A Few More Reasons I Love The Invention of the CDR
One of my favorite and truly most geeky music-related things to do is to create my own "best ofs" or "anthologies" or "hits" collections. The digital age and the CDR have made this incredibly easy. I began doing this right around the height of Napster, right at the same time I bought my first PC that had a CD burner.
As a music fan I am truly astonished at just how many "best of" type collections there are out there and what a truly low bar you have to clear to merit one. But I get why they exist. They're a good product for the casual fan, they're like "bonus" cash for the record companies, and for some artists its a game of "Hey, throw on one or two new songs and cash in again on stuff I already cashed in on!"
But what is even more remarkable is how poorly crafted so many of these "hits" sets are. For example, a CD can hold up to 80 minutes of music, right? Now then... on a normal album I get the idea of 10 songs or even a truly short album. In fact I LOVE the recent trend of some artists doing "less is more" by making 10 song, all killer no filler albums. Gaslight Anthem, Rocky Votolato and even the latest Decemberists album follow this notion. But for an anthology? The rule should be simple: More is best. Don't leave off any of the hits, not even minor ones. And if you didn't have all that many hits then include some rarities or some b-sides, or something you contributed to a soundtrack. Make it interesting!
One project I burned this weekend was a long thought of notion of creating a 2CD Black Crowes set. I don't have any of their albums anymore but still like them and I thought Bailey would enjoy them as he seems to be going through a "guitar band" phase. I went the full geek monty on this one. Wikipedia, fan sites... I researched! And what I came to find out was that there were several b-sides and outtakes from albums like Shake Your Money Maker and The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion -- arguably their 2 best albums. And a lot of those castaways from that era turned out to be songs better than their latter stuff. So I did it up right, dammit! 2CDs, all their singles, some choice album tracks, and then a bunch of the better b-sides. 38 songs total, each disc clocking 79 minutes or more. THAT is how you make a "best of", amigos!
If you own any best-of collections you might see in the credits the title "Compilation Producer". That job, aside from what I actually do and enjoy in radio, would be my dream job. I want to work for a huge label or a specialized reissue label like Rhino or Shout Factory and have my job be to put together such collections that would really show off the artists and give fans the best bang for their buck.
Just random thoughts from a music geek. I'm on to creating a new collection. The kids requested some Jack Johnson. I own none of his stuff. But, again, through the wonders of Wikipedia I've assembles 23 singles, covers, and recommended album tracks. Fun! :)
Edit: Next up? Muse. Turns out they have radio edits for all their singles. Ideal for a band that does that "epic" thing on their album tracks. Bailey will be psyched!
J
As a music fan I am truly astonished at just how many "best of" type collections there are out there and what a truly low bar you have to clear to merit one. But I get why they exist. They're a good product for the casual fan, they're like "bonus" cash for the record companies, and for some artists its a game of "Hey, throw on one or two new songs and cash in again on stuff I already cashed in on!"
But what is even more remarkable is how poorly crafted so many of these "hits" sets are. For example, a CD can hold up to 80 minutes of music, right? Now then... on a normal album I get the idea of 10 songs or even a truly short album. In fact I LOVE the recent trend of some artists doing "less is more" by making 10 song, all killer no filler albums. Gaslight Anthem, Rocky Votolato and even the latest Decemberists album follow this notion. But for an anthology? The rule should be simple: More is best. Don't leave off any of the hits, not even minor ones. And if you didn't have all that many hits then include some rarities or some b-sides, or something you contributed to a soundtrack. Make it interesting!
One project I burned this weekend was a long thought of notion of creating a 2CD Black Crowes set. I don't have any of their albums anymore but still like them and I thought Bailey would enjoy them as he seems to be going through a "guitar band" phase. I went the full geek monty on this one. Wikipedia, fan sites... I researched! And what I came to find out was that there were several b-sides and outtakes from albums like Shake Your Money Maker and The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion -- arguably their 2 best albums. And a lot of those castaways from that era turned out to be songs better than their latter stuff. So I did it up right, dammit! 2CDs, all their singles, some choice album tracks, and then a bunch of the better b-sides. 38 songs total, each disc clocking 79 minutes or more. THAT is how you make a "best of", amigos!
If you own any best-of collections you might see in the credits the title "Compilation Producer". That job, aside from what I actually do and enjoy in radio, would be my dream job. I want to work for a huge label or a specialized reissue label like Rhino or Shout Factory and have my job be to put together such collections that would really show off the artists and give fans the best bang for their buck.
Just random thoughts from a music geek. I'm on to creating a new collection. The kids requested some Jack Johnson. I own none of his stuff. But, again, through the wonders of Wikipedia I've assembles 23 singles, covers, and recommended album tracks. Fun! :)
Edit: Next up? Muse. Turns out they have radio edits for all their singles. Ideal for a band that does that "epic" thing on their album tracks. Bailey will be psyched!
J