Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Greatest Hits CD

Personnel: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony; Geraldine Sigler, Mariah Carey, Phil Collins (vocals); Z. Jimmy (harmonica); Virgil "Stinky" Davis (keyboards); The Rkitek (programming); Eazy-E, Felecia, 2Pac, 3LW, Krayzie Bone, Avant, The Notorious B.I.G., Big Chan.
Audio Mixers: DJ U-Neek; Ian Boxill; Al (Taz) Machera; Eric Nordquist; Aaron Connor.
Recording information: Audio Vision Recording Studios, Miami, FL; Chung King Studios; GTR Media Studios, Inc., Cleveland, OH; Music Grinder; Studio 76, Cleveland, OH; Studio X Productions, Los Angeles, CA; The Backroom, Glendale, CA; The Workshop Recording Studio, North Hollywood, CA.
Photographer: Jonathan Mannion.
The third time Cleveland's quick rapping Bone Thugs-N-Harmony get compiled by their former label Ruthless starts out clever, but the packaging, lack of input from the band, and too-long run time make it nothing to get excited about. Kicking off with the short and dramatic "Carole of the Bones" is a clever move, but where are the liner notes, and who laid the tracks out in such a lame order? Too many hits upfront weaken disc two's punch and too often likeminded tracks are put right next to one another. All the producer and engineer credits you'd ever want are included, but good luck figuring out which track was on what without jumping on the Internet. Stick with 1998's Collection, Vol. 1 if you want a concise look at Bone, then pick up their E 1999 Eternal if you need more. Bone Thugs never rose above that brilliant album, as the numerous lesser tracks on Greatest Hits point out. There's no love lost between Bone and Ruthless, and with Ruthless handling their history like this, it's easy to see why. ~ David Jeffries
The Cleveland, Ohio collective Bone Thugs-N-Harmony began as Eazy-E proteges and early signees to his Ruthless Records. For a brief time, the five-member rap trio eclipsed the always-controversial Eazy, scoring huge crossover hits with its knack for intricate harmonies and a blend of smooth R&B and gospel with a hard-edged street attitude. The group's supreme asset was its five distinctive voices and its unique ability to interweave them into a complex mosaic. Ranging from heartfelt to off-kilter, from rapid-fire to contemplative, Bone Thugs' skills culminated in the surreal single "Tha Crossroads," which spent two months in 1996 atop the pop charts.
That seminal hit and over 20 more songs culled from its decade-plus of existence grace Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's two-disc GREATEST HITS, an overflowing collection of the unit's finest tracks. Present are the most memorable moments--the tenacious anthem "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" and the ghostly "1st of tha Month"--alongside such lesser known, but strong tunes as "Thug Mentality" and "Ecstasy." Also on GREATEST HITS is the unlikely, but successful collaboration with Phil Collins, "Home." GREATEST HITS captures the soul of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's restless spirit.