20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Glen Frey (CD - 2000)

Personnel: Glenn Frey (vocals, various instruments, electric & slide guitars, electric piano, keyboards, synthesizer, bass, programming); Jay Oliver (various instruments, keyboards); Duane Sciacqua (guitar, background vocals); Duncan Cameron, Josh Leo, Mark Goldenburg (guitar); Chris Mostert (saxophone, percussion); Bill Bergman (saxophone); Ben Tench (organ); Harold Faltermeyer (keyboards, bass); Barry Beckett, Robbie Kilgore, Steve Nathan (keyboards); Bryan Garofalo, David Hood, Jerry Scheff (bass); Kenny Aronoff, Martin Fera, John Robinson, Larrie Londin (drums); Lenny Castro, Steve Forman (percussion); Valerie Carter, Rosemary Butler, Robbie Martin, Luther Waters (background vocals).

Producers include: Keith Forsey, Glenn Frey, Elliot Scheiner, Alan Blazek, Barry Beckett.

Compilation producer: Mike Ragogna.

Includes liner notes by Mike Ragogna.

Digitally remastered by Erick Labson (Universal Mastering Studio-West, North Hollywood, California).

Personnel: Glenn Frey (vocals, guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, synthesizer, background vocals); Danny Grenier (vocals, guitar); Robbie Buchanan, Barry Beckett (vocals); Rick Vito (guitar); Duncan Cameron (electric guitar, background vocals); Josh Leo (electric guitar); Chris Mostert (saxophone, percussion); Bill Bergman (saxophone); Grady Smith (baritone saxophone); Darrell Leonard (trumpet); David "Hawk" Wolinski (organ, synthesizer); Jay Oliver (keyboards, programming); Harold Faltermeyer, Robbie Kilgore (keyboards); Keith Forsey (drums, background vocals); Adrian Robinson, Michael Huey, Kenny Aronoff, Larrie Londin (drums); Steve Forman (congas, percussion); Lenny Castro, Michito Sánchez, Ralph MacDonald (percussion); Mike Harlow (programming); Luther Waters, Jack Tempchin, Oren Waters, Rosemary Butler, Roy Galloway, Valerie Carter (background vocals).

Liner Note Author: Mike Ragogna.

Photographer: Dennis Keeley.

Arranger: Jay Oliver.

The problem with assembling a Glenn Frey compilation -- and this discount-priced one is the second, following 1995's full-priced Solo Collection -- is that his debut solo album, No Fun Aloud (1982), was released on Asylum Records, making it the property of Warner, while the rest of his solo recordings were released on MCA Records, the property of Universal, and the two major record labels have not shown an interest in pooling their resources. Thus, Frey's first three Top 40 hits, "I Found Somebody," "The One You Love," and "All Those Lies," are unavailable to MCA in their original form, though both Solo Collection and this album have used the live version of "The One You Love" from 1993's Glenn Frey Live. A compilation is particularly important for the collection of a Frey fan, because his two biggest hits, "The Heat Is On" and "You Belong to the City," appeared on soundtracks, not his solo albums. Those two are here, of course, along with what turns out to be a slightly more comprehensive selection of his singles than Solo Collection contained. That 16-track album featured only nine of the 17 tracks Frey placed on one chart or another between 1982 and 1993; this one has ten, including the minor hit "The Allnighter," which is not on Solo Collection. Given the more favorable price point, this album gets the edge as the Frey album for casual fans. ~ William Ruhlmann minimize