New Mellencamp Set Highlights Career

Out now is a new 11-track greatest hits collection from John Mellencamp. The set, which is part of UME/Universal's ICON series, is subtitled, Nothing Like I Planned: Greatest Hits Vol. 3, and serves a sampler for Mellencamp's work between 1980 and 1993. Included on the album are such Top Ten hits as "Crumblin' Down," "Small Town," "Pink Houses," "Paper In Fire" -- and his sole chart-topper, 1982's "Jack & Diane."

John Mellencamp says -- in very blunt terms -- that at this point, he's earned the right to be judged solely on his work -- both on record and on the road. With over 35 years in the business, he admits he has zero patience for anything resembling showbiz or the machinations of the star machine: "I'll tell you what -- Y'know, I gave up a few years ago with 'strategy' and that kinda crap. Whenever the record company starts talking to me about 'strategy,' I say, 'I don't want to talk about this anymore. I don't care.' I don't have anything to prove. If this record sells two million copies, great. If it sells two copies, that's what happened. I dunno, somehow I was just somehow able to let go of all that stuff. Of course I'd like the record to sell and of course I'd like to have songs on the radio -- it's not that, but I'm not gonna sit around and talk to mother****ers about that anymore. It's not my job."

The tracklisting to ICON: Nothing Like I Planned: Greatest Hits Vol. 3 is: "Paper In Fire," "Minutes To Memories," "Jackie Brown," "Small Town," "Lonely Ol' Night," "Check It Out," "Human Wheels," "Crumblin' Down," "Ain't Even Done With The Night," "Jack & Diane," and "Pink Houses."

John Mellencamp will next perform on September 21st at Farm Aid in Saratoga Springs, New York at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.