Faith No More ~ This Is It: The Best Of... (hits comp) (album review) ... Under-rated mini-masterpieces!

Style: funk metal, hard rock, greatest hits
Label: Rhino
Year: 2003
Home: San Francisco

Members: Mike Patton, Chuck Mosley ~ lead vocals
Billy Gould ~ bass
Roddy Bottum ~ keyboard
Mike Bordin ~ drums/percussion
Trey Spruance, Jim Martin, Jon Hudson ~ guitar

(Guest Review by Eduardo Morillo)

I had only heard of this band from friend’s suggestions & word of mouth but had never really paid close attention until recently. My personal tastes are more towards jazz, blues & heavy metal but I always appreciate anything obscure & eclectic as long as it is good. So I gave Faith No More a try & right away one of the songs that really stood out to me was their cover of Black Sabbath’s 'War Pigs'. At first I was very skeptical because Ozzy’s voice is nearly impossible to emulate & also because 'War Pigs' was one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar, but I have to say I was damn well impressed. What really turned my interest towards FNM was the fact that not all their songs sound the same. The various styles they put into their music (i.e the mellow & easy acoustic feel of 'Easy' or the groovy yet heavy as hell sound of 'Epic') & Mike Patton’s vocals are very unique & immediately makes him one of the most versatile singers I have ever heard. After researching a little more about the band, I realized that FNM was just the tip of the iceberg. Mike Patton has been in at least 100 bands throughout his career, ranging from kids shows such as Pokemon & Digimon to a jazz band, black metal band, movie soundtracks & the list goes on. He has also lent his voice & other talents to video games, theme songs, game shows, that clearly shows the guy has been a little busy. I’m not really into best of compilations, especially when it comes to giving a new band a try, because I feel that only the so-called hits are included & the listener may miss out on some of a group’s best work. But, I have to say that this really captures the band’s greatest songs & even includes a few hidden gems not previously released. Overall, this is a must for everyone, whatever your musical interests. If you’re not a fan of FNM once you hear the album you will be hooked instantly. Mike Patton is one of the most creative & versatile multi-instrumentalists I have ever heard … & I’ve heard many. My only gripe with FNM is that they have at least 5 best of compilations … why? There’s no need for that many, however this is now by far one of my favorite best of CDs in my collection.

Guest writer Eduardo Morillo, ex-Lethal Dose, is a hard rock/metal guitarist & saxophone player in NYC & is a die-hard Megadeth & Kiss fan.

(originally written for the Roman Midnight Music newsletter Issue 3, Feb 2010, unedited for blog)