AMG Review of Greatest Hits

James Christopher Monger
All Music Guide

The Rembrandts' Danny Wilde and Phil Solem may have provided the world with one of the most excruciatingly catchy theme songs in the history of television ("I'll Be There for You"), but the Los Angeles-based duo were capable of writing some top-notch adult alternative/jangle pop as well. This excellent overview from Rhino features 20 original cuts -- do not confuse this Greatest Hits collection with 2005's re-recorded Choice Picks anthology -- including two culled from their original incarnation as Great Buildings. While the group did actually exist before #Friends -- their 1990 debut boasted the Top 20 smash "Just the Way It Is, Baby" -- it took a sitcom about a bunch of New York City twentysomethings to give the band a place in popular culture. "I'll Be There for You" was originally a 45-second soundbite attributed to five co-writers, and it wasn't until a Nashville DJ looped the cut into a three-minute song -- prompting a flurry of requests -- that the studio asked the duo to record an extended version. What followed was both an albatross and a blessing, providing the group with a sizable income but hindering their attempts at getting anything else across to the public.