath – vocals, guitars
  • Rodney Sheppard – guitars, backing vocals
  • Murphy Karges – bass
  • Stan Frazier – drums, guitars, backing vocals
  • Craig "DJ Homicide" Bullock – turntables and backing vocals (1-6, 8, 9, 11-15), additional scratches (7, 10), additional programming (13, 15)

Additional personnel

  • Mon Agranat – additional engineering (7, 10)
  • Michael Brauer – mixing (13, 15)
  • Rob Brill – engineer (13, 15)
  • John Brower – mixing (1, 9, 14)
  • Daniel M. Certa – additional engineering and assistance (2, 5, 11)
  • Barry "Lord" Conley – additional engineering (7, 10)
  • Steve Duda – additional engineering (13, 15)
  • John Ewing – engineer (2, 5, 11), additional engineering (7, 10), assistant engineer (3, 12)
  • Eric Fischer – additional engineering (7, 10)
  • Steve Gallagher – engineer (2, 4-6, 8, 11), additional engineering (7, 10, 13, 15)
  • Don Gilmore – producer (2, 5), engineer (2, 5, 11)
  • David Kahne – producer (1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11-15), programming (3, 4, 6, 8, 11-13, 15), engineer (3, 4, 6, 8, 13, 15), mixing (3, 4, 6, 8, 11-13, 15), keyboards (3, 12)
  • Steve Kaplan – assistant mix engineer (2, 5)
  • David Leonard – mixing (11)
  • DJ Lethal – beats and executive producer (2, 5)
  • Chris Lord-Alge – mixing (2, 5)
  • McG – producer (7, 10)
  • Kevin Mills – assistant engineer (13, 15)
  • James Murray – assistant engineer (3, 12)
  • Mark Nixdorf – assistant engineer (3, 12)
  • Mike Rew – assistant engineer (3, 12)
  • Jason Roberts – mixing (7, 10)
  • Matt Silva – assistant mix engineer (2, 5)
  • Super Cat – additional vocals (3)
  • Doug Trantow – assistant engineer (3, 12)
  • John Travis – tracking engineer (3, 12), engineer and mixing (4, 6, 8)
  • Alex Uychocde – assistant mix engineer (11, 13, 15)
  • Ben Wallach – engineer (7, 10)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Allmusic review
  2. ^ "Best Of Sugar Ray new tracks". Retrieved May 31, 2008.
  3. ^ "Philippine Daily Inquirer". Philippine Daily Inquirer – via Google Books.