A budget-priced CD reissue of a 1981 compilation, Dave Mason's GREATEST HITS is a brief but more than adequate overview of his late '70s solo work for Columbia Records. This was the era in which Mason fully embraced the California soft rock sound which had threaded through all his previous albums, from 1970's ALONE TOGETHER on.
Songs like "Let it Go, Let it Flow," and the FM radio staple "We Just Disagree," are outstanding examples of slick, professional studio musician rock, all tasty licks and creamy smooth harmonies. Even rockers like a cover of Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" are unerringly tasteful, though the live versions of "Only You Know and I Know" and Mason's Traffic-era standard "Feelin' Alright" do break a sweat. If you feel the 19-track THE BEST OF DAVE MASON: LONG LOST FRIEND, which features the same material, is too in-depth, GREATEST HITS is a good substitute.
