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While this release from Dokken is a good compilation, a few (of my) top songs from the band didn't make the list: Don't Close Your Eyes, Bullets To Spare and Prisoner Of Love. It's tough to please everyone! However, Don Dokken's smooth vocal delivery coupled with George Lynch's fine axe work make this a great album to pick up regardless of personal preferences for one tune or another. If you don't have a Dokken album in your collection and you like 80's hard rock/pop metal, this is the one to get.


This Is The Very Best Of Dokken   May 9, 2001
 11 out of 12 found this review helpful

I was 15 when Dokken's Breaking The Chains came out. I have been hooked ever since. I am 33 years old now, and still love Dokken and other 80's hair bands. This cd is a must have. It has every song yoiu would want from the early 80's to the early 90's. Don Dokkens sultry, bluesy, voice and George Lynch's fiery, blistering guitar, made Dokken an 80's icon. Get this cd, you want be dissapointed. Metal Rules....


The Best of Dokken= Best of '80s Metal   November 7, 1999
 9 out of 10 found this review helpful

What can I say? Until recently, I haven't really been much of a heavy metal fan... bands like Metallica and Guns N' Roses have always left me a bit cold, because the thrumming guitars and blaring voices lacked the essential harmonies that I love in music. Dokken got this right, from Don's frenzied, charismatic voice, lyrics that hit home into our heart and soul, to Lynch and Pilson's awesome guitar work. This album incorporates the band's best work, and let me tell you, it is unbelievable. If you like heavy-metal or '80s rock in general, give this album a try... it REALLY cooks.


Keep on rockin' with the Dokken   March 24, 2004
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

This is the first greatest hits CD that I ever bought from Rhino records and I'm glad that they released this Greatest Hits CD on Rhino Records cause the sound quality is really good and the liner notes is very informative, it's everything that a Dokken fan needs to know, what got me into Dokken was hearing In My Dreams on the radio when I was getting ready to go to bed and I was packing up to go to Long Beach, Washington, I think that Dokken guitarist George Lynch is one of metal's underrated guitar players of all time and he can really play and I think that Dokken was one of the best hair metal bands of all time too cause they had good songwriting skills as well, this CD has 16 cuts from 1983-95 and 14 of it was from 1983-88 and we do get to have one Don Dokken solo cut called Mirror Mirror which is quite a good song and I'm surprised that the song didn't make it big, plus I had no idea that George Lynch formed a new band called Lynch Mob either.

Here are my ratings for each track.

Breaking the Chains: Dokken's first known song off of their debut album and it is the title track but this song is a classic, who can forget the video when George Lynch starts breaking the chains during the guitar solo part? 10/10

Paris is Burning (live): This live track is actually off of Dokken's debut album and it's awesome, I like the opening part of the song the best. 10/10

Into the Fire: Now we enter the Tooth and Nail album and this song is a classic, excellent chorus. 10/10

Just Got Lucky: This is one of Dokken's heavier songs but this song isn't quite one of my favorites. 8/10

Alone Again: This song was Dokken's biggest hit and I'm surprised that they didn't score a Top 40 hit on the Billboard charts. 10/10

Tooth and Nail: Not to be confused with Foreigner's version off of the Agent Provecatuer album which came out earlier that year. 7/10

The Hunter: Now we enter the Under Lock and Key album which contains this classic song. 10/10

In My Dreams: This is my favorite song by Dokken and this song is awesome, it should've been in the Top 40 but oh well, at least that it did well on the Modern Rock tracks. 10/10

It's Not Love: Another standout and this song reminds me of early 1999 when I heard this song on the Youth Gone Wild CD Vol. 2. 10/10

Dream Warriors: I think that this is the best song off of the Back for the Attack album. 10/10

Burning Like a Flame: I'm surprised that this song didn't make it on the Beast For the East live album which came out a year earlier but this isn't one of my favorite songs. 7/10

Heaven Sent: Not one of the better songs for Dokken although this song is a bit more ballad like. 6/10

Mr. Scary: An instrumental tune done by George Lynch and this is a really cool song. 10/10

Walk Away: Probably one of Dokken's most softest songs and this was off of the Beast From the East live album and this song doesn't do it for me. 6/10

Mirror Mirror: This is a really good song by Dokken's solo album and this song is on par with the earlier classics. 10/10

Too High to Fly: The longest song on this album (which clocks in at over 7 minutes) and this song isn't that great. 6/10


Nice intro to the Dokken/Lynch era   July 14, 2000
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

THE BAND: Don Dokken (vocals, guitar), George Lynch (guitars), Jeff Pilson (bass), Juan Croucier (bass on Dokken's debut only), Mick Brown (Drums & percussion). *Note - the song "Mirror Mirror" is from Don Dokken's solo release - featuring John Norum (guitar), Billy White (guitar), Peter Baltes (bass), and Mikkey Dee (drums).

THE DISC: (1999) 16 tracks clocking in at approximately 75 minutes. Included with the disc is a 14-page booklet containing song titles/credits, an brief yet insightful paragraph about each song, a 5-page intro/history on the band, 2 color band photos, and which songs came from what albums and chart success. Label - Elektra / Rhino.

ALBUM REPRESENTATION: Breaking The Chains (2 songs), Tooth And Nail (4), Under Lock And Key (3), Back For The Attack (4), Beast From The East (1), Up From the Ashes (1), Dysfuntional (1).

COMMENTS: This is a great single disc collection of Dokken material. However, if you're looking for a more in-depth taste, then go with Dokken's "The Definitive Rock Collection" (featuring all the songs on this disc, minus "Mirror Mirror")... released in 2006 with 29 tracks on 2-discs. "The Very Best Of Dokken" features 16 blistering tunes - no filler, with the exception of perhaps "Mirror Mirror" from Don Dokken's solo album (1990)...this song seems strangely out of place here since it's not technically a Dokken "band" song (if you do feel that this song needs to be here, then you need to include one of Lynch's solo songs here too... the best choice being most any track from his "Wicked Sensation" album). THE GOOD: All the staples are here - "Breaking The Chains", "Paris Is Burning" (even though the live version here is faded out in the end), "Just Got Lucky", "Along Again", "In My Dreams", "It's Not Love", "Dream Warriors", "Heaven Sent", "Mr.Scary", "Too High To Fly", etc. Songs are presented in chronological order, so you hear the band grow/mature/change over the years. Digitally remastered sound is crisp (not to mention the band's entire catalog could benefit from remastering). 2 priceless photos of a finesse band looking tough in spandex, silk and big hair. Informative liner notes. THE NOT SO GOOD: Only a few things to note. As stated earlier, "Mirror Mirror" just doesn't belong here. For the most part, the song selection is right on, however there are a few song omissions that coulda/shoulda been here - "Hole In My Head", "Kiss Of Death", "Bullets To Spare", "Don't Lie To Me", "Lightning Strikes Again", "Prisoner". Also absent is anything from Dokken's "Shadowlife" (1997) and "One Night Live" (1996). Here's hoping that the "Gold" or "Essential" series will release a more current 2-disc version that includes a more updated track listing (accommodating Lynch's replacement, Reb Beach) - featuring tracks from "Hell To Pay", "Erase The Slate", "Long Way Home", "Live From The Sun". In my opinion Dokken was more than just another hair/glam 80's band... Don Dokken brought amazing vocals, George Lynch an incredible guitar, and a wonderfully rounded out band with Pilson and Brown. Overall, this "Very Best Of" is a nice snapshot of the band's Dokken/Lynch material (5 stars).