Best Of Collections - Classic or "only for children and housewives"

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Do SERIOUS MUSIC FANS buy these?

― Whiskeytown Littlecock (ex machina), Friday, 30 July 2004 12:35 (twenty-one years ago)

PS - before I'm accused of sexism I think I'm paraphrasing something I heard/read!

― Whiskeytown Littlecock (ex machina), Friday, 30 July 2004 12:37 (twenty-one years ago)

And Dads. Let's not forget Dads.

― Wooden (Wooden), Friday, 30 July 2004 12:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Would you call Tico Tico a serious music fan?

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 30 July 2004 12:39 (twenty-one years ago)

People think people only buy best-ofs because they can't be bothered to investigate further. Not true: best-ofs are usually great introductions, and sometimes really are the "best of". They also work well is time capsules, and can often put their songs in different lights than we're used to hearing them. Obviously, not all kinds of music translate well to the format, but for most rock and pop, the concept is absolutely classic.

― dleone (dleone), Friday, 30 July 2004 12:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, what do you do with a "Best Of" when you wanna learn more?!!?

― Whiskeytown Littlecock (ex machina), Friday, 30 July 2004 12:53 (twenty-one years ago)

i think some stores buy back CDs to resell them for a profit.

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Friday, 30 July 2004 12:56 (twenty-one years ago)

unless it's the steve miller band greatest hits CD, no store will buy that.

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Friday, 30 July 2004 12:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Classic. Yes, they serve as a great introduction to an artist whether you are a "Serious Music Fan" or not. I am likely a SMF, and have picked up a few 'best of's in my time. They are very useful for artists with big catalogues of stuff. If a particular best-of collection doesn't wow you, then no real harm done. If you like it, great - sometimes the 'best of' is all you really need. If you LOVE it, then you will likely go and get actual albums, which is kinda the point, right?

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Friday, 30 July 2004 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 30 July 2004 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

compare and contrast : TS: Greatest Hits vs. Super Hits vs. The Best of vs. The Very Best of vs. The Essential vs. The Anthology

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 30 July 2004 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

sorry about the double post

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 30 July 2004 12:59 (twenty-one years ago)

So you should be.

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Friday, 30 July 2004 13:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think Best Ofs are limited to being introductions: they can be sufficient for some artists. And sometimes owning only one of an artist's albums is too limited, but I'm not up for investing in more than that. THUS A "BEST OF" GRaCES MY COLLEXION\!

― thorJESUHOY (Thor), Friday, 30 July 2004 13:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Dud: the "Best Of" an artist with only one or two albums.

― briania (briania), Friday, 30 July 2004 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, what do you do with a "Best Of" when you wanna learn more?!!?

It's unlikely that you would duplicate every track on the Best Of unless you really get into the artist and buy everything in their catalogue. Even then, the Best Of can serve a useful purpose because sometimes you might feel like listening to that particular collection of tracks rather than one of the regular albums.

For instance, I recently bought the Fall Best Of "50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong" even though I already had a few of their albums. But since the Fall have so many albums, and I knew I was never going to buy even half of them, and assuming it's reasonably well chosen, it's nice to have some of those tracks that I would never own by other means.

― o. nate (onate), Friday, 30 July 2004 13:48 (twenty-one years ago)

for most chart bands (top 40) where the album was a few good singles and a LOT of filler - best of's are def the way to go.

― rentboy (rentboy), Friday, 30 July 2004 13:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Best of's also do a good job collecting non-album singles, which is esp. useful for older artists. I'll hesitantly go "classic", even if I tend to avoid them (giving up a few good hits in favor of a long-play feel).

― JC-L (JC-L), Friday, 30 July 2004 13:54 (twenty-one years ago)

That's a great point. Sometimes its the only way to get non-album singles.

― o. nate (onate), Friday, 30 July 2004 13:55 (twenty-one years ago)

You mean you guys don't wanna buy the BATMAN FOREVER soundtrack!?!??!

― Whiskeytown Littlecock (ex machina), Friday, 30 July 2004 14:01 (twenty-one years ago)

there's probably some kind of fearsome mathematical formula you could use to calculate how to get the most fall songs with the least overlap by only buying fall compilations. it would also work for él records.

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Friday, 30 July 2004 14:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Then of course there are the artists who predate the Long-Player format. In those cases, best-of anthologies are the only way to go unless you are going to find the original 78s.

― o. nate (onate), Friday, 30 July 2004 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Single Collections != Best Of Collections

― Whiskeytown Littlecock (ex machina), Friday, 30 July 2004 14:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I have pretty much all the Tom Waits albums now but I still stick on "Beautiful Maladies: The Best of the Island Years" as it is so compact and contains many of my favourites.

The best "best of" I can think of is the Emperor one which has pretty much every song I've ever liked by them plus a whole bunch of excellent and essential rarities on the back.

― dog latin (dog latin), Friday, 30 July 2004 14:22 (twenty-one years ago)

It's "Greatest Hits are for housewives and little girls!"

― caspar (caspar), Friday, 30 July 2004 14:32 (twenty-one years ago)

But isn't it the little girls who understand?

― flowersdie (flowersdie), Friday, 30 July 2004 14:46 (twenty-one years ago)

i think it depends. i dont think it's a good idea to buy a greatest hits Dylan album, but i think my Abba best of is really great.

― AaronK (AaronK), Friday, 30 July 2004 14:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I have the best of the Pogues. I don't really want anything else by them. Goes for Madness too.

― dog latin (dog latin), Friday, 30 July 2004 14:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Depends on the performer, obv. Some are too limited, lazy, or unambitious to produce more than a handful of great tracks in a year (or several years.) But if everything goes right, those great ones will catch on with the public and become big hits, the songs for which the performer will be remembered. And if that's the case, a nonstop barrage of all those greats back-to-back can be darn-near ecstasy, esp. if you're of the "popular music is about SINGLES, not albums" school. Speaking personally, I can name several "best-ofs" by lesser artists (Joni Mitchell, Sly & the Family Stone, Coasters among them) that give me more enjoyment than even my favourites' best albums. The Minutemen were favourites of mine, and (in my opinion) better than the Buzzcocks, but Singles Going Steady towers over any Minutemen LP.

EXTREME DUD: Hits compilations with a brand-new song or two, forcing completist fans to basically pay the price of an LP for a single new song. Well, that USED to be a problem, but in this age of filesharing and ipods, it seems kinda quaint.

One crucial point: If we're talking about best-ofs that consist entirely of singles that otherwise never appeared on any album (much more common in the UK than here in North America, or at least they used to be), then there's no reason why "serious music fans" shouldn't give them the same consideration as any other LP by the same performer, all things being equal. Unless said fans are snobs who consider anything as crassly commercial as a hit single unworthy of purchase.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Friday, 30 July 2004 16:09 (twenty-one years ago)

The Case For:

Billy Idol
Culture Club
James
Joan Jett
Happy Mondays (oooooh shocka)
etc

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Friday, 30 July 2004 17:35 (twenty-one years ago)

There are singles acts and there are albums acts.

Any decent compilation by David Bowie would be a great album, and it would still be pointless to buy it as there is so much more out there. Same goes for The Beatles' "1" obviously. However, invest a single CD compilation by some 60s Motown act, you will have a truly great album and still more or less everything you need by said act. Same also goes for most 70s glam stars other than Bowie and possibly Bolan.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 30 July 2004 18:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Depends on the artist, really.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 1 August 2004 15:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I love it when it's a band's entire discography on one CD. Those are my favorite "best ofs".

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Sunday, 1 August 2004 16:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm trying to figure out if Jon first heard this from Kids In The Hall or from a Pitchfork review that quoted it or from someone quoting that Pitchfork review.

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 1 August 2004 16:48 (twenty-one years ago)

some people have better things to do and spend their money on then lots o' music. I just turned 8 Giant Sand albums into a 1 1/2 CD-R best of. I regret nothing.

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 1 August 2004 16:49 (twenty-one years ago)

>lesser artists (Joni Mitchell, Sly & the Family Stone, Coasters among them

Uhh, Sly and the Family Stone were "lesser artists"? In what universe? I mean you can't even buy a decent-sounding version of this lesser artist's somewhat good "There's a Riot Goin' On," but you can get a two-CD set that has most of it, but not all of it. So in this case, best-of is a dud. But for a lot of careers best-ofs are totally cool. However, I don't believe the Abba best of has "Suzy Hang-Around" on it, and that really gripes me.

― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Sunday, 1 August 2004 20:50 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.