Greatest Hits and Best Ofs: Where does it end?

[Lynch]

The subject title pretty much asks my question, when does this end? I have been bouncing around the interwebs looking at some album info tonight and have run into some information to add to what I already had seen in the past. There are some bands (or is it the music companies) that keep putting this stuff out and WAAAAY overdo it.

My question is, "at what point do we have to be at before `enough is enough`?"

Just a few examples:

• Beatles - 12 studio albums (although 27 if you include the various import/export versions), 57 compilations, 4 live albums.
• Jimi Hendrix - 3 studio albums, 2 compilations, 2 live albums ... 55+ albums, box sets, compilations, and live albums released since his death 40 yrs ago
• Simon and Garfunkel - 5 studio albums, 15 compilations, 4 live albums
• Rolling Stones - 29 studio albums, 30 compilations, 10 live albums
• The Who - 11 studio albums, 21 compilations, 11 live albums
• Fleetwood Mac - 17 studio albums, 12 compilations, 6 live albums
• Led Zeppelin - 9 studio albums, 9 compilations, 3 live albums
• Yes - 21 studio albums, 31 compilations, 9 live albums
• Michael Jackson - 10 studio albums, 71 (yes 71! ) compilations, 1 live album
• Alice Cooper - 25 studio albums, 21 compilations, 8 live albums
• Nirvana - 3 studio albums, 6 compilations, 3 live albums
• ELO - 13 studio albums, 37 compilations, 4 live albums

There are a few bands who have a nice sized studio catalog that is
NOT overshadowed by an equal or greater number of compilations




or live albums:

• Rush - 19 studio albums, 8 compilations, 8 studio albums
• Kiss - 20 studio albums, 11 compilations, 10 live albums
• Aerosmith - 14 studio albums, 9 compilations, 5 live albums
• Elvis Presley - 23 studio albums, 11 compilations, 7 live albums
• Genesis - 15 studio albums, 6 compilations, 6 live albums

Obviously there are plenty more examples of both, I just wanted to
give some comparisons and again as my question, when is it enough!?

 

[Mr. T]

I could not agree with your obvious point more Lynch. The truth is as long as ppl keep shelling out the bucks then the repackaging will keep coming. And your numbers don't even include bootlegs do they?

 

[Lynch]

Nope, just "official" releases ... with the exception of Jimi, I'm not sure how much of that is official or unauthorized. But yeah, these are just record company best ofs, lives and studio release info.

 

[Mr. T]

The sad truth in many cases is that the artist really doesn't have total if any control over this either. It's often just pure greed on the part of the labels.

 

[AboutAGirl]

I don't think there's anything wrong with live albums or compilations of new material.

Too many best ofs is silly though. Unless a band is releasing new material, there shouldn't be much need to redefine the same body of work. The way I like it to be done is you have a single-disc Greatest Hits with just the hits, and then a 2-Disc Best Of with a broader selection of the most popular tracks, fan favorites and such.

The Doors is another band that releases an exorbitant amount of material, particularly for a band that has been dead so long. Through Bright Midnight they probably have like 20 live albums by now. And I'm pretty sure they have about 30 best ofs, give or take. ;p

How about bands who don't have enough compilations? Petty has his share of compis I guess, but nothing that culls his lucrative mid-90s hits along with his earlier hits, let alone everything he's done since then. A nice definitive Best Of or a Greatest Hits Part 2 would be nice. Also wouldn't mind seeing a comprehensive Neil Young best of. Maybe 3 discs or something? A collection that culls from his entire career so far, that would be interesting to see.

 

[METALPRIEST]

I think one best of is enough...maybe two but only if they add more than one new track to the listing to make it worthwhile..but even then I get kinda miffed with that as well.

I appreciate the way Iron Maiden did their boxset. All live stuff and B-sides.

Bon Jovi's 10,000,000 fans can't be wrong was good like that....all un-released stuff.

Cooper and Ozzy had decent box sets as well as KISS....but granted these are box sets.

I guess I'm just saying that these are far better and once in a while single CD's can be made in the same fashion while including possibly 6 other best of songs to go with smaller single compilations.

 

[LG]

Simply a cash grab by the labels and band management in my opinion.

Talked about this in my Remaster thread a few months back, the reissuing of old material to the point it's ridiculous.

I do like what Steven Wilson has done with King Crimson and his soon to be released remix of Aqualung in CD, DVD and Blu-Ray(At least he is trying to get the 24-192 format released.). That is the proper way to go about this you are ending up with the state of the art recording that is worth looking into.

I am very selective about "Best Of" or "Hits" packages, I don't own that many of them and will almost always prefer the best two or three studio albums anyway.

 

[Powerage]

Live albums are great, can't get enough of those. It's the bloody best of's that piss me off. Aerosmith have released 9 of those 10 in the last 10 years it seems. And the funny thing is, the Aerosmith ones are purely Geffen era, so it's the same songs re-cycled every 12 months in new packaging missing the best stuff!

 

[gcczep]

[*]Led Zeppelin - 9 studio albums, 9 compilations, 3 live albums

Page oversaw the release of the first two compiles Boxed Set and Boxed Set 2. The rest were Atlantic/Rhino decisions. Early Days and Latter Days were released separately and then together so I why the second counts I do not know. Other than the initial box sets the Definitive Collection is the only one I would recommend. Mothership [I hate that title!] was a purely corporate decision put out to coincide with their reunion gig at the 02 that same year. As far as I know, there were no "remasters" of the original tapes other than the first ones that Page worked on. Yeah...and I have all of them.

And NO...it will NEVER end. The nature of the beast.

 

[Nololob]

[*]Elvis Presley - 23 studio albums, 11 compilations, 7 live albums

I counted 462 Presley compilation albums.