Apologies for the late post. I've been settling into my new home and new job, leaving this space empty whilst more important parts of my life take priority. However, I have a bit of spare time so I thought I'd go ahead and type up some bits and bobs about something every music fan is familiar with.
Compilation Albums.
We've seen them advertised on TV and dotted around record stores. We mostly just assume they're a collection of well known songs by the band from all their albums on one handy CD, but there's a little bit more to them than that. Some bands decide to add tunes from a select number of albums across 10 years and a few even choose to add lesser known tracks just because they're favourites among band members.
Either way, for every magnificent compilation representing the band's greatest triumphs of Rock and Metal (although usually Rock), there's one that's clearly been churned out by means of generating cash by the record label. If you're like me and find yourself occasionally buying the old compilation album from a band you're not hugely into but still enjoy listening to, maybe you'll agree with some of these cardinal sins and shining diamonds in the world of musical anthologies.
Firstly, Dos!
DO learn the difference between "Greatest Hits" and "Best Of"
Technically, bands should never release Greatest Hits OR Best Of albums if they're still recording music, since it's basically them saying "Yeah, we're still making albums but fuck it, the songs we recorded 20 years ago shit all over them. You might as well not bother. We certainly didn't!". However, if you're a band that realises that fans will always see the classic material as the collection of superior tunes (or if you're Deep Purple), there's no point pretending anything you write now can be considered the best of your efforts.
So you come out with a compilation album. What do you call it?
WELL, if you're releasing a compendium of all your most successful songs that comprise fan favourites, chart topping singles and/or songs that gained popularity through use in the media, you go with "Greatest Hits" or "The Singles Collection".
If, however, you're choosing songs that consist of both well AND lesser known tracks that are highly regarded by fans and band members alike, you call it "The Best Of".
The number of fucking times I've seen an album boasting the "Essential" songs by a band, only to find some of their most awesome tunes absent is too damn high. What's more, it shows that whoever named it couldn't be arsed to actually listen to the songs included, which means the album is no more worthy of your ears than a Spotify playlist assembled by a deaf tween.
DO include stories about each song from band members in the leaflet
If the band are popular enough to have a compilation album and you like them enough to buy it, chances are you're at least a little bit interested in their history. Plus, some of these songs that'll probably end up on compilations have some rather fascinating stories behind them. If you're not bothered about that, you don't have to read the leaflet but the info in there about each song is a lot better than some blurb about the band in general written by their manager or some pillock who works for a music magazine.
"Oh but what if there are songs that don't have fun stories behind them?"
Song ideas have to come from somewhere, whether it's a bad day, a strange encounter, a handy dream or just plain ol' life experience. If a guitarist came up with a riff because he wanted something to sing in the shower, I call that a good enough story to share. The point is that songs included on these compilations can't just be ones that the band made by fucking about and even if they are, that's an anecdote in itself. Don't believe me? Check out the story behind Sweet Child O'Mine.
DO include album versions of songs
9/10 times, the album version of the song is a lot better than the single edit. Some songs work better with an edit, yes, but when a compilation butchers songs and removes some of the awesome elements like the guitar solo or an extra verse, forcing you to either settle for a substandard edit or pay more money for the full album version, it feels like a slap in the face. The only time single edits are suitable on compilations is when they're on "The Singles Collection". "Greatest Hits" is debatable, "Best Of" is a giant no-no.
And now for the Don'ts!
DON'T include live versions
This is the ultimate fuck you from whoever's responsible. I don't care if it's because the record label only has permission to use live tracks or if the band think they're better than the studio versions, it's a giant middle finger and nothing else. It's very rare for a live version to be better than the original (unless you're there at the gig, you're a fan of that band or it's pre-plane crash Lynyrd Skynyrd*) and it's even rarer for people to want the live version on a compilation.
OK, if a live version was released as a single, it has its place then. Also, if you include the original on one disc and a live version on another, that's understandable too. But live versions without the studio on a compilation album? Hell. Fuckin. No. The same can also be said for "remixes". Remasters are fine, remixes can piss right off.
DON'T release US and UK versions with different songs
A while ago, I acquired a Billy Joel compilation album. Recently, I revisited it after seeing the same album online with the song Scenes From An Italian Restaurant. But what's this? My version didn't have that track. So for some reason, a different region wants different songs, right?
WRONG!!
Nobody wants that. Same compilation, same tracklist. Every time; no excuses.
DON'T release a load of them with a mishmash of tracks across compilations
So a band decides to release a compilation that you go out and buy? Good. Same band release another compilation with different songs on it? Great! Band release another compilation with most the songs previously used on existing compilations? NO NO NO!
I accept that sometimes this is inevitable. If a band have existed for over 30 years and the compilation was released near the start of their career (an aforementioned sin), it might be necessary to include the earlier songs on a large compilation also including a lot of unused songs. However, including the same songs over and over whilst neglecting some that deserve a place more than the same hit used five times is a result of only one motivation. Greed.
Aerosmith are guilty of this and Black Sabbath had the fucking cheek to release two different compilations with exactly the same tracklist on both. I shit you not! There had to be better ways of promoting their godawful recent album than to rip off gullible fans like that.
In fact, there has to be a better way of handling compilation album tracklists in this digital age. There should be a company like Spotify that has access to entire back catalogues from bands and allows you to pick a selection of the band's material to burn onto a blank CD, which they send you for a price. Minimum 10 songs, maximum...I dunno, 15-20? Depends how much CD space there is.
£7.99 for 10 songs (plus small postage fee), £12.99 for over 15, custom album artwork from a selection of pictures on a band's "page", you can choose between studio, live, alternate and re-recordings and the money is split between the website and the band. I have no idea if a concept like this already exists for compilations but if it doesn't, the idea originated from me on August 31st 2014 and this blog post is proof.
I think the Kaiser Chiefs did something like this for their fourth album (pity it wasn't as good as their second) but an idea like this would be perfect for people who want a large selection of the band's entire existing material without spending a small fortune. It would also show bands which album tracks or B-sides people want to hear due to how often they're selected, in case they're struggling to think of new songs to add to a live setlist.
I guess people are moving to digital media rather than purchasing CD's so this idea probably wouldn't take off in the same way iTunes did but I dunno, I think it could work if done correctly with a wide selection of musicians supporting it. Anyway, that's it from me. Do you have any pet peeves about compilation albums? Let me know in the comment section. Until next time, be seeing you!
* Even though "One More From The Road" boasts material that blows nearly all of Skynyrd's studio work out the water, I would still want the originals on a compilation. If you want the live versions, buy the fucking live album.
