Greatest Hits/ Box Sets

Pretty much all of Peter Frampton's hits are the live versions, you're never going to hear the studio versions of Do You Feel Like We Do or Baby I Love Your Way played on the radio.

Diamonds And Rust, Victim Of Changes, Genocide and Tyrant are all significantly better on Unleashed than they are on Sad Wings Of Destiny.

I could probably come up with another 100 examples but why bother? Nobody on this forum appreciates live albums anyway...except maybe Scott.

Yeah that Cheap Trick song is another example of the "hit" being a live cut so that's acceptable to me on a Best Of.

S.D. wrote:

Pretty much all of Peter Frampton's hits are the live versions, you're never going to hear the studio versions of Do You Feel Like We Do or Baby I Love Your Way played on the radio.  

Diamonds And Rust, Victim Of Changes, Genocide and Tyrant are all significantly better on Unleashed than they are on Sad Wings Of Destiny.

I could probably come up with another 100 examples but why bother?  Nobody on this forum appreciates live albums anyway...except maybe Scott.  

For me it's not a matter of "appreciation" of live cuts.  If I buy a "Greatest Hits" collection, I expect to hear the greatest hits that were on the radio.  If that hit happens to be a live cut, then fine.  But don't give me a live track of some song that was a hit as a studio track.  That pisses me off.  I guess that's one of the differences between a "Best Of"  and a "Greatest Hits".  The hits should be the songs as they were as hits, a Best Of probably allows a little more leeway for "better" live versions of hit tracks.

S.D. wrote:

Pretty much all of Peter Frampton's hits are the live versions, you're never going to hear the studio versions of Do You Feel Like We Do or Baby I Love Your Way played on the radio.  

Diamonds And Rust, Victim Of Changes, Genocide and Tyrant are all significantly better on Unleashed than they are on Sad Wings Of Destiny.

I could probably come up with another 100 examples but why bother?  Nobody on this forum appreciates live albums anyway...except maybe Scott.  

Ha! I am actually listening to the studio version of Victim right now. Coincidence? I think so.

tohostudios wrote:

For me it's not a matter of "appreciation" of live cuts.  If I buy a "Greatest Hits" collection, I expect to hear the greatest hits that were on the radio.  If that hit happens to be a live cut, then fine.  But don't give me a live track of some song that was a hit as a studio track.  That pisses me off.  I guess that's one of the differences between a "Best Of"  and a "Greatest Hits".  The hits should be the songs as they were as hits, a Best Of probably allows a little more leeway for "better" live versions of hit tracks.

I know, I'm just giving you grief...I'm bored.

S.D. wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

For me it's not a matter of "appreciation" of live cuts.  If I buy a "Greatest Hits" collection, I expect to hear the greatest hits that were on the radio.  If that hit happens to be a live cut, then fine.  But don't give me a live track of some song that was a hit as a studio track.  That pisses me off.  I guess that's one of the differences between a "Best Of"  and a "Greatest Hits".  The hits should be the songs as they were as hits, a Best Of probably allows a little more leeway for "better" live versions of hit tracks.

I know, I'm just giving you grief...I'm bored.  

Me too.  I'm off work all week so I have time to kill.

tohostudios wrote:

S.D. wrote:

Pretty much all of Peter Frampton's hits are the live versions, you're never going to hear the studio versions of Do You Feel Like We Do or Baby I Love Your Way played on the radio.  

Diamonds And Rust, Victim Of Changes, Genocide and Tyrant are all significantly better on Unleashed than they are on Sad Wings Of Destiny.

I could probably come up with another 100 examples but why bother?  Nobody on this forum appreciates live albums anyway...except maybe Scott.  

For me it's not a matter of "appreciation" of live cuts.  If I buy a "Greatest Hits" collection, I expect to hear the greatest hits that were on the radio.  If that hit happens to be a live cut, then fine.  But don't give me a live track of some song that was a hit as a studio track.  That pisses me off.  I guess that's one of the differences between a "Best Of"  and a "Greatest Hits".  The hits should be the songs as they were as hits, a Best Of probably allows a little more leeway for "better" live versions of hit tracks.

I have a few "Live GH" albums in my collection. Priest and Quiet Riot come to mind first. I guess it's just another way to fleece the fan?

the sentinel wrote:

I have a few "Live GH" albums in my collection. Priest and Quiet Riot come to mind first. I guess it's just another way to fleece the fan?

Usually that happens when the band doesn't have the rights to release a compilation of the studio material so they just release a live album instead...or these days they do a "re-recording". Same thing. No money to license the original masters from the label.

Good point. A lot of that stuff I purchased during my "completest" phase a few years ago. These days I am far more judicious.

3 years ago Jeff Lynne went back and re-recorded a batch of ELO songs for the sole purpose of being able to license them for use in films, TV and commercials. The original masters are locked in record label hell and would cost a fortune for him to use. His re-recordings are close enough in some cases you can't even tell the difference and he's already made a lot of money from movie licensing (American Hustle used 3 of them).

Yeah. I remember there being a thread here a couple years back about Def Leppard doing that. I have no problem with that.

S.D. wrote:

My other problem with Best of compilations is I never...and I mean NEVER...agree with the track selection and orderings.  The only compilation producer I trust is myself.  

One that comes to mind is VH - The best of both worlds. I bought it anyway cause I liked the packaging.

S.D. wrote:

Pretty much all of Peter Frampton's hits are the live versions, you're never going to hear the studio versions of Do You Feel Like We Do or Baby I Love Your Way played on the radio.  

Diamonds And Rust, Victim Of Changes, Genocide and Tyrant are all significantly better on Unleashed than they are on Sad Wings Of Destiny.

I could probably come up with another 100 examples but why bother?  Nobody on this forum appreciates live albums anyway...except maybe Scott.  

Oh my, just received an email about a new Deep Purple at Wacken coming out, cruised around a bit and found a whole bunch of live albums I didn't know about. I've got a bunch of DP live coming my way.

Sometimes the live version is better than the original release. Passage to Bangkok is one.

I love live albums. They also retain their value to me as a listener even after I've bought all the studio albums.

When I was a kid in the 70s we were fairly poor so my Mother didn't really buy me records very often, so because of that I tended to pick out live albums because they were 2 LPs and contained more music.

One of the oddest Greatest Hits albums i saw was The Best of Winger. Why was it unusual? It started with a "new" track (understandable) but then went in descending order from the Pull album, with the songs from the s/t (their most popular songs) stuck at the end of the album. Made no real sense.

Talking strictly of the "old" style of box set which was sort of a greatest hits + rarities setup, I do wish there were more of them coming out at this point. Similar to my experience with those 90s Zeppelin box sets, there's something cool that comes out of hearing the songs in a new "context."

Also, there are some bands that could fill entire box sets with just their rarities and it's like you got some amazing new album out of them. Two that spring to mind right now are the B-Sides box sets for The Jesus & Mary Chain and The Cure. Both just wrenchingly awesome to listen to.

the sentinel wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

It just hit me.  You know what Best Of/ Greatest Hits album is perfectly enough for me? 

I have the 2 disc anthology and then the last 2 studio albums. I can't tell you the last time I sat down and listened to any of them; so every time I pick up the newest TP and Hb's , "Hypnotic Eye" in either Walmart or Newburys I put it back down b/c I know I am never going to spin it again after the initial spin.

As for a live version of a song that's better than the studio version I have to go with Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me" and the aforementioned Seger classic.

Skynyrd's "Free Bird" is another. The 13 minute version from One More From The Road is excellent - "Play it pretty for Atlanta."

Hadley wrote:

One of the oddest Greatest Hits albums i saw was The Best of Winger. Why was it unusual? It started with a "new" track (understandable) but then went in descending order from the Pull album, with the songs from the s/t (their most popular songs) stuck at the end of the album. Made no real sense.

I have that same disc and I've always felt the same way.  Pull is apparently Kip's personal favorite Winger album, which might explain why it's represented so heavily on that collection --  but still, it seems very strange to front load a "greatest hits" album with a half dozen mostly-unfamiliar cuts which were never "hits."

Fat Freddy wrote:

Hadley wrote:

One of the oddest Greatest Hits albums i saw was The Best of Winger. Why was it unusual? It started with a "new" track (understandable) but then went in descending order from the Pull album, with the songs from the s/t (their most popular songs) stuck at the end of the album. Made no real sense.

I have that same disc and I've always felt the same way.  Pull is apparently Kip's personal favorite Winger album, which might explain why it's represented so heavily on that collection --  but still, it seems very strange to front load a "greatest hits" album with a half dozen mostly-unfamiliar cuts which were never "hits."

I really you think you explained the reason. I mean, Winger is not smoking the charts right now and have not been for a long, long time (and probably weren't when the comp in question came out). The long time fans of the band and the genre have been into the new albums, but it's not like "Seventeen" all over again. So, in my eyes, assuming Kip is the dude dictating what goes on the best of, he has nothing to lose and everything to gain from loading a "best of" package with what he really feels is the best of Winger, even if they're not hits or even from the hit albums. I'm sure they sold plenty of copies of Winger when it was released so that he feels safe in the fact that those tunes made their way out there. Pull, I assume, sold far less copies.

But yeah, I'd be bummed if I wanted a CD loaded with Seventeens and Headed for A Heartbreaks and ended up with most of the Pull record. Though, I love Pull, so...you know.

I also can't stand compilations that go in reverse chronological order.

Witchfinder wrote:

the sentinel wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

It just hit me.  You know what Best Of/ Greatest Hits album is perfectly enough for me? 

I have the 2 disc anthology and then the last 2 studio albums. I can't tell you the last time I sat down and listened to any of them; so every time I pick up the newest TP and Hb's , "Hypnotic Eye" in either Walmart or Newburys I put it back down b/c I know I am never going to spin it again after the initial spin.

As for a live version of a song that's better than the studio version I have to go with Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me" and the aforementioned Seger classic.

Skynyrd's "Free Bird" is another.  The 13 minute version from One More From The Road is excellent - "Play it pretty for Atlanta."

Yeah, I agree.  That's another example of a live track exceeding the studio version and becoming a radio hit in its own right.

A few others that come to mind where a Greatest Hits or cheap Box will have to suffice until the mortgage is pad:

James Gang
Grand Funk
Ramones
Jeff Beck
Robin Trower
(The) Sweet

I have an album or two from these guys but the problem with a lot of '70's Rock and Metal is that so much is out of print on CD or never got printed. Sure it's easy to find "Wired" or "Bridge of Sighs" but what about everything else?

There are a few greatest hits comps that were influential to me growing up, a great way of introducing me to various bands:

Neil Young - Decade (this is one is worth owning for Ohio, Helpless, and other b-side/unreleased tracks, and Young's liner notes are a great read).

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, the one Toho mentioned.

Black Sabbath - We Sold Our Souls for Rock n Roll.

Motley Crue - Decade of Decadence. The only Vince Crue I'll ever need, although the omission of Live Wire is a mystery to me.

Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits.

Aerosmith - Greatest Hits.

Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks.

Not that I've ever had the urge to purchase these again (save for Decade) but they made a huge impact once upon a time.

corplhicks wrote:

Motley Crue - Decade of Decadence. The only Vince Crue I'll ever need, although the omission of Live Wire is a mystery to me.

.

Live Wire is actually the opening song on that cd, unless you mean a different crue compilation album.