Best Greatest Hits/Best Of collections

Given that The Association did not make consistent LPs, I'd love to be able to say that this has everything I like by them. It doesn't, but I do like everything that's here, and it's sequenced uncommonly well. I always loved the cover, too.

Another one that just feels right:

Even the expanded CD version of that Sam & Dave one is pretty much all killer, no filler.

Pretty much flawless.

Oh man, I love best ofs/ single artist compilations, and at times, it's the best way to consume music. I wonder whether Spotify has de-legitimized the best of insofar as anyone can make their own compilation or playlists, but there's something to be said for the craft of a good best-of. Sometimes, it's not just as easy as selecting the most popular songs, but also selecting what fits as an overview. And a good compilation should have the right pacing and variety as a properly sequenced LP. Anyway, there are far too many best-ofs to mention, so I'm just going to cheat and dump a list I created for myself the other day.

All of the below records have in some way changed the way I listened to music, or at least improved my life in some form by merely existing. Certainly, I've written too much about how important Chronicle was to me on the other board. Some of the selections below are cheats in that they're boxsets or rarities compilations. But they all fit and each is very well sequenced. To be honest, it took me ages to boil it down to this list! (Sorry about that! )

JAMES BROWN- Star Time!
CCR- Chronicle
NEIL YOUNG- Decade
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE- Greatest Hits!
THE KINKS- The Kink Kontroversy
THE BYRDS- Greatest Hits
THE ROLLING STONES- The Singles Collection: The London Years
BLONDIE- The Best of Blondie
THE FALL- The Peel Sessions
THE SMITHS- Hatful of Hollow
ABBA- ABBA GOLD
BOBBY "BLUE" BLAND- Two Steps From the Blues
SAM COOKE- Birth of a Legend 1951-1964
MISSY ELLIOTT- Respect ME
THE BEATLES- Past Masters Vols 1 & 2.
BOB MARLEY- African Herbsman
NEW ORDER- Substance
PET SHOP BOYS- Discography: The Singles
THE JAM- Snap!
DESMOND DEKKER- Rockin' Steady
GREGORY ISAACS- Mr Love
DR ALIMANTADO- The Best Dressed Chicken In Town
GANG STARR- Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr
PERE UBU- Terminal Tower
BEASTIE BOYS- The Sound of Science
DELROY WILSON- The Original 18
THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE- Smash HIts
BUZZCOCKS- Singles Going Steady
THE CLEAN- Anthology
MARVIN GAYE- Anthology
THE WHO- Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
UNDERWORLD- 1992-2002
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND- VU
RAY CHARLES- The Birth of Soul
CHUCK BERRY- The Definitive Collection
BUDDY HOLLY- From the Original Master Tapes
LEE 'SCRATCH' PERRY- I Am The Upsetter
MY BLOODY VALENTINE- The EPs 1987-1991
PINK FLOYD- Relics
STEREOLAB- Oscillations from the Anti-Sun

It is indeed, sorry I've used my opening post to kill this very good thread.

I was thinking about Sly & the Family Stone's Greatest Hits! and really that is the gold standard for a great compilation. Not just in its track selection (sensibly it picked the stand-alone singles) but also in terms of its pacing. I mean, you can't really go wrong with an opener like "I Want to Take You Higher", but the way it ebbs and flows, and finally concludes on the snappy (yet lyrically dark) "Thankyou..." really takes you to another place. It's pretty much a perfect album.

And that Chic compilation is another example of a compilation that captures the band just at their peak. They would release interesting and indeed even excellent tracks subsequently, but none as defining as the ones listed on that compilation. It distills Chic to their essence, I reckon.