Playlist: The Very Best of Spin Doctors features 14 tracks defined on the back jacket as "the life-changing songs, the out-of-print tracks, the hits, the fan favorites everyone loves, and the songs that make the artists who they are." As far as semi-derivative, early-'90s jam bands go,
the Spin Doctors were probably the most harmless of the lot. The New York-based outfit specialized in three- to four-minute '70s-inspired "classic rock" tunes that infiltrated the set lists of hundreds of local cover bands within weeks of release, and this collection from Epic/Legacy doesn't miss a beat. For most folks, "Two Princes" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" are the only two
Spin Doctors songs they know, but as with most bands in the
Black Crowes/
Blues Traveler/
Big Head Todd & the Monsters club, the singles didn't stray too far from the rest of the album, a notion that's lent weight by the whole of
Playlist.
–
James Christopher Monger, Rovi