At the first prime time of the vinyl albums (and cassettes too), greatest hits albums and all their variants by specific artists were like a Swiss knife of the music industry, serving as a multi-purpose tool for record companies. Of course, money was the name of the game here - you could have all the big (or not so big) singles in one place and cash them all in in one swoop.
You could fill recording contract gaps, spoil the possible gains by another competitor with whom your artist has signed a new contract, and jump over so many other business and legal hurdles of the recording industry.
There lie quite a few reasons why a number of these greatest compilations were just not worth the time (or money) of even a casual music fan who would have possibly wanted to get to know a certain artist better. The selection could have been haphazard, would not include the music recorded for another label, or, simply, the music by a particular artist was not worth the trouble.
These 14 greatest hits albums just might stand above the rest
These days, curated or just your own playlists dominate, but the resurgence of vinyl has brought back the interest for specific artists' greatest hits albums in all their variations, so it just might be worth it to remind ourselves of such albums that are worth the time (and money) of all music fans.
Smash Hits, Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968)
Can cash-in greatest hits albums work? Rarely, like in this case, mainly because you have one of the greatest (if not the greatest) and most influential guitarists (and rock songwriters) on hand. Since this one came out only two years into Hendrix’ solo (band) career, it doesn’t cover even his brief tragedy cut career, but the selection here is so good, and has a number variations, depending where the album was released.
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy, The Who (1971)
As was the case with many great artists from the sixties, they albums as such were initially patchy affairs with the aim of pushing the key singles and the rest of the materials being fillers. Up until they came up with Tommy, their big rock opera concept thing, that was the case with the Who too. This collection, picks up the key cherries and condenses them along with few (very good) alternates.
Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits, Simon and Garfunkel (1972)
Older generations will tell you that great songwriting and duo synergy can never go out of style and younger ones may wonder what the story is their elders, and this one presents a great opportunity for both sides - elders can slowly cruise down the memory lane, and younger generations can find out what the fuss was all about.
Changesonebowie, David Bowie (1976)
There are so many David Bowie comps out there, and most of them involved Bowie’s hand in selecting the material, so the high quality is there with quite a few of them. This one covers the seventies to mid-seventies part of his career, when he became a legend, so there was no way it could be a miss.
The Monkees Greatest Hits, The Monkees (1976)
When the Monkees originally appeared as a made-for-TV pop/rock band, they were embraced by teenage audiences and dismissed by rock critics. But as time passed it became obvious that their take on what pop/rock (and psych rock too) should sound like had both credibility and merit, and this mid-seventies comp presents a very good overview of what they have done.
Songs to Learn and Sing, Echo & the Bunnymen (1985)
Dream pop trailblazers Echo & the Bunnymen did come up with their best stuff in the mid-eighties, and this collection carefully selects the album material and includes important standalone singles and B‑sides, something that all true collectors and fans go for.
Standing on a Beach / Staring at the Sea, The Cure (1986)
With the Cure recording again, the interest in the band’s early material is on the rise, too, and this selection of the initial period of the band is one of those where the album tracks blend so well with those that are not.
Street Life: 20 Greatest Hits, Roxy Music / Bryan Ferry (1986)
A real overview of both the band and early Ferry solo material, as it covers well both the initial glam/art rock phase and its latter smooth rock one that actually brought both band and Ferry success.
Substance, New Order (1987)
When Joy Division singer Ian Curtis left us, the band not only changed the name to New Order, but transformed its sound from dark indie rock (great one at that) into a disco/dance rock, which the almost single-handedly turned into an art form on its own, with this collection showing why that was the case.
Ramones Mania, Ramones (1988)
There is a very good double CD collection of the Ramones material, but this one is the one widely available on vinyl and at the same time presents that single shot of incessant punk energy that Ramones were all about anyway.
Eponymous, R.E.M. (1988)
Here is where a smart title does the trick - when you can’t include material from different record labels you make a reference to a specific period in your career, and here R.E.M. (and their first record label) present quite a good pick of their initial period, when they became indie darlings and which many longtime fans prefer to their latter one, when they really made it big.
Greatest Hits , Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1993)
How do you get the attention of hardcore fans when you are coming with a greatest hits selection? One thing would be picking the right material, and the other, including something that is also essential but hard to find. This one has both of those- a good selection and "Mary Jane's Last Dance," a non-album track that is essential itself.
The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lynyrd Skynyrd (1998)
When a band has an extensive recorded catalog, it is very hard for the general audience to navigate, but that task could be hard for curators, too. Here, though, the curators did a great job of carefully selecting the material, presenting not only the essentials of the band but also giving a good overview of what Southern rock is all about.
Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd, Pink Floyd (2001)
Pink Floyd recorded quite a few concept albums, and condensing them on a single album that would include the band’s best or greatest is a huge, almost impossible task. With its concept of offering the audience a single and a double disc variant, this is a collection that serves a dual purpose - it introduces new audiences to the band effectively, and provides longtime fans a well-selected digest they can refer to.