The title is rather misleading.

Not the "Action Packed" part -- that it giddily is -- but "The Best Of" claim.

As a definitive compendium of the best material Jonathan Richman has thus far supplied the world -- a world, it should be noted that is a far better place because of him -- this 22-track CD can't help but fall short.

The reason being that it merely features the best material culled from his seven-album stint with Rounder Records, a period which spanned 1987 to 1995.

This, of course, leaves out the first Modern Lovers album and his time recording for the Beserkley label, which provided the bulk of classic JoJo songs such as Roadrunner, Pablo Picasso, Dodge Veg-O-Matic, My Jeans, Ice Cream Man, The Beach, and Government Center -- all of which and more are featured on the excellent 1987 release on Rhino, Beserkley Years, or the 1990 collection 23 Great Recordings.

Even the output on his label Vapor has provided some good stuff, most notably the song Rock & Roll Drummer Straight From the Hospital.

Nonetheless, what we're left with, is still a wonderful set of music that contains the naivete and humour that cemented his reputation early on as a wide-eyed punk rock wunderkind, but which also show Richman branching out stylistically and becoming a far better musician, songwriter and arranger.

From the tracks culled from 1990's Jonathan Goes Country (especially Since She Started to Ride, which features some of that trademark lyrical charm: "Horses, humans, if she had to rank it/You'd bet on they that canter, and them that need fly spray"), and from the one song from his Spanish recording Jonathan, Te Vas a Emocionar!, to the masterpiece I Was Dancing In A Lesbian Bar from '92's I, Jonathan, Action Packed is a solid package.

And solid will have to do until complete comes along.

Track Listing