One of my pet peeves about "Greatest Hits" collections on CD is not only what's on, but what's left out. For example, I was infuriated when the Van Halen "Greatest Hits Vol. One" was released in 1997, and "Hot For Teacher," arguably their biggest hit, was conspicuously absent. There is a Pretenders collection that I refuse to buy, as they left off their best song, "My City Was Gone." My favorite Billy Joel song, "Big Man on Mulberry Street," was left off both his "Greatest Hits" collections. One of Bruce Springsteen's funniest songs, "57 Channels and Nothing's On" isn't on his compilation. I could go on and on forever about this, but I'll leave that up to you.

Then there are those who release two or more Greatest Hits collections. I like what Madonna tried to do with "The Immaculate Collection" and the recent "GHV2", but many found that the latter reflected the rather patchier phase of her career - the years between "Like a Prayer" and "Ray of Light" if you will. The Beautiful South, however, in their second collection, the aptly-named "Solid Bronze: Great Hits" repeated a lot of the older, better songs from their previous greatest hits album "Carry On Up The Charts". A marketing ploy, methinks?

GHV2 contains stuff from that era, Sven, It also has quite a few songs from "Ray of Light." Mm.. *goes to her room, gets the cd in question*

Track list:


Deeper and Deeper
Erotica
Erotica
Erotica
Human Nature
Bedtime Stories
Secret
Bedtime Stories
Don't Cry for Me Argentina
Evita
Bedtime Story
Bedtime Stories (side note: definitely one of the coolest, best music videos EVER)
Power of Good-bye
Ray of Light
Beautiful Stranger
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Frozen
Ray of Light
Take a Bow
Bedtime Stories (This song had a 'sequel' called "You Can't" or something...if anyone could enlighten me, I'd very much appreciate it)
Ray of Light
Ray of Light
Don't Tell Me
Music
What it Feels Like for a Girl
Music
Drowned World/Substitute for Love
Ray of Light (one of her best songs. It's brilliant, beautiful, and rather deep)
Music
Music

__________________________________________________

I'm currently finishing up Madonna: An Intimate Biography by J. Randy Taraborelli, the man who wrote Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, Both are absolutely excellent.

I think one of the all-time worst example of an omission from a greatest hits package has to be the 3-CD T. Rex box set which didn't even have their best-known song "Bang A Gong".

I have the following Greatest Hits collections and am wondering why the songs listed were not on them:

U2, Best of 1980-1990
Gloria
Two Hearts Beat as One

REM, Eponymous
as far as I can tell, it's all there.

Bruce Springsteen's Greatest Hits
57 Channels
Tunnel of Love
Cover Me
I'm on Fire
I'm Going Down

Best of Howard Jones
Are you kidding? Before I got the CD, I didn't know half the songs on it existed.

Bryan Adams, So Far So Good
One Night Love Affair
Thought I Died and Gone to Heaven

Smashing Pumpkins' Greatest Hits
Rocket
Thirty-Three
The End is the Beginning is the End

Pat Benatar, Best Shots
Sex as a Weapon
Treat Me Right
You Better Run

The Cars' Greatest Hits (1985)
Hello Again
(Although this is the only Cars compilation with Heartbeat City on it.)

Duran Duran, Greatest (Decade?)
I don't know if anything's missing, and I don't really care. What's there is great.

Survivor's Greatest Hits
I'm pretty sure it's all there.

Phil Collins, The Hits
Don't Loose My Number
Hang in Long Enough

One final note, I picked up Huey Lewis' import Greatest Hits just because it had "Perfect World" on it and the American release didn't.

Below are some glaring omissions to Greatest Hits collections (and yes, you can tell I was a teen in the 80's with all the New Wave):

Kate Bush

Them Heavy People (was released as a single)
The Big Sky (was released as a single)
The Infant Kiss (released as a single in French)
The Night of the Swallow (released in Ireland as a single)

And the album cuts:
Pull Out the Pin
Hello Earth

Pretenders
How Much Did You Get for Your Soul (Thought it was released as a single. Could be wrong)

Pat Benatar
You Better Run (second video to be shown on MTV, after "Video Killed the Radio Star")
(and the other tracks mentioned above . . . )

B-52's The two in general greatest hits collections are missing "Quiche Lorraine"

Blondie (from original release, "Best of Blondie" in the U.S.)
Angels on the Balcony (but included on Blondie and Beyond)

Depeche Mode

People Are People (in the U.S. Neither Greatest collection has it. Though European "Catching Up" does)

Eurythmics

Sexcrime (1984) (though European "Greatest Hits" does have this track, but not U.S.)
Regrets
Shame


Fleetwood Mac (based on "Greatest Hits" Release in late 80's)

Carry On Goldust Woman

Peter Gabriel

Not One of Us

Cyndi Lauper (okay, admitting I also like cheesy new wave):

Boy Blue
Like A Cat
and her top ten hit. . . Goonies 'R' Good Enough (or has she denied that she's ever done it?)

Midnight Oil

Sometimes

Motels

Forever Mine

Thompson Twins

Passion Planet

Soft Cell

It's a Mug's Game

Sparks

Eaten By the Monster of Love
Mickey Mouse

Talking Heads

Puzzlin' Evidence

Tears For Fears

The Way You Are

Tina Turner (There's the complete and abbreviated, but neither have

Steel Claw
1984
One of the Living

U2

Gloria
Bullet the Blue Sky (Yes . . . it was the album track of "Stairway to Heaven" in the 80's)

XTC ("Upsy Daisy Assortment")

Another Satellite (though live version is on Rag and Bone Buffet)
The Vanishing Girl (as Dukes of Stratosphere. Not on Rag and Bone Buffet, either)
1000 Umbrellas

Weird Al Yankovick (Has two "Greatest Hits" collections, but are still missing these well known ones by him . . .)

This Song Is Just Six Words Long
I Love Rocky Road
Another One Rides The Bus

Siouxsie and The Banshees

Ornaments of Gold

Thomas Dolby

Hot Sauce

Okay, so a few of these above are not album classics, but they are glaring omissions to artists' greatest hits collections.

Oh, forgot to site titles, so here they are:

Kate Bush (The Whole Story, released in 1986)

Pretenders (Singles)

Pat Benatar (Best Shots)

B-52's (The Best of B-52's: Dance This Mess Around)

Blondie (Greatest Hits)

Depeche Mode (Catching Up, 86 98)

Eurythmics (Greatest Hits)

Peter Gabriel (Greatest Hits)

Fleetwood Mac (Greatest Hits)

Cyndi Lauper (Twelve Deadly Cyns)

Midnight Oil (20,000 Watt R.S.L.)

Motels (No Vacancy: The Best of the Motels)

Thompson Twins (Greatest Hits)

Soft Cell (Singles)

Sparks (Profile: The Ultimate Collection)

Talking Heads (Sand in the Vaseline)

Tina Turner (The Best)

U2 (The Best of 1980-1990)

XTC (Upsy Daisy Assortment)

Weird Al Yankovick (Greatest Hits Vol 1 and II)

Siouxsie and the Banshees (Once Upon A Time, Twice Upon A Time)

Thomas Dolby (Retrospectacle)

Yes . . . "Cite," not "site." I know, I know.

Yes, I know . . .

Tears For Fears (Tears Roll Down)

This has long been a major complaint of my friends' and mine. So many "Greatest Hits" and "Best Of" packages are woefully incomplete. For me to even begin listing what's lacking on these albums (records, tapes, discs - it's not just the CDs that are lacking songs, Adam) would take up several pages. Just about every "Greatest Hits"/"Best Of" packaging is missing something. (The Beatles' 1 is the only exception I can think of. But it's purpose is to package the number one hits - the hits that made it to the top of the chart ["Topper most of the popper most"]) My best friend's collection is made up primarily of "Greatest Hits/Best Of" albums. Then to compensate for what's missing, he'll either buy the album(s) with the needed songs on them, or raid my collection, or download the songs (if necessary). Then he makes his own greatest hits discs(s).

I should point out that "Best Of" and "Greatest Hits" aren't necessarily the same thing. "Greatest Hits" ideally should have the act's highest charting songs. "Best Of's" can have radio hits (or album hits; songs played on the radio, but never officially released as singles), fan favorites, etc. An example of this would be ZZ Top. They have both a "Best Of" and "Greatest Hits" album. While the contents of both albums do overlap some ("Tush", "La Grange"), they are quite distinctive. And it's not just a matter of Best Of being released in '79 and Greatest Hits in '92. Best Of is an example of a compilation containing those songs that were not necessarily released as singles, but are well known to fans and radio listeners. Greatest Hits contains the chart toppers (or however high up Billboard's listings they got). They serve two distinct purposes. (Personally, I prefer Best of ZZ Top. But that's just me. )

Two further frustrations with Greatest Hits packages: those that have new songs on them and those that have live or alternate versions of songs. If I buy The Fixx's Greatest Hits, I do not want to hear the "live" version of "Stand Or Fall". I want the studio version. The one that was a hit; that was played on the radio. If I want the live version, I'll buy the live album(s)!

As for those albums with new songs, well, I do kinda applaud the fact that the artists are looking to give die hard fans a reason to buy the "Greatest Hits" albums (it still smacks of crass commercialism), surely those new songs could be given a better venue to be heard (if they're really any good). If they've never been heard before, how can they be considered "hits"? The big problem is that the inclusion of these new songs usually results in the exclusion of some genuine hits (or "best of" songs).

Then there's the bands, like Survivor or The Brady Bunch, that only had one or two genuine hits (if they really had one to begin with). The bulk of their "Greatest/Best Of" albums are pure filler. Occasionally, you might get lucky and hear a song that's surprisingly good (in The Brady Bunch's case, that could be any of their songs). Sure it's nice to get the hits, but really, there must be a compilation disc (Rhino's Have a Nice Day! series, anyone?) that has the one-hit (two-hits?) wonders' best/most popular songs on them - with the added bonus of some other good tunes on 'em, too.

I still buy the occasional "Greatest Hits"/"Best Of" albums (there are some bands it's better that way. I mean, would I really want [hypothetically] a Captain and Tennille or Barry Manilow album that has filler in it? Some of the "hits" are bad enough!) But given that CDs can have a maximum time of 80 minutes, you'd think they could do better than what we've seen so far.

But anyway, I just wanted to address these issues right now. Maybe later I'll list a few of the more annoying "GH/BO" albums I know of.

Nit on Norman, there's only one K in Yankovic.

Baracuda is conspicuously absent from Heart's Greatest Hits.

Brian-- The "Greatest Hits" album I have by Heart (the one I own is originally released in 1980 or 1981 I believe?)-- the first track is "Barracuda" (it was a two record set released by Epic Records, I have the CD which omits three tracks from the original)

Oh mine is the more recent Compilation, relaesed in 2000 (we would hand out coupons for it to people who bought tickets to Titan A.E. at the theatre. I picked up one that was thrown away. ).

The one norman has is Heart's Greatest Hits/Live. I'm not sure, but I think the live portion of the disc is missing a track or two that was on the original vinyl release of the album.

I also have the Heart Greatest Hits/Live two-album vinyl thingy that was released in 1980. Just for the record (Ha!), here's the track list:
SIDE I:
Baracuda
Silver Wheels
Crazy On You
Straight On
Dreamboat Annie
SIDE II:
Even It Up
Magic Man
Heartless
Dog& Butterfly
SIDE III (live):
Bebe le Strange
Tell It Like It Is
Mistral Wind
Hit Single
Strange Euphoria
SIDE IV (live):
Sweet Darlin
I'm Down/Long Tall Sally
Unchained Melody
Rock and Roll

The Heart cd Greatest Hits released in 1998 has a considerably different lineup...
Strong, Strong Wind
Magic Man
Crazy On You
Dreamboat Annie
Barracuda
Little Queen
Kick It Out
Love Alive
Heartless
Straight On
Dog & Butterfly
Even It Up
Bebe le Strange
Tell It Like It Is
This Man Is Mine
How Can I Refuse
Rock and Roll (live)

As for collections missing stuff, Journey's Greatest Hits was one of the worst. At least their boxed set Time³ kind of made up for it, but suffers from live cuts replacing the studio cuts we're all familiar with. (Not that those are all that bad, but I agree that it would be nice to get the songs as I remember them from the radio.)

Songs used in films can sometimes be omitted from collections.

Gambler by Mandonna (Can't remember what film it was from)

Goonies 'R' Good Enough by Cyndi Lauper (From The Goonies)
The might be a rights issue here.

I saw Cyndi in concert this past spring. She did not perform "Goonies", though it was requested by the audience. I suspect she'd rather forget about it.

The new Chicago compilation is pretty good...

\off-topic{I just ordered CTA, Chicago II, and Chicago III on CD from B&N}.

>As for collections missing stuff, Journey's >Greatest Hits was one of the worst.

Actually for a one-CD compilation, it was pretty good and contained everything essential, perfect for the casual fan. Of course, it won't do for the more serious fan or one interested in exploring the pre-Perry progressive era of the band. I agree with you about Time3 having too many live tracks in place of the studio standards - this is also a problem with the otherwise excellent and comprehensive Who 4-CD box set.

Actually, Todd, the problem with the Who's Maximum R&B box set isn't the live cuts, it's the fact that so many tracks are remixes. That means that the only versions of "The Relay" available are live versions (Live at Leeds) or the remix version (the box set). Unless you can find the out of print {The Who's Greatest Hits}.

Steely Dan's "Decade of" compilation from 1985 leaves off "Dirty Work," one of their best songs.
Sony/Columbia is releasing 2 CD sets of their top artists under the banner "The Essential...." The Billy Joel collection still omits "Big Man On Mulberry Street."

I've noticed that one of the things record companies are now doing to separate people from their monies is releasing new Greatest Hits/Best of albums. Only now, they're called The Essential or The Ultimate Collection. And as Adam says of the upcoming Essential Billy Joel, songs are still omitted.

Sigh. Will they ever get it right?

np - Doppelganger - Curve

Well, that's the thing about greatest hits compilations. No compilation is going to have everything. If you want everything, then by definition you have to go get everything, even if it is costly and difficult (see the "Cost of Being a Completist" board.) For the serious music collector, greatest hits collections are for those bands one does not consider on one's A-list but they still want something by them, or as a ways to sample the wares of a band one has heard little or nothing of.

One of the big booms as far as greatest hits compilations in the past year or so has been the "Twentieth Century Masters" collection - these single CD sets with the distinctive silver border on the edge encompass in this series a ton of classic artists. But the CDs themselves are only one-CD collection, usually with less than an hour running time and about a dozen songs. But they make good packages for one to check out a band one wants to sample at a budget price.

Or even "The Very Best of". cf. "The Very Best of Chicago". 2CD set, divided up logically into early and late Chicago (aka when they were good and when they s*cked).

A&M/Universal today is releasing "The Very Best Of Sheryl Crow" today. Since I'm a big fan of hers, I can't be objective about this. There is too much of her good stuff that was left off (including he superb cover of Bob Dylan's "Mississippi.") Still, though, I'll probably cough up the extra cash for the "Special Edition," which has a DVD with 13 videos.

I always liked what Free and Iron Maiden did- they asked their fans what they wanted on the compilation album and then the top 20 or so made it to the cd.

The worst example of a Greatest Hits collection is Queen's "Greatest Hits Vol. 3".

"Show Must Go On" (w/ Elton John)- the original (and still the best) version is on GH2

"Under Pressure" (remix)- quite like this remix, but it's a bit of overkill given that the original featured on some territories GH1 and on the main release of GH2

"Barcelona"- not a Queen song

"Too Much Love Will Kill You"- not the Brian May version which charted but the Queen one which didn't. Hardly a "hit"

"Somebody To Love" (w/ George Michael)- once again, I quite like George's singing here (go on Benn, say his real name) but not really a hit.

"You Don't Fool Me"- not a hit

"Heaven For Everyone"- this first real Queen hit, and it's 7 songs in!

"Las Palabras De Amor"- not a hit

"Driven By You"- Not Queen

"Living On My Own"- Not Queen

"Let Me Live"- Not a hit

"The Great Pretender"- Not Queen

"Princes Of The Universe"- Not a hit, but good excuse to put the brilliant video on the video compilation

"Another One Bites The Dust" (w/ Wyclef Jean)- NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Brian and Roger should be SHOT for letting yet another rapper spoil this song *bangs head against table*

"No-One But You"- not a hit

"These Are The Days Of Our Lives"- not a hit

"Thank God It's Christmas"- only a B-side


by no stretch is this a greatest hits for Queen. It's the first time I felt really ripped off by the band and they better redeem themselves with their boxset!!

Yes, I did cough up the extra cash ($22 worth) for "The Very Best Of Sheryl Crow." Here's the tracks:
1. "All I Wanna Do"
2. "Soak Up The Sun"
3. "My Favorite Mistake"
4. "The First Cut Is The Deepest"
5. "Everyday Is A Winding Road"
6. "Leaving Las Vegas"
7. "Strong Enough"
8. "Light In Your Eyes"
9. "If It Makes You Happy"
10. "The Difficult Kind"
11. "Picture" (duet with Kid Rock)
12. "Steve McQueen"
13. "A Change Would Do You Good"
14. "Home"
15. "There Goes The Neighborhood"
16. "I Shall Believe"
17. "The First Cut Is The Deepest" (Country Version)

As I said above, I would have included her cover of "Missisippi." Also, I would have put "No One Said It Would Be Easy" (a song I personally thanked her for at an autograph session last year) and her cover of Guns 'N Roses' "Sweet Child Of Mine", which just plain kicks major butt. On the new CD, she takes Cat Stevens' "The First Cut Is The Deepest" and really makes it her own.

Ms. Crow was on Good Morning America twice this week, to promote her "Very Best Of" collection. "The First Cut Is The Deepest" is the song that's getting the most promotion; she performed it Tuesday. In another questionable move, the video for "First Cut" is not on the DVD.
IMHO, the real gem from this collection is "Light In Your Eyes." In my extremely biased opinion, this collection is worth it, even if you have all her other CD's, as I do.

Alanis Morissette has a new greatest hits package out now titled "The Collection." I think I'll pass it up, though, as I don't want to pay $12.99 for just one song I don't already have ("Crazy.")

Guns 'N Roses "Greatest Hits" CD from a couple of years back omits "Used To Love Her." The song mirrored my feelings about what I was going through at the time. Anyone who knows me even remotely knows what I'm talking about. The rest of you, you'll just have to guess. Or, read my old posts.