Christopher Rush

Had We But World Enough, and Time…

We would have dallied with Heartbeat City by The Cars and perhaps Savage Garden by Savage Garden and quite likely Machine Head by Deep Purple (which I listened to essentially non-stop this past summer) … and probably a few more forgotten gems of days gone by.  But, as we know by now, this exciting phase of our journey together is drawing to a rapid and not necessarily premature close, so we only have time for a few more thoughts on this and that.  One of the more important things to consider when entering the musical section of the Realms of Gold is whether to acquire or at least dally with the many diverse incarnations of “greatest hits” albums, or should one simply embark on a systematic, chronological listening of a band’s output in the order in which it first occurred.  As with most issues worth discussing, it is not so simple a decision.

To Greatest Hits

Some bands, even the best, have so much output it may be in one’s best interest to hunker down with a greatest hits volume or two for a significant period of time, especially if one is a casual fan.  Perhaps the best example of this is The Beach Boys.  I certainly don’t mean this as a derogation to one of the greatest bands of all time.  I’m in the process of acquiring all of their albums, but such is not a task for the layfan.  Listening to their regular albums is an eye- and ear-opening experience, not necessarily always in a positive way (who knew Brian Wilson felt that way about vegetables?).  Part of the issue, as we said, is the voluminous output of the band: not every album can be Pet Sounds, and not every song can be “Barbara Ann” or “Good Vibrations.”  A very understandable nightmare is being stranded on a desert isle with only “Fall Breaks and Back to Winter (W. Woodpecker Symphony)” to listen to.

If one only gets a single- or double-disc greatest hits from the Beach Boys, one will most likely miss out on some rather enjoyable tunes, such as “Do It Again,” depending on which greatest hits collection one gets (the Beach Boys have several).  Yet, if you do get a two- or three-disc mini-set of greatest hits, you will get most of the songs you want to hear from them on a regular basis.  It will certainly save a good deal of money, especially since their entire oeuvre is extensive.  Admittedly the recent re-issue series have made it more cost effective by doubling up their albums, though many of them are becoming out of print, so it still remains a bit of a challenge to get all the albums.  Thus, for most people, getting some Beach Boys greatest hits will more than suffice.

Another potentially good example of bands for which a greatest hits collection would suffice is at the other end of the output spectrum, such as Guns N’ Roses.  Their output is not that huge, compared to a number of popular bands, so acquiring all of their work would not be nearly as expensive.  The question, though, is “do I really want to own all GNR’s material?”  For most of us, the answer is most likely “no.”  Sure, we would enjoy having ready access to a couple of their songs, but most of their regular albums are replete with songs we wouldn’t want to hear once, let alone multiple times.  Thus, for a band such as GNR, their greatest hits compilation is a grand solution, especially as it also collects a number of non-album rarities one would like to have but would have great difficulty in cost- and time-effectiveness tracking down individually.

A third reason to get a greatest hits album is perhaps the most irritating, especially to fans who already have the entire output of their favorite band: sometimes a band (or their o’erpowering contract holders) will release a new song, a variant mix, or something not-yet-released only available now with a dozen or so songs you already have, likely in multiple formats.  This is rarely enjoyable for the die-hard fan, but it could be an ideal place to start for the newcomer to the band.  We are living in an age of re-releases, often with previously unreleased “bonus” material, and though this can get expensive, it is a good test for one’s level of fanaticism.  As of this writing, I have all the recent U2 re-release anniversary collections … except for the Achtung Baby sets.  I’m still waiting on that one, thinking it would be better for a Christmas gift than a self-purchase.  Some fans, though, may intentionally reject getting a “greatest hits” album from their favorite band just to get one or two new songs, especially since they aren’t “greatest hits” in any real way.  Certainly my least favorite greatest hits album I own is Collective Soul’s 7even Year Itch, which I acquired simply because it had two new songs not available anywhere else (at the time).  Considering my great affinity for Collective Soul, one might find this surprising, but we shall discuss that in a moment below.

In sum, a number of good reasons exist why one should consider being satisfied with greatest hits collections: immediate access to the best music of a band’s output too numerous to collect in its entirety, immediate access to the best music of a band’s output too dissimilar to your general tastes to enjoy more than what is generally accessible, and the possibility of getting a good start on a band “new to you” with some additional bonus material you wouldn’t find in the basic album releases.  As the introductory title of this examination intimates, our time in this present incarnation is intimidatingly limited — we have to make the most of it while we can.  Committing to a number of bands’ entire outputs can strain one economically as well as relationally, since so many good books are out there to be read, so many good games out there to be played, and, oh yes, time with Jesus and your family.  Contenting oneself to what can usually rightly be called “the best” of a band’s work can be the right solution.

Not To Greatest Hits

On the other hand, life’s brevity does not necessitate we settle for others’ opinions or conformity to the mainstream herd-like acquiescence.  Radio popularity is not innately inimical to quality music, but neither is it in any real way a meaningful standard.  A significant amount (if not most) of the best songs in the history of the world would not fall under the penumbra of “radio hit.”  Some publically funded radio stations still play lengthy classical numbers, and some usually late-night radio hosts (who have achieved some sort of fame in other arenas) tend to delight their cultured audiences with “deep cuts” and extended tracks, but neither of those are the issue here.

Sometimes you may hear a new song on the radio that is actually good; sometimes you may hear a good classic (of liberal denotation), so the radio is not always a waste of time, but the increasing sway of the radio and its dictatorial hegemony has been a significant deterrent to the dissemination of quality music in recent decades.  Perhaps we are in the waning throes of such a sway, as new media outlets are continually forcing once seemingly-implacable forces (cable television, radio stations, periodicals, the motion picture industry, and especially the increasingly outmoded “hard copy” home artifact such as an actual compact disc or even digital video disc) to rethink not only their strategies for success but also their very survival.  In an information age characterized by streaming and clouds and digitization, he who controls the access to information (or music selection) will have increasing control over aesthetic direction.  Perhaps the radio will no longer be king … but in any event, someone else will.  Do you want to be content with accepting whatever “they” say is a band’s best music?  Can you not judge for yourself whether the popular numbers are really a band’s best numbers?

If you are really interested enough in a band to actually pay for their music (admittedly, much of what I say here will make no sense to anyone under the age of 24), why not go straight for their output in the order in which they created it?  See how they developed musically and lyrically; see what influences affected their styles and attitudes with each successive album.  Not only will you get a better understanding of a band you claim to like, you’ll also have fewer duplicate tracks than had you started with a greatest hits album and worked backward.  Additionally, you will discover potentially numerous songs you enjoy, regardless of whether they are heard over the airwaves or selected for greatest hits consideration by companies most likely equating economic prosperity with aesthetic greatness, which we all know is utter shash.

A moment ago, I mentioned my irritation with Collective Soul’s greatest hits collection.  As I said, the fact I had to get 10 songs I already owned in order to acquire two new songs that aren’t even “greatest hits” was quite frustrating.  Loyalty to the band won out, but the irritation still exists.  Similarly, U2’s second greatest hits compilation, The Best of 1990-2000, had new songs written and released in 2002!  I was glad to get them, but I would have rather gotten what the title indicated, their greatest hits during that period of time, and acquired the other songs in a forum with even more otherwise-unreleased material.  Returning to Collective Soul, my main frustration with that collection is the jarring nature of the tracks in the order on the disc.  To me, each Collective Soul album is a cohesive unit.  I’m not saying they are all concept albums, mind you — I’m simply saying each album is a unified whole, with a beginning, a middle, and an end.  To rip a few songs out of context and shuffle them with songs from other albums, jaggedly traveling back and forth in time and style, is not as enjoyable to listen to as the entire albums.  This may be a personal issue, considering my great affinity for the band and their music, but it is an important issue worth considering when pondering whether or not to pursue a band’s greatest hits collection (especially as sometimes the versions of the songs you really want are non-traditional renditions without any warning whatsoever).

Thus, settling for a greatest hits album is not always the proper choice.  For a band in whom you have genuine interest, delighting in their entire output in the order in which they created it and grew artistically is definitely a better choice than settling for a statistical assessment from an Entertainment Finance major whose main criterion for a good song is revenue (no offense to the business majors out there).  If you are going to spend time with a band, why not be a dedicated fan and really delight in what the band has to offer, especially if it is a band whose lyrics you don’t have to blush over or skip when grandma comes into the room?

There is Always Time for What Matters

It’s not a simple “yes” or “no” question after all.  Sometimes it’s a good choice to go with a greatest hits album; sometimes it’s better to invest in entire albums.  When I eventually got into music listening/collecting, I did both for some bands.  Naturally, I started my Queen collection with their double Greatest Hits I and II — nothing wrong with that.  But now’s the time to move on to their entire history.  On the other hand, I’m quite content with my Billy Joel greatest hits albums (and River of Dreams).

Certainly we are not arguing for relativity in musical quality or aesthetics.  Beauty and Art are transcendental values wholly objective and not in any way subjectively constructed.  Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder.  Instead, we have an issue in which context is king.  Because “good music” is not relative, some bands are better than others.  Some deserve more of your time than others.  Some “great bands” can be easily condensed to one, two, or three discs of greatest hits without much significant loss.  Some “one-hit wonders” have albums that deserve more attention than most people are willing to give them (e.g., The Dream Academy created a great number of enjoyable songs far beyond “Life in a Northern Town”).  This way, you can discover a great number of “forgotten gems” you will treasure all the rest of your days.  Music is an integral part of a quality life.  There is time to find the bands and music you enjoy.  There is always time for what matters.