It is hard to believe it’s been over ten years since we were introduced to four cute cartoon characters by the names of 2D, Noodle, Murdoch, and Hobbs. Gorillaz was the project was the brainchild of former Blur front man Damon Albarn and Tank Girl creator Jamie Hewlett, and to describe it’s success as ‘wild’ would be an understatement. Now, after four studio albums, Gorillaz have released their best of: The Singles Collection 2001-2011.

When the self-titled debut album blew up in 2001, it was celebrated as an amazingly successful fusion of pop, hip-hop, and dub (with a bit of Ennio Morricone thrown in to boot). Such an eclectic mix would not normally make for chart success, but then, that’s the genius of front man Damon Albarn. Inclusions from this era include the Augustus Pablo-influenced Tomorrow Comes Today, 19-2000, and Del Tha Funky Homosapien-helmed Clint Eastwood and Rock The House.

Fours years is an extremely long time in the fickle world of pop music, and yet, in 2005 Demon Dayz exploded onto the charts. Hits from the the second album to grace the collection include the De La Soul collaboration Feel Good Inc., Dirty Harry (featuring a fantastic rap by Pharcyde member Bootie Brown), and Neneh Cherry makes a guest appearance on Kids With Guns.

Damon Albarn certainly knows how to pick his guests. Who would have thought Shaun Ryde (of Black Grape / Happy Mondays fame) would have been hitting the charts years after people had written him off with the biggest success of his career, the anthemic Dare. This song truly transcended genre: indie kids, hip-hop heads, and pop tarts all joined in for an unbridled sing-a-long any time a DJ happened to drop this tune in 2005.

Out the four singles culled from 2010’s Plastic Beach, only the brilliant Stylo really stacks up against the aforementioned track listing. I can’t imagine the spacey, and futuristic soul of this track without conjuring up images of the brilliant film clip featuring Bruce Willis locked in a car chase with Gorillaz main man 2D, throughout the badlands of the U.S. Of course, we’ll get to the DVD in a second.

The other three songs from this era: Superfast Jellyfish, On Melancholy Hill, and Doncamatic are all quite pleasant and listenable, but no amount of special guests could save them from the fact that they weren’t really hooky enough to be singles, and were possibly some of the weaker moments on an otherwise brilliant Plastic Beach.

As a greatest hits album, it can’t be faulted in track selection: It’s basically the singles with a couple of popular remixes tacked on the end for good measure. My only fault with this is that most songs are the radio edit versions, so just by the time you get into the groove the track has ended. Although it must be said that as a taster for the casual listener, you can’t go wrong with this purchase.

Of course, if you’re a long time fan like myself, then disc two has the tastiest treats for my money. Packed with features, it not only has all of the promo clips for the singles, but also added live footage and behind the scenes extras. This combined with the beautiful packing of the CD with a montage of highlights from the Gorillaz career makes for fantastic value.

Gorillaz – The Singles Collection: 2001-2011 is out now on Parlophone.