Review Summary: Chad Koeger just does NOT fucking get it.
All you need to do to get what is wrong with this CD, and to get the sense that my review and the other review of this CD on this site is pointless, is just to look at the album cover alone. Now, I am a firm believer in the sentiment of "Never judge a book by it's cover", but the CD's problems are emblazoned practically VERY loudly on the cover, and the funny thing is, it's two words. Sure, "The Best of Nickelback" is a questionable title, but right underneath it is the real problem: "Volume 1".
This is, given the fact that Nickelback have a grand total of 7 albums, and almost, if not, all their radio friendly hits are on this album. So what will Volume 2 consist of, the B-material and other dross that makes up a Nickelback album? But whatever, that's not the point of this review. There are a total of 18 tracks, and all the songs are their radio-friendly tracks. And it's when they're all lumped together where you get the real sense if what's wrong with Nickelback's music: it's almost as if they're appealing to the lowest common denominator. Me their formula for what makes their music becomes ever-so-apparent: "A repetitive four-note riff, lyrics about either how times were so damned great back when I was a teenager- or sex- about how we'e gonna get so extremely drunk and *** *** up, a chorus that's remotely decent, rinse and repeat". And this is made doubly so when "Photograph" opens the album. Even someone who has never heard the band before will get this sense with these lyrics:
"
This is where I grew up
I'm sure the present owner fixed it up
I never knew we'd ever went without
The second floor sure is hard for sneaking out"
Look at that. He rhymed "up" with "up" and "out" with "out". And "I never knew we'd ever went without?" That makes NO SENSE at all.
Getting back on topic, this song and "How You Remind Me" both open the album, and stomper "Burn it to the Ground" is next". From there on, we get a tracklisting that at this point, a deaf-mute can predict. "Someday"? Check. "Never Again"? Check. Rape anthems "Figured You Out" and "Something In Your Mouth"?, ah, what's the frakking point. They're ALL on here. And not that I'm trying to knock anyone who likes this band or wants to get into them, because, who am I to judge people's tastes. The problem here is that all their radio-friendly hits are on this album.
And that brings me to the real problem here: why is this called "The Best of Nickelback"? Or even that with "Volume 1" loudly emblazoned below it? If you called it "The Hits", maybe, just MAYBE there won't be so many "blank CD" jokes. And considering that these guys are so filthy stinking rich off the sales of their radio-rock 101 CDs they've released, not only is the money-making ploy here even more obvious, but considering that there will be a second volume coming in about a month's time or so, what convinces them that people are going to give a flying rat's behind about the "B" material? Well, I'm sure we'll find out the answer when the earth has ended and all that's left on the ground is rubble and ants.
