Note: Amazon currently has this incorrectly listed as one disc. It's actually a 2CD set featuring the tracklist above, per Sony.

i wonder if the "exclusive" live versions are from the promo only CD's ""live the way it is" and "for in-store play only" from way back when?

Too bad this only contains 3 songs by Bruce Hornsby & the Range. He had all his top 40 hits while he was with The Range.

I would have liked to see the studio recording of "Mandolin Rain", especially the single mix, and the single mixes of "Every Little Kiss" and "Look Out Any Window", which are all far superior to the album mixes, plus they've never been on CD. When I saw the title "Essential", I thought for sure it would have these. They were the versions played on the radio and used for the music videos.

And actually, when you think about it, he/they only had 6 top 40 hits, and with this collection having 29 songs, you'd think they'd have room for the ones not included ... if for no other reason than the more hits on here, the more sales there would have been.

This is a dreadful comp. It serves neither his diehard fans or the casual fans.

I love Hornsby and I've seen him live many times.

However, Bruce gets a little too precious about his past sometimes and is almost embarrassed that he had hits.

This was a blown chance to collect all the singles, b-sides, radio hits and instead it's just more explorations in live settings and collaborations.

Greatest Radio Hits is still the only decent comp.

Dittos to what EdisonLite and IP said. Any true Essential would contain at least 4 cuts off the debut, and 2 or more off # 2. Have seen him at least twice, once with the Richmond Symphony, tremendously great shows. (have the first 4 albums and the big box)

Here's a funny story. Bruce, being from Virginia, is frequently seen out and about all over, Williamsburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, etc. West of Charlottesville is Afton Mountain, from where you can take in a most scenic view of the valley below. The 3rd line of Bruce's "Mandolin Rain" song sounds like he's singing "Afton, she'd smile, it would last for awhile..." So a lot of people, including me, assumed Bruce was singing about an ex-girlfriend named Afton. It's a great song, heartfelt, poignant, blah blah blah.

So for years afterwards, when various fans would run into Bruce, they'd tell him they named their daughter "Afton" after his Mandolin Rain song. And he would say thanks with a bemused smile. He didn't have the heart to tell them the line was NOT "Afton, she'd smile" but rather "I laughed and she'd smile", he was just soft in pronouncing the "I" and the "L".

Funny but true, ah ha ha ha...

This may not have all of the hits but his "Greatest Radio Hits" comp from a decade ago pretty much covers it.

The track list on this comp can be explained by a phrase in the first post: "Bruce curated the set himself."

Yes, but that comp does not have the single mixes of "Every Little Kiss", "Look Out Any Window" or "Mandolin Rain". That's why THIS release was such a missed opportunity.

How different are they? I have the comp and it sounds like the songs i remember on the radio in the 80s...

They have different instrumentation and are mixed better, especially "Every Little Kiss".

It's not like they are dance remixes, something so radically different anyone would notice. But when you compare them side by side, you'll see the instrumentation (and mixes) are better in the single mixes - such a shame they've never made CD.

They're very different and in fact the remix of "Every Little Kiss" from 1987 was the big hit and the original from 1986 was only a minor success and was the album's first single which most people think was "The Way It Is".

This 2 CD comp stinks.

Like I said earlier, Greatest Radio Hits is the better one by far.