Buying a Greatest Hits cd even though you have all the artist's proper cds- Classic or Dud?

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Just picked up Elvis Costello's Girls, Girls, Girls even though I have all his regular cds. Also I have done it for other artists. Classic or Dud?

― Jim Reckling (Jim Reckling), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 23:45 (twenty-one years ago)

depends on how cool the cover is. but in the case of elvis costello: definitely dud.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 23:52 (twenty-one years ago)

What about that Underworld compilation thing? I just can't bring myself to throw coin on something full of tracks I already have right now, but being a sort-of completist for them, I feel I should own it. Sucks.

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I bought the REM compilation CD last year. It has four songs that aren't on the regular albums, though. It's a great CD! (I predicted IN PRINT, btw, years ago, that their Warner Brothers era compilation album was going to be a great album. And it is.) I voted it number three, I think, on my Pazz and Jop ballot last year. I was the only one who voted for it!

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I have the Nirvana comp.
*runs away*

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I bought that REM CD myself in part cuz a friend never returned my copy of Reveal and all I wanted back was "Imitation Of Life" anyhow.

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:22 (twenty-one years ago)

"Bad Day" is great too

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:23 (twenty-one years ago)

i would never do this if i already had all the songs, but if it had a couple of exclusive or singles-only songs i'd probably get it..

― purple patch (electricsound), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I make my own 'best-ofs' - I'm up to about 40 of them and they're all *way better* than the ones you can buy - they're 80 minutes, don't have any inferior *new* tracks, and they're free to make!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I figure if an artist or band has a pretty extensive discography, picking up a greatest hits CD might be a nice distillation to listen to in the car. I've also got an Elvis Costello collection, despite owning most of his albums (which aren't duds, so nyah).
And Spencer has a point too, though I'm much too lazy to actually do that. (Though I've been thinking about doing a Yo La Tengo one for about two years).

― Bruce S. Urquhart (BanjoMania), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:30 (twenty-one years ago)

*runs back*
I usually get these nowadays when I used to have all or most of the proper CDs but for now I just want to have the key tracks again.
such as:
That REM CD (I have the 2 disc ed.)
The Best of GbV
Geto Boys Greatest Hits

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:30 (twenty-one years ago)

THe only record I can think of that fits this description (not counting things with non-lp singles like The Who's GH, Sly's GH, Skynyrd's Innyrds, etc.), is John Fahey's Return of the Repressed 2 CD Rhino compilation. Since buying it some years ago I have acquired every pre-90s Fahey lp, the period covered by the collection. BUt I can't bring myself to sell off the comp because it has sentimental value AND I just love the running order AND it has great little blurbs on all the tracks from JH himself.

― Monetizing Eyeballs (diamond), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Not liking Elvis Costello? DUD

― Jim Reckling (Jim Reckling), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:35 (twenty-one years ago)

He bugs me.

― Monetizing Eyeballs (diamond), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:37 (twenty-one years ago)

The only greatest Hits CD that I can think of that I own is Steely Dan. It's good, but not nearly complete enough. Most of My SD works are on old scratched-up vinyl, though.

― jim wentworth (wench), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Buying a GH, dud. Making your own, classic.

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I make my own 'best-ofs' - I'm up to about 40 of them and they're all *way better* than the ones you can buy - they're 80 minutes, don't have any inferior *new* tracks, and they're free to make!

it's so great that you do this!!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I like Elvis Costello's first few albums -- well, the first three anyway, and *Trust*. A best-of by him would be completely pointless (especially since, even back before he became one of the most boring people on earth, his best tracks rarely if ever tended to be singles)

I just got a Mystikal best-of album in the mail, however, and I am guessing that it will make all of his other LPs completely redundant. Sort of like Coolio's best of album a few years ago, as I recall.

So: It depends.

As for "rolling one's own": I have never "burnt" a CD in my life, and would not know how to do so if asked. So for me this is a moot point.

― chuck, Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:45 (twenty-one years ago)

you could still make a mixtape.

Now that I've finally entered the magical world of CD burning over the last two months, I've made some comps of tracks from CDs I wanna sell back. So my GVSB Greatest Hits doesn't cover V-Lux or House Of GVSB (cuz they were good enough to keep in their entirety) but it does a good job grabbing stuff from all the other albums.

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:55 (twenty-one years ago)

>you could still make a mixtape.<

Nope, because my taping apparatus has been broken for two years! I used to make mixtapes ALL THE TIME, but no more! Ha ha, shows what you know!!!! (Plus, I only made VARIOUS mix tapes, usually of tracks off records I was GETTING RID OFF, avoiding redundany at all costs!)

― chuck, Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Out of curiousity, what would you grab off Freak-on-i-ca?
(x-post)

― Bruce S. Urquhart (BanjoMania), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 00:58 (twenty-one years ago)

(Plus, I only made VARIOUS mix tapes, usually of tracks off records I was GETTING RID OFF, avoiding redundany at all costs!)

actually I read about you doing that in some interview and that's where I got the idea to do that all the stuff I'm tossing.

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 01:03 (twenty-one years ago)

for the most part mine are various artist, but sometimes I'm getting rid of so much from somebody that they take up a whole tape (if its vinyl and cassette) or CD-R. Now I've got Bestadoh!

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 01:04 (twenty-one years ago)

SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE

― amateur!!!st (amateurist), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 03:56 (twenty-one years ago)

i would've still gotten songs to learn and sing b/c until they released the remastered echo and the bunnymen, it was where you got "bring on the dancing horses." i still listen to it b/c it's a sentimental favorite.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 04:10 (twenty-one years ago)

What? You actually have a copy of "Big Mouth"??? And "Spikee"??? And "Rez"???

― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 1 September 2004 05:06 (twenty-one years ago)

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