Compilation producer: Paul Williams.

Includes liner notes by Michael Hill.

Canada's the Guess Who had numerous radio-friendly hits in the 1960s and early '70s, and the classic lineup featuring vocalist/keyboardist Burton Cummings, guitarists Randy Bachman and Chad Allan, bassist Jim Kale, and drummer Garry Peterson was a potent live act, as well. The band had huge hits with "These Eyes" in 1969 and the sarcastic "American Woman" in 1970 before Bachman and Allan left the group, to be replaced by Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw. The new lineup had hits with "Share the Land" in 1971 and the novelty single "Clap for the Wolfman," a song for radio, DJ, and personality Wolfman Jack in 1974. Cummings possessed one of rock's most distinctive voices and was a fine writer, as well, and several of the Guess Who's album tracks are pop gems, including "Laughing," "Undone," "No Time," "Guns, Guns, Guns," and "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature." This collection has everything you really need from this underrated band, whose sly, satirical pop smarts are usually always on display. ~ Steve Leggett

There have been plenty of Guess Who collections on the market, from the original Best of the Guess Who to the multi-disc Track Record. Of all of these, the best is the 1999 collection Greatest Hits, which contains a generous 18 songs, including all but two of their charting American singles -- not counting 1965's "Shakin' All Over," the missing songs are "Broken" (the B-side to "Albert Flasher") and "Runnin' Back to Saskatoon" (which barely scraped the charts). Although the Guess Who's albums are distinctive (more so than their reputation would lead you to believe), there's little question that they're best heard as a singles band, and this is the best place to hear them that way. After a spin of Greatest Hits, it's clear that the Guess Who made some of the best mainstream rock of their era -- and while they never received much critical respect (apart from iconoclast Lester Bangs, of course), their music holds up better than much of their peers', which means that the Guess Who deserves to have the last laugh. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine