The question when faced with a Libertines best-of might be, "Why?" The British rock band, part of the garage-rock revival led by the Strokes and the Hives (both of whom the Libertines opened for on tour) during the early part of this century, released only two studio albums and a handful of singles and EPs. The band's releases gained a lot of press, especially in its native England, but the promise shown in those two albums never came to fruition. The four-piece flamed out not long after the release of its second, self-titled album when singer and frequent gossip-column subject Pete Doherty's drug use became too much for co-songwriter and guitarist Carl BarEt. To me, this collection serves best not as collection of the band's most popular works, but rather as a testament to the greatness Doherty accomplished before getting tangled up in heroin, crack and Kate Moss.This best-of compilation consists of 13 upbeat, sometimes raucous, always quite British-sounding tracks from the Libertines' oeuvre. The band's songwriters did not draw from a huge number of genres or influences; thus the band's two popular songs from The Libertines, "Can't Stand Me Now" and "Don't Look Back into the Sun," could almost be superimposed on each other without much dissonance. That said, those two songs are perfect British pop rock songs-melodic, with textured, catchy guitar passages and cute, sometimes self-effacing lyrics. The premiere British music magazine New Musical Express placed "Can't Stand Me Now" at number 13 on its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.

The song "What a Waster," from the band's first album, Up the Bracket, is a weaker spot on the album. This is somewhat ironic; according to the Wikipedia page about the single, a "waster" is someone who "is an excessive user of drugs and alcohol." (The definition is not hard to divine after all, I suppose.) The page further says that the song was originally left off Up the Bracket, but was added on at the end of re-issued versions of the album. I'd have advocated that this 12th-hour add-on be left off the compilation because the best-of release is evidently not a fans-only release.

In general, The Libertines aren't really a fans-only band. Their vivacious rock and fun, British party-time airs make them easy to like. It's unfortunate that Doherty and BarEt (who, presciently, did not like each other upon first meeting but grew to be friends over their shared love for music and songwriting) have ceased to be able to work together. The rupture is not difficult to understand: In 2003, when Doherty got mixed up in the world of crack cocaine and heroin, his relationship with the band grew strained, and eventually BarEt would not tolerate Doherty's drugs and the new friends that accompanied the drugs. BarEt walked out of the studio in May 2003 when the band was working on new material; from this point on, BarEt stopped appearing at band performances to protest Doherty's wild lifestyle. The band officially dissolved Dec. 17, 2004, after BarEt led them at a performance in Paris without Doherty.

Doherty and BarEt, as well as the other members of the band, continue to work today in bands of their own; Doherty in Babyshambles, BarEt and Libertines drummer Gary Powell in Dirty Pretty Things and bassist John Hassall in Yeti. None of these bands, however, have the drive and youthful energy of The Libertines. The best-of collection serves as a treasure trove of 13 British pop-rock anthems, to use NME's term. Listeners will regret Doherty's proclivity for hard drugs and profligate living.