Chilliwack - Greatest Hits

Heres a band that had a lot of great singles over a long period. Their complete albums dont hold up as well however. I played the shit out of this greatest hits collection back in high school.



Yes - Wonderous Stories (The best of yes)

A lot of great singles, but their albums bore me. Good collection for those that arent interested in digging too much deeper.



5440 - Sweeter Things

Great band, and i love their complete albums as well, but this early compilation of their 80s stuff is a gem. They penned a lot of great tunes in that decade that gel well together on this comp.



REM - Eponomous

a good summary of their eighties work



Neil Young - Lucky Thirteen

By no means should this replace his eighties albums, which, contrary to critical opinion, i think are great. But if youre just curious what a little bit of those eccentric albums might have to offer, this is a good comp.

This one is really all that I really need from these guys. It's a pretty perfect collection of gloriously catchy shout-along goofiness.

Just happened to think of another one...


Tom Petty: Anthology
I like Tom Petty enough that I want some of his full albums, don't get me wrong. But, I also like some of his other singles enough to need them while I don't see myself listening to his entire catalog enough to justify getting everything, especially once you get past the first 3-4 albums. So, an anthology like this is perfect. And also, he really has been a great singles guy over the years so just having them all together like this is pretty fantastic.

yeah, this really is great, even though most of his albums are solid from start to finish

I feel similarly about CCR in that I love the albums, but sometimes I just want all the hits.

The first collects all the stuff recorded by Emitt Rhodes' early band, and it is all worth having. The second is his first solo album, in its entirety (a masterpiece) and the best of the couple of excellent albums that followed.
All this stuff is really essential listening for power pop geeks and even anyone who has a passing interest in early 70's post-Beatles power pop. Just as essential as any Badfinger.

a couple from when I was a kid:

Most of my picks have already been mentioned (Rolling Stones 40 Licks, Abba GOLD), but this is a random one I enjoy:


Sonic Youth - Hits Are For Squares

I know, I own the entire SY discography, so why bother with a best of? Simply because sometimes (especially when I work) I don't want to pick ONE album, and putting their entire discography on shuffle would end up with a lot of unevenness. This best-of hits obvious, stand-out high-points without any real head-scratching WTF moment.

that sticker and the thought process behind it is really strange.

I may get chastised for this one, but I listed to Pixies-Death To the Pixies way more than the individual albums. A case could be made for Faith No More - Who Cares a Lot too.