Though their popularity in their home country was never as great as it was in Europe, there is a justifiable argument for Faith No More being placed among the finest rock bands of all time. Their eclecticism, their hatred of categorisation, their energy, their humour, their sheer brilliance: all combined to create a band that should have been huge. Yet, apart from a few singles (notably "We Care A Lot", "Midlife Crisis" a cover of the Commodores' "Easy" and the monstrously big "Epic") Faith No More managed to keep the low profile usually reserved for underground phenomena, and thus ducked out of the limelight that should rightfully have been theirs. Not that they would particularly have wanted it all that much, belligerent as they were.

And so, for a hippie band that started out with no singer (Courtney Love actually auditioned for a place but left due to 'personal problems') and a penchant for songs consisting of one note that went on for half an hour, the transition that can be seen from their first album to their last renders the Faith No Mores of 1982 and 1998 (when they finally split) almost entirely different groups, in both sound and personnel. Chuck Mosely, their first permanent singer, was fired following the release of their second LP, Introduce Yourself, and a young kid from the backwater town of Eureka, Cali, who was - and still is to this day - in a band called Mr. Bungle, was drafted in. That kid was the remarkable Mike Patton, who remained with FNM until their eventual split. Jim Martin, guitarist up until 1993, was also fired, and numerous guitarists took his place over the remaining five years.

But the band hardly suffered for this constant coming-and-going of members. Their albums were of a consistently stratospheric quality, even their last, 1997's Album of the Year, which was unfairly criticised by the press. Live, Faith No More were almost peerless, and much of this was down to Patton's mesmerisingly unpredictable performances and remarkable voice. Jesus, they were bloody good.

And yet... why am I giving This Is It: The Best Of FNM only one star out of five? Well, basically because this is a joke of a release. It is a half-baked, cynical, money-making scam. There is only really one reason to get it and that is to get the song The Perfect Crime, previously only available on the soundtrack to the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. There are no rarities, no extras, nothing of any note. Rhino Records, the company peddling this pathetic excuse of a CD, should be ashamed. If they wanted to release something worthwhile, they'd pay a few extra dollars to get some worthwhile tracks. As it is, most of the tracks on This Is It... are available on the official greatest hits LP Who Cares A Lot?, released in 2000, with the backing of the band. I doubt FNM have any say in the Rhino release. Avoid it at all costs.

By the way, any true FNM fan will steer clear of This Is It... Any curious music fans should buy Who Cares A Lot?, Angel Dust or The Real Thing as good places to start.

Recommended: No

Great Music to Play While: Driving