Best-Ofs

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Best-Ofs and Greatest Hits may be uncool, but I've always had a soft spot for them. (Yeah, I know they're for tourists, so what?) Which are the 'best' best-Ofs and why? Which bands have had horribly botched, unrepresentative or pointless best-ofs? Which artists haven't got, but need a best-of?

One which really annoys me is Happy Monday's 'Loads' for one reason - they put an awful, unnecessary remix of 'Kinky Afro' on there, when the orginal version is perfect. Anybody heard this monstrosity?

Artists who need a best-of : Sonic Youth (2CD please). The Chills (All of Kaliedoscope World + other early tracks , remixed Brave Words, and cherry-picked trax from the later albums). I guess that makes it a 2CD set at least! Talking of the Chills, a Flying Nun label retrospective could be good.

― Dr. C, Wednesday, 28 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm not fan of the "Best of" genre. Good ones are Aphex Twin's "Classics", Derrick May's "Innovator", Kevin Saunderson's "Faces & Phases" and of course "ABBA Gold". Who needs a best of? Model 500's "Classics" was allright but should be re-issued as a double cd.

― Omar, Wednesday, 28 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

EDITORIAL INTRUSION: We had a best best-ofs thread really recently I think so maybe we should limit this to worst best-ofs, a la the Mondays one. And artists who need a best-of.

Public Enemy's best of would be pretty ace. In fact hip-hop best-ofs are a recent and much-to-be-encouraged trend. I use compilations as a kind of legal Napster quite often - I get an overview and if I like it enough I work my way round to the albums.

― Tom, Wednesday, 28 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

sy have a best-of of their 80s stuff called _screaming fields of sonic love_.

― sundar subramanian, Wednesday, 28 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think Dinosaur Jr need a best of.

― jel, Wednesday, 28 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Dinosaur Jr have a collection of early singles called "Fossils"

― Michael Bourke, Wednesday, 28 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

the chills already released a greatest hits record called 'heavenly pop hits', came out about 4 years ago. and flying nun has released a bunch of compilations, getting older was their 15 year retrospective and since they have not released anything worthwhile since another would be pointless.

― keith, Wednesday, 28 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'd forgotten all about Heavenly Pop Hits and the Flying Nun comp. Must be losing it.

― Dr. C, Thursday, 1 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Bizarely, a remix of brave words WILL be coming out really soon, re- titled "Spoken Bravely" for reasons to tedious to go into.

― cw, Thursday, 1 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'd heard rumours about this remix - do you know when it's coming?. Brave Words has one of the worst productions I've ever heard. God knows what Mayo Thompson was trying to do, but the sound is muddier than the Missisippi Delta.

Anybody know if Kaliedoscope World ever came out on CD? With the demise of Creation, I guess it won't for some time, if ever.

― Dr. C, Thursday, 1 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Can't remember the release date, or the URL of the chills site which is the font of all flying nun intelligence, but it is soon , also theres a chills box set on the cards. As to Mayo Thompson, lets not forget he's also responsible for the turgid production on the 1st primal scream lp. although he redeemed himself on poem of the river by felt. others may diasagree. have you got corky's debt to his father? sublime. red krayola thread anyone? at least they're not from the 80s...

― cw, Thursday, 1 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

kaleidoscope world is available on cd. the box set is going to be cheap, 28 bucks for three cds, mostly unreleased stuff and toss- offs. the able tasmans and bats recently released greatest hits records. and the new lanky record is nice too.

― keith, Thursday, 1 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Red C/Krayola were and are fucking terrible, the nadir of the avant-garde. Please no threads about them.

― Otis Wheeler, Sunday, 4 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh man , the 1st 2 Red Crayola albums are 2 of my favourites EVER! specially the 2nd one. & plenty of their '70s/80s stuff's good too...Not that that's got anything to do w/ this thread, and I can't think of any reason to start a new one about 'em,but...shit Otis, what's yr beef? Oh yeah, best of's, OK...where's the Jimmy Castor Bunch anthology?

― Duane Zarakov, Thursday, 8 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There's a Jimmy Castor best-of on Rhino Records. It's great fun. I wish someone would re-release the original albums though, I suspect there are some hidden treasures there.

― Patrick, Thursday, 8 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

patrick - I think the Jimmy Castor albums were rereleased last year. I've got a 2-fer CD at home. 'Fraid I got it free and can't remember which two albums is..

― Nick, Friday, 9 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nick - yeah, It's Just Begun and Phase Two were reissued on one CD, but everything else is unavailable as far as I know.

― Patrick, Friday, 9 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

three weeks pass...

......yes there is plenty of great stuff on the JCB's regular-run LPs but there is also stuff like Kenny G. style instrumental versions of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" & blah blah blah. I found "Dimension 3" at a church fair just after this subject came up, amidst piles of "Pal Joey" & "Nod Out By Candle Light" type material, & I thought, WOW COOL, but then I got it home & played it & nearly all of it is like that type stuff...worst JCB record I've found yet.(Best one = "Phase 2").

― D.Z., Tuesday, 3 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

sixteen years pass...

I find the Fugges Best Of pretty annoying. Almost as much as the Stone Roses one. I don't appreciate Best Of for bands that have two or less albums. Maybe not even three.

― evaristocorona, Tuesday, 27 March 2018 23:53 (seven years ago)

The Red C/Krayola were and are fucking terrible, the nadir of the avant-garde. Please no threads about them.
― Otis Wheeler, Saturday, March 3, 2001 5:00 PM (seventeen years ago)

I wonder if Otis ever came to appreciate the awesomeness of Mayo & Co. (they did end up getting a "singles" comp, which I guess is kind of like a best-of).

― absorbed carol channing's powers & psyche (morrisp), Wednesday, 28 March 2018 00:14 (seven years ago)

the version of "Best of Blondie" that doesn't have Union City Blue is a crime against best-ofs

― umsworth (emsworth), Wednesday, 28 March 2018 00:50 (seven years ago)

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