Sum 41 and a greatest hits package could be deemed a bit of an oxymoron. Sure, ‘In Too Deep’ and ‘Fat Lip’ shot the band to prominence at a time when Blink 182 were leading the silly pop-punk charge, but other than that they’ve hardly graced the top 10 with chart-topping tunes. Infact I would even go as far as arguing the band’s best work was barely recognised – ‘Chuck’ was a monster of a record which, while a huge departure from the sillyness of ‘All Killer, No Filler’, was the sound of a band that had become comfortable in their own skin.
The ‘Best of Sum 41‘ doesn’t throw up any surprises at all. It features all of the obvious songs – the aforementioned singles, ‘Motivation’ and ‘Pain
For Pleasure’ all here too – and relies heavily on the more famous parts of their career rather than the heavier moments where the band actually sound best. Of course if you actually liked the band best when you sang along to ‘Fat Lip’ this record is for you. If you’re new to the band, or simply want a bit of a no frills singalong, this is also the record for you. For the rest of us this is yawnsome fare we’ve all pretty much heard before.
I’m not a big fan of greatest hits CDs as it is, I feel they’re a marketing man’s Christmas bonus, ripping off the fans by sticking on a token new track and remix and making kids shell out for songs they already have. Best Ofs actually contribute to the reason piracy is on the up – why buy this if you already own ‘AKNF’? If you’re a Sum 41 fan you will already have all of these songs making this release pointless. It’s a little nostalgia trip and will give us oldies a brief amount of pleasure, but really, what’s the point? Ultimately this is a Christmas cash in with no extra benefits – and you’ll probably lack the ‘motivation’ to go out and buy it.