The Best of Mose Allison

Professional ratings

Retrospective reviews
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

An AllMusic reviewer gave it four and a half out of five stars and called it "a pretty good capsule introduction to one of American music's most idiosyncratic individualists".[1] However, he noted "For a more comprehensive – and well-packaged – overview of most of his career, turn to the double-CD box Allison Wonderland on Rhino/Atlantic."[1]

All songs Written by Mose Allison except as noted. Original LP

Side one

1. "Your Mind Is on Vacation" – 2:35
2. "Swingin' Machine" – 2:31
3. "Stop This World" – 3:24
4. "Seventh Son" (Willie Dixon) – 3:36
5. "New Parchman" – 3:04
6. "Rollin' Stone" (McKinley Morganfield) – 2:58

Side two

1. "I'm the Wild Man" (Stanley Willis, Don Barksdale) – 1:58
2. "If You're Goin' to the City" – 3:49
3. "I Don't Worry About a Thing" – 2:17
4. "Your Molecular Structure" – 2:05
5. "Everybody Cryin' Mercy" – 2:39
6. "I Love the Life I Live" (Willie Dixon) – 2:26

1988 CD re-issue

1. "I Don't Worry About a Thing" – 2:41
2. "Your Mind Is on Vacation" – 2:35
3. "It Didn't Turn Out That Way" – 2:41 (bonus track)
4. "If You're Goin' to the City" – 3:49
5. "Swingin' Machine" – 2:31
6. "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues" (Duke Ellington, Don George) – 3:56 (bonus track)
7. "Stop This World" – 3:24
8. "I'm the Wild Man" (Stanley Willis, Don Barksdale) – 1:58
9. "New Parchman" – 3:04
10. "Rollin' Stone" (McKinley Morganfield) – 2:58
11. "Don't Forget to Smile" – 2:48 (bonus track)
12. "Seventh Son" (Willie Dixon) – 2:26
13. "I Love the Life I Live" (Willie Dixon) – 2:21
14. "What's With You" – 2:55 (bonus track)
15. "That's the Stuff You Gotta Watch" (Buddy Johnson) – 2:10 (bonus track)
16. "Your Molecular Structure" – 2:05
17. "Just Like Livin'" – 1:44 (bonus track)
18. "Everybody Cryin' Mercy" – 2:39
19. "Night Club" – 2:36 (bonus track)
20. "One of These Days" – 4:29 (bonus track)

• Mose Allison  – piano, vocals, producer (tracks 16–18)
• Addison Farmer  – double bass (1–7)
• Osie Johnson  – drums (1–3)
• Jimmy Knepper  – trombone (4–7)
• Jimmy Reider – tenor sax (4–7)
• Frankie Dunlop  – drums (4–7)
• Ben Tucker – bass (8–11)
• Ron Lundberg – drums (8–11)
• Stan Gilbert – bass (12–13)
• Mel Lee – drums (12–13)
• Earl May – bass (14–15)
• Paul Motian – drums (14–15)
• Red Mitchell – bass (16–18)
• Bill Goodwin – drums (16–18)
• Chuck Rainey – bass guitar (19)
• Billy Cobham – drums (19)
• Al Porcino – trumpet (20)
• David Sanborn – alto sax (20)
• Joe Farrell – tenor sax (20)
• Jack Hannah – bass (20)
• Jerry Granelli – drums (20)
• Nesuhi Ertegün – producer (1–15)
• Arif Mardin – producer (14–15)
• Joel Dorn – producer (19)
• Ilhan Mimaroglu – producer (20)
• Tom Dowd – engineer (1–7)
• Phil Iehle – engineer (1–3, 8–11, 14–15)
• Joe Atkinson – engineer (4–7)
• Wally Heider – engineer (12–13)
• Dave Weichman – engineer (16–18)
• Lewis Hahn – engineer (19)
• Carmen Rubino – engineer (20)