VA - 100 Hits - Alternative [5CD Box Set] (2012)

While 100 Hits: Alternative plays a little fast and loose with the meanings of the terms "alternative" and "hits," more often than not it ends up working in the listener's favor. This five-disc set reaches back to '70s punk and post-punk with tracks from the Stranglers and Public Image Ltd. and makes stops along the way for songs from the college rock and Brit-pop of the '90s before winding up at the electro-rock hodgepodge of the 2000s. And while songs such as Radiohead's "Karma Police" might not have been chart-topping singles, they certainly define alternative rock. While this collection is far from comprehensive, and a few too many tracks from the same artists make it even less so, it still has an eclectic enough mix of one-hit wonders and tried-and-true artists to please anyone partial to these sounds.