As of July 31 of this year, eight years will have passed since veteran rock band Finger Eleven will have released a complete album of new material, that record being 2015’s Five Crooked Lines. Prior to its release, the longest the band had gone between new releases was five years, and that was between the release of that album and the band’s 2010 album, Life Turns Electric. Late last month though, the band gave its fans renewed hope for something new when it released its new compilation record, the simply titled Greatest Hits. The collection is an aptly titled release as it literally is a set of singles from each of the band’s existing albums. This will be discussed shortly as it is a factor that is sure to appeal largely to the band’s most devoted audiences. The addition of the band’s new single, ‘Together Right’ to the collection adds to its appeal and will be addressed a little later. The collection also features a previously unreleased cover of Pink Floyd’s timeless classic ‘Welcome To The Machine’ as part of its body. It is an intriguing take on the song that will also be examined later. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of Greatest Hits. All things considered they make this collection a largely successful offering from Finger Eleven for the band’s most devoted audiences.
Finger Eleven’s recently released compilation record, Greatest Hits is a mostly successful new offering from the band that is certain to appeal to the band’s most devoted audiences. That is due in large part to its primary body, which is composed of songs pulled from the band’s catalog. The songs in question are literally hits as they are singles pulled from each of the band’s albums. Not every single from each album is featured here, but the band does what audiences will agree is an admirable job of lifting most of the singles from each album. Had the band lifted every single from each of the band’s albums, the compilation would have ended up being a double-disc record. Of course, those most devoted audiences likely would not have complained had that been the case. Understandably, the only album not represented here is the band’s 1995 record, Letters From Chutney, but that is because the band released that debut record under another moniker, that being Rainbow Butt Monkeys. Maybe one day audiences will get a re-issue of that album from the band since it is such a rarity. Time will tell. Getting back on the subject at hand, the fact that the collection is a straight-forward set of singles, the band does not try to pull any punches. It is exactly what its title infers, a hits collection. Believe it or not this is an important element because there are so many singles sets out there from other bands that try to use flashy, catchy titles to make them come across as something more than just a collection of singles. Finger Eleven does not go that route here. Rather the band is honest with its fans giving them a presentation that is one of those “what you see is what you get” items. To that end, this makes for a solid foundation for the collection.
While the collection is largely a straight-forward presentation, it does offer a pair of interesting extras, one being the brand-new single, ‘Together Right.’ The new single is a catchy, upbeat composition that is an easy fit for any active rock radio programmer’s daily play list. The approach that the band took to the song, stylistically, and the general sound is very much akin to the band’s hit single, ‘Paralyzer’. That single is itself featured in the collection and is originally taken from the band’s 2007 album, Them Vs. You Vs. Me. That album actually received the most nods of the band’s catalog, with three of the album’s four total singles being presented here. The only single not used was the record’s fourth single, ‘Talking To The Walls.’ Getting back on track, the arrangement featured in ‘Together Right’ gives the song its own identity even with the similarities to ‘Paralyzer’ in mind.
The song’s lyrical theme is meant as a social commentary, according to comments from front man Scott Anderson in a prepared statement. Anderson said of the song’s theme that, “It’s about the bonds between people and how far that bond can extend before it’s broken. The song has an optimistic-sounding chorus but it’s really a desperate plea from one party to another asking please stick around, let’s go down with this ship together.” This theme will relate easily to audiences and the fashion in which it is delivered makes it easily accessible. To that end, the inclusion of the song in the collection gives audiences hope that maybe, just maybe, Finger Eleven will feature the song alongside even more new songs in another new album sooner rather than later, considering that nearly a decade has passed since the band released its then latest album. Again, time will tell. Either way, the inclusion of this new song is a positive in its musical and lyrical presentation.
The inclusion of ‘Together Right’ is just one more positive to the collection. The band’s take of Pink Floyd’s classic single, ‘Welcome To The Machine’ as part of the collection is another positive. Finger Eleven stays true to the song’s source material in its updated take of the song, yet gives the song an even darker, more brooding, melancholic sense in its simplistic approach to the song. The almost ethereal sound of Anderson’s vocals, alongside the plodding bass drum and dark keyboard line, gives the song an almost goth sort of sense while also maintaining the mood of the original composition. In other words, it makes the song more modern in its sound while also reaching back to its source material at the same time. The result is a work that Pink Floyd fans and those of Finger Eleven alike will appreciate. When this take of the classic rock opus is considered alongside the band’s own new single and alongside the collection’s featured singles, the whole makes Greatest Hits a presentation that Finger Eleven’s most devoted audiences will agree is a largely successful set. One can only hope that with its release, the band will not leave audiences waiting too much longer for a new album, all things considered.
Greatest Hits, the recently released singles compilation from Finger Eleven, is an interesting presentation from the band. The group’s third compilation record behind 2007’s Us vs. Then vs. Now and 2008’s iTunes Originals, the collection boasts plenty for the band’s most devoted audiences to appreciate, not the least of which being its main body. The record’s main body is composed of singles lifted from each of the band’s albums, making it literally a collection of the band’s greatest hits. In other words, it is an honestly marketed record, unlike so many singles collections out there from other acts. The inclusion of the new single, ‘Together Right’ makes for more appeal as it is so similar to some of the band’s existing works in its sound and style while also boasting its own identity separate from those works. The band’s take of Pink Floyd’s timeless classic ‘Welcome to the Machine’ rounds out the record’s most important elements. As with the band’s new single, this cover gives the song its own unique identity while still working to stay true to its source material, making it engaging and entertaining in its own right. Each item examined here is important in its own way to the whole of the compilation. All things considered they make Greatest Hits a largely successful presentation that hopefully will not just be a space filler keeping audiences waiting even more years for Finger Eleven’s next new album.
Greatest Hits is available now through Craft Recordings. More information on the collection is available along with all of Finger Eleven’s latest news at:
Website: http://www.fingereleven.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FingerEleven
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Finger_Eleven
