With guys like Sinatra, Ray Charles or B.B. King, where they have a really long recording career on several record labels, those “Best of” compilations are often “**The Very Best of Frank Sinatra ** from 1973-1977 when he was on our label.”
That’d be mighty white of you.
I bought an album of his “classics”. Instead of the version of “Vincent” that was on the American Pie LP, it had some subsequent recording that was just horrible. Slowed down and over-emphasized – sounded like a cover done by a third-rate lounge singer.
More generally, any re-recording of a classic song on a greatest hits (or live) album where they toy with the tempo or the lyrics irritates me.
You people who keep repeating the “mighty white of you” “joke” are doin’ it up brown, aren’t you? :rolleyes:
Yes, it’s kind of a black mark on the SDMB’s record of only beating ultra-simulpost jokes to death.
Okay, guys. No more of this hijack; let’s get back to the discussion of the OP.
One of my dreams has always been to be a successful and popular musician, release a bunch of albums, and then release a greatest hits album called “Don’t Worry, FuSoYa Guarentees You Will Recognize Every Song on This Album”
Personally, I’m not a fan of Greatest Hits albums, #1 because if I like an artist enough to actually buy their album, I would want to hear their entire repitoire. I tend to have a unique taste in music, and often lesser known songs are the ones I like the best. #2 Greatest Hits albums are often put together by the label, rather than the artist, and they often tend to lack the flow between songs that a planned out album gets. This matters more for some artists than others.
My worst disappointment with a greatest hits album was “Melanie’s Greatest Hits” on cassette that didn’t have “Brand new key” on it. I was totally bummed.
my copy of billy joels GH vol one and two has Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
My best of Patsy Cline released in 2000 has no songs after 1963!!
A different type of ripoff, The Harder They Come soundtrack, which is pretty much a reggae greatest hits package, has two songs that are on both side one and two!
[…groan…] 
iTunes, sorted by “Popular”, people. This problem is largely solved.
Emusic.com for the indie bands.
Seriously. You’re complaining about CD reissues? Who buys those?
People like me, who aren’t interested in mp3s or proprietary lossy compression for music.