Released by Universal Music in 2005
Producers: Various

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Notes From The Artist

Whenever anyone releases their greatest hits they do so with a certain amount of trepidation. In my case I knew that the disc would have to contain as many of the 20+ singles that I’ve released over the years, a reality that I wasn’t particularly happy about. I have always been of the opinion that best-of packages should contain those album cuts that diehard fans appreciate, not the material that has been widely exposed. But it was a battle that, given years of fighting battles, seemed pointless.

From the outset, the release was to be twofold. One would be a regular disc filled with the typical hits that would also include two new tracks and one previously unreleased track. The other, a deluxe version, would include the same disc, a video library with commentary (one of the best features of the package), a few hard to find releases, and some acoustic re-workings which, for me, became the highlight of the entire release. I would ultimately be able to sneak a few album tracks onto the deluxe version by way of the still photography feature on the DVD disc, but that was about it.

The two new tracks recorded for the release were, as expected, predictably radio friendly, though they failed to garner the sorts of sales that the record company believed they would. The first of the two, Oh Be Joyful was a quickly penned song that has inside ‘author’ joke written all over it. Despite delving into erroneous meanings with the press, the song itself was actually inspired by its title, which, in truth, has nothing to do with being joyful beyond being drunk. The name Oh Be Joyful was actually used by soldiers during the US Civil War to describe the alcohol that they produced in camp. Another common name was pop skull, which I also included in the song. In truth, I just liked the sound of the phrases, threw them in a song, haphazardly wrote some lyrics around them that made some semblance of sense, and that was that.

The other track, Big City Life, was a song that started out as a impromptu jam during a sound check. Later that night, during the encore, the band and I decided to try it, which meant that I had to make up lyrics as I went. Over time, having never sat down and written proper words, the mish-mash of different ideas ultimately became what’s on disc today.

In the end, had I the resources and support to do something truly spectacular, I would have released a box set filled with far more album material and one with far less emphasis placed on radio singles. The deluxe package therefore became the real gem because of the acoustic re-workings and the DVD commentary, which begs the question why a version containing songs that most people already owned was put out at all.

Disc One: Best Of

1. Oh Be Joyful
2. Big City Life
3. Alert Status Red
4. Weapon
5. In A World Called Catastrophe
6. Hello Time Bomb
7. Load Me Up
8. Strange Days
9. The Future Is X-Rated

10. Everything Is Automatic
11. Rico
12. Apparitions

13. Indestructible
14. Symbolistic White Walls

15. Haven’t Slept In Years
16. Alabama Hotel Room
17. Pony Boy

Disc Two: DVD

1. Truffle Pigs
2. Tripoli
3. Generation X-wing
4. Apparitions
5. North American For Life
6. Advertising On Police Cars
7. Hello Time Bomb
8. Strange Days
9. Prime Time Deliverance

10. Flashdance II
11. Man From Harold Wood
12. My Life As A Circus Clown
13. Intermezzo: M.Good V M. Trolley
14. Flight Recorder From Viking 7
15. Life Beyond The Minimun Safe Distance
16. The Fine Art Of Falling Apart

17. Born To Kill
18. Enjoy The Silence
19. Fated

Disc Three: DVD

1. Alabama Motel Room
2. Symbolistic White Walls
3. Everything Is Automatic
4. Indestructible
5. Apparitions
6. Rico
7. Hello Time Bomb
8. Load Me Up
9. Strange Days
10. The Future Is X-Rated
11. Carmelina
12. Anti-Pop
13. Weapon
14. In a World Called Catastrophe
15. Alert Status Red
16. It’s Been a While Since I Was Your Man

The Making of “Rooms” Feature

Avalanche
A Long Way Down
Pledge of Allegiance
Blue Skies Over Bad Lands
House of Smoke and Mirrors

* Lyrics for songs included on In A Coma can be found on the pages for previous releases