Greatest Hits

What do you all think of such compilations? I will only buy them if it is one of my absolute favorite bands (Judas Priest, Queensryche, Dokken) and don't care if I already have the songs on the original cd's. Or if it is a marginal favorite (Whitesnake, Vanhalen, Iron Maiden) and it has some bonus or unreleased tracks. Other than that, I just think it's record company greed.

I think they're worthless unless there's something exclusive on them.

Compilations suck. Why aren't they doin' a CD with bonus and unreleased tracks?

AceFrehley655 wrote:

Compilations suck. Why aren't they doin' a CD with bonus and unreleased tracks?

Well, I'll change my previous comment a bit. Greatest hits albums are worthless to me, someone who likely has all their albums anyway. So without something exclusive, the appeal is pretty much nonexistent. But greatest hits are good for the fairweather fan, that person that used to buy albums for two songs, the singles. Of course, these days they just download those songs instead, but they'd probably be willing to buy a greatest hits CD instead of downloading.

So good for the regular, every day fan. Bad for us retarded collectors.

Not retarded colletor! Mega Metal Master Collector

I don't mind a greatest hits package if it's a band I'm only semi-familiar with. If I like their hits, I tend to investigate the rest of their releases. If it's a band that I have their complete catalog already, I'm hesitant to buy a greatest hits.

What I don't like is bands (or moreso their record companies) putting out new greatest hits comps every 6 months, tacking on a new song or 2, just so they can wring more money from the fans. Seriously, how many Greatest Hits, Best Of's or Anthologys do Maiden, Aerosmith, Motorhead, and KISS need?

KISS have like 10 best of... Go to the store buy KISS Gold and you have the one. If you like it buy other KISS realese not compilations.

AceFrehley655 wrote:

KISS have like 10 best of... Go to the store buy KISS Gold and you have the one. If you like it buy other KISS realese not compilations.

Great point, in fact it's Kiss that got me thinking of this thread. I am in the process of building my Kiss collection on cd and every couple of days I look through the used bins at my local record store and I see about 10 greatest hits comp's from these guys when all I want is a non-remastered, original copy of Dressed to Kill or Love Gun!!! This goes on each week at the 3 different places I frequent. Sorry, for the rant. I'll have to go crank the Destroyer album up really loud to make myself feel better. Peace.

If you can find Dressed To Kill in store...I wanna know where you're livin'. I mean sometime there's some cool albums like Lick It Up (Didn't have the cash to buy it...F*cking smurf poo...) but that's always Creatures Of The Night and KISS Gold and some of the Millenium Volumes...

i like GH albums only with unrelease tracks or something like that. if no, don't buy it.

I'm so anal about my collection, I buy the compilations too

Of course i buy the compilations. Like that i can take a greatest hits by a band in the car or to the shop. Home i listen to their normal cd´s, not to greatest hits.

Only buy it if you're a collector of the band.

the sentinel wrote:

AceFrehley655 wrote:

KISS have like 10 best of... Go to the store buy KISS Gold and you have the one. If you like it buy other KISS realese not compilations.

Great point, in fact it's Kiss that got me thinking of this thread. I am in the process of building my Kiss collection on cd and every couple of days I look through the used bins at my local record store and I see about 10 greatest hits comp's from these guys when all I want is a non-remastered, original copy of Dressed to Kill or Love Gun!!! This goes on each week at the 3 different places I frequent. Sorry, for the rant. I'll have to go crank the Destroyer album up really loud to make myself feel better. Peace.

Why do you want the "original" CD releases? For the KISS catalog, the remasters are far superior. The sound is better. The packaging is way better. An album like "Creatures of the Night", it returned the packaging, the track order and the mix back to the original vinyl version.


As for compilations. I don't mind them. I tend to get them for band's that I am anal about having the complete collection. I prefer there to be something unreleased on them. However, I mostly think that compilations are for the casual fan who is only interested in the hits.

ult

the sentinel wrote:

What do you all think of such compilations? I will only buy them if it is one of my absolute favorite bands (Judas Priest, Queensryche, Dokken) and don't care if I already have the songs on the original cd's. Or if it is a marginal favorite (Whitesnake, Vanhalen, Iron Maiden) and it has some bonus or unreleased tracks. Other than that, I just think it's record company greed.

I'm the opposite, if it's my favorite band, I most likely have all of their releases, I'll make my own bloody comp!

ultmetal wrote:

Why do you want the "original" CD releases? For the KISS catalog, the remasters are far superior. The sound is better. The packaging is way better. An album like "Creatures of the Night", it returned the packaging, the track order and the mix back to the original vinyl version

Are the remasters really that much better? I ask because I just bought The Elder, Dynasty, and Unmasked for like a $1 each new on Amazon. So I'm assuming that the copies that I ordered are the original cd copies(since they were so cheap), but you never know I guess. Just curious.

i stay away from all greatest hits collections. if there is a new track, i usually just download that individual track from the internet.

I hate, despise, and abhor useless "Best Of" or "Greatest Hits" compilations and ignore them whenever possible.

What I hate is when a band had one killer album and a bunch of crap, and they spilt the killer material between two discs. This happened to me twice recently (Marseille, Tucky Buzzard). Luckily I was able to find the Tucky Buzzard intact elsewhere, but the Marseille is unlistenable without punching buttons or burning my own off the comp mess.

I only like occassionaly. Last one I got was Rhapsody's "Tales From The Emerald Sword Saga" about a year and a half ago because I wanted to get into these guys but not buy every last cd. The "Saga" has mostly fast stuff with only a couple of their slower songs so this allowed me to avoid the rest. 16 Rhapsody songs is plenty....I love them but that's plenty!

I can't think of anyone else besides some old cassettes that I have a "Greatest Hits" of....I tend to avoid them as well because they are redundant they are redundant......

ultmetal wrote:

the sentinel wrote:

AceFrehley655 wrote:

KISS have like 10 best of... Go to the store buy KISS Gold and you have the one. If you like it buy other KISS realese not compilations.

Great point, in fact it's Kiss that got me thinking of this thread. I am in the process of building my Kiss collection on cd and every couple of days I look through the used bins at my local record store and I see about 10 greatest hits comp's from these guys when all I want is a non-remastered, original copy of Dressed to Kill or Love Gun!!! This goes on each week at the 3 different places I frequent. Sorry, for the rant. I'll have to go crank the Destroyer album up really loud to make myself feel better. Peace.

Why do you want the "original" CD releases? For the KISS catalog, the remasters are far superior. The sound is better. The packaging is way better. An album like "Creatures of the Night", it returned the packaging, the track order and the mix back to the original vinyl version.


As for compilations. I don't mind them. I tend to get them for band's that I am anal about having the complete collection. I prefer there to be something unreleased on them. However, I mostly think that compilations are for the casual fan who is only interested in the hits.

ult

I want the originals because I bought the original cassettes when I was a kid and I feel like I'm cheating myself in some way if it says "remastered" on a sticker somewhere on the cd. I don't get the same feeling as when I was a youngin' and get transported back in time to the halcyon days of my youth. I know it's really corny sounding but music to me, and probably fo most of us here, is very emotional and linked to memories for me. Peace.

Also, forgot to mention that I'm somewhat ocd and have to have them all look the same. The only bands that I have all originals and remasters are Priest and Queensryche for the bonuses and the Priest cause it looks awesome with the flaming JP symbol and how it spells out the bands name. Peace.

Usually I don’t buy them, but there are two exceptions:

I buy them of my favorite bands where I want to have all of their releases and I buy them sometimes to get familiar with a band where I haven’t any albums so far and don’t know them.

I've never understood why a band would want or allow a comp. I mean to
me, it totally underminds the sales of previous and all albums that
have songs on the comp?!?!? Not to mention just for me, I know I would
tend to just listen to the greatest hits and miss out on the entire
albums. The only g.r. cd I've ever bought (shut up Ult) is Bon
Jovie-Cross roads. I loved it and i literally have never listen to
another BJ cd since (11 years). Same with M-Crue. Im just not a fan of
them. But thats just me, I also like popcorn in a glass of milk, so
clearly.....there's some issues.

T-Roy wrote:

I've never understood why a band would want or allow a comp.

I would bet that 9 times out of ten the band has nothing to do with'em... it's usually the record label's decision...

Of course the tenth guy (the exception) is probably Gene Simmons... "hey, let's put out yet another BEST OF KISS compilation!"