I saw her crumpled shape in the crook of a staircase leading up into one of the brownstones. I approached, asking, "What's wrong, little girl? Why are you crying?"

She looked up at me, her cheeks flushed red and mottled with streaks of tears, and said, "It's all Einar Orn Benediktsson's fault! Why won't he just be quiet?"

I asked the inevitable question. "Who's Einar Orn Benediktsson?"

"You don't know?" she barked. "And you call yourself a music reviewer!?"

I get this a lot, so I let it pass, asking again who the person with so many vowels in their name was. She sighed and said, "He's the guy in the Sugarcubes that won't just shut up and let Björk sing!"

"Oh, him!" I replied, flushed with the same pain that had driven this poor little custard-pie into tears.

"You know who I'm talking about?" she asked, and indeed, I did.

Back before Björk was the musical icon for elven chicanery, she spent time cutting her musical teeth with the Sugarcubes, unleashing such magical trax as "Birthday," "Motorcrash" and "Hit," all telling precursors to her solo career and the enormous success she's found under her own direction. I felt tears spring into my own eyes when I thought of Einar Orn Benediktsson, the Fred Schneider- esque background vocalist that soiled more than a few Sugarcubes tracks with his horrendous squabble. My ears were throbbing as I considered the new Sugarcubes collection sitting at home. And I dreaded Einar Orn Benediktsson, as only Einar Orn Benediktsson should be dreaded.

I gave the little girl a can of Spam I'd been keeping in my pocket for just such an occasion and hurried home, wondering if Einar Orn Benediktsson would pee in my pocket once again, or if the selection of tracks on The Great Crossover Potential would be a testament to Björk's unique energy and incomparable voice. Oh, the suspense. In my excitement, I forgot to pick up a fresh can of Spam on the way home.

Well, little girls and boys, I bring you news of high optimism and wickedly grinning happiness. Our friend Einar Orn Benediktsson has been relegated to only a few tracks, making this collection a smooth, buttery Sugarcubes listen that even the uninitiated solo- Björk listener could grow attached to, gently placing it under their pillow at night.

Björk gushes her way through the aforementioned hits and 11 more, including the Einar Orn Benediktsson- friendly "Cold Sweat" and "Deus," not to mention "Chihuahua," "Vitamin," "Pump," "Planet," and others. If K-tel had any class, they'd have released it and called it Sup-r Sweet Sugarcube Hits. It's good... Yes... It's good. It's good in that it covers the relatively brief Sugarcubes phenomenon thoroughly. It's good in the way that weeds out all the poo tracks. It's good in the way that you can introduce yerself to their best music with one disc. It's good in the way that there's not much Einar Orn Benediktsson vocals on it. It's good in the way it doesn't make you cry, but rather, laugh at its impertinent genius that still dances through the meadows with heartfelt abandon today.

-James P. Wisdom