Hits That Should Have Appeared on an Artist's Greatest Hits Album
By Mr. Moderator on Oct 15, 2009
About 5 years ago I finally bought the standard Hall & Oates greatest hits collection, Rock 'n Soul, Part 1. It was clear to me that there was no killer Hall & Oates album to be had, and for the right price I was will to bring home a hits collections that included some '80s turds by an artist I liked best in the '70s. Beside, as '80s hitmakers went, I could live with my share of Hall & Oates hits like "You Make My Dreams" and "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)."
Over the years I kept feeling like something was missing from the collection of five or so Hall & Oates songs that made buying this hits CD for the right price. I listened to clips from each of their earlier '70s albums in search of the hit that was not included, but it was not until I got to the band's 1980 "New Wave" album, Voices, that I found the song I was missing: "How Does It Feel to Be Back." Although the third highest-ranking song on the album (behind "You Make My Dreams" and the presumably-also-left-for "Part 2" cover of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"), the song did crack the Billboard Top 30 and it was in regular rotation on Philadelphia radio in its time. Listening to it now, it still stands up as a pretty stately power pop song, if not the most immediately catchy song in their catalog.
It's funny how that song has lost its place in the band's catalog, and I wonder if there are other hit songs you feel have suffered this fate owing to their not being included on an artist's first greatest hits collection, perhaps with a Part 2 left long ago on the drawing board.
20 comments
Comment from: shawnkilroy [Member] 
i think this song is just OK.
It probably didn't make the cut because it's an "Oates"tune. I think Hall dominated the situation a lot.
August Day should have been on R&Spt1.
It's way cooler than Wait For Me, or Say It Isn't So. It's like a Tom Waits/Springsteen style.
It never made sense to me that New Moon On Monday or The Chauffeur were not included on Duran Duran's Decade compilation, while a lackluster non-hits like All She Wants Is made the cut.
It probably didn't make the cut because it's an "Oates"tune. I think Hall dominated the situation a lot.
August Day should have been on R&Spt1.
It's way cooler than Wait For Me, or Say It Isn't So. It's like a Tom Waits/Springsteen style.
It never made sense to me that New Moon On Monday or The Chauffeur were not included on Duran Duran's Decade compilation, while a lackluster non-hits like All She Wants Is made the cut.
10/14/09 @ 17:30
Comment from: shawnkilroy [Member]
This is really weird. I just left the post above as i left work a few hours ago. I then ran a few errands and came home. I get out of my car, and G.E. Smith is standing in front of my house, talking to some guys next to a tour bus. I live across the street from the North Star bar, and it turns out he's in some supergroup that's playing there tonight.
funny coincidence.
funny coincidence.
10/14/09 @ 20:49
Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]
I was thinking there might have been a move to downplay the Oates songs as well, kilroy. Funny story about G.E. Smith. I think it speaks to the power of RTH, or something like that.
10/14/09 @ 22:31
Comment from: dbuskirk [Member]
The Tom T. Hall comp. thinks it doing me a favor by dropping "I Like Beer" and "I Love" because they're so corny but they were giant hits and should be on there, ya know?
10/15/09 @ 00:17
Comment from: butcher pete [Member]
RE Tom T. Hall,
There are plenty of Tom T. Hall greatest hits compilations that contain all of Hall's treacly hits. If I never hear "One Hundred Children" again it will be too soon.
But then there other compilations that feature his strongest songs-- singles and lp sides, the songs on which his reputation is based. The collections are targeted at very different people. There are some real gems buried on some of his poorer records that wouldn't be out of place on In Search of a Song.
There are plenty of Tom T. Hall greatest hits compilations that contain all of Hall's treacly hits. If I never hear "One Hundred Children" again it will be too soon.
But then there other compilations that feature his strongest songs-- singles and lp sides, the songs on which his reputation is based. The collections are targeted at very different people. There are some real gems buried on some of his poorer records that wouldn't be out of place on In Search of a Song.
10/15/09 @ 05:40
Comment from: butcher pete [Member]
I thought about the Byrds' first greatest hits compilation. This was released after Gene Clark had left the group and features the other four original members on the cover.
This is the record through which I first "discovered" the Byrds and their music. How different my appreciation and understanding of the group might have been had it included Clark's "Set You Free This Time"-- for me, their best song (yes, it was a single)
In retrospect, the collection seems to be a bit of whitewash of the group's history-- a deception. The first two records feature a some terrific Clark originals, yet only two make it to the greatest hits ("Feel a Whole Lot Better", "Eight Miles High"). Many of those songs were also the B side on singles.
I've read Clark described as the most "underrated" or "unknown" of the original Byrds (Clarke excepted). I'd put it down to the songs selected (or not selected) for the the Byrds Greatest Hits
This is the record through which I first "discovered" the Byrds and their music. How different my appreciation and understanding of the group might have been had it included Clark's "Set You Free This Time"-- for me, their best song (yes, it was a single)
In retrospect, the collection seems to be a bit of whitewash of the group's history-- a deception. The first two records feature a some terrific Clark originals, yet only two make it to the greatest hits ("Feel a Whole Lot Better", "Eight Miles High"). Many of those songs were also the B side on singles.
I've read Clark described as the most "underrated" or "unknown" of the original Byrds (Clarke excepted). I'd put it down to the songs selected (or not selected) for the the Byrds Greatest Hits
10/15/09 @ 06:01
Comment from: 2000 Man [Member]
How did GE Smith end up in a supergroup?
I thought you had to have at least minor rock superpowers to get in one.
I thought you had to have at least minor rock superpowers to get in one.
10/15/09 @ 09:33
Comment from: alexmagic [Member]
GE's nearly unrivaled "G.E. Smith Guitar Face" is his minor rock superpower, though I'd probably put him in a Rock Legion of Doom and not a Rock Justice League. His running buddy Paul Schaeffer would probably also be in said Rock Legion of Doom.
I'd say that "Portable Radio" and "Gino (The Manager Song)" are the best Hall & Oates tracks not on Rock 'n Soul, Part 1, but I base that almost entirely on their appearance in Yacht Rock.
I'd say that "Portable Radio" and "Gino (The Manager Song)" are the best Hall & Oates tracks not on Rock 'n Soul, Part 1, but I base that almost entirely on their appearance in Yacht Rock.
10/15/09 @ 10:32
Comment from: cdm [Member]
I can’t speak to the Tom T Hall stuff but I wish that the Chuck Berry Greatest Hits compilers would stop putting My Ding A Ling on his greatest hits albums. I don’t care that it was his only number one hit, that song is a shonde.
I was recently looking for a Chuck Berry disc for a gift and there were a bunch of different choices, the Great 28 probably being the best, but the bottom line was if you wanted Promised Land and It Wasn’t Me , you got stuck with My Ding A Ling as well.
I was recently looking for a Chuck Berry disc for a gift and there were a bunch of different choices, the Great 28 probably being the best, but the bottom line was if you wanted Promised Land and It Wasn’t Me , you got stuck with My Ding A Ling as well.
10/15/09 @ 12:55
Comment from: cdm [Member]
Also, I have the 2 disc Essential Hall and Oates, which is definitely more H&O than the casual fan needs but it does contain a few tracks that I really like which are missing from Rock and Soul.
10/15/09 @ 13:53
How Does It Feel To Be Back is my favorite Hall & Oates song. Usually the Greatest Hits record serves many purposes other than to be a great record for the consumer. Publishing, Performers, Record Label can all have more to do with song selection. (of course you guys all know this)
Billy Joel has 3 or 4 Best Of CDs and all are missing key tracks.
Hall & Oates have 10+ comps and they are all strange at best, missing key songs and featuring non-hits.
Family Man was not written by them,You've Lost That Lovin Feelin' is of course a cover song. The first few records were on Arista before they were on RCA.
I am a big fan, but I have to say too much of their stuff does not hold up very well. the 70's were to strange, the 80's too computerized and the 90's too late 80's sounding.
I was actually working with a label to put together a H&O tribute CD and had some big name interest, but we scrapped it when it just did not make a convincing record
Billy Joel has 3 or 4 Best Of CDs and all are missing key tracks.
Hall & Oates have 10+ comps and they are all strange at best, missing key songs and featuring non-hits.
Family Man was not written by them,You've Lost That Lovin Feelin' is of course a cover song. The first few records were on Arista before they were on RCA.
I am a big fan, but I have to say too much of their stuff does not hold up very well. the 70's were to strange, the 80's too computerized and the 90's too late 80's sounding.
I was actually working with a label to put together a H&O tribute CD and had some big name interest, but we scrapped it when it just did not make a convincing record
10/15/09 @ 14:29
The day that Itunes was installed on my computer was the death of the Record Label Enforced Best Of CD for me.
I have created a "best of" for every band that I have more than two CDs from and keep them as my "playlists." I keep a strict one cd or 2-cd length to each one (although that makes no difference in ipod land)
Best Of Big Star got a nice upgrade this week with tracks from the Box Set (otherwise it's just 90% of the 1st two and a sprinkle of the 3rd
I have created a "best of" for every band that I have more than two CDs from and keep them as my "playlists." I keep a strict one cd or 2-cd length to each one (although that makes no difference in ipod land)
Best Of Big Star got a nice upgrade this week with tracks from the Box Set (otherwise it's just 90% of the 1st two and a sprinkle of the 3rd
10/15/09 @ 14:34
Re-Recorded Best Of KISS is a bonus CD to Sonic Boom. No Ace or Peter songs (as they rewrite their history again)
10/15/09 @ 14:35
Comment from: mickavory [Member]
KISS make me sick today.. trying to sell "fake" Ace and "fake" Peter to the ignorant record buying and concert going public. What a sham!! I don't need some other schmoes re-recording Strutter '09.
10/15/09 @ 16:25
Comment from: diskojoe [Member]
Speaking of Hall & Oats, here's something I found @ AllMusic:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jxfixze0ldde
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jxfixze0ldde
10/15/09 @ 16:33
Comment from: diskojoe [Member]
The Pretenders Singles comp is almost perfect, except for the fact that it doesn't have "My City Is Gone".
10/16/09 @ 08:10
Comment from: diskojoe [Member]
While watching New York Doll last night (a great, but sad documentary, by the way), I thought of two other examples: 1. There was a Iggy Pop 2-CD comp that came out several yrs. ago that encompassed everything from the Stooges to the present, but didn't have "Five Foot One" which was played a lot by WBCN back in the day & 2. The available NY Dolls CD comps do not have their version of "Give Her A Great Big Kiss" that appeared in a 1985 vinyl comp. that I liked a lot.
10/17/09 @ 12:29
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