Prolonging this "Greatest Hits" thread a bit more... For artists whose specific albums I am not too familiar with but whose musical oeuvre and reputation are known through magazines, word-of-mouth, interview, I buy their "greatest hits" albums to sample their artistry. And sometimes I buy their earlier stuff if their "Greatest Hits" and "Best of" compilations are particularly good. Like, before I got immersed with Manhattan Transfer's vocalese albums, their "Best of" compilation was particularly good (though there are 4 current "best ofs" in the market), so I started collecting all their more than 20 albums.
But there compilations that are not that good, like Everything But The Girl's "best of". You wonder why they ever put up with this compilation since the songs chosen were not those that demonstrate their creativity (later I found out the duo was against this compilation... they even came up with a statement to fans not to support this album that was made without consulting them). There are compilations that are so haphazardly done. As a big fan of Ella Fitzgerald and Miles Davis, there are probably 30 different versions of "best of" albums depending on the record label. Charlotte Church's latest "best of" called PRELUDE was an embarrassment. Like millions of people who first heard her in VOICE OF AN ANGEL, I thought she was phenomenal. After three albums, PRELUDE came out and it seems intent on showcasing songs not suited to her style/age. Joseph in Manila PS. I was in a record store last night and saw a Greatest Hits of Joan Sutherland and Monserrat Caballe
