"Greatest Hits" collections are a
tricky bunch. Some people never had a
lot of hits and get to write their
history as they see fit (Nirvana, Neil
Young). Others had so many hits, the
collections write themselves (Elvis
Presley, The Eagles, Al Green, The
Beatles). Besides, there are more than
25 deserving artists. I could've
compiled 200 and Y! Music would've found
me dying at the bottom of the hamster
wheel whispering..."Golden Grass, Grass
Roots...Otis Redding...Sam Cooke...Motorhead...Tom
Waits...Placebo...Replacements..."
Then there are performers where you're
better off just buying their actual
studio albums. If you want more Meat
Loaf, buy Bat Out Of Hell. If you like
Bruce Springsteen, get Born To Run or
Darkness On The Edge Of Town. The Sex
Pistols only made one album and then a
ton of ripoffs.
But you have to draw limits and to some
degree attempt a little something called
balance. And you have to have a little
fun. Will Radiohead's new greatest hits
album redefine the genre? Probably not.
But it could serve as an introduction
for people looking to be casually
introduced. Which is what these
collections do. For some, it's all you
need. Unless you're obsessed or
something.
The numbers are sometimes arbitrary.
Everyone had to fit somewhere. Whether
the greatness of Motown really should
fall behind the Smiths and the Cure is
probably reason to have my lights
punched out, but I considered the number
19 to be luckier than 15 or 16, so there
was a certain amount of superstition
involved. Which reminds me that Stevie
Wonder should've been on this list. But
he isn't. But then neither is Hank
Williams or Muddy Waters or Sheryl Crow
or Randy Newman or The West Coast Pop
Art Experimental Band or the Jam...you
get the idea...
"Greatest Hits" collections are a tricky
bunch. Some people never had a lot of
hits and get to write their history as
they see fit (Nirvana, Neil Young).
Others had so many hits, the collections
write themselves (Elvis Presley, The
Eagles, Al Green, The Beatles). Besides,
there are more than 25 deserving
artists. I could've compiled 200 and Y!
Music would've found me dying at the
bottom of the hamster wheel
whispering..."Golden Grass, Grass
Roots...Otis Redding...Sam
Cooke...Motorhead...Tom
Waits...Placebo...Replacements..."
Then there are performers where you're
better off just buying their actual
studio albums. If you want more Meat
Loaf, buy Bat Out Of Hell. If you like
Bruce Springsteen, get Born To Run or
Darkness On The Edge Of Town. The Sex
Pistols only made one album and then a
ton of ripoffs.
But you have to draw limits and to some
degree attempt a little something called
balance. And you have to have a little
fun. Will Radiohead's new greatest hits
album redefine the genre? Probably not.
But it could serve as an introduction
for people looking to be casually
introduced. Which is what these
collections do. For some, it's all you
need. Unless you're obsessed or
something.
The numbers are sometimes arbitrary.
Everyone had to fit somewhere. Whether
the greatness of Motown really should
fall behind the Smiths and the Cure is
probably reason to have my lights
punched out, but I considered the number
19 to be luckier than 15 or 16, so there
was a certain amount of superstition
involved. Which reminds me that Stevie
Wonder should've been on this list. But
he isn't. But then neither is Hank
Williams or Muddy Waters or Sheryl Crow
or Randy Newman or The West Coast Pop
Art Experimental Band or the Jam...you
get the idea...
List Of The Day
The
25 Best "Best Of" Albums
