The greatest Greatest Hits collection

Stones - The London Years. Which cuts off in 1971, obviously, but perfectly traces in chronological order how they got from callow blues copyists to conquerors of the world.

Chronicle Vol. 1.

This is totally Chuck Berry, The Great Twenty-Eight

Scanning the songlist, looks perfect. I've always had this

http://991.com/newGallery/Chuck-Berry-Motorvatin-252056.jpg

plus all three Golden Decades, but the problem with GD I is that it leaves off "Come On" and "Let It Rock." The Great Twenty-Eight gets them all.

Should also mention Endless Summer. The perception of the Beach Boys has really changed over the years--"Oh yeah, the surf stuff" is probably how a lot of people would look upon Endless Summer today--but we played it to death when my friends and I discovered it in the mid-'70s. (Besides which, you get key proto-Pet Sounds stuff like "Girl Don't Tell Me" and "Don't Worry Baby.")

Taking advantage of rare occasion to say Whiney otm

there's a Marshall Crenshaw comp that is quite good,
but got me to thinking that a comp isn't nec. a greatest hits
so forget it.

I love that Crenshaw comp, although it wanes in the middle before the victory lap.

This is totally Chuck Berry, The Great Twenty-Eight

^^^

CCR close second

i wonder if nicole still hates "music is my radar"

the CCR greatest hits is incredible for how long it keeps going, and for how long it keeps topping itself

As amazing: you can say the same about most of the second CCR greatest hits.

you can also call Cosmo's Factory their greatest hits

Chronicle also came to mind for me, the first time I sat down and listened to this in earnest (probably 4-5 years ago) it was one holy-shit moment after another as I realized how many timeless tracks they had.

ctrl-f "Eminem"

phew THANK GOD

i kind of swore off best-ofs a few years ago after i realized they sapped my will to check out the acts' proper albums, but my favorite GH purchase since then was a 2-disc George Jones comp -- it's still a useful format for people who have 50 hits spread over 50 albums and/or a lot of output that predates the 'album era'

If you're referring to Cup of Loneliness you are OTM.

i'm referring to The Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country, which spans a much larger timeframe, but i wouldn't mind having one that's more focused on the '50s stuff

Two CD's. One of the best buys ever:

http://www.amazon.com/Cup-Loneliness-Classic-Mercury-Years/dp/B000001E4N

yeah Cup of Loneliness is solid gold

Almost want to say Push Barman to Open Old Wounds but that's for another thread I guess, but I don't know where that thread is.

http://www.avclub.com/article/tom-pettys-greatest-hits-record-remains-best-best--239423

This was one I had growing up, though I eventually got all the albums too: Electric Light Orchestra - ELO's Greatest Hits (1979)

ctrl+f "stylistics"

:|

The Best of The Stylistics

Fixed

Among my most formative.

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Chronicle Vol. 1 and Vol. 2

Such a rare feat to have two separately released greatest hits packages that are equal in value. Prince's The Hits 1 & 2 are the only other ones I can think of right now. (Wait, Joni might be up there.)

The Beatles cheated by splitting up a chronological set with 1962-22 and 1967-70. The Eagles sold a bizzilion copies of both of theirs, but everyone knows the first one is the only good one. And Mr. Joel, I worship you, but you can't sell Volume I & Volume II in the same set at the same time. (Yeah, I know Prince sold his together too with the B-Sides, but they were also available on their own.)

The box format may have hurt this first.

these are prob the ones i've played the most over the years:

sly -- greatest hits
pretenders -- the singles
stones -- hot rocks/more hot rocks
chuck berry -- great 28
ronettes -- best of
smiths -- singles
prince -- hits 1 and 2
sam cooke -- portrait of a legend
the jam -- compact snap!
echo and the bunnymen -- songs to learn and sing
little richard -- 18 greatest hits
elvis -- elvis's golden records

one classic greatest hits i've never loved quite as much as everyone else is changesbowie/changesonebowie -- i prefer the albums. also almost included immaculate collection but i'm not as into the second half of that one.

with bowie, i'm definitely a tracks and not an albums person, but the tracks i like aren't the hit singles... where's "the supermen" or "panic in detroit" or "moonage daydream" or "1984"?

no Madonna comp can top the CR-90 you made for yourself in 1993.

http://cdn-s3.allmusic.com/release-covers/500/0000/278/0000278159.jpg

http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/660/media/images/72877000/jpg/_72877782_queen_624.jpg

Erasure - Pop: The First 20 Hits
Saint Etienne - Too Young To Die
Pet Shop Boys - Popart
Suede - Singles (just remember to skip Positivity)
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Bang! (this really is the perfect Frankie album)
The Cardigans - Best Of
Dexys Midnight Runners - Let's Make This Precious
Barry White - Greatest Hits (75 version)
Duran Duran - Greatest
Felt - Stains On A Decade
The Human League - Greatest Hits/The Very Best Of
Grace Jones - Island Life

The Shangri Las Myrmidons of Melodrama: it's virtually flawless.

The Beautiful South - Carry On Up The Charts. Played that one to death back in the day and still give it a spin from time to time.

The 2cd version with a disc of their excellent b-sides is even better!

Queen's Greatest Hits and Greatest Hits II, easily. For many people, these two compilations basically represent the entire Queen discography and the "proper" studio albums may as well not even exist. Which obviously is a viewpoint I disagree with.

Think we missed Hank Williams 40 Greatest Hits. Came out in 1978 and re-introduced his original music to the world.

Buffalo Springfield -Retrospective is excellent and probably all that's needed.

Neil Young - Decade. Listen to this comp way more than the individual albums.

Super Furry Animals Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1 is also perfect but not the best. that would probably go to Standing on a Beach, thou both bands are so much bigger than only their singles.

I'm very partial to Three Into One, the Island compilation of Foxx-era Ultravox. Think it's probably all anyone needs from that era tbh.

Unbelievably the thread got to here without anyone mentioning The Best of Leonard Cohen.

Boy Child is fucking impeccable (the reissue version, where they nixed the rope and the colt and replaced it with angels of ashes)

Is there a good, comprehensive comp of Gene Chandler?

Shangri Las - Myrmidons of Melodrama.

Re: Gene Chandler--There's this, which is oop and pricey.

I have a copy of that one, go ahead and mail me if you want the files.

That would be amazing. Thanks!

Sending you an email right now. LMK if it doesn't show up.

gotta say I really love those greatest hits/anthology comps that are half hits/great album tracks and half B-sides, unreleased and rare stuff. like The Kink Kronikles or Sound of Science by Beastie Boys. what other comps are like that?

are we doing really obvious ones? Neil Young's Decade is a fine example of that. it's has some of the monster hits, but also lots of great stuff you couldn't get anywhere else at the time

Unrest’s B.P.M. (1991-1994) is sorta like that (tho focusing on a specific period of time).

March To Fuzz by Mudhoney