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Where a greatest hits album is enough

Started by Famous Mortimer, June 09, 2021, 10:15:11 PM

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Famous Mortimer

For those bands and musicians that have a solid greatest hits, but you have no desire to dig into the rest of their catalogue to find other potential bangers, or you already have and know there's not much there. I'll start off with the band that made this thread idea pop into my head:

Metallica
For those times you want a solid bit of metal, their greatest hits is fine (plus, it's 4 CDs or something like that, I can't imagine many people needing more than that).


Cuellar


Famous Mortimer

Stevie Nicks (solo)

Actually, about one side of an LP would do, as her greatest hits has two versions of Edge of Seventeen on it, and a bunch of live versions of Fleetwood Mac tunes.

crankshaft

There are some artists whose back catalogues are so large that anything other than a best of seems intimidating. Joan Armatrading, for example - loads of great songs but SO MANY ALBUMS if you haven't been keeping up.

Spiteface

The Doors

A few years ago, I bought a boxset of all their albums (aside from the 2 post-Morrison ones, obviously), but to be honest, the best-of I had for ages was plenty. Had all my favourite songs on it, didn't really need anything else.

shagatha crustie


Strong disagree on Metallica. They have a few albums that have barely a second wasted all the way through. If you are atuned to that type of music of course.

My Spotify listening for the past few weeks suggests Suede and Skunk Anansie fit the brief. Agree with Blue too.

madhair60


Magnum Valentino

Aren't Metallica one of those rare massive bands that don't have a Greatest Hits album? 4 discs? What are thinking of?

non capisco

Pretty much all the Motown acts barring Marvin and Stevie.

bgmnts


The Cure. Brilliant singles (30 years ago!) never got into any albums.

Video Game Fan 2000

Waiting outside of this thread with a cricket bat in case anyone says Buzzcocks.

Quote from: bgmnts on June 10, 2021, 12:42:51 AM
About 90% of all bands and artists.

Ok, that isn't strictly true. Duran Duran 1 song album for example, or the Flock of Seagulls 2, 3 tops. Most bands don't have a greatest hits in them. Even Queen's is mostly shite. Smiths best of however, as an example could only leave about 10 or 12 out of their entire back catalogue.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: shagatha crustie on June 09, 2021, 11:35:03 PM
Blur.

Nah. There is some filler here and there but loads of gems in their back catalogue.

jamiefairlie

Quote from: Gripperstebson on June 10, 2021, 12:46:27 AM
The Cure. Brilliant singles (30 years ago!) never got into any albums.

I've had the diametrically opposite experience.

Blondie, possibly Madness.

Waking Life

For me, it's usually bands that haven't had a solidly 'classic' album or two. While I don't have much desire to listen to early Beach Boys other than the hits, their later albums have too many deep cuts / flow better as one listen.

I'm probably about to disprove this in some eyes by suggesting The Rolling Stones, with those typical Greatest Hits compilations marketed every father's day. And I do still enjoy their run of late 60s / early 70s albums. I just think the (extended) compilations capture their best tracks. Their live show obviously milks this too.


Egyptian Feast

Quote from: shagatha crustie on June 09, 2021, 11:35:03 PM
Blur.

The problem there is all of their existing comps exclude many of my favourite tracks but do include 'Parklife'. Led Zeppelin is a similar issue - there couldn't be a comp that satisfied me as many of my favourites wouldn't have made the cut. I'd put both bands in a thread entitled 'When a self-curated Spotify playlist is enough'.

earl_sleek

The Jam. Some of their albums are good but none of them are essential, their best material was on the singles.

Egyptian Feast

I only got into The Jam recently, so I may change my mind, but Snap! is such a fantastic comp I don't feel the need to investigate the albums. The recent Style Council collection feels like all I'll ever need from that band too.

I bought a Busta Rhymes comp recently, but it was a bit of a botch as the tracks were just lifted from albums with the segues from previous tracks still there, so that had the effect of making me want to hear them in context instead, even though I'm not sure I need that much Busta in my life.

lipsink

Quote from: drummersaredeaf on June 09, 2021, 11:46:22 PM
Strong disagree on Metallica. They have a few albums that have barely a second wasted all the way through. If you are atuned to that type of music of course.

Yep. The first 5 albums are landmark records in Metal. Ride The Lightning and Master of Puppets in particular are pretty much perfect and essential.

mrpupkin

How about Queen? Love most of the hits but whenever I've tried to get into one of the albums l've just ended up actively annoyed

Pauline Walnuts

Quote from: Waking Life on June 10, 2021, 08:44:28 AM

I'm probably about to disprove this in some eyes by suggesting The Rolling Stones, with those typical Greatest Hits compilations marketed every father's day. And I do still enjoy their run of late 60s / early 70s albums. I just think the (extended) compilations capture their best tracks. Their live show obviously milks this too.


studpuppet

With this one they even have the sense to cut out all the later shit.


idunnosomename

Quote from: Magnum Valentino on June 10, 2021, 12:16:07 AM
Aren't Metallica one of those rare massive bands that don't have a Greatest Hits album? 4 discs? What are thinking of?
yes are these four discs Kill 'em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets and ...And Justice for all.

Why would you want token tracks like Mama Said, Fuel, St Anger and The Day That Never Comes stinking them out? This is coming from someone that liked the Loads btw

Jockice

Quote from: Video Game Fan 2000 on June 10, 2021, 01:19:07 AM
Waiting outside of this thread with a cricket bat in case anyone says Buzzcocks.

Singles Going Steady is the greatest greatest hits album ever though, only edging out The Undertones' All Wrapped Up because that's got a horrible sleeve. Both bands had many great album tracks though, which were overlooked cos they were so good at singles.

That's the best format for greatest hits albums though. All the singles in order of release. And ditto with b-sides. No fannying about with running orders or anything. To this day I still say that people who bought that Smiths compilation (admittedly not a singles-only one) with Charles Hawtrey on the cover shouldn't be allowed to call themselves fans. Sticking such a perfect album-ending track as Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others in the middle somewhere makes no sense at all and betrays everything The Smiths were about to a degree only bettered by latter day Morrissey.

I'd say for acts where a greatest hits album is all you need, Earth, Wind And Fire is probably the prime example. Erasure's another. Both great singles bands but their albums (at least the ones I've heard) also have a lot of filler. I'd sort of agree on The Cure too, I have at some point owned most of their early albums but can actually only remember probably about half a dozen non-singles songs from them

Sebastian Cobb


Brundle-Fly

This basically boils down to how much one is a fan of an artist.  I have a Bob Dylan Greatest Hits album and have no intention of exploring beyond my casual semi-skimmed admiration for a sprinkling of his hits. I'd never say that's all you need though because clearly he has written some incredible stuff on his various outings.  However, I'm just not prepared to sift through fifty studio albums to find out (and that's not including all the official bootlegs).   One man's filler is another man's fillet.