Puddle Of Mudd - Icon: Best Of Puddle Of Mudd (2010) (6/10)

"Icon: Best Of Puddle Of Mudd" is a best of collection from the famous "Icon" series that presents a couple of famous hit-singles from the band's four major label albums: "Come Clean" (2001), "Life On Display" (2003), "Famous" (2007), and "Volume 4: Songs In The Key Of Love & Hate" (2009).

The first greatest hits collection from this famous Post-Grunge band includes well-known classics such as a rare radio edit version of "Blurry" and the energizing party anthem "She Hates Me," but also recent outputs such as the catchy "Psycho" and the rebellious "Stoned." As far as I know there exists a clean version of the compilation as well as an explicit version, so take a closer look on the description of the songs and the front sticker before you choose your edition. The clean version basically cuts out a few words from songs like "She Hates Me" and "Stoned" while the explicit versions present you the uncensored original versions. This is a quite regular phenomenon in the United States of America that rarely exists elsewhere and that may confuse fans from other continents.

The most interesting tracks are the classic Grunge anthem "Abrasive" that was only included on a few limited editions of the "Control“ single as well as of the "Come Clean" record, and one should also mention the energizing "Bleed" that has made it on the soundtrack for the movie "The Punisher" and that was also included on some rare limited editions of the "Life On Display" release.

These two tracks, as well as the cheap price of the compilation, convinced me to purchase the release. On the other side, the band should have headed for a more detailed greatest hits record. I would have liked them to include a couple of old and forgotten PUDDLE OF MUDD tracks like "You Don't Know," "Suicide," or "Hour Glass Man," a few rare bonus tracks like "Daddy," "Cast Away" or "Shook Up The World," as well as some unreleased songs like "Galvanic" on such a compilation. Some of these songs could have replaced the less essential tracks like the mellow "Heel Over Head," the annoying "Livin' On Borrowed Time," or the exchangeable ballad "Keep It Together" for example.

That's why this release is only interesting for true fans and collectors. Simple radio listeners that only care for hit singles of a band may also be potential buyers. Anybody else should simply ignore this fast-food compilation and instead purchase the "Come Clean" and "Life On Display" releases that cover the band's most essential songs.

(Online July 26, 2013)