This California foursome formed in 1993 and released the first of
their seven albums in 1997. So, hard as it is to believe, they now have
more than enough material for a greatest-hits record. The album is a
combination of previously released songs like “Perfect Stranger” and
“Get Off,” live versions of “Take It Off” and “Fall Behind Me,” a few
remixes that pretty much sound like the originals, and a handful of
unreleased tracks and b-sides. “I Don’t Wanna Break Your Head” and
“Teenage Rules,” two previously unreleased tracks, sound like they were
recorded in a basement in 1993. While it’s interesting to hear the
evolution of a band that’s clearly influenced other female acts (think
the Veronicas, Meg & Dia, Paramore), it’s a bit unnecessary to
issue scratchy demos that aren’t worth listening to more than once and
call them “hits.” Greatest Hits isn’t exactly the right title
for this collection, because the Donnas’ best-known singles are
missing. But unearthing part of a band’s archeology is always
worthwhile for fans. — Emily Zemler
This article appears in Jul 8-14, 2009.
