Fake Best Ofs

[scarecrow]

I'm quite interested in these - releases from labels who have the rights to artists' second tier material only. Best ofs that miss out all the key hits and fan favourites.

Perhaps the most bizarre example of this is this Sparks best of, which is literally just one of their weaker, least-loved albums presented in its entirety:



Surely anyone with a cursory interest in the group would take one look at the tracklist and clock that This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us is absent, let alone the rest of the band's Island singles and subsequent disco anthems. I doubt anyone bought this expecting it to contain the group's best or most well known work, yet it seems like such a bizarre marketing strategy to set people up for disappointment regardless.

Can any cash in fake best ofs rival this one?

[purlieu]

Haha, that's brilliant.


Not quite a "best of" (might as well start as this thread will no doubt continue at some point), but Tangerine Dream's Electronic Journey is a massive 10CD boxset which, like that Sparks record, has a list of largely unknown tracks on the front as if they're a selling point. Instead of being some career-spanning anthology, however, it is instead a collection of some of their worst material: Starbound Collection, Silver Siren Collection, Ocean Waves Collection and Cyberjam Collection being compilations of seemingly random tracks from their dire early '90s era; Canyon Cazuma a compilation of tracks from two soundtrack albums, only one of which is any good; The Dante Song Collection being a selection of tracks from their electronic opera series; Tangine Scales and The Independent Years being collections of old tracks with totally unfitting overdubs; Transsiberia and Seven Letters of Tibet both being forgettable albums from the turn of the century. There's little link between the tracks on any of the compilations themselves, and absolutely nothing to actually tie them together as a box-set. And the live lineup on the cover isn't present on any of the tracks on the box.

There are a lot of Tangerine Dream "Best Of" sets put together by whoever had the rights to their Pink and Blue Years catalogues at the time, which miss out the most well known Virgin material in between, but as they feature the early krautrock material and usually at least one track from Poland they're far from the weakest sets, even if the mixture of early '70s kosmiche and late '80s new age must be pretty jarring for anyone approaching them as a newcomer.

[Pranet]

There are about a million Fall records like this.

Somewhere I've got a £3 Johnny Cash best of that I really liked. It is all live performances that sound like someone recorded on a tape from the radio or tv. Sounds rough and ready in a good way.

[Starlit]

Maybe not quite the sort of thing that you're after, but I expect that many of the target market who picked this up would feel that it was missing one very obvious track, for most people very much their best track.
https://www.discogs.com/The-Human-League-The-Best-Of-The-Human-League/release/97155

It's on Virgin, soo unless they had somehow lost some of the rights to HL tracks it's a mystery why it isn't on there.

[thecuriousorange]

Queens Greatest Hits 3 is more of an odds and sodds cash in, than "hits".

[BlodwynPig]

Haha, that's brilliant.


Not quite a "best of" (might as well start as this thread will no doubt continue at some point), but Tangerine Dream's Electronic Journey is a massive 10CD boxset which, like that Sparks record, has a list of largely unknown tracks on the front as if they're a selling point. Instead of being some career-spanning anthology, however, it is instead a collection of some of their worst material: Starbound Collection, Silver Siren Collection, Ocean Waves Collection and Cyberjam Collection being compilations of seemingly random tracks from their dire early '90s era; Canyon Cazuma a compilation of tracks from two soundtrack albums, only one of which is any good; The Dante Song Collection being a selection of tracks from their electronic opera series; Tangine Scales and The Independent Years being collections of old tracks with totally unfitting overdubs; Transsiberia and Seven Letters of Tibet both being forgettable albums from the turn of the century. There's little link between the tracks on any of the compilations themselves, and absolutely nothing to actually tie them together as a box-set. And the live lineup on the cover isn't present on any of the tracks on the box.

There are a lot of Tangerine Dream "Best Of" sets put together by whoever had the rights to their Pink and Blue Years catalogues at the time, which miss out the most well known Virgin material in between, but as they feature the early krautrock material and usually at least one track from Poland they're far from the weakest sets, even if the mixture of early '70s kosmiche and late '80s new age must be pretty jarring for anyone approaching them as a newcomer.

Im sure there are at least two other comps called "electronic journey" with decent tracks spread over 70s and 80s

[crankshaft]

Maybe not quite the sort of thing that you're after, but I expect that many of the target market who picked this up would feel that it was missing one very obvious track, for most people very much their best track.
https://www.discogs.com/The-Human-League-The-Best-Of-The-Human-League/release/97155

It's on Virgin, soo unless they had somehow lost some of the rights to HL tracks it's a mystery why it isn't on there.

That's one of those budget compilations you used to see on sale at garages - it probably retailed for a fiver, hence the absence of "Don't You Want Me". Can't give away the crown jewel at that price!

[The Culture Bunker]

That's one of those budget compilations you used to see on sale at garages - it probably retailed for a fiver, hence the absence of "Don't You Want Me". Can't give away the crown jewel at that price!

Back in the 90s (before everything was online), it seemed the wheeze would be to put out compilations (usually titled 'The Collection' or such) that would have a few hits, some album tracks but also a b-side or two that you couldn't get on other CDs that would tempt fans who didn't have the original singles into stumping up the cash.

[purlieu]

There are about 700 Shadows CDs consisting entirely of their '70s and '80s material which, other than a couple of soft rock hits in 1979, are pretty much wilderness years.

[Natnar]

Back in the 90s (before everything was online), it seemed the wheeze would be to put out compilations (usually titled 'The Collection' or such) that would have a few hits, some album tracks but also a b-side or two that you couldn't get on other CDs that would tempt fans who didn't have the original singles into stumping up the cash.

Also back then you'd get greatest hits/best ofs that were cheap because all the tracks were crappy re-recordings by the original artist. It'd usually be your Bucks Fizz/Dollar types that would be responsible.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

Getting hold of Link Wray stuff was a nightmare. They all had the same picture even.

"Rosebud" on that Sparks record is brilliant, just have to chip in.

[non capisco]

That Sparks one is like reissuing 'Ersatz GB' and calling it 'The Best of The Fall'.

[JesusAndYourBush]

My first thought on seeing that Tangerine Dream album cover was that it's saying they're an electronic version of the band 'Journey'!

[Ron Maels Moustache]

I had this Iggy Pop cash-in album put out by Eagle Records, comprised entirely of tracks from New Values, Soldier and Party.



It did have a couple of bangers (I'm Bored is an all-time of course) but anyone who picked this up expecting to hear Lust For Life or Nightclubbing was going to be sorely disappointed.

Had a similar one for Gary Numan which was all his mid-eighties doldrums stuff with no hits anyone would remember

[badaids]

I bought this at a car boot for a quid thinking it had some good songs.  Wrong.  They are all badly recorded ersatz covers.  It says so on the cover, but in very small writing.

[Ron Maels Moustache]

Oh, this is a cracker. I was looking up the discogs page for Continental Records UK, they of the infamous "Johnny Cash 12 Great Hits" tape scam (not actually played by Johnny Cash)

Turns out they had a Best Of The Beatles as well, a description which is stretching the definition of Best Of into bewildering new shapes.

https://www.discogs.com/The-Beatles-The-Best-Of-The-Beatles-10-Great-Hits/release/8343942

Tracklist
A1      Whatever Gets You Thru' The Night
A2      Jet
A3      Another Day
A4      Give Peace A Chance
A5      Ballad Of John & Yoko
B1      Mary Had A Little Lamb
B2      Live And Let Die
B3      My Love
B4      Hi, Hi, Hi
B5      Back Off Boogaloo

It would be funnier if it turned out they were all cover versions, I bet they bloody were as well.

[Goldentony]

Every fucking single Equals album on Spotify is some insane re-record with at the very most usually Derv Gordon and from what I can understand a load of German blokes, I haven't been able to find a single original recording, even Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys is a fake version of an actual best of under the same name that's a really good 2 disc look at all their better music, this one has the same cover, everything, madness.

If anyone knows the story behind this let me know. I know Eddie Grant left but kept writing songs in the 70's, and I don't know if maybe he just let that happen or what. Mad, an amazing band and there's just shit all.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

I had this Iggy Pop cash-in album put out by Eagle Records, comprised entirely of tracks from New Values, Soldier and Party.



It did have a couple of bangers (I'm Bored is an all-time of course) but anyone who picked this up expecting to hear Lust For Life or Nightclubbing was going to be sorely disappointed.

Had a similar one for Gary Numan which was all his mid-eighties doldrums stuff with no hits anyone would remember

Good to see it contains that all time classic track " Dog Food".

[holdover]

I picked this up in the early 90's from a stall in Greenwich Market.
It's a jumble of most of the first two albums. Bonus shoddy point for not having Micky Dolenz depicted on the cover

[Custard]

Recently there was a whopping 3 cd Ultimate Collection put out for The Sweet. Looked amazing, til I read in the Amazon reviews that it left out Alexander Graham Bell.

It's 3 discs, but no, we'll leave that one off!

I always found that best of The Sex Pistols one funny, in that it's the one album, in full, then the handful of non-album tracks lobbed in

Not so much "the best", as "everything"

[Custard]

I picked this up in the early 90's from a stall in Greenwich Market.
It's a jumble of most of the first two albums. Bonus shoddy point for not having Micky Dolenz depicted on the cover

That's great. The RobertCop of Monkees releases

[phantom_power]

All songs performed by the cast of Daydream Believer

[Brundle-Fly]

Nice one! I thought as I rummaged through the CD bargain bin in some service station on the M23, I loves a bit of Judy to listen to with my sixties East End gangland firm so bought it, even after reading the small print on the back.



What they don't tell you is that the 'original recording' is (what sounds like) a ropey bootleg taken from one of her live shows. It sounds like it's taking place in a cabaret bar because you can hear audience hubbub and at one point even a tray loudly crashes during 'Over The Rainbow'.  The weird thing is, I grew to really enjoy this album for the very reason it feels like you're almost there, albeit wearing earmuffs.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Based on the label/cat number Impression/Phil Spector International (PSLP1) I think this might be official but it just looks so lazily tossed off:



I got it for fuck all in a charity shop and to be honest it's got more on it than the Ronettes/Crystals 'albums' which are mostly a few got hits with lots of filler. The latter of course switching line-ups because while The Crystals were out touring Spector was using other artists to record tracks under The Crystals name.

[SpiderChrist]

Based on the label/cat number Impression/Phil Spector International (PSLP1) I think this might be official but it just looks so lazily tossed off:



I got it for fuck all in a charity shop and to be honest it's got more on it than the Ronettes/Crystals 'albums' which are mostly a few got hits with lots of filler. The latter of course switching line-ups because while The Crystals were out touring Spector was using other artists to record tracks under The Crystals name.

Yeah it's official (from the mid-80s, I think) - I got in a double-pack with this:

[Sebastian Cobb]

lol I can see them with the different transparent layers making them

his christmas work is great tbf.

[Captain Poodle Basher]

Based on the label/cat number Impression/Phil Spector International (PSLP1) I think this might be official but it just looks so lazily tossed off:



I got it for fuck all in a charity shop and to be honest it's got more on it than the Ronettes/Crystals 'albums' which are mostly a few got hits with lots of filler. The latter of course switching line-ups because while The Crystals were out touring Spector was using other artists to record tracks under The Crystals name.

I had a double-cassette of Spector/Girl Groups which declared "Original Artists". Which it had. Only they'd redone their best known songs with their then-current (Mid-80's) voices and backed by the Wrecking Cre.... err a couple of cheesy synths. All those belters of songs reduced to a cabaret version.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

That's great. The RobertCop of Monkees releases

It's as if the person responsible for cobbling that cover together just really couldn't stand Micky Dolenz, and refused to acknowlege him as a member of the band. "Fuck that guy, we'll have two Davys instead."

[Sebastian Cobb]

I had a double-cassette of Spector/Girl Groups which declared "Original Artists". Which it had. Only they'd redone their best known songs with their then-current (Mid-80's) voices and backed by the Wrecking Cre.... err a couple of cheesy synths. All those belters of songs reduced to a cabaret version.

I think my nan gave me a freebie cassette of 'easy listening' music like that. A really awful version of 10cc's I'm Not In Love is all I can remember.

[willbo]

no Paranoid, War Pigs or Iron Mans to be found within a 100 miles of this



Where's Breakin' The Law or Hell Bent for Leather?