This is SO hard because I'd say, 90% of my collection is GH comps. I'll hold off for a while on buying a greatest hits collection if my favorite song is not included. For example: Madonna's "Emmaculate Collection" doesn't include "Everybody". (Bought it anyway.) Prince's "Hit/B-Sides" doesn't include "Sexy Dancer"! (Bought it anyway, of course.)

k

said:

I think the imported Limited Edition 2-CD version of DOAD is great. I give it brownie points for including "Young Love," "Diamonds (Cool Summer Edit)," "French Blue" and "Don't Stand Another Chance." It would have been stellar if it had also added "Say You Do" and the original version of "The Best Things In Life Are Free" from the Mo' Money SDTK (and were released domestically!).

I would've dug "Come Give Your Love To Me" and some rare tracks such as "The Skin Game," "You Need Me" and non-album material like "70's Love Groove" and "One More Chance," too.

What's up with no "Two To The Power of Love"? LMAO! J/K.

VoicesCarry said:

The worst culprit was Simple Minds' 'Glittering Prize' best of CD. It didn't even have the song "Glittering Prize" on it!!! WTF!!!

sextonseven said:

Lol, there have been worse collections.

In general the 2-disc Essential Collections that Columbia has been releasing over the past several years have been superb.

JANFAN4L said:

Cliff Richard should have had more top 10 hits in the states. lol.

Isn't it strange how artists who might deserve a 2CD best of disc won't get it (maybe the label thought it would be too expensive for consumers), but others will go for decades only releasing multi-disc sets and never release a single disc one--like X (not one, but two double disc collections and no single disc best of in sight--I don't like X that much!) and Talking Heads (two multi-disc best of sets before a single disc was finally released last month for the first time). GRRRR!!!

VoicesCarry said:

I have the Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash ones. I like those.

i'm not a fan of greatest hits and i own very few. out of the few i do own i'd have to say the tori amos "tales of a librarian" is the best. it is not merel a collection of songs but a true chronicle of a career and a revamping of those previously released tracks. the reaosn i never get into best of or greatest hits collections is because i tend to have the material alreay. with tori's collection it was like she showed us these songs we knew when they were kids and now they're all grown up. the "extras" make the songs sound more mature and add slightly new flavors to them. some strings here and there, extra verses on occasion, subtle nuances that expand the song's experience. it is the ony greatest hits collection i fequently listen to.

Thunderbird said:

Umm. OK.

VoicesCarry said:

I agree! Those sets are an example of how it should be done.Great starter kits for the uninitiated....

Out of all I have, these are the ones I like best...

Elvis Presley - Elv1s 30 #1 Hits
The Jackson 5 - Anthology 2 Disc Set

Jeffrey Osborne's Ultimate Collection was a pleasant surprise. I had been waiting for a release like that for ages, and every song I really liked was on it.

I also love George Michael's Ladies and Gentlemen, The Temptations' Ultimate Collection, Chicago's Only The Beginning and One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers.

Negative points:
Cheryl Lynn's greatest hits collection -- for including the 12" disco version of the boring "Star Love", and slighting us with 7" versions of "Got To Be Real" and "Encore".
Gloria Estefan's 1992 greatest hits collection -- for omitting some great Miami Sound Machine material (I even had to buy the import version to get "Bad Boy").

I kinda dig Parliament's Tear The Roof Off. 2 discs, all full length versions, even the extended 12'' version of Flashlight. Of course one MUST have at least Mothership Connection and Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome in their entirety to be any kind of P-Funk fan.

I dunno the answer to your question,but I have some I love:
queen
bob marley
fishbone
u2
duran duran
sly and family stone
earth wind and fire
heatwave
kool and the gang
cameo
isley brothers
no doubt
funkadelic
parliament
digital underground(i hate the remixes,though)
jesse johnson
soundgarden
the clash
thomas dolbyjourney and foreignor(i know!)
steel pulse

DavidEye said:

You're right!

But if a box set is all someone released I guess that'll work too.

I forgot about steely dan,war,and debarge..oh and switch!

SassyBritches said:

What kept me from buying this album is the exclusion of "Caught A Lite Sneeze." What happened?

rockwilder said:

Classic Queen or Greastest Hits 1 & 2?


Essential Fishbone or Fishbone 101: Nuttasaurusmeg Fossil Fuelin'?


Greatest Hits, Anthology or Essesential Sly & The Family Stone?


The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol.1, The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol.2, Greatest Hits or Essential EW&F?


The Best of Kool & the Gang 1969-1976, Celebration-Best of 1979-1987, All-Time Greatest Hits or The Very Best of Kool & the Gang?


Funkadelic released a greatest hits album? Tell me what it is!!


The Singles, Essential Clash or Clash On Broadway?

the best of sade is perfection

Thunderbird said:

you know, i noticed that hey jupiter AND caught a lite sneeze are missing yet way down and mr. zebra are included. i didn't quite get that...but, it is still the best best of i've ever purchased.

SassyBritches said:

That way there's always something else to buy - boo, Tori!!! I'll be sticking with Choirgirl and Venus.

A friend played The Cranberries greatest hits for me the other day & I was very impressed. Never bought any of their music before so this was almost all new music for me. Pretty damn good.

Rolling Stones Hot Rocks was a greatest hits collection I played until the vinyl gave out. And that was my first Rolling Stones album I ever bought.

War has the best greatest hits album to me. It's two discs but the first discs has all my favorites. Plus, it's no short versions.
Disc One:

1. Spill the Wine
2. Tobacco Road
3. All Day Music
4. Slippin' into Darkness
5. World Is a Ghetto
6. Cisco Kid
7. City, Country, City
8. Gypsy Man
9. Me and Baby Brother
10. Why Can't We Be Friends?
11. Low Rider
12. Summer
13. Galaxy 2000
14. Outlaw
15. You Got the Power
16. East L.A.

Disc 2 is all remix stuff. My favorite greatest hits I own:

The Blackbyrds-Greatest Hits
Roy Ayers-The Best Of Roy Ayers
Zapp & Roger-All The Greatest Hits
After 7-The Very Best Of After 7 (which is damn near perfect)
AWB-Pickin' Up The Pieces

The Beatles- 1

and their best music wasnt even on it.. but amazing music was..

shows how much a group can grow.. even when the carrot was danglin on the stick

fuckin incredible work... like a cocoon, the growth in just htis cd to the end...

TheOrgerFormerlyKnownAs said:

Co-sign

I own this one, and you are right, it is excellent.


S

TheOrgerFormerlyKnownAs said:

Do you have the "Latina Collection" by WAR?

Thunderbird said:

nah, you can't really blame her. atlantic had more of a say about what goes on than she did.

BLASPHEEEEEMEEEEER!!! How dare she leave off her best song; "Caught A Light Sneeze". I'll never forgive her.
Sounds petty...but I just can't enjoy this album fully, knowing that song isn't on there.



Ok..she made up for it with "Scarlet's Walk".

sextonseven said:

Essential and I have The Story of The Clash somewhere.

lookit that f'n face...god-damn she pops my coochie!!!!

and, really chico, the set is amazing. the reworking of the older songs, albeit slight if even noticable, is fantastic. on some of the songs you ask yourself "why didn't you do that the first time?"

you should check it out...the new songs are nice, too, by the way.

oh, and way down has a whole new section to it with a choir...very nice!

.
[Edited 9/22/04 19:40pm]

sextonseven said:

The essential ewf 2 disc is the bomb and the both the kool and the gang cd's are cool.The Commodores anthology is pretty great ,too and i love Sly and Family anthology.