The Best of The Greatest Hits (Top selling compilations on vinyl from the golden era) 

When I was a kid listening to the red and blue Beatles albums, I was fascinated by the 2 pictures taken 7 years apart and wondered what the hell happened to these guys in those 7 years!

Two comps that I love are "Singles, 45 and Under" by Squeeze and "Singles Going Steady" by Buzzcocks. Both are sublime.

Weird Scenes is a brilliant compilation. Terrific artwork , and avoiding all the big hits makes it so much more interesting.

Every Neil Young fan should have that greatest hits set. Its like $10 in great condition.

First Talking Heads I ever had was Sand in the Vaseline. Great comp. My sister got me R.E.M.s Eponymous- that got me started on them. Another great one is Cure’s Staring at the Sea and Galore

I marvel at how much information you retain and recall about each individual album. You are a regular pop music savant!

Ive always appreciated well-sequenced compilations. They can sometimes be just as satisfying as a studio album... For some artists even more!

I've always felt that a truly great comp is more than just a collection of hits. It has a vibe of its own, a flow of its own. Hot Rocks by the Stones and Chronicle by CCR do that. On the Hendrix, there was a Vol. 2 of that Essential Jimi Hendrix, and "Hey Joe" was on that one

'Not only is it the Beach Boys, but it doesn't have Good Vibrations.' Vicious!

28:26 Neat fact about Queen's Greatest Hits, in different countries, the track listing is different depending on which songs were hits and which weren't, and some countries versions have songs that don't appear on the versions here. Like Japan's version has a song called "Teo Torriatte" on it, Australia's has "Tie Your Mother Down," Brazil's has a live version of "Love of My Life," etc. You're right about avoiding the 90's CD versions of Greatest Hits, they have weird track listings. They remove "Bohemian Rhapsody" and replace it with "Body Language" and "I Want To Break Free," and then they move Bohemian Rhapsody to a second CD called Classic Queen which has all the 80's hits. There's another CD I've seen here and there called "Queen Rocks" which is interesting because it doesn't focus on the radio pop hits, it instead focuses more on their heavier rock and roll stuff and includes a lot of album tracks rather than focusing on singles. Basically, imagine it as Queen's version of the Beatles' "Rock and Roll Music."

Wow i love alot of these albums, i wish more bands did these nowadays... A Twenty One Pilots Greatest Hits would be one of the greatest albums of all time imo... Great video and great breakdowns of the music 👍🏻🙂

Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine was my first Doors album! Inherited it from my uncle when I was 13 and it made a Doors fan out of me.

A fine video, Robert. I agree, many of those early comps were considered real albums because funds were short and they were the preferred way to spend your money. I remember working for $1.25 an hour. Some of my favorite records from the 60s were the comps by Dylan, The Stones, The Byrds, and Sly and the Family Stone. A few others too that you did not name-The Kinks Greatest Hits, Paul Revere and the Raiders Greatest Hits, The Mamas and the Papas 16 of Their Greatest Hits, and the first BeeGees greatest hits. And from the 70’s, Gordon Lightfoot’s Gord’s Gold,; Good Vibrations: The Best of The Beach Boys, and Cat Steven’s second comp. Footsteps in the Dark. All terrific lps. Your collection is impressive!

I got The Doors Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine when I was a freshman in high school in April of 72. Kind of a funny story, I turned 15 in April of 72 and my grandmother asked what I wanted for my birthday. I told her a new record. So, she drove me over to a larger town a few miles from where I lived and I took her into a head shop/record store. I didn't smoke, I didn't drink, I didn't do drugs, but this place was the best record store in the area. There was incense burning, the lights were dim with black lights and black light posters. A bunch of hippies were in the place. She took it all in stride and bought me Weird Scenes and Kinks Kronicles. 🙂

Great idea for a video a lot of people crap on comp albums, but some of them are real gems. For me, I am a time life music junkie. I have a lot of there box sets and there’s still a lot of fun to listen

As Time Goes By- The Very Best of Little Feat is a wonderful compilation...

My first Aerosmith cassette tape was their Greatest Hits. It initially ruined my affinity for this kick-a$$ band. I later saw them at the 1987 Texxas World Music Festival. They were fresh out of rehab and were spot on. I remember turning to my friend while they were playing a new song (before it got air play) and asked him, "Is he saying 'dude looks like a lady'?" He replied, "I don't know. But, it effin rocks!" And I tell you what, they rocked that stadium to the core.

Man I remember buying that greatest Hits Jimi Hendrix album in that Steve Miller greatest hits album in 1988 when I was 18 years old working for CCC California conservation core in diamond bar California man you just brought back some memories good memories

Nice comprehensive video, as I purchased many of these back in the 70’s and 80’s. Two additional albums I would add are Crosby Stills Nash & Young-So Far (1974) and Steely Dan’s double LP Greatest Hits (1978).

Got that Neil Young Decade on vinyl and 2 copies of it on CD. Sly And The Family Stone is an Epic one, no pun intended 😂

My first Rolling Stones album was “Hot Rocks”. It got me hooked on The Rolling Stones.

I had or have had all of these at one point! They are classics that are very good hits albums

Great video lots of great compilations

Steely Dan's A Decade of Steely Dan was a great one released on CD in 1985. The Best of Three Dog Night also wonderful compilation and April Wine's Greatest Hits for us Canadian music lovers ... Great Videos Robert .... I love the way you always have those vinyls and CD's ready to show.

I love the 1970s material you talk about in your videos. Great stuff! :)

Great video. I've owned every one of those albums at one time or another.

John’s album was one of three my folks bought me alongside The Beach Boys Twenty Golden Greats and Neil Sedaka’s The Hungry Years( Yup! The one with “Bad Blood”) to be played on my very first Fisher-Price turntable for Christmas when I was six. I played it religiously until the grooves were completely replaced by scratches! While it’s a shame that “Tiny Dancer” or “Levon” didn’t make it I still feel it is one of the finest hits compilations of all time.

Can't even begin to estimate how much time it must take to put these videos together. Always so much fun to watch as they trigger lots of random thougts.

I love the Decca Rolled Gold Vols. 1 + 2 by the Stones. Vol. 2 never made it on CD. The Black Sabbath comp with the Hieronymus Bosch cover sadly enough is nowhere to be found these days.

When I listen to your videos I usually pause it and put another album on my Discogs want list. Thanks for the research.

Love your mind and shirt, have most of the compilation albums.

Excellent video. I’m a kid from the 70s and bought all these albums or most of them back in the 70s. They were great.

Excellent again Robert, love your presentation, always a little humour in your delivery but very informative and educational 👍👍👍

Love the channel!

Man, I remember riding around ,drinking beer listening to that eagles cassette a million times .we all knew every word to every song.great times

Just found this tonight. My vote is for War's greatest hits Grooves and Messages. Thanks for your insight.

Thanks. Great run down. I couldn't agree more about Aerosmith's best of. 😢 And I had totaly forgotten about some of these best of albums like Neil Young's Decade. I'm gonna dig that out and give it a spin.

Great video Robert. Greatest Hits albums don't get much love but everyone has them. Glad to see you spot light some of them. I don't own Aerosmith's or Foreigner's , but now I know why. Did not know they were so chopped. Thanks for the heads up. When I first started buying CD's I went for "Greatest Hits " of my favorite artist.

Excellent work Robert. Broad spectrum coverage and not one mention of having to have MoFi, AP or the "best" release...How😉 refreshing!

The Best of Blondie came out in 1981 on vinyl, 8 track, cassette, and VHS tape. First released in 1984 on cd. Slightly different song listings for different countries. The whirling bird like sound on Heart of Glass is Chris Stein's brilliant guitar! Love that version! Wish they'd included Detroit 442, Fade Away Radiate, Picture This, The Hardest Part, Union City Blue, X Offender

excellent video, I actually watched the entire thing

Eagles Greatest Hits, 1971-75 Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits Sly And The Family Stones Greatest Hits The Best Of Kansas The Jimi Hendrix Experience Smash Hits We Sold Our Soul For Rock and Roll Black Sabbath The Best Of BTO (so far)

Sly and the Family Stone and Hot Rocks when I was like six. My older sister introduced me to those. The one that your video didn't mention was the Doors greatest hits from 1985. I have the CD version. Has Whisky Bar on it. My favorite compilation. I wish it had Gloria and 20th Century Fox on it though and Peace Frog

Hall & Oates Rock & Soul Vol 1 should be on this list! Currently available again from Mofi...sounds amazing, and end to end hits.

I want that shirt! Great video Robert. I would say I have the majority of those albums, I thought you were going through my lp collection. :)

Another great video, Robert! I have most of the albums you showed on vinyl and/or CD. A few additional popular compilations come to mind... + Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Greatest Hits (Released in 1970): Everyone (including our family) had this record! + America's Greatest Hits / History (Released in 1975): Includes singles that charted in 1975. + Carpenters - The Singles 1969-1973 (Released in 1973): Features the single version of "Top Of The World" from 1973 (remix of the track from the album "A Song For You". + Daryl Hall John Oates - Greatest Hits (Rock 'n Soul Part 1 - Released in 1983): Side 1 leads off with "Say It Isn't So"; Side 2 includes "Adult Education" as the first cut. Both songs charted as singles in 1983/1984 and were not on any other album at the time. + The Best Of The Alan Parsons Project (Released in 1983): Contained the new single "You Don't Believe", which charted in 1983 and appeared on "Ammonia Avenue" released the following year. The CD version of Aerosmith's Greatest Hits that I own has the edited single version of "Sweet Emotion" as you mentioned; "Dream On" is presented as the full-length album version. I do, however, have a 45 containing the edited version you reference. AM radio tended to play the edit, while FM radio tended to play the full-length version. I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of the Foreigner - Records compilation! Looking at the sealed LP, there's no way for a buyer to know "Hot Blooded" is a live version. Regarding the edited songs, "Feels Like The First Time" and "Long, Long Way From Home" are the single versions that received AM radio airplay. The minor edits are incredibly idiotic, as both songs aren't particularly long to begin with. I wonder if this was done as a ploy to get people who were mildly interested in the band to spring for the self-titled album to own the full-length songs? In the case of "Jukebox Hero", the single edit included here likely existed because the album track clocked in at 4:18 -- not desirable for AM radio in those days. And where are the great singles "Blue Morning, Blue Day" and "Break It Up"? On a more positive note, I believe this crapilation contains the single version of "Cold As Ice", which is the same length as the original album track but adds horns and strings during the fade-out. I actually prefer this version. I could probably write an entire article about silly/stupid song edits throughout the 70's and 80's (and I bet you could too -- or make a video devoted to this subject)! I may have previously brought up the radio/single version of Jethro Tull's "Locomotive Breath", which replaces the line "and the all-time winner has got him by the balls" with "has got him by the bun". WTF? That's all for now...

Lots of love from Scotland

Yesss. I want that original Steve miller greatest hits with all the songs

Great vid Robert! Nice to see some classic comps like Golden Records by Elvis, the Red en Blue by the Beatles, Sold Our Soul and Smash Hits. Smash Hits was back then the way to get the single's Hey Joe, Wind Cries Mary and Purple Haze on an album in Europe cause they werent on the debutalbum, Are You Experienced (uk version). Im also a fan and collector of the Anthology serie, released mid 70s, by different Motown acts. But my all time favourite comp is 40 Greatest Hits by Hank Williams.😃

Singles - 45's and Under is the only Squeeze album you’ll ever need!

So that KISS record can also be used to cheat at cards! Lol. Thanks for making me laugh.

Covered a lot of ground there Robert.Love " Legend " and "Natural Mystic ", sort of a Marley Greatest part 2. Best of UB40 and Peter Gabriel - "Shaking the tree" are brilliant. U2- best of ... Great way to explore an artists back catalogue.Or just to hear the hits everybody loves. Love it when the artist includes some rare stuff as well.

Another stellar video Robert, I definitely learned a few things…keep rockin! On a side note, I noticed a few outer sleeves which I thought you didn’t use.

Was expecting The Carpenters and Hall & Oates. Love love love Stevie's Original Musiquarium album.

My favourite compilation album probably is Peaches by The Stranglers.

The first Alice Cooper comp is the best ever I think...

From what I understand, a lot of groups didn't put out greatest hits collections unless they wanted to change record labels, but still owed the current label an album under their current contract. I remember hearing that when the Eagles broke up, they said Hell would freeze over before they would perform together again. Turns out they owed the label another album, and thus Hell Freezes Over was born. Don't know if that is true.

This is the Moody Blues...Squeeze 45's and Under, More Hot Rocks, Kinks Kronikles, Queen's first greatest hits, David Changes One, Shaved Fish, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, Procol Harum's Greatest Hits

A really good comp of Merle Haggard on vinyl is songs I’ll always sing

Robert you talk a lot... but it's bloomin' fascinating !. not many clips hold my interest right through like yours do. They are longish but always choca full of cool stuff. 😎✌

Excellent video. A great topic as well. Anyways, I'll just give you one you missed. Shaved Fish John Lennon 1975.

Great video, Robert. 2 bands in which their original albums are hard to find but they have plenty of collection "albums" are the Yardbirds and the Animals. One I recommend from The Yardbirds is Remember The Yardbirds. It has a plain album cover but has the essentials Heart Full Of Soul, For Your Love and Shapes Of Things. The Animals Greatest Hits is one you would probably want. It has a lot of images of the band pastes together, before the days of Photoshop. Kiss' Double Platinum has some interesting remixes. I guess that was their way of luring the Kiss fan into getting their collection. The Who did the same thing earlier by not only adding songs you could only get as singles but different takes of Magic Bus and I'm A Boy. Simon And Garfunkel had live versions of 59th Street Bridge Song, Homeward Bound and 2 others. I'm glad you warned me to stay away from the Foreigner Singles.

The rascals time pieces from 1968 has all their big hits except people got to be free which hadn't been released yet. Also had its a beautiful morning which wasnt released on any other album. Allman brothers 1969-79 has all their best stuff on it. Best of the doobie brothers great compilation. Not a fan of van halen best of both worlds. Every song is a Dave song followed by a Sammy song (no Gary songs) and has a shortened version of finish what you started. Deep purple get deepest purple. Has all mk2 and mk3 hits. The upgraded best of deep purple has hush, Kentucky woman and knocking at your back door added. And the essential byrds is a great compilation. Goes into the early byrds all through gram Parsons and Clarence white era. Actually im one that prefers their later stuff.

Kinks Kronikles introduced many Americans to the classic 60’s Kinks

I'm not a huge fan of best of compillations, which I think is a kinda common snobby attitude, so first of all I admire your love for them. I think less than 1% of my collection are best ofs. A couple compilations noteworthy for me: Apart from Sheik Yerbouti, it was a compilation, Strictly Commercial, that got me into Zappa's music. A great collection with nice packaging, liner notes. War's Greatest Hits is a classic comp. I put it on for that same exact reason you mentioned at the Sly and the Family Stone bit. It brings a friendly, nice vibe to the house. I think that's all I can think of. :D Of course there are a bunch that are important for me because they bring in a bunch of B-sides, rarities, but that's a different concept.

After watching this I put on my copy of “Chicago IX”

the thing about greatest hits albums is that a band's fans would most likely already own the songs on a greatest hits record. And greatest hits albums often included edited versions of songs instead of the unedited versions.

@36:50 : The Bee Gees have 3 careers before the 80s: the 60s psychedelic rock amazing years, the soft rock ballad era of the godly "Trafalgar" and the pop disco era most people think about when talking about the Bee Gees

Green Grass and High Tides The Rolling Stones.

I have some of them in my collection.

First off, great shirt! Great video! How about The Worst of Jefferson Airplane? But it's all great hits. I got punked!

i never noticed before that paul simon looks like gallagher on that cover.

One of my favorite compilations is group portrait by Chicago. I have it on CD and it’s a whopping four disc set.

3 of my fave gh albums are Relics by the Incredible String Band, the Kink Khronicles, and Galore by Kirsty MacCall. All released mid career and are desert island disc's at least for me.

In Police's defense: Murder by Numbers was a B-side on their probably most popular single, Every Breath You take. So it wasn't like you had no access to that song unless you bought the CD album. (But again, I literally grew up on the Police and our household never had a single or compilation from them, only albums on cassettes, LPs... So it was a bit of a surprise when I first heard Synchronicity on a CD around 91-92.) BTW, Tea in the Sahara is a beautiful closing piece for that album.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - so far Bachman -Turner Overdrive -so far America - History The Guess Who - Greatest Hits Creedence Clearwater Revival -Gold R.E.M. - Eponymous

The closed caption can be hilarious. Appalling chain? That cracks me up.

I was real upset when I realized about a year ago that my Blue Beatles compilation LP had gone missing, must have happened when I moved home, still have the Red one but now gotta replace the Blue one, not gonna be cheap of course but as soon as I can I will replace it hopefully, what a 'choker' I'm still gutted by it.

Awesome stuff! But no Best of The New Riders of the Purple Sage where probably 90% of the album sales were from the cover photo alone. Love your knowledge, Keep em coming

show your k-tel collection, those were also huge back in the day. And, I actually did like the on the radio album

Two of the best "greatest hits" albums ever IMO include The Animals, The Best of the Animals, and The Hollies' Greatest Hits. But with The Animals, you have to get the first pressings because later issues contained different mixes of some of the songs, and even other songs not included in the first pressings, and they sound terrible. You can tell the difference by the back cover; they one to get has single portrait images of each band member, plus the label is the rainbow MGM label. And as you said about other bands, The Hollies had a ton of Greatest Hits releases, but the one to get is the orange label Epic release - it has got to be one of the best track listings of any greatest hits record, all the songs flow so well starting with Bus Stop, Carrie-Anne, Dear Eloise, and on and on to finish with On a Carousel and then He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother.

Never was a fan of greatest hits LPs. They missed out on stuff like the bass players song or the track the drummer sang on. Come down to earth tracks.

I like Show me your Hits by the Bloodhound Gang.

A few that I would suggest are: Roxy Music Greatest Hits (1977), Creedence Gold (1972), Soft Cell The Singles (1986).

It seemed like everyone had those Beatles records.

Concerning the Nudie suit. Nuta Kotlyarenko from the Ukraine, moved/escaped to New York in the early 20th century, and rechristened himself “Nudie Cohn,” then moved to California, where he started making wild suits, embroidered with dogs, plants, feathers, garlands, instruments, insanely patriotic eagles, fellow imaginary cowboys, and other symbols conjured personally for each member of his country singer clientele. Porter Wagner, Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers, Elvis Presley, Roy Rogers, and in later years Elton John, REM bassist Mike Mills, and Diamond David Lee Roth.

Retrospective by Buffalo Springfield and the best of spirit are all I own by those bands and all I need.

Bob Rafelson said they named the movie "Head" so that on later films, he could say, "From the producer who gave you 'Head.'" I assume he was joking.

The Essential Jimi Hendrix (2)

Oh man! yeah that Elton John and Steve Miller are so perfect for Greatest Hits and were my first and only ones from those artists for years. Janis Joplin greatest hits is good too and Jimi's Smash Hits. Best Greatful Dead is the early best of release. I need to get the Kiss Platinum and Sabbath greatest hits still some day. Aerosmith and Queen GHs are great. I always rock that Aerosmith GH. I was waiting to see if you would show Donavan - Greatest Hits. One of my all time faves.

America, Bread, and The Carpenters. I listen to a lot of Yaught Rock.

There's also a lyric in Help me Rhonda where he sings "Shattered my heart" and in the other version "Ruined my heart", and I prefer the version of Be true to your school with the cheerleaders.

I usually avoid "Greatest Hits" compilations but you must own Al Green's Greatest Hits album.

2 more I would suggest are Led Zeppelin - Mothership & CCR - Greatest Hits

Not a "best of" but Hatful of Hollow is a great compilation.

Cat Steven's Greatest Hits, Best of the James Gang (Analogue Productions), Steppenwolf Gold (Analogue Productions)

For the casual fan of: Lynyrd Skynyrd, get yourself " Gold & Platinum" ELO's first comp "OLE' ELO" Steely Dan's double album "...Greatest Hits" Jimi Hendrix "...Volume Two" with the 7" single " Gloria"

@Robert Fithen Head and shoulders, the best Elvis compilation is "Les 40 Plus Grands Succès Originaux"

Elton's Greatest hits came out after "Caribou" it had the single from "Caribou", "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", in fact I think it came out in 1975 along with "Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy" Later versions in the 80s added "Candle In The Wind" but only the CD version.

I remember my first introduction to some Aerosmith songs not as commonly on the radio was Aerosmith's Greatest Hits. And I wholeheartedly agree with you, the re-release/remasters/remix/regurgitated recent release of that LP sucks! It doesn't even sound right. I didn't see anything on it saying it was remixed but it sounds like it was. Not only the cuts to the songs aggravate me but some pieces of music sound like they weren't originally there and they were added as the new reissued pressing was being prepared. What a bummer on that one because I like the original LP!