Packaged
Every year as the holidays begin to approach I do a "Fall Clearance" of my CD collection. As the 4th quarter of the music retail calendar is a season dominated by either big name releases or, just as common, hits collections and anthologies, I find it to be a good time to clear out stuff I'm not listening to very much or, in other cases, to consolidate a certain band or artist I like on the fringes if I see that they now have a "best of" collection. This recycling of music is one of the reasons I still like the CD format over i-Tunes purchases. (Not to mention the prospect of an inevitable hard drive crash wiping out a ton of music. Yikes!)
One my dream jobs would be that of a "Compilation Producer", preferably for Rhino records or some other entity that specializes in reissues and collections. The compilation producer is the person who, with or without input from the band or artist, picks the songs for a collection, finds someone to write the liner notes, gets pictures for the insert, and so forth. I think I would bring a lot of passion to such a gig because, to me, a well put together hits or best-of album can be a very cool thing, especially for bands/artists who, let's face it, probably only had a few legit "hits", even if they had plenty of good songs. I don't even really see "hits" as a requirement for an anthology. I think if you have a recording history, a good discography, and have any kind of following that merits the overhead cost then you too "deserve" a collection.
As a compilation producer I would stick to a few simple, firm rules:
1. More is better. Seriously, a hits/best-of collection is a cash cow because the overhead for such a release is very low compared to a new album of 10-12 songs. As such, I think you owe it to the consumer and to the artist you're anthologizing to pack a compilation CD with as much music as you can. A CD holds 80 minutes of music. Putting out a hits/best-of collection with anything less than 75 minutes of music is just wrong. This happens a lot and, to me, just shows a lack of effort.
2. Limit the "new" songs. I hate it when a best-of collection contains three or four new tracks, especially since they usually turn out to be throw aways. My rule: One new song per disc. If you're releasing a 2CD collection then you can have 2 new songs. Example: There are 3 new songs on The Best of Chris Isaak, released earlier this year. The single, "King Without a Castle" fits right in, as it is right up there with Isaak's best stuff. But did we really need to hear his cover of "I Want You To Want Me"?
3. The "B-Side" Principle. For big-name acts (Aerosmith, U2, REM, etc) I like the idea of tacking on b-sides, soundtrack contributions, or other little rarities to an anthology, but only if the anthology in question is a 2CD set. Of course I also like it when certain bands/acts simply release a "B-Sides" collection, separate from a hits collection.
4. Screw the "live" or "alternate version" crap. This drives me apeshit! Unless the live version of a song in question was the version that was a hit then do not put a live version of said song on your best-of. Example: Peter Frampton's "Show Me The Way" or "Baby, I Love Your Way", both of which were hits in their "live" version. In that case, yes, put the live version on the hits set. But, on the other hand, if Aerosmith puts a live version of "Dream On" on a hits collection that is a no-no and just wrong, wrong wrong. Feel free to put the live version of a non-hit onto the anthology but, generally speaking, if the listener wants a live version they'll find one and/or buy a live album. A side rule to this: Don't do the "alternate version" thing. I don't want to hear the acoustic version of Skid Row doing "I'll Remember You". I want the raise-yer-Bic-lighter-and-find-someone-to-make-out-with-during-the-guitar-solo original version.
With these rules in mind I want to highlight 3 brand new "anthologies" I purchased recently and why I think they were well done.
First, Definitive Rock by Dokken. This is part of a series of releases from Rhino records, all of them 2CD collections. Does Dokken really merit a 2CD best-of collection? Truth be told, a single disc collection could cover this 80's era hard rock/metal band quite easily (and it has, see also: The Very Best of Dokken) but I am proponent of giving consumers options. If you grew up in the era (as I did) then you'll probably want your 2CD Dokken collection in the same way you'd prefer a 2CD Judas Priest collection instead of a single disc set that would surely be missing something you deem "essential". Dokken recorded several albums so a 2 disc set is not out of bounds. The Dokken Definitive Rock set is assembled very nicely. It runs chronologically, focuses on their heyday, and the "live" tracks are of non-hits (and were taken from a popular live album, Beast From The East). Their best loved material is in it's original form and of the 30 tracks spread over 2CDs only 3 songs came from their 90's-era "reunion" output.
Second, Five Men In a Hut: A's, B's, and Rarities: 1998-2004 from the British band Gomez. This set should serve as a template for how to make a compilation, be it for a big-name act or a band like Gomez, who have released several solid albums but never broken out (at least not in the U.S.). Spanning 36 tracks, Five Men In a Hut contains every major single the band released over 6 years but it also contains the b-sides to those singles and, finally, 2 previously unreleased tracks. Each disc is packed and pushing closing to 80 minutes. It is both a perfect introduction to the band (their b-sides are, I swear, as good as their album cuts and sometimes better) and a great way for their established fan base to still find the collection appealing. Whoever put this together really did a terrific job!
Finally, They Can't All Be Zingers, a long overdue best-of collection from the 90's cult faves Primus. The band has been on a permanent hiatus for years, so I'm rather surprised they haven't gotten the anthology treatment before now. My only knock on Zingers is that it only has 16 tracks and there was room for more. But in terms of song selection -- leaning more toward their more popular first three albums and less toward their waning years -- it's a well done set, especially for the casual fan. (It is, however, missing "Mr. Know-It-All", a true gem.) I also personally like seeing music from the prime of my youth getting the anthology treatment because, in my most idealistic moments, I imagine some teenager of today checking out Primus for the first time because some band he or she likes cited them as an influence. (This is how I came to discover, among others, bands like The Faces, Humble Pie, and others.)
I will close with this "Wish List" of bands I'd like to see put out a solid hits/best-of collection. Even better, I'd like to the be the compilation producer for all of these, as I would do a kick-ass job.
- Bon Jovi. They had a hits album in the mid-90's but it was pretty weak. Given their hits since ("It's My Life", "Who Says You Can't Go Home?") and some stuff that was missing from Crossroad, I'd like to see them get the double disc treatment. The existing template for how to do such a set would be Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection from Def Leppard.
- AC/DC. This is seriously overdue. And it would be very easy. 2 CDs...one disc is "Bon", the other "Robert".
- Metallica. This would definitely take 2 CDs because their early material had some very long songs. I would devote the first disc to Kill Em All through Justice and the second disc to the "Black" album to present day. For kicks, I'd like one new song at the end of disc two and, if they could survive in the same room, record a song with original guitarist Dave Mustaine and put it as Track One of the first disc.
- Faster Pussycat, L.A. Guns, Bang Tango. Basically I would like to put together anthologies for the "also rans" of the 80's hard rock era; the bands who had a good following, releases several albums, but never really reached headliner status.
- Tom Waits. There really isn't a good collection that anthologizes his broad career. A well done 2 CD set could get the job done.
- Harry Connick, Jr. He has never put out a proper best-of. I've always liked him and, to me, such a set seems way past due.
J
One my dream jobs would be that of a "Compilation Producer", preferably for Rhino records or some other entity that specializes in reissues and collections. The compilation producer is the person who, with or without input from the band or artist, picks the songs for a collection, finds someone to write the liner notes, gets pictures for the insert, and so forth. I think I would bring a lot of passion to such a gig because, to me, a well put together hits or best-of album can be a very cool thing, especially for bands/artists who, let's face it, probably only had a few legit "hits", even if they had plenty of good songs. I don't even really see "hits" as a requirement for an anthology. I think if you have a recording history, a good discography, and have any kind of following that merits the overhead cost then you too "deserve" a collection.
As a compilation producer I would stick to a few simple, firm rules:
1. More is better. Seriously, a hits/best-of collection is a cash cow because the overhead for such a release is very low compared to a new album of 10-12 songs. As such, I think you owe it to the consumer and to the artist you're anthologizing to pack a compilation CD with as much music as you can. A CD holds 80 minutes of music. Putting out a hits/best-of collection with anything less than 75 minutes of music is just wrong. This happens a lot and, to me, just shows a lack of effort.
2. Limit the "new" songs. I hate it when a best-of collection contains three or four new tracks, especially since they usually turn out to be throw aways. My rule: One new song per disc. If you're releasing a 2CD collection then you can have 2 new songs. Example: There are 3 new songs on The Best of Chris Isaak, released earlier this year. The single, "King Without a Castle" fits right in, as it is right up there with Isaak's best stuff. But did we really need to hear his cover of "I Want You To Want Me"?
3. The "B-Side" Principle. For big-name acts (Aerosmith, U2, REM, etc) I like the idea of tacking on b-sides, soundtrack contributions, or other little rarities to an anthology, but only if the anthology in question is a 2CD set. Of course I also like it when certain bands/acts simply release a "B-Sides" collection, separate from a hits collection.
4. Screw the "live" or "alternate version" crap. This drives me apeshit! Unless the live version of a song in question was the version that was a hit then do not put a live version of said song on your best-of. Example: Peter Frampton's "Show Me The Way" or "Baby, I Love Your Way", both of which were hits in their "live" version. In that case, yes, put the live version on the hits set. But, on the other hand, if Aerosmith puts a live version of "Dream On" on a hits collection that is a no-no and just wrong, wrong wrong. Feel free to put the live version of a non-hit onto the anthology but, generally speaking, if the listener wants a live version they'll find one and/or buy a live album. A side rule to this: Don't do the "alternate version" thing. I don't want to hear the acoustic version of Skid Row doing "I'll Remember You". I want the raise-yer-Bic-lighter-and-find-someone-to-make-out-with-during-the-guitar-solo original version.
With these rules in mind I want to highlight 3 brand new "anthologies" I purchased recently and why I think they were well done.
First, Definitive Rock by Dokken. This is part of a series of releases from Rhino records, all of them 2CD collections. Does Dokken really merit a 2CD best-of collection? Truth be told, a single disc collection could cover this 80's era hard rock/metal band quite easily (and it has, see also: The Very Best of Dokken) but I am proponent of giving consumers options. If you grew up in the era (as I did) then you'll probably want your 2CD Dokken collection in the same way you'd prefer a 2CD Judas Priest collection instead of a single disc set that would surely be missing something you deem "essential". Dokken recorded several albums so a 2 disc set is not out of bounds. The Dokken Definitive Rock set is assembled very nicely. It runs chronologically, focuses on their heyday, and the "live" tracks are of non-hits (and were taken from a popular live album, Beast From The East). Their best loved material is in it's original form and of the 30 tracks spread over 2CDs only 3 songs came from their 90's-era "reunion" output.
Second, Five Men In a Hut: A's, B's, and Rarities: 1998-2004 from the British band Gomez. This set should serve as a template for how to make a compilation, be it for a big-name act or a band like Gomez, who have released several solid albums but never broken out (at least not in the U.S.). Spanning 36 tracks, Five Men In a Hut contains every major single the band released over 6 years but it also contains the b-sides to those singles and, finally, 2 previously unreleased tracks. Each disc is packed and pushing closing to 80 minutes. It is both a perfect introduction to the band (their b-sides are, I swear, as good as their album cuts and sometimes better) and a great way for their established fan base to still find the collection appealing. Whoever put this together really did a terrific job!
Finally, They Can't All Be Zingers, a long overdue best-of collection from the 90's cult faves Primus. The band has been on a permanent hiatus for years, so I'm rather surprised they haven't gotten the anthology treatment before now. My only knock on Zingers is that it only has 16 tracks and there was room for more. But in terms of song selection -- leaning more toward their more popular first three albums and less toward their waning years -- it's a well done set, especially for the casual fan. (It is, however, missing "Mr. Know-It-All", a true gem.) I also personally like seeing music from the prime of my youth getting the anthology treatment because, in my most idealistic moments, I imagine some teenager of today checking out Primus for the first time because some band he or she likes cited them as an influence. (This is how I came to discover, among others, bands like The Faces, Humble Pie, and others.)
I will close with this "Wish List" of bands I'd like to see put out a solid hits/best-of collection. Even better, I'd like to the be the compilation producer for all of these, as I would do a kick-ass job.
- Bon Jovi. They had a hits album in the mid-90's but it was pretty weak. Given their hits since ("It's My Life", "Who Says You Can't Go Home?") and some stuff that was missing from Crossroad, I'd like to see them get the double disc treatment. The existing template for how to do such a set would be Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection from Def Leppard.
- AC/DC. This is seriously overdue. And it would be very easy. 2 CDs...one disc is "Bon", the other "Robert".
- Metallica. This would definitely take 2 CDs because their early material had some very long songs. I would devote the first disc to Kill Em All through Justice and the second disc to the "Black" album to present day. For kicks, I'd like one new song at the end of disc two and, if they could survive in the same room, record a song with original guitarist Dave Mustaine and put it as Track One of the first disc.
- Faster Pussycat, L.A. Guns, Bang Tango. Basically I would like to put together anthologies for the "also rans" of the 80's hard rock era; the bands who had a good following, releases several albums, but never really reached headliner status.
- Tom Waits. There really isn't a good collection that anthologizes his broad career. A well done 2 CD set could get the job done.
- Harry Connick, Jr. He has never put out a proper best-of. I've always liked him and, to me, such a set seems way past due.
J