Best Ever Albums

I usually have a an appreciation for some of the deep cuts

Fischman — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 13:29:20 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 10/28/2016 17:29

So I rarely go for greatest hits collections. If I want a greatest hits collection, I make my own.

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

NickVolos — Wed, 6 Nov 2013 20:02:33 GMT

Author: NickVolos

Posted: 11/07/2013 01:02

genesisfoxtrot21 wrote:

Are they good?

They are supposed to and in general they are when they contain the artist's generally accepted and truly "greatest" hits. (hits in terms of popularity/sales). Note that while the "hits" part may be a measurable term (in terms of sales) the "greatest" part is quite relative.

genesisfoxtrot21 wrote:

Are they bad?

Some are because they don't contain the artist's "greatest" hits, they are just labeled as such for marketing and sales purposes.

genesisfoxtrot21 wrote:

Are they irrelevant now with the ability to make playlists?

No. They are 2 different things. Although you can create a playlist with the same contents as the relevant "greatest" hits album.

genesisfoxtrot21 wrote:

Are they still relevant?

Sure, why not. They are still marketing/sales tool for the recording companies (and artists) to generate additional revenue while at the same time serve a number of purposes, such as to introduce an artist to someone who does not necessarily want to own anything else from that particular artist, or as a time buffer to an artist to be creative.

genesisfoxtrot21 wrote:

Would you put one on your chart?

Most likely not. But many "respected" third party lists do have them. So it is up to you.

There you go. 😄

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

MrBrown — Wed, 6 Nov 2013 17:57:16 GMT

Author: MrBrown

Posted: 11/06/2013 22:57

There useful for a band who you aren't gonna buy the discography for, but no I don't think they count for much, they just seems like a good way for record companies to make money.

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

Anonymous — Wed, 6 Nov 2013 17:18:34 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/06/2013 22:18

lethalnezzle wrote:

stop trying to make cher happen bruh. cher's not happening.

greatest hits are like any other album, you get good ones and bad ones. i've got at least one on my chart.

I'm only using her as an example as I know her better than most bands I know. I could've used KISS, though. Not a lot of great KISS albums.

EDIT: Also, the chances of Cher happening here are a freakin' sign of the apocalypse.

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

setalpgninnpseki — Wed, 6 Nov 2013 14:19:36 GMT

Author: setalpgninnpseki

Posted: 11/06/2013 19:19

Pretty essential if you listen artists like Hank Williams...

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

dmercado — Wed, 6 Nov 2013 00:42:18 GMT

Author: dmercado

Posted: 11/06/2013 05:42

Personally, I keep studio albums, live albums, and collections of songs such as Greatest Hits in different categories. The best studio albums work together as a unit, thematically or otherwise. Live albums are like photographs, documenting an instance in time where music was raw and alive. In the end, a Greatest Hits CD is just a mix tape of songs and singles in the same way as that burnt "Jams - Summer 2004" CD my friend gave me back in the day.

I do not mix these three categories, so my main chart is all studio albums. I might one day make a separate "live" albums chart. And I wouldn't rank Greatest Hits albums - I would rather rank individual songs or the body of work of an artist as a whole.

With the ability to download songs and make playlists, I would say that Greatest Hits CD's are irrelevant as anyone can make one that better suits their taste. That being said, though, the concept of a "Greatest Hits" playlist, or CD, is a good one in my opinion because it filters out the bad and the mediocre, artificially creating a body of work that showcases what that artist was capable of.

My favorite example is Hall & Oates - their albums are mediocre at best, and at times are just full of unbearable cheesiness. But their ten best songs over ten years, when listened to in a string together, showcase the irresistible brand of pop that even music snobs hold as a guilty pleasure.

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

Anonymous — Wed, 6 Nov 2013 00:14:44 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/06/2013 05:14

JMan wrote:

Sorry.
It's relevant. One or two tracks out of twelve won't hurt. In fact, Cher's remade previous tracks for later albums, to "keep up with the times."

stop trying to make cher happen bruh. cher's not happening.

greatest hits are like any other album, you get good ones and bad ones. i've got at least one on my chart.

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

karbutt — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 22:15:17 GMT

Author: karbutt

Posted: 11/06/2013 03:15

junodog4 wrote:

For singles-based artists, they're totally relevant.

^this all the way.
but other than that, it doesn't seem that relevant to me. a good indicator of a great artist or band is the ability to make an album that is innovative, cohesive, a work of art, etc. here on "Best Ever Albums", we rank albums based on their greatness. but a greatest hits album is just a quilting of successful songs together which is convenient in certain circumstances (playlists, etc) but irrelevant when judging artists and bands.

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

junodog4 — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 21:33:59 GMT

Author: junodog4

Posted: 11/06/2013 02:33

For singles-based artists, they're totally relevant.

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

Anonymous — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 21:32:45 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/06/2013 02:32

When CD's were the thing, I loved compilation albums to get better acquainted with an artist before pouring much money into their discography.

With the advent of mp3s, YouTube, Spotify, and Pandora, I find compilations pointless.

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

sszwalbenest — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 19:39:35 GMT

Author: sszwalbenest

Posted: 11/06/2013 00:39

Greatest hits albums serve in a sense to butcher the artists' music in a way that prevents it from being fully appreciated. All the while, if an artist has no albums worth investing in, then go ahead.

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

Anonymous — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 19:23:49 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/06/2013 00:23

Sorry.
It's relevant. One or two tracks out of twelve won't hurt. In fact, Cher's remade previous tracks for later albums, to "keep up with the times."

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

Romanelli — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 19:03:05 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 11/06/2013 00:03

JMan wrote:

It depends on the album. If it's an album made up of B-sides and singles, then I'd include it on my chart. If the only chance for an artist to have a great album is to make a compilation (Cher, anyone?) then I'd say it's relevant, though less than a B-sides compilation like Retro Active or Elvis' Golden Records. Still, most compilations are excluded from charts, so I wouldn't say so.

EDIT: In short (this pisses me off that nobody got it.), if an album has only original recordings that were never on an album, it's relevant. Otherwise, we could just say that the best of the Beatles or something is the greatest album ever.

Sorry it "pisses you off" that everybody (me) didn't get your incoherent post. (And, by the way, Elvis' Golden Records contains one song that was previously released on an album. Does that mean it's not "relevant?")

Thank you for sort of clarifying your opinion. But if you wanted to say that an album called The Beatles Greatest Hits was the best of all time, you have that right.

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

Anonymous — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 18:54:50 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/05/2013 23:54

Yes, but just barely. Greatest Hits collections can sometimes act like a retrospective and chronicle an artist's evolution. Sometimes that makes for an interesting listening experience. Usually not, though.

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

Romanelli — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 18:31:32 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 11/05/2013 23:31

JMan wrote:

Huh?

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

Anonymous — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 18:14:26 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/05/2013 23:14

It depends on the album. If it's an album made up of B-sides and singles, then I'd include it on my chart. If the only chance for an artist to have a great album is to make a compilation (Cher, anyone?) then I'd say it's relevant, though less than a B-sides compilation like Retro Active or Elvis' Golden Records. Still, most compilations are excluded from charts, so I wouldn't say so.

EDIT: In short (this pisses me off that nobody got it.), if an album has only original recordings that were never on an album, it's relevant. Otherwise, we could just say that the best of the Beatles or something is the greatest album ever. It's simple as counting to 1.

Original tracks: yes.
Used tracks: no.

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

drakonium — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 17:40:04 GMT

Author: drakonium

Posted: 11/05/2013 22:40

I'm not sure I agree with the "it's a good way to discover an artist" thing. The immense majority of artists don't even have a greatest hits album. The ones who do are the most prolific and/or popular of them all. Among these, there are (to simplify) singles artists and albums artists. Why would you want to "discover" a singles artist? I mean, obviously, you discover it because it's new to you, but after that, there's no exploration to do, no hidden gem to find. Everything's here, on the best of. It's an introduction, but it's also a conclusion. On the other hand, if we are considering album-based artists, why would you want to listen to their greatest hits? Do you really think Radiohead's best of is a good introduction to the band? And Pink Floyd's? And let's not talk about Genesis. Greatest hits don't only give you an incomplete vision of the band, but also a fake one.

Obviously it's more complex in reality. The Red Hot are a good example, as Jason pointed it out : they are recognized for both their albums and their singles. Still, while I don't deny the best of is enjoyable (I think it is actually), it's not a good introduction to the band by any mean IMO. Their discography is much more varied than a bunch of commercially successful songs.

The more I think about it, the more I think you are even more likely to like an album than a best of. An album is a consistent piece of art, with different moods throughout supposed to be linked with each other in a natural and pleasant way. There is an ambiance, a style, and even maybe a story. A greatest hits compilations is a bunch of successful tracks. It might work, but most of the time I think it doesn't. Having Another One Bites The Dust and Bohemian Rhapsody on a single disc is laughable IMO. It's just wrong, it doesn't sound good.

I have nothing against best ofs, they are totally alright in cases where the artists hasn't released anything you like bar the singles, but I think they are an awful way to discover an artist.

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

Anonymous — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 16:49:56 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/05/2013 21:49

They have their purpose, but I have no reason to buy them myself, or include them on my chart.

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

meruizh — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 16:49:12 GMT

Author: meruizh

Posted: 11/05/2013 21:49

Ask The Killers, Snow Patrol, Travis, Oasis and U2 how relevant they're!

Re: Greatest Hits Albums: Your Opinion

KinkyAfro — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 16:42:16 GMT

Author: KinkyAfro

Posted: 11/05/2013 21:42

Greatest hits albums for me are a starting point if you want a taster to someone youve never tried before. If you like what uve heard you can then move onto their albums (usually starting with the albums that contain your favourite tracks off the greatest hits).

What i tend to find though is that once you get into an artist, the playlist or cd that you put together yourself tends to be a lot different from what a record company would put out, mostly containing singles.