Following its release, Best of No Angels received positive reviews from music critics who praised the included material as the highlights of the group's music career. The compilation debuted and peaked at number five on the German Albums Chart and reached the top twenty in Austria. In addition to already existing material, the band recorded a slightly reworked version of their debut album closing track "That's the Reason" for the album. Re-titled "Reason", the ballad was released as the album's only single, also reaching the top ten in Germany
In late 2002, the No Angels management forced original band member Jessica Wahls to quit the band after giving birth to her first child.[1] In summer 2003, the remaining four members, Nadja Benaissa, Lucy Diakovska, Sandy Mölling, and Vanessa Petruo, released their third regular studio album Pure. It became the band's third number-one album and reached Gold status in Germany,[2][3] while also spawing the pop rock-influenced number-one leading single "No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)," their fourth non-consecutive chart topper.[4] On 7 September 2003, a few days after the
pre-sales start for their 2004 concert tour, the quartet announced that due to lasting exhaustion, they would not come together for a new No Angels project the following year and instead were preparing their official disbandment towards the end of 2003.[5][6] While the media began a never-ending speculation about the reasons for their split,[5] the girls and their management arranged the cancellation of all dates of their scheduled 2004 Pure Acoustic Tour,[7] with the band agreeing on releasing a farewelll compilation album, The Best of No Angels.[5]
Apart from a collection of all singles which the band had released between the years of 2001 and 2003, The Best of No Angels also contains a reworked version of "That's the Reason," the closing track from No Angels' debut album Elle'ments (2001). Re-titled "Reason," it would serve as the band's final single before their hiatus.[8] Again produced by Thorsten Brötzmann and recorded by Trevor Hurst at FM-Studio in Frankfurt,[9] the updated version contains a slightly alternated instrumentation as well as new lyrics that allude to its status as a farewell single.[8] Involving a re-joined Jessica Wahls, "Reason" was released on 24 November 2003 and became another top ten success for the group, peaking at number nine on the German Singles Chart while also reached number 12 in Austria and number 28 in Switzerland. No Angels promoted the song at several television events.[8]
Stefan Johannesberg from laut.de found that The Best of No Angels "portrays the three-year rise from the RTL 2 gutter to a real divas combo with an experienced selection of songs [...] No matter how you feel about music, this advancement of No Angels deserves respect. As well as the decision to quit."[10]
Released on 1 December 2003, The Best of No Angels debuted and peaked at number five on the German Albums Chart in the week ending 15 December 2003. This marked the band's fifth consecutive top ten album on the chart.[11] Elsewhere, it entered the top twenty in Austria, peaking at number 17, and the top sity in Switzerland.[12] In Germany, The Best of No Angels was ranked eighty-seventh on the 2003 year-end chart.[11]
