The greatest Greatest Hits collection

poll please

collect all five free Rock Art Cups yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Got another one:

The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble

Pretty much every artist under Sony's ownership has had their own installment in Sony's decades-long series of The Essential compilations. Some graphic design, with same logo font on top of a black & white photograph. To be fair, these are usually well done, and Vaughan's installment is still hands down the best compilation in his discography. I wouldn't call any of his albums bad, but I'd rather hear his music concentrated into this package. (The two-CD version, not the later "3.0" version with the underwhelming third disc.)

*Same graphic design

There's a really good one of those for, of all people, Anthony Braxton. The Essential Anthony Braxton - The Arista Years pulls two CDs' worth of material from a string of albums he put out in the mid to late 70s that are among his most accessible work. Honestly, if they made a physical version it would be almost the perfect entry point into his catalog, but it's digital-only (and on streaming services). Amazon Music link

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51N1QNqzlUL._UX716_FMwebp_QL85_.jpg

Over two decades and no mention of The Soft Boys - "1976-81", 2CDs of psych punk perfection.

https://i.imgur.com/j4iX86h.png

It makes me want to vomit that this has not been mentioned in this entire thread:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_of_Blondie

Hold yer vomit, Dan Perry mentioned it in Feb. 2001

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.

― Bee OK, Wednesday, November 30, 2016 10:06 PM (seven years ago)

Some to add that I don't think have been mentioned:

Echo and the Bunnymen - Songs to Learn and Sing
Bauhaus - 1979 - 1983
Swervedriver - Juggernaut Rides '89–'98
The Jesus and Mary Chain - 21 Singles
Spoon - Everything Hits at Once

Greatest Hits that are singles collections in chronological order appeal to me. Prime examples being the Pet Shop Boys 'Discography' and Erasure's 'Pop! The First 20 Hits' (if you got off the Erasure train then YMMV with 'Total Pop! The First 40 Hits').

Thanks Hideous Lump, I realize now I was feeling nauseous for unrelated reasons

xps Will have to check out that Anthony Braxton set. Sony's remastering program has been continuously very active, but it's frustrating and sad that almost everything they're remastering is strictly for the streaming and downloads.

I thought that Blondie set was remixed? I never bought it for that reason - I wanted the original mixes or if applicable the single mixes. I ended up burning a CD-R using the new box set from Numero.

I never got that Aerosmith compilation because they used single edits - not recreations but the actual dubs they created while making the edits to the full-length versions, i.e. a loss of one generation and whatever else they may have done to the sound besides the edit. I ended up burning a CD-R from the '90s remasters with a couple of changes and a few additional tracks.

The one for Echo and the Bunnymen is still THE disc I listen to whenever I play their music. I kind of wish they added "Villiers Terrace," but it's still a great compilation. (For some reason, one of the cassette editions in the UK has four more bonus tracks: https://www.discogs.com/release/8124339-Echo-The-Bunnymen-Songs-To-Learn-Sing )

The Jesus and Mary Chain compilation is a great idea. My only complaint is the mastering which is kind of brickwalled, but for those who don't care or actually like the mastering, it's essential.

Pet Shop Boys' Discography is virtually perfect, definitely on my short list of truly great and essential compilations. I even sprung for the UK CD even though it has the same track listing because I preferred the sound on that one. (Different mastering engineer, warmer EQ. The U.S. pressing is a bit colder and harder sounding.)

While I'm at it, I'll add The Best of OMD as another great compilation that's ALMOST perfect. My only complaint is the few alternate versions they stuck in there - I wish they used either the original single mixes or full-length LP versions where applicable.

My vote goes here:

― Steamtable Willie (WmC), Monday, January 2, 2012 1:36 PM

Dead image link now, so I'll rep again for The Smiths — Singles (1995)

No-one's mentioned Led Zeppelin yet. As a fairly casual Zep fan, the Mothership double CD has all I need.

does anyone remember these 'Winning Combination' CD compilations from the early 2000s that each featured hits by two different artists? Statistically, all of these are 50% more likely to be the greatest Greatest Hits collection than anything mentioned in the thread so far.

https://i.discogs.com/AW4ujzp9gJZwv9KqKHMIxJ8ay0Lk9qF3F4a4MUz6lMs/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:500/w:500/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTc4NDUw/MjItMTU0NzQxOTA4/MC04NzMwLmpwZWc.jpeg

https://i.discogs.com/wGY-uHAPqXjY0qahcvKDcVWrdCuk2eu7GJgaK2e91rw/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:508/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE3MTg0/OTk3LTE2MTIwNDE2/OTYtNDA4OS5qcGVn.jpeg

https://www.discogs.com/label/475351-Winning-Combinations?page=1

Sly & the Family Stone probably

I'm often intrigued by the timing of greatest hits collections — Santana's (which is 7x platinum, supposedly) contains only songs from his first three albums, and came out right at the end of two years of almost entirely instrumental jazz fusion albums. Sly's came out because he couldn't finish a full batch of new songs — according to Wikipedia, "'Hot Fun in the Summertime' was intended to be included on an in-progress album with 'Everybody Is a Star' and 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)'; the LP was never completed, and the three tracks were instead included on the band's 1970 Greatest Hits LP."

Sly & the Family Stone probably

https://i.imgur.com/UjzQzsv.png
This is my Todd go to, also the first stuff of his I ever heard. Perfection in selection and sequencing imho

The Sly suffers a little because it's pre-Riot. Around ten years later the put out a double-LP (eventually a single CD) called Anthology that duped the the Hits tracklist and added "Don't Call Me..." and the Riot & Fresh singles.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/anthology-mw0000199351

To state the obvious: if you're a fan...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_to_the_World:_Their_Greatest_Hits

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_of_3_Dog_Night

I have the first, not the second. Advantage of the second is the inclusion of "Out in the Country," but there's probably waste, too.

Disc one of the UK version of Bowie's 'The Singles Collection' covers 1969 to 1977, roughly in chronological order but has a few amendments to the running order for the sake of sequencing, and includes a non-album single ('John, I'm Only Dancing') and a live cover ('Knock On Wood').

Does Bowie have an ideal compilation? I own the 3CD version of Nothing Has Changed but I don't think that's actually a very good or representative best-of, and every other one seems to have some major omissions or weird choices, or both.

The double-disc Three Dog Night comp adds, in addition to "Out in the Country": "Celebrate," "Mama Told Me Not To Come," "Eli's Coming," "Easy to Be Hard," "Pieces of April," and "Try a Little Tenderness." To be honest, I could take or leave the last few of those, but those first few are pretty crucial --- I'd say it's pretty solidly their greatest Greatest Hits album.

Speaking of definitive 2xLP collections in the shadow of a more successful single-disc version: my real introduction to the Monkees was the two-disc, mail-order-only version of Then & Now... The Best of The Monkees from 1986. Absolutely wall-to-wall Monkees classics, and not saddled with the three new 80s recordings that appear on both the single-LP version and the otherwise more generous CD issue.

https://i.imgur.com/WLkLfkJ.jpeg

For Bowie I would say 'Changesbowie' is the best one.

(xpost) Ha! Almost did a direct shout-out to Doctor Casino on the Dog.

(And yes, "Mama Told Me Not to Come" is crucial, missed that--how did that ever get left off the single disc?)

I have the two-CD Celebrate set, which is packed and perhaps too much 3DN, but it manages to show how strong some of their album tracks were, the included prehistory is quality (including the Redwood version of "Time To Get Alone," produced by Brian Wilson), and the liner notes are very well-done.

The Sly suffers a little because it's pre-Riot. Around ten years later the put out a double-LP (eventually a single CD) called Anthology that duped the the Hits tracklist and added "Don't Call Me..." and the Riot & Fresh singles.

In terms of content, Anthology is a great compilation and probably their best. (Especially since they fit it on to one single CD.) Unfortunately, like Greatest Hits they used shitty-sounding fake stereo dubs of the three non-LP singles. Over time (a long time actually) true stereo mixes were eventually made one by one, and that's what you're likely to hear on newer compilations like Sly's own installment of Sony's Essential series. FWIW, I think their Essential set (which is a two-CD set) is overlong, diluting the impact of their best material.

Audio Fidelity's reissue of Greatest Hits goes for a lot of money and it was plagued by mistakes that took two recalls to fix, but it's probably my favorite compilation. I usually listen to Riot and Fresh in their entirety anyway (along with Stand!) so I don't mind how it cuts things off before Riot. The Audio Fidelity release has surround sound mixes that tbh I never listen to, but they also use the original mono mixes which for many of its tracks were THE hit mixes, so for that alone I prefer it over all other Sly compilations.

Re: Bowie, he deserved a box set modeled like James Brown's Star Time, but once Rykodisc released a more rarities-heavy set, it probably killed off the chances of that happening under their watch. Nothing Has Change is more like a Star Time box set but it's too short and misses too much essential stuff. I guess for new listeners, Changesbowie would be a good budget pick, though the really expensive gold CD edition is better simply because they use the original version of "Fame," not the remix done for the movie Pretty Woman. But now that CD prices have gone down the tubes, I'd recommend The Singles: 1969 to 1993 as the one to get if you only have one compilation you can listen to - I usually see it for less than $10, and it's TWO discs so it doesn't skip any of his classic studio albums and is more representative of each one.

Wow thanks for that info

No. Bowie's best comp is 1993's out of print Ryko The Singles Collection: every single through 1993. Essential.

maybe already mentioned, but i really love the Coltrane Atlantic Best Of comp.

https://i.imgur.com/UjzQzsv.png
This is my Todd go to, also the first stuff of his I ever heard. Perfection in selection and sequencing imho

Can't get the link to load, but I'm a newcomer to Todd and interested. What is it?

“The very best of TR”
He’s sitting barefoot on the floor in the dark and his name is written out in a kind of horror movie font

XP^^Rhino's The Very Best of Todd Rundgren, which features in the liners some funny comments from Todd about the nature of 'Greatest Hits' and how he doesn't necessarily agree that the included songs are truly his best stuff.

I haven’t heard this one but it looks pretty cool

https://store.rhino.com/en/rhino-store/artists/todd-rundgren/the-complete-u.s.-bearsville-and-warner-bros.-singles/603497853878.html

the chronological singles comp 84-89 A-sides, which certainly isn't a better lp than Wonderful & Frightening or Nation's or Bend Sinister, but tells a great parallel story of the Brix years

https://i.postimg.cc/7PjGs3kx/chicago.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/jdNWGDxy/carpenters.jpg

I like them both. Everything you'd ever need, just before they both ceased to be of interest. (Actually, the Chicago comp is at least one song into their useless MOR decade.) Probably two of the biggest selling compilations ever at one time.

I'm not a fan of Chicago (I tried), but a solid update of that Greatest Hits would be to include ALL the hits they had when they put out that record (up to and including "Old Days") and to use the full-length versions preferred by the band. IIRC to would be 18 tracks at just a hair under 80 minutes. Would be a definitive CD reissue.

They'll always be a Top 40 band for me ("Questions 67 and 68" to "Feelin' Stronger" version), so honestly, full-length versions would be the last thing I'd ever want.

Thanks for the Todd answers. Looked up the liner notes on Discogs, fun read. One track after another: "What, this song? Yeah, meh. The lyrics are awful, that's why it was a hit."

Does Bowie have an ideal compilation? I own the 3CD version of Nothing Has Changed but I don't think that's actually a very good or representative best-of, and every other one seems to have some major omissions or weird choices, or both.

that 3cd version is the greatest greatest hits collection

The three-disc version of Nothing Has Changed received critical acclaim, with many praising its reverse sequencing as offering a different way to enjoy the artist's career.

First one I was aware of was The Best of Roxy Music (2001) but I’m sure there were others earlier. The very idea of this bothered my linear-thinking brain no end when I first saw/heard it, but it does flow quite well.

There is Absolute Classic Masterpieces by Felt from 1992 but I figure there has to be an earlier example.

when all is said and done...

https://i.discogs.com/Sk7nQMoR8jHWb-Dp7FD3oh-wqFkmS4b1a0YxL3YU43U/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:574/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTgwNjk4/Mi0xMzQ1MDA4ODQ5/LTI3MTMuanBlZw.jpeg