JR notes: No surprise we weren't able to get the best Hanoi songs onto one CD. In fact, they don't really fit on two either. To help with the burden of song selection for the second and final disc, I kept my goal of representing the diversity of the Hanoi sound clearly in mind. I also refused to include staples that I think are overrated ("Beer and a Cigarette", "Taxi Driver") - at least on record. As for those songs that didn't make the cut, special honorable mention goes out to "Futurama," "Cutting Corners," "Stop Cryin'," and "Mental Beat." The omission of "Mental Beat" is especially grievous since it is one of those Hanoi "lifestyle" songs. But such is the Hanoi dilemma: there aren't any albums you can gloss over, and even afterthoughts like "No Law or Order" are just a few tweaks away from brilliance. Discovering the merits of these imperfect gems is what makes each Hanoi album its own adventure. But for this collection, it's all about the tracks that have really stood the test of time.

Annotated Track Listing:

(1) "Up Around the Bend" - The perfect lead-off to Two Steps from the Move, Hanoi's last full '80s record, and a cover so definitive that it belongs as much to Hanoi as to Creedence.

(2) "High School" - One of the most original songs on Two Steps and a blistering Michael Monroe performance. Not their most important song, but fun as hell.

(3) "I Can't Get It" - One of the most durable and well-crafted Hanoi songs, this diatribe about "the things I never got" is delivered with punk intensity.

(4) "Back to Mystery City" - A solid rock standard from the album of the same name. There's a lyrical connection between this song and Guns N' Roses "Paradise City."

(5) "First Timer" - An early song full of punk vigor, carried by a catchy riff.

(6) "Cheyenne" - Many would have put this song on the first "best of" CD and it's a fair point. An early treasure, this song's "I don't want to hurt you" acoustic intro is still played by the band today, though usually as a teaser.

(7) "Sailing Down the Tears" - A touch of country-western swagger, great vocal harmonies, and a blend of acoustic and electric guitar mark this underrated Hanoi gem.

(8) "Visitor" (Live) - Perhaps the starkest contrast from studio-to-live is this ass-kicking live version of "Visitor" from All Those Wasted Years. This is the "Happy Christmas!" version with Mike rousing the crowd: "let's hear it for the Hanoi Rocks, c'mon!" Then we head into a live version of "Visitor" that renders the muted studio version irrelevant. The guitar/sax solo interplay is a highlight.

(9) "MC Baby" "My-my-my-my little Motorcycle baby!" A great rock ditty with nothing to say and nothing to prove.

(10) "Teenangels Outsiders" - At the last moment, I pulled "Village Girl" from this mix and put "Teenangels Outsiders" in. No particular reason, except that as the years go by, I like this tribute to the "wild and free" days more and more: "we could talk about this whole damn world and still come out laughing....much too fast to live a long life/and much too young to die."

(11) "Devil Woman" (Remix) - Another song that didn't fare too well in the Oriental Beat mix. But the remixed version that appeared in the four disc box set was something else entirely. Though I could do without the wheezing backup vocals (whose idea was that?), this version has the blues-rock energy the original lacked. Hanoi could inject fresh life into pretty standard ideas, like a bluesy song about a girl with evil powers.

(12) "Don't Follow Me" - Another song that came close to squeezing onto the first CD, this one features one of my favorite Andy McCoy lines: "She just emanates troubled times with her knives." "Don't Follow Me" was one of those "recorded and forgotten" tunes that underscored Hanoi's keen pop sensibilities. Even their filler tracks implied huge potential.

(13) "Desperados" - Another out-of-left-field keeper, with one of Hanoi's best choruses. Wouldn't it be brilliant to hear them play this live someday? The verses are full of cartoonish outlaw images, but the chorus line shifts the song from a trifle to a classic: "Ten thousand heartaches baby, could never break this cowboy heart of mine."

(14) "Shakes" (B side) - One of Hanoi's tastiest B sides is the irreverent "Shakes." It got pulled onto this mix so I could make room for more new tracks on the "Best of New, Solo, and Rarities" mix.

(15) "Love's An Injection" - Some fans swear by this song; I've always had a soft spot for it myself. It was tough to choose between this one and "Kill City Kills" for this collection. I decided to drop the "Magic Carpet Ride" B side at the last moment to make room for both of them.

(16) "Kill City Kills"- Another hidden classic, another Hanoi tune with a very distinctive sound and feel - this time because of the Latin/salsa vibe from the drum track. Almost a dance tune, "Kill City Kills" is full of slick Hanoi ambiance.

(17) "Don’t You Ever Leave Me" (Two Steps version) - This song bookmarked Hanoi's first and last full studio albums. Personally, I thought they never really nailed it. Absent from the two studio versions is Andy's gorgeous guitar lead he opens the song with live (this lead, which Andy plays to this day, can be heard on the infamous Rock and Roll Divorce bootleg). Of the two studio versions, I give the Two Steps version the nod due to its wise elimination of the clunky "I've stopped living in a memory" pre-chorus, as well as the enhanced vocal harmonies on the chorus. I still think the song would be better off without the bumbling love sentiments between verses. I like the way the spoken words sound on the Spanish version, but that's too obscure to include here.

(18) "Do The Duck" (B side) - I chose this song for a few reasons: first, because it shocked me that when I first played this half-baked plexi-single that I actually liked it. There's no better example of Hanoi's "everything they try works out" streak than this tune. Second, I chose this one because you can't get a better sense of Hanoi's in-studio chemistry than this track. Third, because Andy's guitar solo is vintage. More than any other song, "Do the Duck" shows Hanoi's debt to '50s rock pioneers like Little Richard and Chuck Berry.

(19) "Self-Destruction Blues" - An old-school blues number that defies all odds and works, serving as the title track for Hanoi's most diverse collection.

(20) "Life's Been Hard" (from Lean on Me) - When this song was recorded, soon before the band's '80s breakup, their band's chemistry was a mess, and thus there's something kind of "off" about this track. Hanoi's lucky streak of everything coming out right was over. Nevertheless, this song showed flashes of true brilliance. If it had been written and recorded a year or two earlier, and perhaps given the Two Steps studio treatment, this might be known as one of their best songs. But even in its imperfect state, it's Hanoi going down swinging. Lyrically, this song marks the transition from the "love hard, party harder" Hanoi ethic to a more jaded and cynical direction that Michael would expand upon during his solo years. When they finally reunited, they sounded a lot more like the "Life's Been Hard" Hanoi than the "Cheyenne" Hanoi.

(21) "Lost in the City" - This straightforward rock number was on the first CD and became a permanent live staple. I always felt it was a bit over-rated, though the gender-swapping between verses ("city girl stole my car/city boy stole my heart") was inspired. But as we close out the collection, this is a good Hanoi staple to work into the mix.

(22) "Problem Child" - We wrap up the "best of" collections with this bit of frenzy from Self-Destruction Blues. "Nothing New" would have been another good option to close with here.
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