Perfect Compilations?

Chuck Berry Anthology/Gold while very good, still manages to omit charting singles like Anthony Boy, Run Rudolph Run, Merry Christmas Baby and Little Marie and Chuck's great version of Route 66 which influenced the Stones version.

This inport 2 cd alternative to Anthology/Gold contains Run Rudolph Run and Little Marie but still misses Anthony Boy, Merry Christmas Baby and Route 66. However, it includes a couple of his Mercury singles and also has more tracks than Antholgy/Gold.

 

Would it be cheating to suggest: Jethro Tull - Living in the Past?


(I actually think The Who's "MBBAB" and Neil's "Decade" might be the only true correct answers... and "Hot Rocks" pretty damn close...)

 

Deep Purple - The Singles (A's and B's)
Uriah Heep - The Ultimate Collection
Queen - Greatest Hits 1 and Greatest Hits 2 (or Absolute Greatest)
The Beatles - 1
The Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks
The Beach Boys - The Platinum Collection (Sound Of Summer Edition)
Chuck Berry - Gold
Muddy Waters - Gold
Jackson Five - Gold
Kiss - Gold
Elvis Presley - ELV1S (and 2nd To None)
Paul McCartney - Wingspan (or All The Best, or Pure McCartney)
Pink Floyd - Echoes (The Best Of Pink Floyd)
John Lennon - Power To The People (The Hits)
The Cure - Greatest Hits
R.E.M. - Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage (1982-2011)

 

I've never found the perfect compilation where every song is one I would have chosen. A close one is Chips From The Chocolate Fireball from The Dukes of Stratosphere. It includes all their songs released to date on 1 cd. Unfortunately it came too soon, as they regrouped and recorded "Open a Can of Human Beans". So it has a minor flaw keeping it from reaching perfection.

 

Ha, just wanted to mention the 2007 double disc version. The mixes/remasters are great there.
This is the front cover, btw.

 

While I dig Weird Scenes, this may be the perfect Doors compilation (on vinyl):

 

I read that the band had to release this compilation, it wasn't planned originally. Axl still hates this album.^^

 

Love this comp, too. But unfortunately there weren't any tracks from L.A. Woman on it yet, some of those were in progress by then though.
Elektra just wanted to release another Doors album prior Christmas 1970...

 

1) The Kinks: The File Series (2 LP's)
2) Creedence Clearwater Revival Greatest Hits (3 LP's)
3) Elvis' 40 Greatest (2 LP's)

 

I agree. I believe at the time there had been a trend of releasing compilations with the title (or a variation thereof) '#1s' (the Diana Ross & The Supremes comp comes to mind). My recollection is that these were all surprisingly, quite successful. I always assumed the record company (Apple, EMI) jumped on the band wagon. The vinyl editions of '1' have always been two records - it may have been possible to have squeezed in two other tracks over the four sides without dropping any. Having 'Strawberry Fields Forever' without 'Penny Lane' makes about as much sense as having 'Penny Lane' without 'Strawberry Fields Forever'.

I love the '1962-1966' and '1967 - 1970' comps and much prefer them over '1'.

 

Kate Bush The Whole Story includes an awful remake of 'Wuthering Heights' instead of the original, which ruins the entire compilation.

 

I had the Marvin Gaye collection in the 'Gold' series of CD comps (Universal Music label, right?). It was the worst sounding CD I ever owned. How do these others sound?

 

Be Bop Deluxe: 'The Best of and Rest of Be Bop Deluxe' ( double LP).

 

That Dylan mono collection is beautiful sounding - audiophile quality. I love it. It's basically his 'Greatest Hits' album +++. Only released on CD; I wished there had been a vinyl version of this.

 

I would have said The Beatles "1", but there's something about it that doesn't please me as I'm going down to Strawberry Fields.

 

Nope. Brickwalled and sounds awful. Good track selection, though.

This, on the other hand, is essential, primarily because it is the best mastering of these classic songs available.

Agree with the Sam Cooke Portrait of a Legend suggestion.

I also think this 4-CD compilation is pretty close to perfect (though it violates 2 of the 4 parameters set by the thread starter...):

 

I never will understand ABBA's issue with "Summer Night City."

 

This is a wonderful record in its own right. There was a volume II, and even a III, I think (certainly I and II were released as a double set). But really, the first is all you need. Better yet - they sound fantastic.

 

True.

I could do without those 80's drumbeats. Vocally though, she's still brilliant.

 

I think the third disc is listed as 'The B Sides' so On Top of Old Smokey fits right in.

 

Benny and Bjorn don't seem to like the track. On the video in the blue box they go on and on (and on) about what a failure it was. I love it.

 

The Sandie Shaw File (in the same series as the Kinks one) is the perfect Sandie comp. No other comes anywhere near it ... and there's been hundreds.

 

Cheap nasty double CD (the cover photo is printed backwards) but content wise it's all killer, no filler. Much better than the two higher priced Vogue Dutronc doubles.