As the title suggests this collection is obviously the third 'Retrospective' collection and covers the years 1989 to 2008, which produced some hit and miss albums in the band's career. Nevertheless the tracks included in this set have been handpicked very carefully.

The band's 2003 album 'Vapour Trails' was controversial in the sense that the sound quality was a bit dodgy so for this release the two tracks culled from 'Vapour Trails' ('Earthshine' and 'One Little Victory') have been remixed and they sound fantastic.

It is worth noting here that there have been rumours that the whole album, which many claim to be Rush's worst studio effort, will be entirely remixed at some point in the future. The live version of 'Ghost Of A Chance' recorded during the 'Snakes & Arrows' tour holds up really well against the studio recordings.

The rest of the collection includes tracks taken from 'Presto,' 'Roll The Bones,' 'Counterparts,' 'Test For Echo' and 'Snakes & Arrows.'

It was obvious after the end of the 'Snakes & Arrows' world tour that the record company would want to release another collection even though the tour spawned an excellent live CD and DVD. The audio quality of the tracks is excellent and they have made some very wise choices with the track listing.

More serious fans will probably prefer the CD/DVD set but it's also a good set for the newcomer. What it does prove is that Rush are still relevant and are surely Canada's finest rock band.

***½

Review by Neil Daniels