Lossless Album - CD Box Set

A seemingly well-assembled package that fails to go quite as far as it should, sticking closely to the charted material and rarely delving into the vaults for interesting oddities -- three rehearsal takes are tacked onto the end of the third disc in the set, providing little of interest to collectors or to the curious. The booklet does a workmanlike job of tracking the progress of the band, but there are few insights to be found in the difficult-to-read text.


The set is built around the A and B sides of singles, with album cuts salted in between. This is effective in charting the band's progression from melodic popsters to hard rockers and back to the pop-inflected music that closed out their career. The highlights are scattered throughout -- "American Woman," of course; "Rain Dance," with its unnerving echoes of American massacres, the funky, improvised live "Truckin' Off Across the Sky," even the goofy "Clap for the Wolfman," which came when the Guess Who were all but finished.
The Ultimate Collection works well as an introduction to the Guess Who, but will not gratify anyone with more than a basic need to know. On a sonic level, the set sounds good, however.

Tracklist:

CD1:

1. These Eyes
2. Lightfoot
3. Maple Fudge
4. Of A Dropping Pin
5. Laughing
6. Undun
7. No Time
8. Proper Stranger
9. Humpty's Blues
10. 8:15
11. When Friends Fall Out
12. American Woman
13. Medley: No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature
14. Hand Me Down World
15. Runnin' Down The Street
16. Share The Land
17. Bus Rider
18. Hang On To Your Life
19. Do You Miss Me Darlin'
20. Medley: Coming Down Off The Money Bag / Song Of The Dog

CD2:

1. Rain Dance
2. One Divided
3. Life In The Bloodstream
4. Sour Suite
5. Albert Flasher
6. Broken
7. So Long, Bannatyne
8. Heartbroken Bopper
9. Arrividerci Girl
10. Runnin' Back To Saskatoon
11. Glace Bay Blues
12. Truckin' Off Across The Sky
13. Follow Your Daughter Home
14. Bye Bye Babe
15. Orly
16. The Watcher
17. Those Show Biz Shoes
18. Guns Guns Guns
19. Medley: Heaven Only Moved Once Yesterday / Don't You Want Me

CD3:

1. Clap For The Wolfman
2. Road Food
3. Attila's Blues
4. Star Baby
5. Musicione
6. Glamour Boy
7. Lie Down
8. Dancin' Fool
9. Seems Like I Can't Live With You, But I Can't Live Without You
10. Loves Me Like A Brother
11. Hoe Down Time
12. Rosanne
13. Dreams
14. Women
15. When The Band Was Singin' ''Shakin' All Over''
16. Lightfoot (Take 2 Rehearsal)
17. Medley: No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature (Take 9)
18. American Woman (Take 25)