"I'm what you would call a very casual fan of Limp Bizkit. I don't own any of their albums, but I'm familiar with all of these songs as I used to hear them all of the time on the radio and from friends. I picked up this album because Limp Bizkit is a fun, entertaining band. They aren't meant to be taken as some ultra-serious metal band. And they aren't supposed to be straight up metal. Obviously, they have other elements besides rock to their music.
Anyway, for me, like many others, this is all the Limp Bizkit I need. It has all the songs you would expect like "Faith", "Nookie", "Break Stuff", "Rollin'", "My Generation", "Take A Look Around", and "Behind Blue Eyes" among others. This collection really could not have been put together better than this. It has everything you would want from this band. It also has three new songs as a bonus, including a mix of Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home" and The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony".
This album gives a good and accurate representation of their career and what they're about. It has 2 from "Three Dollar Bill, Y'all", 4 from "Significant Other", 5 from "Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water", 3 from "Results May Vary", and 3 new songs.
In the end, I'm sure we'll have many bad reviews for this album just because people love to bash Limp Bizkit. Some of it is just, but a lot of it is just people jumping on the band-wagon. This is a good CD to throw on at a party or just to have something fun to listen to."
All the Bizkit you could ever want and more
Daniel Maltzman | Arlington, MA, USA | 11/18/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The public sure is fickle. One minute, you're a star, selling millions of albums and having your videos shown on MTV every five minutes. And then in a flash, it's all gone, you're through. Just ask Vanilla Ice, or more recently, Limp Bizkit. Just five short years ago, Fred Durst and company was the most popular band in the world, and now they're a joke. Writing a positive review for Limp Bizkit's "Greatest Hitz," (2005) I have a sense of what it must have felt like to have been Jonnie Cochran, F. Lee Bailey, and Robert Shapiro when they had to defend O.J. Simpson.
It's very understandable why people hate Limp Bizkit. The lists of offensives committed by the band are long. Marilyn Manson summed it up best and hit the nail on the head when he said ""Limp Bizkit is a band made up of illiterate apes that beat your ass in high school for being a 'fag' now sell you tuneless testosterone anthems of misogyny and pretend to be outsiders..."
I find the whole Nu-Metal phenomenon of the late 90s-early 00s to be intriguing. The music sounded like the inside of a meat-grinder; ninety-percent of it sounded the same, it was pure testosterone without any real sense of beauty or melody. So why was "Nu-Metal" so popular? What accounts for the appeal of Limp Bizkit? Is the (brief) success of Limp Bizkit and the Nu-Metal genre proof the public will buy whatever is rammed down its throat? Or did the success of Limp Bizkit and the Nu-Metal genre serve as a testament to the phenomenon of "the angry white man?" Or both?
Even though trends come and go, the downfall of the Bizkit is really due to the fact that they became overexposed and that their music became increasingly worse with each album.
Still, I've always had a soft-spot for Limp Bizkit. I don't know why exactly. Maybe it has to do with the fact that they were what all the kids listened to back in the early `00s when I went off to school. When I look back at Fred Durst and company, I will forever reflect on my misspent youth. I guess for a lot of people, now in their mid-to-late 20s, this new "Greatest Hitz" will take the listener back to an innocent, youthful time in their lives.
As spotty as Limp Bizkit's catalogue was, and as stupid and horrible as Fred is, they did have some good songs. It was not great music, by any means, but it was good, frat-boy rock. One can still rock out to "Nookie" and "Breakstuff," as dumb as those songs are. Limp Bizkit has a talented guitar player in Wes Borland, who churned out some good, infectious, catchy riffs. While this music hasn't really stood-up well and sounds dated already, "Greatest Hitz" is a good collection that offers the band and the genre's best work. If you are now, like me, a late twenty-something and want to revisit the late 90s, "Greatest Hitz" will be all you could ever want, and more.
"
Bizkit's gravy.
H3@+h | VT | 11/08/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Other than the extremely lame artwork, this is actually a pretty good collection. Whether you're a hardcore fan, or a fan via TRL, this should please most. The obvious are all here, like "Faith", "Nookie", "My Way", and "Eat You Alive". Plus the favorites "Counterfeit", "Break Stuff", and the Who cover of "Behind Blue Eyes". I'd personally like to get "Just Like This" or "Show Me What You Got" added, but oh well. Finally three new songs, one being a medley of two tracks from Motley Crue and The Verve. Odd but true. Overall it could be better, but could be worse too. But the tunes are there, so despite the artwork, I'll give it 4 stars."
All the Bizkit you want...and some you probably don't
A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 04/12/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"First of all, to clear the air, Limp Bizkit's record label (not Limp Bizkit, and not Fred Durst), Geffen Records, made the band release this album (as part of their contract). So this may be the world's most hated rock band, but don't blame them for this retrospective.
It may have taken them six years to do so, but this album proves that Limp Bizkit have evolved (ever so slightly) from a somewhat raw, amateurish-sounding rapcore band (in 1997, when they released "Three Dollar Bill, Ya'll") to a somewhat mature rock band (in 2003). They sure haven't evolved greatly, like some bands, but at least the effort is there.
"Greatest Hitz" features all of Bizkit's, well, greatest hits. The first fourteen songs are all singles, and the majority of them were hit singles. This means that "Greatest Hitz" has all of the songs you'd expect to be included in a Limp Bizkit retrospective (like "Faith," "Rollin'," "Nookie," "Break Stuff," etc). There are no surprises, here. And while some (okay, many) people will cringe at the thought of listening to these songs again, it just wouldn't be a complete greatest hits album without them. Granted, there are some terrible songs on here (see "Rollin'"), but, whether you'd like to admit it or not, there are actually a couple of songs on here (i.e. "Re-Arranged") which are rather mature, and there are also some (i.e. "Take A Look Around") which show that the band members do have some musical ability. Plus, tracks like the aforementioned may not be the best written songs this world has ever heard, but they are kind of fun to listen to! And at least (with the exception of "My Generation") there aren't any absurdly/infamously profane songs on here (like "Hot Dog" or "Full Nelson").
As far as the last three tracks go, "Why" and "Lean On Me" are "Results May Vary" b-sides, which were scrapped in favor of "heavier" songs. If you enjoy that album, you should eat these songs up. Lastly, "Bittersweet Home" is a somewhat soft and peaceful cover of Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home" and The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony."
I gave this album three stars because I would give Limp Bizkit's career (up to this point) the same rating. 2000's "sell out" album, "Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water," is definitely their worst studio release, but I'd bet that you can't tell that by listening to the songs on here that represent that album ("Take A Look Around," "My Generation," "Rollin'," "My Way," and "Boiler").
I'd say Bizkit's most mature, serious, and focused efforts are 2003's "Results May Vary," and last year's "The Unquestionable Truth, Pt. 1" EP. (But, unfortunately, none of the songs from "T.U.T. P. 1" were included on this compilation-probably because frontman Fred Durst wanted to keep that an "underground" album.) So, this is a band that has definitely had a spotty, sporadic career with a fair share of ups and downs, but, right now, I think they're in the best shape they've ever been in.
This compilation, as a whole, is quite solid, listenable, and even enjoyable. The only songs I would like to have seen on here that weren't included are "Hold On," and a few "Unquestionable Truth" cuts. It's not great because the songs aren't great, but it's not bad (and definitely not as atrocious as some of Limp Bizkit's stuff, like that remix C.D. released back in 2001.) The first fourteen songs are great for a casual fan or newcomer, and the last three songs (the rarities) are good inclusions in the hardcore fan's collection (if there are any of those left)."
And Alas, Business Has Closed For The Bizkit.
Andrew Estes | Maine | 02/03/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"So, if it hasn't become apparently obvious by now, let me break it down for you: The ride is over.
Limp Bizkit, as a group, have officially fallen apart. After leaving the band in 2001 to pursue more mature musical endeavors, Wes Borland re-entered the fold in Summer 2004 to record a modest EP, "The Unquestionable Truth," which saw the light of day last May, and went virtually unnoticed (due to it's "questionable" promotional method). By that time, it was a well-known fact that drummer John Otto was out of the band, mainly due to his drug-addiction and health problems. A tour was promised, but never came to fruition. Every now and then, a burp would come out of Fred's mouth here on the net, but again, nothing. No "The Unquestionable Truth Pt. 2," as promised. Instead, this past fall "Greatest Hitz" was released, mind you, by the record company. Despite contrary belief, "Greatest Hits" albums don't signify a nail in the coffin (look at Korn or Green Day for that matter) but apparently in this case, it is true. Wes has abandoned the group once again to work on his new project Black Light Burns and to work with the screamo band, From First To Last. Fred has chosen to focus on his movie career (c'mon, folks, keep your laughter to yourself) so, connect the dots, it's over.
It was fun while it lasted. I was 14 when I got my first taste of Limp Bizkit. "Three Dollar Bill Y'all" still smells like the 8th grade whenever I listen to it. While I always enjoyed the more mature, more respectable genre bands like Korn and Rage Against The Machine, I always had a soft spot for Limp Bizkit as I went through my teen years. Their popularity was a phenomenon. Before it became cool to hate Limp Bizkit, it was even cooler to rock out to brainless hits like "Faith" or "Nookie" because LB were the in-thing. Remember those "Limp Bizkit Are Better Than Everybody" shirts? Yeah, you were probably wearing one. Unfortunately, by the time Wes had originally left the band, there was no turning back. The band recruited ex-Snot axeman, Mike Smith, and released what I feel is their best effort, "Results May Vary," but nobody cared, it hardly went platinum and nobody took their new, more mature sound seriously. At this point, everybody and their mother hated Limp Bizkit, to the point where they were being booed nightly during their 2003 tour with Korn (who ironically gave the band the jumpstart to their career).
"Greatest Hitz" reflects on those years. No "Unquestionable Truth" material here, just the expected, tried and true "hitz." "Nookie?" Check. "Counterfeit?" Check. "Rollin'?" Check *shudders.* If you don't own any Limp discs, and are curious for whatever reason (or are just really poor) this is a good place to scoop up all their well-known material. But to me, the best stuff from Limp Bizkit was the stuff that never made it to radio. "Don't Go Off Wandering," "Underneath The Gun," "Hold On," "No Sex" are just a few songs that I think all serious Limp Bizkit fans can agree were the true winners. I don't know about you, but not only did I find "Rollin'" and "My Generation" embarassing, but the "Chocolate Starfish" album as a whole was outright offensive (sans a few songs), and sadly, that album's material gets more time than any other. I like a few of the songs on here, but in my opinion, this is Limp Bizkit's "Worst Hitz." No, wait, "Worzt Hitz." The three unreleased songs are actually a lot better than the Hitz. "Bittersweet Home" is quite different, a cover song that softly fuses Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home" with The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony." It's different, but good. "Why" and "Lean On Me" are "Results May Vary" leftovers, and if you enjoyed that album, you'll love these songs.
It's kind of sad to look at the list of these songs and think of this as the legacy LB will leave behind. I'm not the biggest Limp fan, but I always gave them a chance. Every now and then, they did win me over. They weren't always bad. To rate their entire career using the Amazon rating system, it was three-stars (hence my rating of this album). To call their career spotty, is an understatement. The sad fact is, though, that even if Limp Bizkit records or tours again, not many people will be listening. What little of their fanbase is left is turning their backs, and it's hard to imagine these guys packing stadiums ever again. Hell, I'd like to see 'em live, but can't think of one person I know who would want to accompany me. So "Greatest Hitz" truly is the nail in the coffin. It gives all the haters one last laugh, and maybe will give Fred one last buck. If you own the other albums already (and you probably do -- even the haters!) then I just recommend getting the three new songs off Itunes (I did!). This collection is a little too depressing for my tastes. With all things considered, this band really should have gone out with a bigger bang."
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1
