{|Capitol|}'s 2005 {|Essential Collection|} compilation replaces their 2002 {|Classic Masters|} as the {|Motels|} greatest-hits album that's available in the marketplace in the 2000s. {|Essential Collection|} has 15 tracks compared to 12 on {|Classic... Read more

{|Capitol|}'s 2005 {|Essential Collection|} compilation replaces their 2002 {|Classic Masters|} as the {|Motels|} greatest-hits album that's available in the marketplace in the 2000s. {|Essential Collection|} has 15 tracks compared to 12 on {|Classic Masters|}. All but three of the songs on the 2002 disc are on this 2005 comp, yet the new disc still misses their first and last charting singles -- 1982's {|Forever Mine|} and 1985's {|Shock|} -- as well as the 1983 radio hit {|Little Robbers.|} None of these three songs was on {|Classic Masters|} either, so there really isn't much difference between the two discs, aside from {|Martha Davis|}' solid track-by-track annotation here. So, it's a good {|Motels|} compilation, covering all the major hits, but the original 1990 hits comp {|No Vacancy: The Best of the Motels|} remains the best, simply because it covered more ground and had more hits. Alas, that's now out of print, but truth be told, it's not really worth hunting down since {|Essential Collection|} or {|Classic Masters|} will give most listeners {|the Motels|} songs they want. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Less