I have this album in my collection and it's one of my favourite "best of" albums.

This album contains most of their well known hits, apart from Shiny Happy People which was actually banned from appearing on the album. Their most popular song "Everybody Hurts" is on this album. This is a power ballad from the early 1990s and it was popular all over the world. The song is what I would describe as quite sad and depressing, however lyrics such as "sometimes everything is wrong" are somehow quite reassuring, in a weird kind of way. The song is very healing and it actually helps you to heal if you are listening to it when you feel down/ depressed. It heals me anyway. It's their song for everyone, so they say.

I also love "Losing My Religion", even if I don't understand the meaning behind the song. It's another power ballad which was recently covered by the cast of Glee in their second season. This just shows how popular the band are - world over. The album isn't all ballads. There are a few upbeat songs on here too, such as "Imitation Of Life" but around 70% of the album is slow. This doesn't really bother me as all of the songs are really meaningful not to mention powerful. Michael Stipe has a gorgeous soft voice and he sings each and every song with emotion and understanding. The album is very personal to the band, just read the sleeve notes for a story behind each song. There are no fillers here, just wonderful music.

The best "best of" album.