Not unheard of for a band that has been around for awhile and not gotten a lot of recognition to suddenly have one big hit that they will forever be remembered by and they have to say "Well, see, we've got some good songs on all these other albums we put out that nobody ever heard too."
It's just a way for the band to showcase their prior unnoticed catalogue and provide new fans with a reason to sample it, and a way for the record companies to recoup their investment in supporting the band when it wasn't selling the albums they thought they would when they were signed.
It's also a way for a band that started out fast, and skidded to a halt very quickly to try and remind fans why they liked them in the first place, and the record company to squeeze more blood from the pop turnip. The Gin Blossoms Best of/Compilation/Whatever comes to mind (Of course, they could have been around long before I'd ever heard "Hey Jealousy"). Of course, anybody that holds an Ear-X-Tacy bumper sticker up on the sleeve of their hit album is a-ok with me. Great store.
I'm still trying to figure out how in the world the Barenakedladies conviced themselves that they needed a greatest hits album, or for that matter, what they put on it? If I had a million dollars only takes up 2 1/2 minutes, ya know.
You know, I thought with the Bears and the Pack both out of the playoffs I wouldn't have anything to argue about with you until next September, but then you had to go and speak ill of BNL. One of my favorite groups going right now. Mainly because they're sneaky. They sound and act all happy and peppy, but many of their best songs are very bitter, depressing, and somewhat depressing. Listen to "Pinch Me", "Call and Answer", "When I Fall" just to name a few. Very dark songs, wrapped up in that kind of kitschy package of theirs.
I hate "Greatest Hits" albums. A single is really part of a bigger picture, and I want the whole picture. Give me the whole album and an open highway to roam while I listen. The hits hardly ever turn out to be my favorite songs anyway.
spf, some of BNL's stuff off of Gordon freaks the life out of me.... "The Flag"? Take a listen to the lyrics of that one sometime. (And I'll disregard the fact that you're a Bears fan for now. )
210, you obviously haven't heard BNL live, because you'd know that "If I had $1,000,000" takes about 15 minutes live, just from all the stuff they put in there. It's a huge live hit (although, for some reason, they put the Gordon version on there... hmmm). In addition, they had 2 new songs on the Greatest Hits, "It's Only Me" (which has a 2nd name that I forget right now) and "Thanks That Was Fun", not to mention a song off the King of the Hill soundtrack, which is as close to a release without airplay as you can get. I could give you the whole song list off the CD, but I'd be here for a little while...
I've always thought Greatest Hits albums mid-career were for those that missed the boat early on and are too lazy to collect all the CDs previous to the GH album.
spf, some of BNL's stuff off of Gordon freaks the life out of me.... "The Flag"? Take a listen to the lyrics of that one sometime. (And I'll disregard the fact that you're a Bears fan for now. )
*snip* I've always thought Greatest Hits albums mid-career were for those that missed the boat early on and are too lazy to collect all the CDs previous to the GH album.
A couple of things come to mind with this. First off, I'll forgive your lack of understanding when it comes to football teams Secondly, you're very right about the GH thing, and for me BNL is a good example of that. Rock Spectacle, which kinda served as a version of a GH album, was my intro to the band, after hearing "The Old Apartment" and being blown away by it. Hearing some of the older stuff live made me want to hear more and dig a bit more into their stuff.
Ahh, BNL. A terrific band. I was mildly disappointed in their latest release [Edit: Maroon], but not overly so. I still love Gordon. That was the first album of theirs I heard, and damn, what an album it is. "The Flag" is a terrific song for so many reasons, among them the lyrics, Steven Page's voice, and Jim Creegan's smooth-ass bass work.
"If you attempt to ignite a petroleum product on this ship at 0:00 hours, you will activate the fire suppression system, which would seal off this entire compartment." Cmdr. Data
I just hate GH albums by groups that have 3 hits. Shaq has a greatest hits album. Fu-Schnikens (sp)has a greatest hits album. There should be a rule or something that you have to have atleast hits for a GH album. I hate it also when the GH album is composed of about 5 new songs and 5 old ones. That is just cheating.
January 4th 1999 - The day WCW injected itself with 10 gallons of Liquid Anthrax...AKA...The day Hogan "Defeated" Nash to win the WCW title in front of 40,000.
29 posts in this topic and no one comes through with "Greatest hits albums are for housewives and little girls!"?
I like when a band already has a "Best Of", so the next time the same songs come out on a compilation it has to be "The VERY Best of", to rub in what a jerk you were for buying the first one.
"I think right now in Africa there's some guy madly beating on a drum. He's a Doors fan. Or an old lady sitting on the bus sucking humbugs. She's a Rider On The Storm, but she ain't never heard the sounds."
My GOD people, Terry Hall RULES. What about the COLOUR FIELD? What about VEGAS? What about TERRY, BLAIR & ANOUCHKA?! Well you can maybe scratch those but the Colour Field is the best thing that Terry Hall EVER EVER was a part of EVER. I prefer them to the Specials but that's largely because ska makes me physically ill now.
The only thing I enjoy more than doing the crossword puzzle is actually finishing it.
My GOD people, Terry Hall RULES. What about the COLOUR FIELD? What about VEGAS? What about TERRY, BLAIR & ANOUCHKA?! Well you can maybe scratch those but the Colour Field is the best thing that Terry Hall EVER EVER was a part of EVER. I prefer them to the Specials but that's largely because ska makes me physically ill now.
The only thing I enjoy more than doing the crossword puzzle is actually finishing it.
The Specials and UB40=proof that not EVERY band from England is good.
I don't like Greatest Hits albums that don't carry all of the musician's greatest hits. I mean, take Bruce Springsteen for example; his GH album was missing all sorts of good stuff, and yet he's in no rush to release a second one.
I was born in a manger, like that other guy. You know, he wore a hat?