Greatest Hits Ace of Base Arista, 2000  Tracks 1: All That She Wants 2: The Sign 3: Everytime It Rains 4: Beautiful Life 5: Cruel Summer 6: Don't Turn Around 7: Lucky Love (acoustic version) 8: Always Have, Always Will 9: Life Is A Flower 10: C'est La Vie always 11: Lucky Love (Frankie Knuckles mix) 12: Beautiful Life (Junior Vasquez Mix) Buy it online Reviewed by Monica Stark	A greatest hits album by Ace of Base? My first reaction was doubt. After all, how could these platinum popsters possibly hope to fill a whole album with hits-only tracks? But on giving the disc a spin, I encountered one track after another that made me say, "Oh yeah: there's that too, isn't there?" The beautiful Danish foursome have managed to pack a lot of hit singles into a relatively short period of time. With Abba-like punctuality, they've cranked out hit after hit of toe-tapping, if largely unmemorable, tuneage. Hence, I guess, the fact that I didn't remember a lot of them until I heard them again. It should, however, be mentioned that -- when I heard them -- they made me smile. In truth, the album isn't jam-packed with hits. There weren't that many, after all. Especially considering that nearly all of their releases tend to be radio length. They've filled their greatest hits album artfully, however. Managing to double up on two of their songs. "Lucky Love" turns up twice: with a 2:52 acoustic version and, later, a 3:41 "Frankie Knuckles Mix." Likewise, the group's very huge "Beautiful Life" turns up at the regular radio length 3:40, and later on the album at a whopping 8:25 in the "Junior Vasquez Mix." If all of this stretching seems like workin' it, you're right. But it's really not a bad idea. It seems like a no-brainer that a group that so managed to embody 1990s pale mainstream dance, isn't going to manage to put a lot of miles on in this new century. Even the bio photos in the liner notes include a very grown-up looking foursome. They look more like a group of lawyers dressed up for a night on the town than one of the powerhouse pop acts of the last decade. All of this sounds a lot like disrespect for Ace of Base and it truly isn't intended to be. Greatest hits albums tend to be what they are and this one is no exception. "All That She Wants," "The Sign," "Everytime It Rains," "Cruel Summer," ad nauseam. They're all here in their original happy clarity. A cheerful blast from the not-so-distant past. | June 2000 Monica Stark is a freelance writer and editor.	If all of this stretching seems like workin' it, you're right. But it's really not a bad idea. It seems like a no-brainer that a group that so managed to embody 1990s pale mainstream dance, isn't going to manage to put a lot of miles on in this new century.