Wikipedia

Greatest hits album

"Greatest Hits" and "Best of" redirect here. For a list of greatest hits albums, seeList of greatest hits albums.For other uses, seeGreatest Hits (disambiguation).

Agreatest hits albumorbest-of albumis a type ofcompilation albumthat collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band.[1]While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be created byrecord companieswithout express approval from the original artist as a means to generate sales.[2]They are typically regarded as a good starting point for new fans of an artist, but are sometimes criticized by longtime fans as not inclusive enough or necessary at all.[3]

It is also common for greatest hits albums to include new recordings,remixesor unreleased alternate takes of the hit songs, plus other new material as bonus tracks to increase appeal for longtime fans (who might otherwise already own the recordings included). At times, a greatest hits compilation marks the firstalbumappearance of a successfulsinglethat was never attached to a previous studio album. Greatest hits albums usually are released after an artist or band's contract with a major label is completed, they've been dropped or died, with next releases following on new labels.

History

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The first greatest hits album wasJohnny Mathis'sJohnny's Greatest Hits,released in 1958.[4]The album collected eight of Mathis's charting singles, as well as three non-chartingB-sidesand an altogether new track. The album spent three weeks at the number one spot onBillboard'sBest Selling Pop LP'schart. The greatest hits album format then gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s among American and British rock and pop artists. One notable example wasthe Beach Boys1974 albumEndless Summer,which upon release was certified 3× platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America.It propelled them from anopening actforCrosby, Stills, Nash & Youngto headlining their own tour in just a matter of weeks. Some artists were even popular enough to release multiple greatest hits albums during and after their career.

Greatest hits compilations were sometimes also released as 4-track 7 "vinylEPs.In the late 1960s,EMI Swedenreleased a series of greatest hits-EPs featuring artists such asThe Supremes,Ray CharlesandLouis Armstrong.[5]

By the 1990s, greatest hits albums were common for popular artists, with some artists even releasing the greatest hits album as a music video collection concurrently with the album. It also became a commercially viable option to boost popularity for artists with dwindling careers. Some bands refuse to release a greatest hits album, such as rock groupsAC/DC,Tool,andMetallica.Garth Brookshad initially refused releasing one, but he eventually agreed to it in 1994 for a limited release[6](the resulting record,The Hits,sold over ten million copies).

In 2000,Sony Music Entertainmentlaunched theirThe Essentialseries, which collects singles and other career-defining tracks of artists licensed to Sony.The Essential Bob Dylanwas the first in the series, and the company has since released dozens of albums in the series with other artists under their label. In addition to artist-specific collections, the series has also released genre-specific and themed albums, such asThe Essential Christmas(collecting pop and rock covers ofChristmas songs) orThe Essential Australian Rock(collecting a specific regional output). In 2005,Universal Music Grouplaunched a similar line,Gold,which collects artists' greatest hits onto two discs.

In the late 2000s and 2010s,digital downloadsandmusic streaming servicesincreased in popularity, which allow users to listen to their favorite tracks without the need of a greatest hits package. In 2016,Pitchforksaid that "in the digital era, once a catalog enters a streaming service or an MP3 store, there's no need for a reissue and, therefore, there's no reason for a label to mine the vaults, searching for old music to make new again. Users can assemble their own personalized greatest hits playlists or just scan through an act's most accessed songs", which has led to greatest hits collections becoming redundant.[7]

Despite the popularity of streaming in the 2010s and early 2020s, some artists continued to issue physical greatest hits albums, includingthe White Stripes,Spoon,andthe Weeknd.[8][9][2]Spoon lead singerBritt Danielsaid he chose to compile 2019'sEverything Hits at Once: The Best of Spoonout of an affinity for compilations such asStanding on a Beachbythe CureandSubstance 1987byNew Order,which had introduced him to those artists in his youth, and to provide an official introduction to Spoon's catalog for new listeners.[2]Alex KapranosofFranz Ferdinandechoed those sentiments when describing the decision to release the band's 2022Hits to the Headcompilation, stating that "I have friends who believe you're somehow not a 'real' fan if you own a best of rather than a discography. I disagree. I think of my parents' record collection as a kid. I loved their compilation LPs. I am so grateful that they hadChangesorRolled Gold.Those LPs were my entrance point. My introduction. "[10]

Notable examples

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Main article:List of greatest hits albums
One of thevinylpressings ofThe Immaculate Collection,the highest-selling compilation album by a female and solo artist.

Various compilation albums became amongst thebest-selling albumsworldwide with sales of over 20 million copies.[11]For example,Eagles'Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)is the best-selling album in the United States, according toBillboard,selling over 38 million copies.[12]Worldwide,The Immaculate CollectionbyMadonnais the best-selling compilation by a solo artist, with 30 million copies,[13]and is the best-selling compilation by a female artist in majormusic marketssuch asAustralia,United KingdomandUnited States.[14][15][16]In the UK,Queen'sGreatest Hitsis the biggest selling album of all time. In second place isABBA Gold,another greatest hits compilation which has gone on to become the longest-charting album in the UK. Queen'sGreatest Hits IIis also one of the UK's top ten biggest sellers.

One example of a greatest hits compilation released against the artists' intentions is British rock groupthe Rolling Stones' 1971 compilationHot Rocks 1964–1971.The music magazineRolling Stoneremarked that the album served as a "beautifully packaged... purely mercenary item put together by former record executives of the Stones' to cash in on theChristmas seasonand wring some more bucks out in the name of theModPrinces they once owned. "[17]After their management tricked the band into signing over the copyrights to their 1963–1970 song catalog, the band did succeed in changing management and major labels. However, they could neither prevent the release ofHot Rocksnor its successor,More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies).Hot Rocksremains the best-selling album of the Rolling Stones' career.Mick JaggerandKeith Richardscontinue to collect significant songwriting royalties from theHot Rockssales, but not the ownership royalties.

In other media

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The concept of greatest hits compilations has been adapted to other media as well. In television, some shows have released compilations of their critically successful and highest-rated episodes to drive new viewers to watch a program, such asFamily Guy'sFreakin' Sweet CollectionandSouth Park:The Hits.Several video game companies have re-released popular games for continued sales, sometimes with discounted prices:Sony'sPlayStationhas released games under theirGreatest Hitsseries;Nintendohas re-released games under theNintendo Selectslabel (formerly called "Player's Choice" ); and Microsoft has re-released games under thePlatinum Hitslabel. Some video game franchises have released greatest hits collections of their own content, such asSuper Mario All-Stars,Sonic Mega Collection,andGuitar Hero Smash Hits.Film studios also have participated in the practice, often including a number of films in one package (usually by decade) under an equivalent label to 'greatest hits' through optical physical media and often timed to a landmark anniversary, and digital purchase bundles in the same vein continue to exist.

See also

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References

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  1. ^Plummer, Robert (2 February 2018)."Is the greatest hits album dead?".BBC.Retrieved16 March2020.
  2. ^abcPerpetua, Matthew (24 July 2019)."Everything Hits: Spoon Releases An Old School Greatest Hits Album into A Digital Age".NPR.Retrieved17 March2020.
  3. ^Pfleegor, Dan (13 November 2013)."The 10 Essential Greatest Hits Albums".Consequence.Retrieved16 March2020.
  4. ^"Johnny's Greatest Hits- Johnny Mathis ".AllMusic.All Media Network, LLC.Retrieved24 March2016.
  5. ^"Greatest Hits EP series".discogs.com.
  6. ^Patterson, Jim (17 February 1995)."Garth Brooks knows how to take 'The Hits'".Associated Press. Archived fromthe originalon 12 August 2008.Retrieved29 July2009.I hate the idea of the greatest hits being out there, "Brooks says. EMI won him over with a solution that made sense to his adman side. EMI agreed to sell" The Hits "for only four to six months, meaning that fans better pick it up by this summer or they're out of luck.
  7. ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2 May 2016)."Why the Death of Greatest Hits Albums and Reissues Is Worth Mourning".Pitchfork.Retrieved30 October2019.
  8. ^Kaufman, Gil (5 February 2021)."The Weeknd Rolls Out 'The Highlights' Album Ahead of Super Bowl Performance: Stream it Now".Billboard.Retrieved6 April2021.
  9. ^Danton, Eric R. (1 December 2020)."The White Stripes Document Their Singular Career onGreatest Hits".Paste.Retrieved6 April2021.
  10. ^Blistein, Jon (2 November 2021)."Franz Ferdinand Tease Greatest-Hits Collection With New Song 'Billy Goodbye'".Rolling Stone.Retrieved2 November2021.
  11. ^Petrusich, Amanda (4 December 2020)."Long Live the Greatest-Hits Album".The New Yorker.Retrieved10 April2022.
  12. ^"Gold & Platinum - RIAA".Recording Industry Association of America.Retrieved16 March2020.
  13. ^Vorano, Neil (1 June 2012)."30 years in the spotlight: Madonna's highs and lows".The National.Abu Dhabi.Archivedfrom the original on 2 August 2012.Retrieved3 March2015.
  14. ^"What was the top song the year you were born?".Herald Sun.Retrieved30 March2022.
  15. ^White, Jack (16 August 2021)."Madonna to release deluxe editions of her albums to mark her 40th anniversary in music".Official Charts Company.Archived fromthe originalon 28 November 2021.Retrieved30 March2015.
  16. ^Pesselnick, Jill (22 April 2000)."Twaid Breaks Records, Santana Soars In March Certifications"(PDF).Billboard.p. 89.Retrieved30 March2021– via World Radio History.
  17. ^The Rolling Stones -Hot Rocks, 1964–1971(1972) album review atRolling Stoneby Lester Bangs
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