[K Shep]

I did get upset.  I have read many of your posts and agree with your points.  You are correct you did give your opinion and that is what we are here for.  I apoligize for jumping back too strong.  Lets move on.

Kirk

[mcullinan]

YEs we should, though as a collective we should enjoy our individuality and make it a personal choice.
Mike

[Hicks]

I'll defer to the 1960's axiom of hedonism in my answer:

"If it feels good, do it!"   

[Wayner]

IMHO, greatest hits albums are bloodsucking attempts by record companies to recover losses by any number of past, non-producing artists, in an attempt to raise more cash for the sake of cash.

Almost all of the artists that I listen to, want you to listen to the whole album. Would you get together with your family and just tell "the best stories" or the ones with happy endings? That isn't how life is. However, if you think many songs by the artist isn't that good, then this could be the only way to get a few tunes from a couple of one hit wonders.

Wayner 

[FullRangeMan]

When I was a young lad, one of my older friends suggested I refrain from buying Greatest Hit's Albums.  The reason he said was we should support our favorite artist's and purchase all of their albums of which most of the tracks come from.  I was reluctant to suggest a Sheryl Crow album on another thread on this site, remembering what my wise friend had shared.  In the last 3 months I average 5 CD purchases per week.  In the end I am supporting the artists I enjoy. 
Gentleman please help me with this old tale.
Kirk

Now after the Financial Crisis of 2008, you can be more than free this adagio.   Personally I prefer buy Best of releases, mainly in SACDs (as I do not buy anynore Redbook CDs, only SACDs) I look hard for Collections on SACDs(a bit rare kind in this format).

[acresm22]

I think this is a great thread, FWIW. I am a fan of Jethro Tull (as the avatar might suggest), and they, like many greats from the classic rock era, have churned out more compliations and "best of" collections than any true fan knows what to do with. The last one I actually bought was from several years ago, and was a slice of the best (according to Ian Anderson) "acoustic" Jethro Tull tunes...and it's great, although I do have them all on earlier studio releases.

That said, the Greatest Hits albums and more recently the Box Sets share a similar marketing problem...who exactly are they supposed to appeal to? Some critic several years ago wrote a funny piece on the Box Set phenom, concluding that its appeal was limited to that one consumer who reasoned as follows: "Hmmmm....I don't have anything by this artist, so I think I'll buy everything by this artist."

[moserw]

It is only by purchasing Greatest Hits/Best Of compilations I have discovered some great artists and bands.  Otherwise there are way too many albums to start off with in the discovery of a new artist or group.

For artists and groups that I love then very obvious to state I must have all of their albums be it studio albums, remix albums, live albums and all sorts of compilation albums and even some turkeys.

[Don_S]

Do artists get compensated for sales of greatest hits CDs?  Is the compensation rate different? Some of the posts on this thread seem to imply we are not supporting artists by purchasing greatest hits compilations.  Am I reading too much into those posts?

If I am not a big fan but do like some songs by an artist, a "Very Best Of" is the way to go for me. Otherwise it is "no sale".  Not all albums are created with a cohesive theme, especially not newer works so they don't suffer much from cut and paste.

[K Shep]

I have been sitting back and reading the feedback from others.  The way in which music is distributed today is very different than it was in the 80's when I first began purchasing music.  I am ignorant as to how Artists are compensated, but you bring up the point that got me to start this thread.  I just invested in a computer front end.  So I am know ripping all of my CD's.  I imagine I will eventually purchase CD's on line and down load them to my hard drive.  Perhaps I will only buy the songs I enjoy.  I will buy my music in the most economic way for me.  So if only purchasing the songs I enjoy is not giving all I can to the Artist then I am at fault in not supporting the Artist. 

I own a bunch of Greatest Hits CD's that I have purchased in the last year.  Stuff like Rush, Sheryl Crow, The Cure and Leonard Cowen.  Artist I would not normally invest my money in, but I reviewed those albums on line and enjoy the little I heard and bought the music.  Some of the Greatest Hits I have are now in my perminent rotation and very well recorded, which is another aspect of this hobby that is important to me.

Kirk

[Stu Pitt]

Its your money, and you shouldn't have to justify what you spend it on to anyone.

I own several Greatest Hits albums, CD and Vinyl.  I bought Zeppelin's Mothership on vinyl because I didn't want to buy every album on vinyl.  I own them all on CD.  The vinyl sounds a little better than the CD versions I own (Japanese mini lp), but not enough to buy the entire catalog all over again.

Jane's Addiction is a bit hit or miss for me.  Their greatest hits CD has everything I want from them and then some.  Same can be said for Steppinwolf, CCR, Skynyrd, Rolling Stones, and a few others I bought.  I really like some of their songs, but don't care for most others.  I refuse to buy an entire album for 1 or 2 songs, and don't download individual songs from iTunes due to compression.

2 greatest hits CDs have lead me to buy a lot more music from the artist - Black Sabbath and the Black Crowes.  After buying Sabbath's Symptom of the Universe CD, I bought their Black Box (all of the original band's albums remastered).  I've bought a few Black Crowes CDs as well.

My next Greatest Hits CD will be Incubus.  If I like the majority of it, I'll buy a few of their CDs.

[Rob Babcock]

So far as I know the artists profit from a Greatest Hits CD as they would from any other, obviously depending on how their deal was structured.  I don't have many Best Of's, though, and rarely buy them.  I generally prefer to burn my own from my collection since my idea of their 'best' may not agree with those of the label.  There are a few notable exceptions, though.  I do have Hits discs from Duran Duran and Hall & Oates.  While they put out some music that I love there's not a single good song by either of them that's not on their Hits CD (IMO).  Ditto for the red Beatles set and my Beach Boys one.

[K Shep]

I don't download individual songs from iTunes due to compression.

Stu,

I have not download music from iTunes.  What is the available compression from iTunes?  I understand some folks do purchasing content via the internet.  I am here to learn.

Kirk

[macrojack]

What are "Greatest Hits"? Does it mean the songs that sold the most copies or were rated highest by some Top 40 list? Are these the efforts most widely appreciated by our discerning public?

All in all, I'd have to say that the consensus seldom speaks for me or my taste and, as has been stated above, there are no external dictates qualified to override your personal proclivities. Buy what you want, and if that includes following the advice of someone who you feel is wiser than yourself, then damn the torpedoes and plunge right into any form of abstinence that you find comfortable.

For many an artist, their "greatest hits" would be a single anyway.

[Stu Pitt]

I don't download individual songs from iTunes due to compression.

Stu,

I have not download music from iTunes.  What is the available compression from iTunes?  I understand some folks do purchasing content via the internet.  I am here to learn.

Kirk

Kirk,

Standard iTunes tracks are 128 kbps, and iTunes Plus tracks are 256 kbps.  That's just way too compressed for me to spend my money on.  My wife buys some songs and can tell the difference, but doesn't mind.

There are some sites that sell uncompressed music.  I'm sure some sell individual tracks, but I haven't looked into it too much.  Music Giants sells uncompressed music, and a lot of individual tracks can be bought.  Their albums seem a bit over priced to me though.  A lot of the albums I've looked at are cheaper at Best Buy.  Individual tracks are $1.29, and I think albums are $1.29 x however many trakcs are on the album.

Pearl Jam's Binaural sells for $7.99 everywhere (the band reduced the price from the usualy $12.99 or so).  On Music Giants its almost $16.  About twice the price and no physical materials?  That may be the exception, but most CDs I've looked into don't save me any money to speak of.

Hopefully there's other sites that are cheaper and uncompressed.  In fairness to iTunes, full albums are usually $9.99.  If they were uncompressed, I'd consider buying from them.

[nathanm]

I look at Greatest Hits as entry points to bands which I am unwilling to devote whole-hoggish type listening to.  Like B-list type of music to an individual listener.  Stuff you know will only be a casual fling and not a marriage.  This is usually the case with before-your-time or otherwise highly prolific acts whose catalog is overwhelming and you don't know where to start.  The opposite for me would be like Dead Can Dance where I have the whole catalog and none of the compiled albums because they're totally redundant.  I'm glad not to have that completist urge.  Then there's bands which seem to put out so much damn stuff with all this redundancy that you can't make sense of their catalog.

I've felt anxiety about trying a new band, because ideally I want to go in chronological order so I experience the same thing as the old school listeners but then there's that thing where you know you're coming in midstream and you've guesstimated that the newer stuff you like is probably the point at which the existing fans are all ticked off about the new progression.  A Greatest Hits is kind of like sneaking in and stealing all the good stuff for yourself and not caring.  The people who got in at the ground floor are thrilled, but now they have to endure the inevitable decline into shittiness.  Whereas the unemotionally involved Greatest Hitser can swoop down and just take what they want with no extra baggage except for the cries of being a poseur from the veterans.