The Best of Mose Allison


The Best of Mose Allison is a compilation album by Mose Allison. It includes some of the jazz pianist and singer's best-known recordings for Atlantic Records. The album was originally released in 1970 as an LP record with 12 songs. The album was re-issued on a CD in 1988 with an additional eight songs and new sequencing.

Critical reception

An AllMusic reviewer gave it four and a half out of five stars and called it "a pretty good capsule introduction to one of American music's most idiosyncratic individualists". However, he noted "For a more comprehensive – and well-packaged – overview of most of his career, turn to the double-CD box Allison Wonderland on Rhino/Atlantic."

Track listing

All songs Written by Mose Allison except as noted.
Original LP
;Side one
  1. "Your Mind Is on Vacation" – 2:35
  2. "Swingin' Machine" – 2:31
  3. "Stop This World" – 3:24
  4. "Seventh Son" – 3:36
  5. "New Parchman" – 3:04
  6. "Rollin' Stone" – 2:58
;Side two
  1. "I'm the Wild Man" – 1:58
  2. "If You're Goin' to the City" – 3:49
  3. "I Don't Worry About a Thing" – 2:17
  4. "Your Molecular Structure" – 2:05
  5. "Everybody Cryin' Mercy" – 2:39
  6. "I Love the Life I Live" – 2:26
1988 CD re-issue
  1. "I Don't Worry About a Thing" – 2:41
  2. "Your Mind Is on Vacation" – 2:35
  3. "It Didn't Turn Out That Way" – 2:41
  4. "If You're Goin' to the City" – 3:49
  5. "Swingin' Machine" – 2:31
  6. "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues" – 3:56
  7. "Stop This World" – 3:24
  8. "I'm the Wild Man" – 1:58
  9. "New Parchman" – 3:04
  10. "Rollin' Stone" – 2:58
  11. "Don't Forget to Smile" – 2:48
  12. "Seventh Son" – 2:26
  13. "I Love the Life I Live" – 2:21
  14. "What's With You" – 2:55
  15. "That's the Stuff You Gotta Watch" – 2:10
  16. "Your Molecular Structure" – 2:05
  17. "Just Like Livin'" – 1:44
  18. "Everybody Cryin' Mercy" – 2:39
  19. "Night Club" – 2:36
  20. "One of These Days" – 4:29

Personnel