"Best ofs" and "Greatest Hits" as an introduction

I agree with all who said that compilations are usualy not a good way to meet a new band or artist.

I have to agree with Raffaela: live albums are a great introduction. if you don't get hooked by great albums like "Gong Live Etc.", "Frumpy Live" or "Guru Guru Live" (just  to name a few) you won't get hooked at all. I am aware though that (strangely to me) many people prefer studio albums because of the "sound quality"


Edited by BaldJean - February 28 2008 at 05:53

Live albums are better. Live albums are like compilations, but live. And if you happen to get into the band, and you find yourself owning every one of their CDs, it's better to have a live album as well than a compilation album!

fighting sleep wrote: Finnforest wrote: I believe "best ofs" are always the wrong approach to getting to know a band because they are not the artistic vision of the band and don't convey the songs in proper context.   Instead of buying an illigitimate release that cannot convey the full content of any one given album theme, musically or lyrically, just do this.  If you can't afford to buy many titles by a band, do a little research and you can quickly find out what fans consider the "definitive" releases by each band.  It's not tough to do.  Then, buy one of their good albums.  You'll get a legit piece of art, and you'll find out whether you like the band.  There is no need to buy some hodgepodge of songs that have no organic relation to each other, other than record company doofs assured they were the chosen tracks on the radio.       words that my heart means to say.   However, as happenstance goes, it was a compilation album, Pink Floyd's "Echoes" that launched me into Prog in the first place. The third disc of Genesis' Platinum Collection gives a great taste of our favorite Gabriel stuff, and I personally believe that with ELP, there is no better place to start then the Best of or Essentials (if you like the smorgasbord of quirkiness there, then their actual albums will be a real treat).   One of my favorite methods of amassing music is get an Essentials album of a band that I'm unsure about, and if I like it, begin gradually to collect their albums, deleting the repeats from the Essentials list on my iPod as I go. That way I appreciate their songs individually, as well as better appreciating their place on their respective albums.

I've found I like live albums better for that purpose. Seeing as live albums are essentially collections of a band's favorite songs, and usually are really good performances (good enough to be made into live albums), I like using them to help me get into a band. It worked for Kansas, with Two for the Show, it worked with Hawkwind, with Space Ritual, and it worked with King Crimson, with Cirkus-the Young Person's Guide to King Crimson Live (although that IS a bit different).

This hypothesis only applies to bands on this site, though; if you are trying to get into a band like Cream or Mountain, just get the albums.

Ghost Rider wrote: sleeper wrote: Pink Floyds Echoes and Queensryche's Greatest Hits make for very good compilations that give a strong feel for the band as an overall, rather than just the obvious few songs. Seconded (I've got both albums).  However, in my humble opinion live albums can be a much more effective way to get introduced to a band. To make a recent example, Caravan's wonderful The Show of Our Lives, which features live recordings from 1969 to 1975 (the heyday of the band's career), is even better than a simple "Greatest Hits". Rush's numerous live albums are also an excellent means of introduction to the band's vast output.

Agreed about the live albums, I got into Marillion via the Real to Reel/ Brief Encounter double CD release, and theres a number of great performances of some of their best songs on their, making it an excellent introduction.

laplace wrote: p0mt3 wrote: I hate all forms of compilations, best ofs and greatest hits. Now when I want to find a Genesis or Yes record in the store, all I find are greatest hit collections. Prog rock is an album-oriented genre, and should be experienced as such. If someone doesn't like it in that form, then they don't like prog rock. I love strong opinions like these but I have to disagree. After having listened extensively to plenty of prog albums all the way through, I've grown dissatisfied with the make-up of certain albums, and so have made my own mixtapes from them. Gentle Giant work particularly well when you get to re-do their track orders. I won't apologise for removing tracks from their original contexts because I don't care. ;P I much prefer songs to albums and concepts be damned, because at the last, concepts rarely affect the music *positively*. Secondly, bands like Floyd and ELP don't have entire albums that I like, so I reconstitute them at will. PS, wasn't that Tool album deliberately distributed with the wrong track order? Or was that a joke? =P

Edited by p0mt3 - February 27 2008 at 15:59

Keep in mind that this thread was regarding an introduction to a band.  Obviously if you have all or most of the albums there is absolutely no reason to buy a compilation unless you are a collector or your really want the "bonus" tracks that can't be found any where else.  But if you are new to a band how is the best way to get introduced to them.  One way is greatest hits.  Another way as already mentioned is to find the best albums based on others' posts or the reviews here on PA.  The problem with others' posts is that you can go to just about any thread here in the forum and find some people who think that the band's "best" albums suck, and their "worst" albums are great.  It is all a matter of personal taste.  By supporting greatest hits albums, I am ignoring the ability to illegally download albums, but a better more legal method would be to go to sites like Napster which allow you to listen to songs 3 times, that way you can listen to the album as it was meant to be heard.

Personally, I'm not a fan of greatest hits compilations. The songs feel out of context to me and I'd rather hear them on the original album as they were meant to be. Plus, my favourite songs from a band tend to be the deeper cuts and not the "hits" so I prefer getting the original albums. I know some people like to have the hits but I guess that's just not how I am. If I were to want a compilation of a band I just make myself a mix that has what I would view as their "hits" 

I hate all forms of compilations, best ofs and greatest hits. Now when I want to find a Genesis or Yes record in the store, all I find are greatest hit collections. Prog rock is an album-oriented genre, and should be experienced as such. If someone doesn't like it in that form, then they don't like prog rock.