Most Egregious Greatest Hits Omission

*EXCLUDING THOSE WITH LABEL LICENSING ISSUES*

see also what's the most un-representative greatest hits or best of collection?

and Best song on Journey Greatest Hits

because the correct answer is Stone in Love

the tim buckley song?

It's up in the air as to if it'll actually be on the newest collection, but "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" was omitted from both The Very Best of... and Ultimate Prince.

"Rocket" and "Rhinoceros" on the Smashing Pumpkins' Greatest Hits

Peter Gabriel's Shaking the Tree (1990) compilation omits the real version of "I Have the Touch"
in favour of an awful remix, and it has nothing from PG II ("D.I.Y." would've been the obvious choice)

33 also missing from Rotten Apples

this whole album:

https://www.discogs.com/Amon-Duul-Airs-On-A-Shoe-String-Best-Of/master/57224

Rotten Apples is also missing their Batman song, which was a pretty big single.

^^^ iirc this is because of rights

"You Never Can Tell" missing from The Great Twenty-Eight
"Cold Turkey" missing from The John Lennon Collection
"Levon" missing from Elton John's Greatest Hits (though it would later show up, anachronistically, on Vol. II)

Is there a separate thread for the phenomenon where you find, say, a turn-of-the-70s comp by some 60s band, where clearly the label figured their hitmaking days were done and it was time to get it all in one place and make a few last bucks.... and then you take it home, and only belatedly realize it's missing just one significant hit that came out later, meaning you're stuck with a disc that was meant to stand in for a larger discography that you're never going to check out, but which is permanently missing this one thing and thus always feels incomplete? Like idk, Paul Revere & the Raiders having a '67 Greatest Hits album, followed by no more hits, until suddenly their biggest hit comes with "Indian Reservation" in '71. Not that I personally need a Paul Revere & the Raiders greatest hits that includes "Indian Reservation," but it's just kinda weird and for some reason I'm having trouble thinking of many examples, though I know I've come dangerously close to purchases this like dozens of times.

Actually would like to see big soundtrack songs like "The End Is The Beginning Is The End" in this thread - I was figuring label/licensing issues to be more for cases where an artist changed labels, and so different comps really cover different phases of their career.

^^^i love these posts

Bjork's biggest hit, It's oh so Quiet was left off her Greatest Hits album.

"I Want Your Sex" missing from The Best of George Michael

of course Pt. II is on there, so maybe he was just sick of hearing Pt. I? and/or George Michael just has a great sense of humor

Another one like DC's:

http://i.imgur.com/o1I3ofu.jpg

Sold 13 MILLION copies, and yet, there's no Abracadabra.

(Maybe not quite so egregious, but still felt weird when "Wild Mountain Honey" fades out and you go, "Yep. That's all the greatest hits by Steve Miller!")

A fair few of Madonna's biggest hits were left off The Immaculate Collection. True Blue, Dress You Up, Angel, Dear Jessie and Who's That Girl. It's still a killer compilation but she left off two UK number ones.

Pet Shop Boys had two perfect compilations with Discography and Popart. They then released the very pointless best of, Ultimate in 2010. Some of the biggest omissions include Rent, Love Comes Quickly, Opportunities, It's Alright, So Hard, Can You Forgive Her, Yesterday When I Was Mad, You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk and Flamboyant. Those are some of their very best singles.

smdh pp

steve miller don't hate -- how right you are.

"Give Ireland Back to the Irish" missing from Wings' Greatest and also the 2-CD Wingspan

I was going to say "does anybody actually like Give Ireland Back to the Irish?", but I did a search and apparently Geir does:

Geir Hongro (GeirHong) wrote this on thread C/D Paul McCartney Solo on board I Love Music on Nov 27, 2004

"Wild Life"
Helpless stuff. Kind of charming in how he tries to pull it off, but he ends up helplessly lame through most of the album. "Dear Friend" is an OK response to "How Do You Sleep", and also the best tune on the album. The rest is rubbish. Dud, although the CD version includes "Give Ireland Back To The Irish" which helps a lot.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong) wrote this on thread Albums improved by bonus tracks on board I Love Music on Mar 18, 2005

Wings' "Wild Life"
Totally helpless and hopeless album, but the version with bonus tracks does at least contain "Give Ireland Back To The Irish"

Geir Hongro (GeirHong) wrote this on thread when bad lyricists get it right on board I Love Music on Sep 5, 2006

Btw. add "Give Ireland Back To The Irish" to "Eleanor Rigby" (or replace it, as in fact, it is mainly as a soloist that McCartney has generally sucked as a lyricist)

Wingspan doesn't have Ebony & Ivory on it either, despite it being one of McCartney's hits, but it is also a very bad song, so its omission is not that egregious. not including Say Say Say is unforgivable, though.

No "Pictures of You" on The Cure's Greatest Hits!

I remember reading about a T Rex greatest hits album that didn't have Get it On

Steve Miller's Greatest Hits came out in 1978, "Abracadabra" in 1982.

That eagles greatest hits album that sells a ton doesn't have Hotel California on if but like that's a good thing

Three Dog Night's 1975 best-of Joy to the World: Their Greatest Hits doesn't include "Mama Told Me Not to Come."

"Hey Hey What Can I Do" by Led Zeppelin was a pretty popular radio tune at least where I lived and for a couple decades was kind of unavailable unless you went fishing for the actual Immigrant Song single. Even when the CD age happened, it was on a couple box sets, but was never added to Coda until I think the third remastered release.

That Eagles Greatest Hits record came out before Hotel California.

Peter Gabriel's Shaking the Tree (1990) compilation omits the real version of "I Have the Touch"
in favour of an awful remix, and it has nothing from PG II ("D.I.Y." would've been the obvious choice)

"In Your Eyes" is missing as well, but the compilation probably predates that song becoming so popular

"Shiny Happy People" was absent from REM's "In Time" but I suppose I understand why

i think pplains was offering "Abracadabra" as an "Indian Reservation" type example.

"mama told me not to come" is a perfect example of the OP's brief - what the hell? i know they had a lot of hits to pack in but man that's weird.