# "Missing" songs from albums **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 8, 2009, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442 "2009-12-08T13:51:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/1 "2009-12-08T13:51:06Z")
Over the weekend, I bought myself the double CD set _The Essential Billy Joel_. It has _lots_ of my Joel favorites, including _Goodnight Saigon_, _You’re My Home_, _The Downeaster Alexa_ and _My Baby Grand_ (duet with Ray Charles). The three songs it’s _missing_, imho, are _Big Shot_, _The Stranger_ and _Vienna_. I have similar complaints about my Neil Diamond. I have _Greatest Hits_, one _and_ two. But they’ve cut a verse of _Shiloh_, and neither of them has _Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon_ or _Solitary Man_. So what “collections” or “Greatest Hits” albums do you have that you feel are missing a thing or two? (BTW, I’d really like for this not to devolve into a critique of anyone else’s musical taste). ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/2 "2009-12-08T13:57:48Z")
How could they possibly have come up with such an otherwise kick-ass Creedence Clearwater Revival compilation as _Chronicle_, but left off “Born on the Bayou”? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/3 "2009-12-08T14:11:55Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > (BTW, I’d really like for this not to devolve into a critique of anyone else’s musical taste). You mean, like wondering how they could have a Billy Joel or Neil Diamond’s Greatest album and put \* any\* of their songs on them? 🙂 The omission of key songs of a performer/band and inclusion of lesser hits has been going on with “Best Of” albums since compilations began. Mostly, I think it’s because the record companies wanted to be able to market Greatest Hits II-III-IV to you and you’d buy them to get the missing songs. This practice has dropped off since the advent of the capability to download individual songs. What bugged me in the past was the releasing of multi-disc “Best Of” sets from artists who, frankly, did not have enough good stuff to warrant more than one disc. I have, for instance, a two-record Eddie Cochran compilation of which maybe one album side is good stuff and half of another is interesting but sub-par. The rest (including “gems” like “Sittin’ In the Balcony” and “Cut Across Shorty”) could have been omitted to the benefit of Cochran’s reputation. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/4 "2009-12-08T14:25:19Z")
I don’t have them with me, but I had a hell of a time getting a good Stevie Wonder compilation. I went to an independent CD store and asked, and the guy read off the contents of a couple different discs. They had totally different songs! One would have _Signed, Sealed, Delivered_ and wouldn’t have _Uptight_; another would have _Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yester-Day_ and wouldn’t have _I Was Made to Love Her_. Biffy, _Chronicle II_ is worth buying. Lots of gems on it. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/5 "2009-12-08T14:27:30Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > You mean, like wondering how they could have a Billy Joel or Neil Diamond’s Greatest album and put \* any\* of their songs on them? 🙂 Yeah, like that. You wanna make somethin’ of it? 😉 > [@](#): > > What bugged me in the past was the releasing of multi-disc “Best Of” sets from artists who, frankly, did not have enough good stuff to warrant more than one disc. I have, for instance, a two-record Eddie Cochran compilation of which maybe one album side is good stuff and half of another is interesting but sub-par. The rest (including “gems” like “Sittin’ In the Balcony” and “Cut Across Shorty”) could have been omitted to the benefit of Cochran’s reputation. Yeah, I’ve actually seen a “Don McLean’s Greatest Hits” and I’m thinkin’, well, you got _American Pie_ (which admittedly could take up a third of a standard LP), _Vincent_, and then maybe (but only maybe) _Castles in the Air_. Then what? I mean, I wouldn’t call McLean a “one-hit wonder”, but still. . . ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/6 "2009-12-08T14:31:12Z")
For each artist or band that has a long lasting, outstanding career, it’s virtually impossible to compile the best stuff on one or two cds. Take Bob Dylan: there are countless compilations, none of which represents his work in a satisfying manner, although he had very few hits that actually charted. But with almost 40 studio albums, a bunch of live albums and numerous collaborations, even the five record (now 3 cd) set “Biograph” doesn’t capture every important aspect of his career (and since it was released in 1985, omits the last 24 years). The same could be said about Neil Young, Van Morrison and many others of that calibre. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/7 "2009-12-08T14:36:36Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > How could they possibly have come up with such an otherwise kick-ass Creedence Clearwater Revival compilation as _Chronicle_, but left off “Born on the Bayou”? Yeah, I mentioned that a couple days ago in the CCR thread. Inconceivable! Tom Petty’s Greatest Hits did not have “Rebels”. When Little Feat’s “Waiting For Columbus” originally came out on CD, they removed two songs from the track list, one of which was “Don’t Bogart That Joint”, in order to make the double LP fit on a single CD. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/8 "2009-12-08T14:37:34Z")
Every Queen Greatest Hits album should have Nevermore. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/9 "2009-12-08T14:54:57Z")
I’ve always assumed that songs on “greatest hits” albums were determined by actual sales figures, while “best of” or “essential” collections were more arbitrary. Not sure if this is the actual case, however. It might explain “Rebels” being left of the Petty collection (I haven’t fact-checked the figures) but not some of the other examples. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/10 "2009-12-08T15:07:46Z")
The Kinks - The Ultimate Collection is missing my favorite song of theirs, Destroyer. I also think The Who - The Ultimate Collection should have The Relay. If you want that song on cd you have to buy the 40 Years of Maximum RnB box set. The Police - Every Breath You Take (The Classics) really, really needs both Synchronicity I and II instead of those two remixes at the end. I imagine they just left those songs off so as not to impact sales of the Syncronicity album too much. One newer one, Incubus’ Monuments and Melodies includes two of the three new songs they had on the Stealth soundtrack, but leaves off the one that I consider to be the best, Make a Move. I’d have rather they included that instead of one of the four songs from their last studio album. I’d also prefer to have Two of Us on The Beatles Blue Album, ideally in place of Old Brown Shoe. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/11 "2009-12-08T15:26:12Z")
Some songs being left off “greatest hits” albums might be for rights reasons. They might be “greatest hits while the group was with this label” albums. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/12 "2009-12-08T15:32:10Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Some songs being left off “greatest hits” albums might be for rights reasons. They might be “greatest hits while the group was with this label” albums. Good point. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/13 "2009-12-08T15:43:17Z")
> [@Justin\_Credible](#): > > I also think The Who - The Ultimate Collection should have The Relay. If you want that song on cd you have to buy the 40 Years of Maximum RnB box set. Or [Hooligans](http://www.amazon.com/Hooligans-Who/dp/B000008MA4) or [Who’s Greatest Hits](http://www.amazon.com/Whos-Greatest-Hits-Who/dp/B002AL9P7Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1260286667&sr=1-3)or [BBC Sessions](http://www.amazon.com/BBC-Sessions-Who/dp/B00004D3DH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1260286707&sr=1-1)(I know, not strictly a “greatest hits” collection…). See, that’s the beauty :dubious: of The Who…so many different collections, compilations, re-issues to choose from. The endless re-packaging of their back catalog is one of the biggest pet peeves of Who geeks. Give us some NEW stuff, Pete! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/14 "2009-12-08T15:56:40Z")
I think **Chicago IX: Greatest Hits** is a fantastic album. Not a dud on it. It is sorely missing “Questions 67 & 68”, though. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/15 "2009-12-08T16:05:00Z")
An odd case - 10,000 Maniacs released a best-of collection “Campfire Songs: Popular, Rare & Obscure Recordings” a few years ago. “Campfire Songs” is also the name of one of their more popular recordings from what is arguably their best known album - yet, it doesn’t appear in the CS anthology. They named their greatest hits package after a song that they themselves apparently didn’t consider one of their bigger hits! ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/16 "2009-12-08T16:07:16Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Or [Hooligans](http://www.amazon.com/Hooligans-Who/dp/B000008MA4) or [Who’s Greatest Hits](http://www.amazon.com/Whos-Greatest-Hits-Who/dp/B002AL9P7Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1260286667&sr=1-3)or [BBC Sessions](http://www.amazon.com/BBC-Sessions-Who/dp/B00004D3DH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1260286707&sr=1-1)(I know, not strictly a “greatest hits” collection…). > > See, that’s the beauty :dubious: of The Who…so many different collections, compilations, re-issues to choose from. The endless re-packaging of their back catalog is one of the biggest pet peeves of Who geeks. Give us some NEW stuff, Pete! Huh, I didn’t realize it was on those too. You’re right, they definitely have too many different compilations. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/17 "2009-12-08T18:20:45Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > Yeah, I’ve actually seen a “Don McLean’s Greatest Hits” and I’m thinkin’, well, you got _American Pie_ (which admittedly could take up a third of a standard LP), _Vincent_, and then maybe (but only maybe) _Castles in the Air_. Then what? I mean, I wouldn’t call McLean a “one-hit wonder”, but still. . . I believe he also had a hit with his 1980 or 1981 cover of “Cryin’,” but your point is valid. He’s recorded a lot, but hasn’t had many hits. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/18 "2009-12-08T19:59:42Z")
I agree that “Greatest Hits” usually are big song while “Best Of” can be anything. I like CDs that will issue all the singles that have been issued. I don’t think Madonna’s _Causing a Commotion_ has never been on a greatest hits package by Madonna. Which is odd 'cause the song got to #2. Sometimes song aren’t included for various reason. Like Michael Bolton’s “Love Is A Wonderful Thing” which went to #4 on the pop charts and #1 on the adult contemporary charts was left off, because it was involved in a lawsuit that said Bolton appropriated a lot of the song from the The Isley Brothers. So even after the settlement the label just left it off most greatest hits packages because of that. Often labels take advantage of popularity. For instance, Hall & Oates made a bunch of albums for Atlantic Records. But they only had one real hit on Atlantic, _She’s Gone_. After they moved to RCA Records they had many hits and Atlantic issued sort of a greatest hits package of all the songs from the Atlantic sessions. This is why you usually don’t see _She’s Gone_ on a lot of their “best of” packages. What I hated in the old days when they’d issue a “Greatest Hits package” with one or two new songs then you had to buy the new album to get the songs. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/19 "2009-12-08T20:09:06Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > What bugged me in the past was the releasing of multi-disc “Best Of” sets from artists who, frankly, did not have enough good stuff to warrant more than one disc. I have, for instance, a two-record Eddie Cochran compilation of which maybe one album side is good stuff and half of another is interesting but sub-par. The rest (including “gems” like “Sittin’ In the Balcony” and “Cut Across Shorty”) could have been omitted to the benefit of Cochran’s reputation. Judas Priest had a problem where the record company (Gull Records) that released their first two albums in 1974-75 refused to part with the publishing rights to those albums, and continued for years and years to re-re-re-release the songs from those two albums in the form of various “Best Of” and “Greatest Hits” collections. It got to the point where Priest was actually asking their fans to not buy their first two albums, because they didn’t want Gull Records being rewarded for what the band considered deceptive practices. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442/20 "2009-12-08T20:11:24Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > What I hated in the old days when they’d issue a “Greatest Hits package” with one or two new songs then you had to buy the new album to get the songs. I have the impression that this practice is even more common nowadays. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-songs-from-albums/520442.md?page=2)