The Best and the Rest

The Best and the Rest is a greatest hits album by the American heavy metal band Savatage, released on November 21, 1997 by JVC Victor in Japan. The majority of the tracks were selected as part of a reader's vote promotion in the Japanese hard rock magazine Burrn!.

The Best and the Rest
Compilation album by Savatage
Released	November 21, 1997
Recorded	1989 - 1997
Genre	Heavy metal, progressive metal, power metal
Length	75:08
Label	JVC Victor
Producer	Paul O'Neill
Savatage chronology
The Wake of Magellan (1997) The Best and the Rest (1997) Believe (1998)

The booklet for the album contains lyrics, Japanese translations of the lyrics, liner notes by Savatage producer/songwriter Paul O'Neill, a band biography, and a Savatage discography.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	From the album	Length
1.	"Gutter Ballet"	Criss Oliva, Jon Oliva, Paul O'Neill	Gutter Ballet (1989)	6:20
2.	"Degrees of Sanity"	C. Oliva, J. Oliva, O'Neill	Edge of Thorns (1993)	4:36
3.	"Jesus Saves"	C. Oliva, J. Oliva, O'Neill	Streets: A Rock Opera (1991)	5:13
4.	"Edge of Thorns"	C. Oliva, J. Oliva, O'Neill	Edge of Thorns	5:55
5.	"Agony and Ecstasy"	C. Oliva, J. Oliva, O'Neill	Streets: A Rock Opera	3:33
6.	"Chance"	J. Oliva, O'Neill	Handful of Rain (1994)	7:48
7.	"Complaint in the System (Veronica Guerin)"	J. Oliva, O'Neill	The Wake of Magellan (1997)	2:37
8.	"The Hourglass"	J. Oliva, O'Neill, Al Pitrelli	The Wake of Magellan	8:05
9.	"Voyage" (instrumental)	Al Pitrelli		2:26
10.	"Prelude to Madness / Hall of the Mountain King"	Edvard Grieg, C. Oliva, O'Neill / C. Oliva, J. Oliva, O'Neill, Johnny Lee Middleton	Hall of the Mountain King (1987)	8:45
11.	"This is the Time (1990)"	J. Oliva, O'Neill	Dead Winter Dead (1995)	5:39
12.	"Believe"	C. Oliva, J. Oliva, O'Neill	Streets: A Rock Opera	5:42
13.	"Desireé" (acoustic piano version)	C. Oliva, J. Oliva, O'Neill		3:54
14.	"All That I Bleed" (piano version, from Edge of Thorns, recorded in 1997)	C. Oliva, J. Oliva, O'Neill		4:35

Track notes

• "Voyage" is a solo instrumental composition written and performed acoustically by guitarist Al Pitrelli. It was recorded during studio sessions for The Wake of Magellan (1997).
• "Desirée" is an acoustic track with a piano and Zachary Stevens on vocals. Originally written for the Streets album, it was cut when the record was trimmed to a single disc format. This version was recorded in the summer of 1997, it is also featured on several reissues.
• "All That I Bleed" is a previously unreleased acoustic track that is performed by Jon Oliva singing and playing piano. This version was recorded in the summer of 1997, it is also featured as the bonus track on several reissues. The original was released on Edge of Thorns in 1993 with Zak Stevens on vocals.