No! They're not like that at all! Compilations which mislead.

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I was listening to a Can compilation last night. It's the free 'sampler' which was given away when Mute re-issued all the albums a few years ago. There are 7 Can tracks and one each from Czukay, Karoli, Jaki L. and Schmidt solo albums. The Can tracks give a completely wrong impression of 'what Can are like', avoiding all the tedious pissing about and most of the madman hollering. Instead Can are presented as polyrhythmic, funky and coherent. MUCH better than the real thing!

So are there any other compilations which totally misrepresent what the artist is 'really' like, making them sound much better or worse than they are?

― Dr. C, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Trax on said Can comp. include Pinch/Sunshine Day and Night/Red Hot Indians/Deadlock/Moonshake/Pinch

― Dr. C, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Any comp with a title which starts "The Very Best Of..."

― Jeff, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Any Cleopatra Records comp. that claims to be a 'tribute' ?

― Dare, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

95% of the Beach boys compilations.

The "Good Vibrations" box set is practically the only thing that might disqualify as a misrepresentative collection.

― Brian MacDonald, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I gotta disagree. The Very Best of Curtis Mayfield is aboot as good as an album can get.

― Vic Funk, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Compilations of Lloyd Cole are - by definition - good; but they still don't tell the newcomer just how ace Lloyd really is.

― the pinefox, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Wasn't there a 'best of Blondie' last year which featured tons of tracks off their last album, plus some 2000 live tracks?

Back To Mono, the Spector compilation on CD, is absolute shit. Sorry to come over all music purist, but none of the songs sound remotely similar to the original vinyl. This is a complaint that could be levelled at almost any 'best of' CD collections featuring artists who created music before CDs came into play.

Other than that, check anything that says 'best of Motown' etc. It won't be. Best Of U2 (etc) seems rather a contradiction in terms, too. And I got sent a Vice Squad Greatest His recently that didn't even feature Latex Love.

― Jerry, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Jerry, are you saying "Back to Mono" sounds like shit on CD, or sounds like shit compared to the originals? I've got the box set on vinyl, and it sounds nice, but of course I'm not gonna track down those 45's to compare it to.

― Sean, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Krafwerk's "The Mix". I feel sorry for anyone who's introduction to Kraftwerk was this disc.

― Brian MacDonald, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Can without all the pissing around and madman hollering = not really Can at all. Can without all the pissing around and madman hollering also = not as classic! I'd be interested to know what albums and tracks you have in mind... to me, Can are a fine example of how a "jam band" can have fairly tightly-structured (or, in many cases, spliced together) jams without resorting to pointless noodling.

― Clarke B., Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I agree, Brian. Radio-Activity was a real letdown after the genius of The Mix.

The Best of the Velvet Underground includes "Heroin" but leaves out anything else remotely noisy. No "Venus in Furs," no "Black Angel" or "European Son," and definitely no "Sister Ray."

― sundar subramanian, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

VU best-ofs always ghastly - if anyone was a band of extremes, they were, but it's the middling famous plodders that get anthologised every time.

My introduction to Kraftwerk was The Mix and it was ace.

In a special subcategory are those three-CDs-for-a-tenner dance compilations - "ESSENTIAL SPEED GARAGE VOL.2" etc. - which always have just enough tracks you've heard of on for you to be tempted. Sometimes though even these are fantastic - my cheapo Chicago House comp is one of my best-beloved records, But for more recent scenes they're to be resisted.

― Tom, Wednesday, 26 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Back To Mono sounds absolutely fine on vinyl. It's the CD version I'm complaining about.

― Jerry, Wednesday, 26 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I gave Funkadelic's 'Music For Your Mother' to MY mother, who didn't like it at all. In fact, she said "Where the fuck is the long version of 'Maggot Brain'?"

― dave q, Wednesday, 26 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I agree, Brian. Radio-Activity was a real letdown after the genius of The Mix.
-- sundar subramanian (sundar_subramanian2001@yahoo.ca), September 25, 2001

Fuck yeah.

― Kodanshi, Wednesday, 26 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

anything by f'n billy idol....year after year his bloody greatest hits always have the same songs... is there like 20 versions of white wedding

― max dagenais, Friday, 28 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Of course they have the same songs. He hasn't had any more hits.

― Sean, Friday, 28 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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