best-ofs and boxed sets where the artist's best-known song is replaced by an alternate version ...

The `Stones compilation, Jump Back serves up a neutered rendition of "Miss You" (and probably a few other tracks).

The Rough Trade re-release of If I Die, I Die.. by the Virgin Prunes jettisons the original recording of "Baby Turns Blue" in favor of an unlistenable 'dance mix' (oh wait, that's not a best-of or box set, sorry).

There's a Fixx compilation which only boasts live renditions of the key tracks off of Shuttered Room.

Granted, it's not necessarily a "best of," but it LACKS "Eighties" entirely and staples on various "unreleased mixes" of various other tracks just to sucker in frothing completists like m'self. Bastids.

Skynyrd's Innyrds!! It has an "alternate recording" of "Free Bird". Lame! But it was also the first appearance of the previously unreleased "Truck Drivin' Man", so yay!

that's from "Sweet Jane". But that doesn't ruin the set at all.

The Best Of New Order:

True Faith-94
Bizarre Love Triangle-94
1963-94
Regret
Fine Time
The Perfect Kiss
Shellshock
Thieves Like Us
Vanishing Point
Run 2
Round & Round-94
World (The Price of Love)
Ruined In A Day
Touched By The Hand of God
Blue Monday 1988
World In Motion

Still better than Startime

Also, the "wine and roses" bit was added to the "Loaded" reissue not the box set I believe..

Anybody remember Lynyrd Skynyrd's old "Gold And Platinum" collection? It had nothing at all (not "Freebird", even) from their first LP, substituting live versions of the best-known ones. And I've always wondered: why is that? If their first LP was on a different label that refused them use of the originals (as RCA did with Styx) it would be understandable. But ALL of Skynyrd's LPs, including the debut, were on MCA so WTF?

Foreigner's "Records" substitues a live "Hot Blooded." David Bowie's "Changesbowie" has a remixed "Fame". The Police recorded a brand-new version of (I think) "Don't Stand So Close To Me" for their hits collectioni. And all those comps (in theory & in pracice) SUCK SUCK SUCK! I wish to praise compilations that have absolutely NOTHING new on 'em: No brand new songs, no remixes/alternate takes, no non-LP singles, nothing. Moderate fans can happily buy them; and HUGE fans can happily ignore 'em, and not be grudgingly forced to pay a lot for one or two otherwise unavailable tracks. All those rarities should be given their very own collection.

A massively superior version of "I Want You To Want Me" and an alternate version of "If You Want My Love" with an extra bridge.

Beats all the upthread cases where a worse version appears.

mmmh, i like those comps...we sell lots of that stuff in the store. and I feel like a small criminal everytime it happens.

Horrible. And completely annoying.

But what about "Sinatra's Sinatra" on Reprise? More hooray than boo, I say.

The Who replaced many of the early tracks (eg. Substitute) with live versions because of the Shel Talmy dispute. It's OK though, because you can tell Roger Daltrey's doing his 'marching up and down' dance.

The new Lou Reed 1 CD NYC Man has remixes at the end. I don't know if they replace the originals though.

The Supremes box set replaces quite a few famous tracks.

I think the Jimi Hendrix box set contains nothing but.

they screwed up the tracklist at (the) factory.

Yeah, but within the confines of a box set i think that's okay. I mean, if you bought the box, chnces are you have a greatest hits already, and are looking to go *deeper*...

Worse offenders are the Ultimate Collection series they did in 1998, which substituted odd remixes and alternate takes for no reason i could adequetly understand (though they all sounded pretty good).

(What? Isn't this a C/D thread? ;) )

'Stretch Out and Wait' is the original B-side version, no? It was The World Won't Listen that provided a new alternate version, which I agree is slightly nicer.

Similarly with 'These Things Take Time' - the version there is the original studio version as found on the B-side of 'What Difference Does It Make'. The one on Hatful Of Hollow is the Peel Session.

Why does every Smiths CD have a different version of "Ask"??

I didn't know this, but I haven't got any of the WEA compilations. How are they different?

Thirty Years of Maximim R&B has live versions of "Substitute" and "See Me Feel Me" and edits of "Seeker", "Who Are You" and a couple of other tracks. It has a LOT of problems beyond these too if I remember correctly, but these leap out from the tracklist.

And "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" to thread, to thread, to thread.

On a related note, I was so pissed when Husker Du's live compilation came out with no "Makes No Sense At All". The liner notes came up with some pathetic excuse (a la "oh, this was the way the band really was, and isn't this oh so interesting?").

So instead, I'll praise Sam and Dave's "Hold On,,,I'm a-Comin" for its beautifully simplicity and James Brown's supertight "Mother Popcorn".

Uh, SORRY about that...I should've posted that to the "Best Horn Riff" thread. Whatever WAS I thinking?!