20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Waitresses

iTunes Review

Coming on like an avant-pop Coasters fronted by a slightly confused but unyielding woman, the Waitresses rose to moderate fame on the crest of the New Wave. “I Know What Boys Like,” a tease’s confident spiel (and the catchiest use of a nyah-nyah-nyah figure ever), was a minor early-’80s hit that may be even better known now. The same goes for “Christmas Wrapping,” an epic tale of missed connections with a happy ending that’s even sweeter given some of the hard knocks singer Patty Donahue’s character takes in other songs. As their entry in the 20th Century Masters series demonstrates, the Waitresses near-perfectly met the challenge of making hooky choruses and “weird” noises live together. The collection drops a couple of big-statement tracks that The Best of the Waitresses includes; if you’re really committed to going deeper with this band, you should hear them. But even this shortened disc will clue you in to a lot of what made them so special.