Bob Welch's Greatest Hits is a wisely chosen ten-song set of his better material which pulls tracks from his first four solo albums. All four of Welch's Top 40 appearances are included, led by his slightly altered number eight hit, "Sentimental Lady," in which he first recorded with Fleetwood Mac, and by the sheer pop feel of "Ebony Eyes," both from his debut release, French Kiss. 1979's Three Hearts offers four cuts, with the hit "Precious Love" and the polished "Come Softly to Me" as its strongest representatives, while "Spanish Dancers" speaks up for the rather lackluster The Other One. As Welch's last album for Capitol, 1980's Man Overboard adds "The Girl Can't Stop" and "Jealous" to round out the collection. While the album succeeds at including all of Welch's best efforts, his first two albums shouldn't be entirely passed over as they do make for great listens all the way through, and even Man Overboard has its moments. But Greatest Hits is an excellent place to start for those who want to cut to his best material right away and to get a feel for Welch's '70s pop/rock flavor. ~ Mike DeGagne
