career bands with extensive, readily available discographies whose best album is their "greatest hits"

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telecom sez: kinks, jam, deep purple

― aleksandr supertramp (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 22 January 2004 06:53 (twenty-two years ago)

ABBA, Bob Marley & the Wailers, David Bowie (let the hate begin!), Eric B. & Rakim

― M Matos (M Matos), Thursday, 22 January 2004 06:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Obviously a lot of "singles"-oriented bands would be on here too. ABBA, The Smiths

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Thursday, 22 January 2004 06:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Stereolab

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Thursday, 22 January 2004 07:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Though technically there isn't a Stereolab "greatest hits" release, it would be. (Otherwise use ABC Music)

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Thursday, 22 January 2004 07:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I just realized that I misunderstood the thread title to mean, "Bands whose best album is equivalent to a greatest-hits collection." Which explains why I was having such a tough time of it.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 22 January 2004 07:09 (twenty-two years ago)

which Smiths comp would you say?

― M Matos (M Matos), Thursday, 22 January 2004 07:12 (twenty-two years ago)

hatful of hollow isn't QUITE a greatest-hits, but it's my favorite album of theirs.

― aleksandr supertramp (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 22 January 2004 07:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Smiths, Singles, yeah?

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 22 January 2004 07:15 (twenty-two years ago)

The Cure, Staring at the Sea Vol. 1

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 22 January 2004 07:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Scratch "Vol. 1" -- for some reason, I keep thinking that Galore is actually Staring at the Sea Vol. 2

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 22 January 2004 07:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Rod Stewarts owns, dominates, and whips this thread like a sordid slave in a dark room much like the Police's "Wrapped Around Your Finger" video.

― donut bitch (donut), Thursday, 22 January 2004 08:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Ah, The Police, too! (Granted, I wouldn't call their discography "extensive" since you can get it all in just 4 CDs and then some)

― donut bitch (donut), Thursday, 22 January 2004 08:18 (twenty-two years ago)

It pains me to say it, but Motorhead are a good example of this phenomenon.

― M Carty (mj_c), Thursday, 22 January 2004 08:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Sweet OWNZ0Rs this thread. American version, of course.

― Broheems (diamond), Thursday, 22 January 2004 08:24 (twenty-two years ago)

also, I would somewhat take issue w/ Elvis. I mean, yeah Machine Head rules all, and certainly contains every radio hit yr ever gonna hear from those gods; but man, In Rock rips in such a fierce way - it really fucking defined something, you know? It's like Blackmore acquired a copy of Kick Out the Jams, re-listened to all that post-Nice pop/classical frippery he and Lord had been up to, ripped up the playbook, and said fuck it - "amps to ten, boys!" It's a pretty essential part of the Deep Purple, indeed the heavy metal, puzzle.

― Broheems (diamond), Thursday, 22 January 2004 08:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Matos OTM re: Bowie and Eric B/Rakim. How about Orbital? (ducks)

― tipustiger, Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:00 (twenty-two years ago)

oh and Soft Cell

― tipustiger, Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know what all this ducking and pains me to say it business is about. Every band should aspire to this if the words "Greatest" and "Hits" mean anything to them at all! I think Saint Etienne, ABBA, Pet Shop Boys, Madness come into this category and they're some of my favourite bands. It's a blot on the Smiths record that their Singles comp ISN'T their best album.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:04 (twenty-two years ago)

abba's singles compilations give little indication of a good 75 % of their brilliance. that's not a fan talking (well, it is).

― piscesboy, Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I've got most of the ABBA albums - still missing the first couple - and lots of them are terrific but song-for-song Gold (or better the Definitive 2CD set) beats them, as it should,

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:08 (twenty-two years ago)

The Doors. Their comp is the only one worth having b/c all their other albums = sux0r, but for one or two tracks per. I bought three of them in HMV sale, very cheaply, and I still got burned!!

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Buzzcocks

― Ferrrrrrg (Ferg), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, come on now - there's great stuff on "A different Kind of Tension" that isn't on any buzzcocks comp I've heard (haha, unless yr referring to the complete UA buzzcocks 3 x CD in a box!!)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah but the qn isnt "bands with no good stuff apart from the greatest hits", its "which CD is best?"

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Aha, BUT. The Pete Shelley numbers on "A different Kind of Tension" are THE BEST, even tho' "Singles Going Steady" is more, uh, "consistent", so for me, it's "ADKOT", even tho I have to keep hitting the track skip button (most of Steve Diggle's numbers on ADKOT are teh suck)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Bananarama
Marc Bolan / T-Rex
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Depeche Mode
The Jam
Madness
Madonna
New Order (Substance)
Rolling Stones
The Specials
Undertones
XTC

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Singles Going Steady isn't really a "best-of" as it only compiles the singles (+ B sides) that weren't on the first 3 albums.

Operators Manual on the other hand is a true "best of" (at least up to 1981) and probably is better than any of their studio albums (or indeed Singles Going Steady for that matter).

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:36 (twenty-two years ago)

At the risk of being accused of fire-dishonouring, I'd also like to nominate Killing Joke's Laugh? I Nearly Bought One!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I was thinking of Operator's Manual, yeah. It's one of the most unnervingly not-shit albums I've heard.

― Ferrrrrrg (Ferg), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, I haven't got "Operator's Manual", I bought that 3CD complete thing when it came out.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Singles Going Steady isn't really a "best-of" as it only compiles the singles (+ B sides) that weren't on the first 3 albums.

Rub. Only on the version on the 'product' CD box.

Expanded version has all the singles, past "you say you don't love me' onwards.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:41 (twenty-two years ago)

"Product", yes, that's the one!

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

James Brown (Star Time)
Four Tops (Anthology)
Marvin Gaye (Anthology.... a little controversial maybe?)
Smokey Robinson (Anthology)
Temptations (Anthology)

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:48 (twenty-two years ago)

"Singles Going Steady isn't really a "best-of" as it only compiles the singles (+ B sides) that weren't on the first 3 albums."

"Rub. Only on the version on the 'product' CD box."

No, on the original vinyl!

(I see the other tracks have been added on the CD 'though, so I suppose you are right really.)

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:53 (twenty-two years ago)

As good as their albums are, De La Soul's "Timeless" is just unbeatable.

― Not That Chuck, Thursday, 22 January 2004 14:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe it means more to us in the UK, but for a while the living embodiment of this phenomenon was Queen. Circa-'82, no home was complete without a copy of 'Greatest Hits'. (To a lesser extent, the same could be said of the Quo's 'Twelve Gold Bars', too) There must be 20 Queen albums readily available and all of them, bar 'A Night At The Opera' are, frankly, so-so apart from the singles. Discuss.

― laticsmon (laticsmon), Thursday, 22 January 2004 16:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Matthew Sweet "Time Capsule: Best of"

― webcrack (music=crack), Thursday, 22 January 2004 17:23 (twenty-two years ago)

THE METERS

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 22 January 2004 17:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Stewart, "Ever Fallen In Love" is on Love Bites and on "Singles Going Steady" (proper original vinyl).

The only Buzzcocks singles or b-sides not on SGS are "Spiral Scratch" and the ones which came out after SGS. Aren't they?

― Tim (Tim), Thursday, 22 January 2004 17:31 (twenty-two years ago)

And weren't "I Don't Mind" and "Autonomy" on AMIADK and SGS?

OK I'll leave it now.

― Tim (Tim), Thursday, 22 January 2004 17:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Saint Etienne -- "Too Young to Die"

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 22 January 2004 23:03 (twenty-two years ago)

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