Say an artist releases a greatest hits package, and then say some years later releases another one which contains basically the same songs.  Lots of artists do this, and it always confuses me.  What are some?



Here's one:  In 2004, Groove Armada released a compilation titled "The Best of".  Now in late 2007, they have released another compilation titled "Greatest Hits" which is basically a re-vamped version of "The Best of" to include the hits from their album "Soundboy Rock" (released earlier this year) which is the only album they released in the time between the two hits albums.  So is this "Greatest Hits" album unnecessary?  Yes.  Did I still buy it?  Yes LOL

http://www.mtv.com/shared/media/images/amg_covers/200/drg400/g485/g48519k65ma.jpg http://www.sonybmgmusic.co.uk/graphics/releases/fullsize/614.jpg

Here's another one:

In 2002, New Order released a single disc greatest hits album titled "International".  That same year, they also released a box set called "Retro" (not pictured below) which contained 5 discs of their hits.  Then in late 2005, they released a double disc greatest hits album titled "Singles".  In the time between these releases, they only released 1 album titled "Waiting For the Sirens Call" which came out in early 2005.  I have 5 different New Order hits compilations LOL  In this instance, it's a case of too many greatest hits albums and not enough regular albums

http://www.enkiri.com/joy/records/international1.jpg http://www.enkiri.com/joy/records/singles1.jpg

As much as I like them, Alice in Chains is a band that has too many compilation/greatest hits CDs. The group only had 3 full length CDs, 2 LPs and an Unplugged performance:

1990 - Facelift (first full length CD)
1991 - Sap  (has 4 songs plus a unlistenable hidden track)
1992 - Dirt (second full length CD)
1993 - Jar of Flies (7 song LP)
1995 - Alice in Chains (third full length CD)
1996 - Unplugged (live performance, 1 new song)

But, you will find all of this after:

1999: Music Bank (box set - new songs plus videos) -Good
1999: Nothing Safe (best of the box set)
2000: Live (Columbia must have realized they were getting burned by bootlegs and released this as a desperate attempt to cash in - too bad half of the songs here are extremely poor performance or audio quality)
2001: Greatest Hits - 10 songs that are great, but there is nothing new and nothing from the two LPs either.
2004: The Essential Alice in Chains - this 2 disk set is essentially worthless for AiC fans.

Music Bank was the definitive GH compilation and Live *should* have done it with rare/live concert recordings. (Music Bank), Nothing Safe, Greatests Hits and Essential AiC - it's pretty sad to have more "greatest hits" albums than actual albums.

Ant

The Carpenters have had their music re packaged many, many, many, many, many, many times. So have Donna Summer and ABBA.

I think think labels or record companies repackage stuff over and over and call it a greatest hits or best of collection.

I like to have more than one greatest hits/best of CDs by an artist. Sometimes there is a song that didn't make it on the first one.
Some of mine are:
Van Halen: Best Of Volume I, Best Of Both Worlds
Bon Jovi: Crossroads, This Left Feels Right
Styx: Greatest Hits volume I and II
Cheap Trick:The Greatest Hits, Authorized Greatest Hits.
KISS: The Very Best Of KISS, Greatest KISS

Heart has a couple.  They throw in live/alternate versions on some to mix it up a bit, but it's quite annoying.

The Carpenters have had their music re packaged many, many, many, many, many, many times.


And for whatever reason, A&M (or Universal, or whatever they're called) can never get it right...always using the wrong mixes of certain tracks (and for that, you can blame Richard Carpenter, who can never seem to leave things alone!)

Queen Elton has also trotted out one compilation too many for my liking...

I don't like when the record companies release new collections to replace an old-school one (which is usually superior anyway, and works just fine). This seems to especially happen in the last few years, to replace the original hits collections artists had from the '80s.

The only times I think it's a good thing is (1) if they've had alot of new material since the older collection came out, or (2) it's a more comprehensive collection, like a two-disc set. Otherwise it's pointless.

Why do some artists release a greatest hits after just 2 albums? What's next? A greatest hits after just 1 album?  :D

Why do some artists release a greatest hits after just 2 albums? What's next? A greatest hits after just 1 album?  :D


There was a late 90s Canadian group in Canada called The Boomtang Boys who did a funny take on this.  Their debut album was titled "Greatest Hits Volume One" ;D

Why do some artists release a greatest hits after just 2 albums? What's next? A greatest hits after just 1 album?  :D


Do you mean like Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys? It seems like they knew their career would be over soon and had to get one out before that.

I remember when an artist had maybe be 6-10 albums before they released a greatest hits.

Three of my favorites from the '80s, New Order, The Smiths, and Depeche Mode are big offendors.  Look at their discographies!  Compilations of best-ofs, hits, and remix comps are in ridiculous numbers.  The Smiths started doing this crap even before the band broke up, and they were only together for five years!
::)

Often times the "best of" album was a band's swansong.  Case in point, A Flock of Seagulls.  "OK lads, no one wants to listen to your new crap, but we've got a contract so we're going to repackage your old stuff!"

Often times the "best of" album was a band's swansong.  Case in point, A Flock of Seagulls.  "OK lads, no one wants to listen to your new crap, but we've got a contract so we're going to repackage your old stuff!"


The group Triumph did this.  They called it quits in 1988, but still contractually owed MCA one more album, so they released a best of package titled "Classics" which they just threw together because it didn't even include all of their hits

The Smiths started doing this crap even before the band broke up, and they were only together for five years!

they even released their first complation the year they released their debut.

but i like all the comps they've come out with. they're all very different.

Record companies try and ride the gravy train as long as they can. They try to cash in on the once popular
band by releasing greatest hits or best of albums, often with one or two previously unreleased songs with
hopes that the sucker....I mean fan...will by the album to complete the set.

I own a few greatest hits albums simply because I might like a few songs by a particular artist, this way I don't have
to waste space in my collection with multible albums when I only like a few songs.  ;D

Heart has a couple.  They throw in live/alternate versions on some to mix it up a bit, but it's quite annoying.


IF thats the case then there should really be only 2 songs on their greatest hits.

what other songe have they released besides Barracuda and "all I wanna do is make love to you " ?

IF thats the case then there should really be only 2 songs on their greatest hits.

what other songe have they released besides Barracuda and "all I wanna do is make love to you " ?


These Dreams, Alone, Magic Man, Crazy On You, etc all made it pretty big.

They also did "Ring Them Bells" with Layne Staley from Alice in Chains. I have it on bootleg. It is a very good song.

Ant

Fair enough.

I have actually heard these dreams and  I didnt know it was from Heart.

They also did "Never", "What About Love" and "Stranded".  Granted, I think those songs are awful, but they did chart here in America and I think they're mixing them up on all sorts of compilations.  :)

Yeah, I know I'll probably get hell for this, but I could never get the big deal about Heart's earlier stuff. Too heavy and raw. Whereas their mid-late '80s songs sound like Journey or a softer form of hair metal....that's more my style. In fact, I remember hearing "These Dreams" on the radio for the first time when I was 4 and a half, on my way to preschool lol.

Yeah, I know I'll probably get hell for this, but I could never get the big deal about Heart's earlier stuff. Too heavy and raw. Whereas their mid-late '80s songs sound like Journey or a softer form of hair metal....that's more my style. In fact, I remember hearing "These Dreams" on the radio for the first time when I was 4 and a half, on my way to preschool lol.
Obviously, I prefer the earlier stuff, but I dig these girls, so it's cool that they've made some stuff that you enjoy.

Blame the record companies....
The Smiths
PAINT A VULGAR PICTURE
At the record company meeting
On their hands - a dead star
and ooh, the plans that they weave
and ooh, the sickening greed
At the record company party
on their hands - a dead star
the sycophantic slags all say:
"I knew him first, and I knew him well"
Re-issue! Re-package! Re-package!
Re-evaluate the songs
double pack with a photograph
Extra Track (and a tacky badge)
A-list, playlist
"Please them, please them!"
"please them, please them!"
(sadly, THIS was your life)
but you could have said no
if you'd wanted to
BPI, MTV, BBC
"Please them!, Please them!"
(sadly, this was your life)
but you could have said no
if you'd wanted to
you could have walked away
...couldn't you?
I touched you at the soundcheck
you had no real way of knowing
in my heart I begged "please, take me with you...
I don't care where you're going..."
But to you I was faceless
I was fawning, I was boring
just a child from those ugly new houses
who could never begin to know
who could never really know
Best of! Most of!
Satiate the need
slip them into different sleeves!
Buy both, and be deceived
climber - new entry, re-entry

Note the name of the Red Hot Chili Peppers first "greatest" release.
"What Hits?"
"Greatest Hits? What Hits?" - Anthony Kiedis, as quoted when WEA asked him what the name of their new greatest hits album to be released should be called.

Why do some artists release a greatest hits after just 2 albums? What's next? A greatest hits after just 1 album?  :D


alot of artists in the 50's, 60's and 70's released greatest hits albums after only about 2 or 3 albums because they acccumulated alot of non-albums singles.

These Dreams, Alone, Magic Man, Crazy On You, etc all made it pretty big.

They also did "Ring Them Bells" with Layne Staley from Alice in Chains. I have it on bootleg. It is a very good song.

Ant
Heart did a song with Layne Staley? What an odd pearing.

Heart did a song with Layne Staley? What an odd pearing.
VH1 has this concert series where they pair older artists with contemporary counterparts.  I'm assuming the guys from Alice In Chains are Heart fans as Jerry Cantrell and the guys (minus Layne Staley, obviously), are playing with them and have a q&a session backstage.  If you're into Heart at all, its worth looking up.  I also know they played Barracuda on the VH1 Rock Honors with Gretchen Wilson.

  To some the release of a greatest hits compilation is a sin.  A tasteless, tacky, desparate move...

  Among Sammy Hagar's many disagreements with Eddie VH was the decision to release Van Halen's first greatest hits album...

Cracked (the Poor Man's MAD) did an article on unnecessary Greatest Hits Albums.

http://www.cracked.com/article_15714_9-most-unnecessary-greatest-hits-all-time.html

Kelly Clarkson also attacked fellow Texan Hillary Duff for releasing a G.H.A. too soon.

While they're overdone, I have to disagree about the idea of greatest hits albums themselves being bad. They're perfect for either casual fans, as well as people who are just starting to discover a certain singer or band.

When I didn't have as much money to spend on albums (like around age 11 to 15), lots of times that's how I got into stuff. And it almost always made me a bigger fan, to the point where I WANTED to go and get the studio albums.

Like, for '80s bands that I started getting into during the '90s.

  And I agree with your disagreement concerning the appeal of hits compilations.  I think Rhino does a superb job on those...

  From the standpoint of a loyal fan, or maybe even members of the band itself (Sammy Hagar) the release of a compilation could be seen as a sign of creative bankruptcy and, furthermore, an advertisment of it to the world...

  That sounds about right for Sammy, who ever refuses to say die..!

I probably wouldn't have gotten into many artists back before broadband internet without greatest hits. My interest in greatest hits waned ever since I got broadband internet and could download single songs from artists I'd know very little about at good speed.

Heart did a song with Layne Staley? What an odd pearing.


Not really: they are both from Seattle.

Here's the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sD1X7Gp75A

(note that this is not an official video: the song was not a tribute to Layne Staley)

Ant

Virgin/EMI has just released a UB40 collection simply titled 'Greatest Hits'

http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/5826/20f005f20flx9.jpg

It collects some of the best songs by UB40, many which can already be found on their three previous greatest hits albums ...

♦ The Best of UB40 - Volume One
♦ The Best of UB40 - Volume Two
♦ The Very Best of UB40 (1980-2000)

'Greatest Hits' features no new songs, but I will give it props for it's inclusion of Groovin' (Out on Life) which was a North American only single release that became a minor US hit in 1990.  'Greatest Hits' also marks the debut of their 2003 hit 'Swing Low' in Canada (not sure about the USA); that song's original parent album 'Homegrown' was never officially released in Canada

Furthermore, with only 21 songs on the CD and considering that the group have attained over 50 hits in their native UK, to call this a 'Greatest Hits' would require atleast a 2 CD set.