Best Of the Best Ofs

[Ray de Galles]

Best Of the Best Ofs

Oh, I like 'Caravan of Love', 'Happy Hour' too. It's just they are chronically over-exposed in the UK and people rarely see past them to the other stuff.

[My Name Is Ian]

Best Of the Best Ofs

I'm going to throw in a shout for Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - The Ultimate Collection, not least because it has both the title song to Grease and the Pilooski remix of Beggin' (which I really like) on it.

[MsD]

Best Of the Best Ofs

Loads of good suggestions here, I'd add The Shangri-las (I have several different Greatest Hits/Best Ofs but the one with the three girls in dayglo outfits on the front is my favourite) and Rumble - The Best of Link Wray.

I also like the Best of Placebo, Best of Blondie, and the Siouxsie and the Banshees singles albums.

[boris]

Best Of the Best Ofs

I used to (like about 40 years ago) have a brilliant Doors double album compilation called Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine. I've not seen it since, but it had almost everything worth having by them.

There are plenty of good Van der Graaf Generator compilations, but the best are probably An Introduction (if you can't find the 4 CD The Box).

I think the new Stones CD Grrr is pretty comprehensive too.

[Bored Of Education]

Best Of the Best Ofs

"Hit By Hit" by the Godfathers isn't really a greatest hits, more a collection of their first singles but is fucking great.

[Gangster Octopus]

Best Of the Best Ofs

Still no mention of Best Of Chic? One of my favourites.

[Ray de Galles]

Best Of the Best Ofs

Furtho wrote: For indiepop types, Another Sunny Day's London Weekend is an absolute must.

That looks like something from when we did that 'Create your imaginary album' with band name, album title and cover from random searches on Google image and book search?

[MsD]

Best Of the Best Ofs

Gangster Octopus wrote: Still no mention of Best Of Chic? One of my favourites.

Yeh, I like that innit.

[Gerontophile]

Best Of the Best Ofs

A 'second' for the Stiff Little Fingers "All The Best", earlier, from BoE. That is an excellent album.

I think there are a load of Human League greatest hits things out there, but I really liked the League Unlimited Orchestra thing 'Love and Dancing'.

I have the Best of Japan, and if you only like their singles, that is definitely the one you want.

And, 'Total Madness' (2009 version) has just about everything from Madness (although I admit to a bit of liking of some of their very early album tracks.)

[Sam]

Best Of the Best Ofs

Tramp The Dirt Down wrote: Also in the 20 Golden Greats Series on Capitol was Frank Sinatra - I bought this LP in 78 I think, specifically because I loved Strangers In The Night, only to find out the track wasn't on it because he recorded Strangers for the Reprise label.

I was a right gobshite when I was 16.

What about when you were seventeen?

And which Best Of Chic, GO (and MsD)? Dance, Dance, Dance, or volume 2? The former, for me.

The Very Best Of Prince is a pretty impossible title for a CD to live up to, but it was my introduction to him and in that respect, it worked well. The Hits/The B-Sides is a lot more complete of course, but then it's also three times as many discs.

For people new to salsa, I would and indeed do recommend the Fania best ofs for Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco and the Fania All Stars (although the Celia one doesn't include her early stuff, which is much harder to get of as it was recorded in Cuba with various bands before she left the island).

Others:

Mama Feelgood, aka the Best Of Lyn Collins.
Let's Groove, the Best Of Earth, Wind & Fire.
Give It Up: The Best of The Curtom Years 1970-77 by Curtis Mayfield.
The Best of The Brothers Johnson.
The Best of Pleasure (easily the most obscure band I've listed here, so here's a sample track. If you've ever in your life listened to a funk song and thought, 'I quite like this,' you really should click the link).
Funked Up: The Very Best of Parliament.
The Undisputed Truth: The Collection.
The Essential Bobby Womack.
I've also got something called Classic James Brown, on Universal, which was one of the first CDs I ever bought and includes largely the less interesting, most well-known versions of all his most well-known tracks - often 2, 3 or 4 mins, with the notable exceptions of 'Get Up (I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine)' Parts 1&2 (5:17) and 'Cold Sweat' Parts 1&2 (7:26). It's missing a lot of stuff that only an artist like JB could have missing from a best of, but it hasn't got a single bum note on it.
Reggae Greats by Burning Spear seems good to me too, though I don't know enough of their other stuff to be sure - apart from it, I've only got Marcus Garvey/Garvey's Ghost.

And count this as another vote for The Record, too. Listening to that collection all the way through really brings home what amazing writers of pop the BeeGees were.

Oh, and Ghetto Style by Gil Scott-Heron.

[Sits]

Best Of the Best Ofs

Today in JB HiFi saw the Pet Shop Boys' Discography for $9.99 and remembered the strong showing it got here. Cracking value I thought. Went up to the till, "special discount left on the system" whatever that means, $7. Seven dollars! For 18 PSB hits.

Where the Streets Have No Name/Can't Take My Eyes Off You

[M_L_M]

Best Of the Best Ofs

I'd like to add:

"Snap" - the Jam
"Cher 'O' Bowlies" - The Undertones

[Tramp The Dirt Down]

Best Of the Best Ofs

Hello Dad I'm In Jail - Was(Not Was)

[Jah Womble]

Best Of the Best Ofs

Greatest Hits was my introduction to the work of Leonard Cohen, so 'that' basically.

If it's not already been mentioned, like.

Actually, even if it has.

[Sits]

Was listening to Ash’s Intergalactic Sonic 7”s which was their early Best Of, before they started taking themselves seriously. They’re not especially loved on here but this is great fun. That and 1977 are all you need really.

[Patrick Thistle]

Yer Favourites by the Tragically Hip. 2 discs. Loads of songs. A couple of new tracks. (Which I don;t really approve of bands doing but, hey.)

Came out the year before World Container, which i would rate as their third best album and essential listening if you like them. So none of the songs off that album are on there.

[Bored Of Education]

For probably the second time, I thought, ‟Ray's gone mental there, the Quo one has got to be 'Twelve Gold Bars″, there must have been too much latter-day filler on there″ then googled the track listing for both, realised I was wrong and made a note to get 'From the makers of....‟

Anyway, can't see ″Lest We Forget″, the Marilyn Manson one which is excellent and, again, probably all you need.

[Benjm]

I'm going to give Substance a spin ahead of going to see New Order on Thursday.

[Sits]

And reading the references to Abba’s Gold reminded me I find I enjoy More Gold just as much if not more these days. Maybe it’s a familiarity thing.

[hobbes]

I just want to add Smash It Up by the Damned to my list and say that the Housemartins were utter dogshit as anyone who ever had to sit through the tawdry London 0 Hull 4 album will surely confirm.

[Etienne]

My wife had an album that was a best of the Housemartins and the Beautiful South combined, and illustrated that neither had enough material for a good best of, the ludicrous success of Carry on up the charts notwithstanding. Choke isn't a bad album, and I like Song for Whoever. Everything after Brianna Corrigan left is shite.

[DCI Harry Batt]

You two. Honestly.

[Jah Womble]

Was listening to Ash’s Intergalactic Sonic 7”s which was their early Best Of, before they started taking themselves seriously. They’re not especially loved on here but this is great fun. That and 1977 are all you need really.

The biggest problem with Ash is that they used up all their best tunes while still teenagers.

[Ray de Galles]

I'd add The Proclaimers 2002 'Best of...' and Steely Dan's 'Showbiz Kids -The Steely Dan Story 1972-1980' to my original contributions to this thread.

[elguapo4]

Singles Going Steady- The Buzzcocks
Raytown Revisited- The Blades
Must I Paint You A Picture- Billy Bragg.