During the 1970s, Jackson Browne was it — a boyishly handsome SoCal icon whose critically admired hit albums spoke to listeners with unparalleled intimacy. The first half of this two-disc retrospective, drawing on Browne's five 1970s LPs and paced by stunning personal narratives such as ""These Days,"" ""Fountain of Sorrow"" and ""The Pretender,"" is unflaggingly luminous and heart-rending. The second disc, which focuses on the eight albums Browne released between 1980 and 2002, testifies to the consistency of his vision, displaying an acute observer who looked into himself (""I'm Alive"") and at the world around him (""Looking East"") with candor and eloquence. The politically charged ""Lives in the Balance,"" from 1986, sounds strikingly relevant today, and Browne's biggest hit, 1982's ""Somebody's Baby,"" is ear candy at its most bittersweet. Very Best makes a compelling case for Browne as rock's greatest confessional singer-songwriter.

“Oh Sherrie”

Steve Perry's girlfriend Sherrie Swafford was actually in the studio when Perry began writing this song--his lone Top Ten hit as a solo act--with two co-writers. The trio began at midnight one night with just "Oh, Sherrie!" and "hold on, hold on." Three hours later, they had a complete song. Swafford, however, had to wait until the next day to hear it. "Sherrie actually got tired and went to bed," Perry said. She also appeared in the video, but their relationship did not hold on for long.