I Love a Rainy Night

Warner's 1991 collection All Time Greatest Hits was the first CD-era compilation of Eddie Rabbitt's hit singles and, as such, it suffers from a lot of flaws common to first attempts -- namely, it's way too short at ten songs, doesn't have all the hits it should, and is harmed by a narrow focus on just his Elektra recordings. That said, it's still a good sampling of his hits of the late '70s and early '80s, containing no less than nine Top Ten singles, including the number ones "Drivin' My Life Away," "I Love a Rainy Night," "Gone Too Far," and "Suspicions." All four of those songs are also featured on the latter-day 2003 compilation Essentials, which also includes other numbers ones missing here: "Every Which Way But Loose," "Drinkin' My Baby (Off My Mind)," "You Don't Love Me Anymore," and "I Just Want to Love You," all of which could arguably have been here (not to mention that this contains no big Liberty hits, like "Step by Step," "Someone Could Lose a Heart Tonight," and "You and I"). That said, this does boast five big hits that did not show up on that collection -- "Rocky Mountain Music," "Two Dollars in the Jukebox," "Do You Right Tonight," "Pour Me Another Tequila," "Hearts on Fire" -- along with "I Can't Help Myself (Here Comes That Feelin')," which makes it necessary if not as a first stop, at least as a way to get the rest of Rabbitt's prime-period Elektra hits until a truly comprehensive collection comes along. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine