Greatest Hits

Performer: Pat Benatar
Producer: Keith Forsey; Keith Olsen; Neil Giraldo; Mike Chapman; Kevin Flaherty (Compilation)
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Pat Benatar (vocals); Scott St. Clair Sheets (guitar); Alan Pasqua (piano); Kevin Savigar, Charlie Giordano (keyboards); Fernando Saunders, Donnie Mossov (bass instrument); Myron Grombacher, Glen Alexander Hamilton (drums); Keith Olsen (tambourine); Frank Linx, Neil Giraldo, Roger Capps (background vocals). Though things were a bit looser in post-punk and New Wave circles, mainstream rock in the late-1970s/early-'80s was largely a man's game, with females chauvinistically shunted off to ancillary status. Pat Benatar played a major role in changing the AOR gender dynamic. Ruling the radio for a number of years, her belting vocal style and hard-rocking hits defined an era for many, as exemplified on GREATEST HITS. With their charging guitars and fiery vocals, the likes of "Heartbreaker" and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" bear the influence of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC streamlined for the New Wave era, shot through with concision and a pronounced pop sensibility. Benatar's approach expanded as the '80s rolled on; "Shadows of the Night," penned by cult power-popper D.L. Byron, is an elegant power-ballad tour de force. Later tracks such as "Love is a Battlefield" and "Le Bel Age" incorporate synthesizer and slicker production, taking a decidedly poppier stance. No matter the musical mode, Benatar's voice sails through strong and crystal-clear, piling up the hits as it goes.

The siren-voiced Pat Benatar leapt onto the music scene in the late '70s, when hard rock was still pretty much a boys' club. She made a strong impression. On in-your-face hits like "Heartbreaker" and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," Benatar issued challenges to bad-boy lovers, and her tough-gal image was bolstered through dramatic videos on MTV for a string of hits including "We Belong" and the powerful "Love is a Battlefield." But Benatar was always much more than an image, as the many strong compositions in her songbook attest.

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