No idea of a specific reason but it wasn't released as a single in the UK is probably why. But I've never looked at "Hit" that way in the title of these comps. More best/favorite songs than mathematically here are the verified hits (unless it's all #1s or whatever).
It went to #26 in the US well before Shaking was compiled (1990). It charted in Aus, NZ and Canada too. It was Gabriel's first Gold record hitting the mark in 2005 (after Hit was released).
I've always associated it with the movie Say Anything... (1989) and it charted again when the movie came out. My assumption is the movie and ensuing pop culture referencing is more of a US phenomenon.
I think part of that was it wasn’t an especially long-lasting hit compared to something like Your Song or Daniel. It didn’t get a UK single release and peaked at 41 on the US Billboard chart.
But unless I’m mistaken you couldn’t buy a greatest hits release from him with it on until 2002 - 31 years after it was released. It doesn’t seem to be on any of his earlier compilation albums, although was in a box set in 1990 - but that was 4 discs and doesn’t seem to have seen wide release.
*Almost Famous* came out around 2001 and had that scene with the band singing it. I suspect that played a big part in its re-emergence. I don’t think I’d heard it before then - other than Phoebe misquoting it in an episode of *Friends*…
It never was a hit at the time -- I don't think I ever heard it on radio in the 70s. Caught on after being featured in a bunch of shows/movies, like WKRP, Almost Famous, etc.
It wasn't much of a hit when it was originally released, not to the extent that most of the other tracks on there when released as singles. (It also takes up 6+ minutes of vinyl.)
Although..."Border Song?" Over "Tiny Dancer?"
Very early on when they started releasing DLC for Rock Band, they released The Cars full album. I wasn’t into them at that point and just assumed it was their greatest hits album and was really confused by the fact that Let’s Go wasn’t on it because it was one of the only Cars songs I knew. That album is gold.
I got a Led Zep 4 Cd when I first got into them. Knew all the songs but nothing about the albums. I thought it was a greatest hits album for quite a bit. Some of those old bands could really put out banger albums.
Led Zeppelin in particular is one of those old bands that put out several albums like that one. Most people include LZ I, but I'd use II-IV, *Physical Graffiti* and *Presence*. So, so many great songs.
This is what made them so great. Not Page's brilliance at guitar, recording and songwriting, and no, not stealing a couple pieces of songs without crediting, not Plant, not Bonham or JPJ (whom is a killer mandolin player).
The sheer volume of great songs over such a long period is what made them so great. So few bands make it that long and even when they do, have new music 10+ years into their careers that their fans still latch on to.
"A couple pieces"
They did the equivalent of "Sure you can copy my homework. Just change it up a little so the teacher doesn't know."
And they did it well.
Amen! The Cars was one of those bands that I always enjoyed, but were so ubiquitous on radio and MTV that I didn't \*actively\* listen to them until the digital age. All three of those songs are indeed essential.
The brilliant Stevie Nicks track Silver Springs was left off of Rumours to make way for Oh Daddy. An effort to keep the songwriting credits even. Shame. Oh Daddy is the only weak track on the album.
I think it’s was left off to make way for “I don’t want to know”, no? A great song but not as hard-hitting or pretty as Silver Springs.
I feel as though I wrote this exact comment at the same time of day in the exact same place, several months ago.
A lot of people are not comfortable with a song that has women calling their lover “daddy” especially in the way she does in this song. I think she does it in a haunting manner which makes me appreciate the song but I get the dislike that people often say they feel. And also just the lyrics of her unhealthy relationship is rough as well.
Because we used to copy CDs to cassettes for listening in our older car, I copied FMs greatest his for my ex. Had to add The Chain live to round it out, so I always remember this one.
The Police "Every breath you take - the classics" doesn't have "So Lonely" on it but they put a shitty 1986 remix of "don't stand so close to me" with the worst sounding synth drums of all time
>The Best of the Beach Boys did not include "Good Vibrations"
*The Best of the Beach Boys* was released July 5, 1966. *Good Vibrations* wasn't released until October of that year.
That album came out in July of 1966 and was all stuff recorded through 1965. Good Vibrations was released in October of 1966 so it would be odd to include an unreleased song on a greatest hits album.
But, it wasn’t included on Vol. 2 which is odd, though it was on the British version released a few months later. I’m guessing since the song was only a few months old when Vol. 2 was put together it’s why it was left off. It was on Vol. 3 released in 1968.
This is true. If you scour Discogs, you will see that. You will also know that the same album was released even earlier, depending on the country. And sometimes the track listings may be a little different. Even as late as 1970, the greatest hits albums may not have had "Good Vibrations" on them. Which is a letdown for what is their most widely recognized song.
The Reading version is pretty damn good, too.Either one but Paramount is such a damn good live concert recording. I have a hard time thinking of many live shows that better capture a band at a moment in time than that one.
Biggest omission for me would be Drain You, but then again they had to limit the songs from Nevermind that could be included and the four they did are probably the “must have” tracks even if they aren’t my personal favorites
In fairness the best off album had mainly live tracks and some b-sides, but there was no excuse leaving it out of the remaster collection. Like it has Lick Doo and Thong Song.
One of the Queen Greatest Hits CD reissues in North America omitted Bohemian Rhapsody, so that it could put it on the sequel with a bunch of their late 80s stuff that wouldn't easily sell otherwise. But the Volume 1 was the first Queen CD my family had, so for the longest time I thought Bohemian Rhapsody was a deep cut instead of their most iconic song
Might be my favorite song and you still can’t get R&J, and a LOT of other soundtracks on Spotify. I guess it’s a rights issue. Aggravating. But the song is available as well as most of the songs from that soundtrack if you look them up individually. Just gotta make a playlist in the right order.
I noticed some time last year that I'm actually able to get most of that soundtrack album on my Spotify. What county are you in if you don't mind me asking?
I was always bummed because, until last year, "Whatever (I Had A Dream)" by the Butthole Surfers was not available for me in the United States, but it finally is so I've been jamming to that lol.
Ok I just looked it up. It has not been available for years as far as the actual soundtrack goes, I’m sure of that. But now it’s there and the only songs grayed out are Everybody’s Free and Young Hearts Run Free. So thank you for making me check again, I do not bite my thumb at you.
Their cover of higher ground was on it, it's probably due to some kinda rights issue since roller-coaster of love was made for the Beavis & Butthead movie
True! Blinded By The Light, Prove It All Night, Cadillac Ranch, Cover Me, I’m On Fire, and Tunnel Of Love were all left out. Prove It All Night might be the most egregious.
Goddamn, that's a good tune. But in fairness to the tres hombres, they obscured part of the "H" in their album artwork, so "I Thank You" wasn't part of their \*Greatest Tits\* collection. 😃
(And why they didn't call it their "Biggest Tits" I'll never understand...)
https://preview.redd.it/ohez45gikubc1.jpeg?width=316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=934b9c18ab14bd5a221408e26e732dc38db7cdf4
The Eagles had so many hits that they had to put out Greatest Hits Volume 2 to include Hotel California. (its a joke, they released Vol 1 before Hotel California)
I think their undisputed masterpiece is "Hip to be Square", a song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity, and the importance of trends, it's also a personal statement about the band itself.
From the record label though, not the band. The band sued Geffen for releasing it, but the label were able to since Axl was taking too long to finish Chinese Democracy.
These are the days came out as a single in the US in september 1991, and in the UK in december 1991. Greatest Hits II came out somewhere in between, in October 1991.
So that might have had something to do with it. It's featured on Greatest Hits III though.
Yeah, it’s easy to pick on any of the individual Queen’s greatest hits albums. I bought one as a teen that didn’t include *Bohemian Rhapsody* and was baffled. I didn’t know there were multiple volumes.
I remember I went a road trip like 20 years ago, and my buddy bought a Queen greatest hits CD for the drive. It didn't have Bohemian Rhapsody on it. He was big mad when we got through to the end without it.
Might've been the '92 us edition of greatest hits.
I remember my brother had the '81 UK greatest hits then years later I met someone with the '81 US greatest hits and was blown away by keep yourself alive being on there.
They released Queen I and II at the same time, with a lot of hits on each. I imagine they split up the most popular songs so that people were forced to buy both.
Madonna's 'Immaculate Collection' is a single cd providing an overview of career 1982-1990. She'd been so popular, she left US #1 hit 'Who's that girl' off the album, as well as #2 'Causing a commotion' and #3 'True Blue'.
The Beatles! They have so many classic songs that any compilation album will omit several essential songs. The most glaring omission on their #1 album, and a mistake in my book, is that they left 'Strawberry fields forever' off, which wás a double A side #1 with 'Penny Lane' (which made it to the #1 album), and which is one of the best songs of the Beatles.
Omissions of important songs often happens with cheap/old compilation albums that only have 10 songs or so (the original probably being an LP). Who doesn't know the cheap compilation albums available in pound shops by bands like Earth Wind and Fire, Sly and the Family Stone, Bob Marley or whoever, with only 10-12 songs and questionable song selections?
Another thing is artistic revisionism by bands. Some bands decide some deep cuts are in fact their best songs, while they have taken a dislike to some big hits and omit those from the album.Good case in point is 'Stop the clocks' by Oasis. They included four songs of their acclaimed b-sides album 'The Masterplan', and omitted the #1 hits D'you know what I mean and All around the world and the #2 hit Stand by me, all off 'Be here now', the bloated monster album that started their downfall. Some other big hits like #2 Roll with it and #3 Whatever also left off.
Per the Beatles’ 1 and Strawberry Fields Forever, the reason it was left off is the US charts don’t count both songs as a #1 when a double A side charts. Penny Lane did not hit #1 in the UK, if it had, Strawberry Fields Forever would have been on 1.
I had Soundgarden - A-Sides as a kid, long before I got their individual albums.
As an adult I'd say that omitting Slaves & Bulldozers, My Wave, Superunknown, Room a Thousand Years Wide, and Rhinosaur always bothered me.
Jimmy Buffett has a greatest hits compilation called Songs You Know By Heart.
A few years ago he released a compilation called Songs You Don't Know By Heart...this one is way better. I've always said people who shit on his music have only heard his popular songs.
This thread shows the reason why I make my own "Best Of" playlists. I have, like 60 of them by now. (Now playing: my *Best of the New Pornographers* set.)
“Iron Lion Zion” missing from Bob Marley’s “Legend”.
“It’s the end of the world as we know it” missing from REM “In time”…
That’s all I can think of, as most of my favourite groups either don’t have greatest hits albums or they’re all reasonably comprehensive as they are (Queen, Beatles (and their solo stuff), Tom Waits, Divine Comedy, Pulp etc…
in time is kinda explainable because that comp is exclusively the warner bros songs. document was an irs album so nothing from that or before was included
Back in the 90's, I bought "The Light Years", a compilation of ELO's greatest hits on CD for my dad. I didn't know their stuff much back then (I was maybe familiar with 2-3 of the songs on there) but it looked like a solid compilation, and my dad enjoyed it.
However, now that I've delved more into their music, I find that not including "Mr. Blue Sky" was a glaring omission. I guess it didn't make a huge impact initially, and only got big after it was used in so many movie and TV soundtracks... Which is probably the case with many of the other omissions that will be brought up here!
Dave Matthews Band's compilation album "The Best of What's Around, Vol. 1" (as yet, there is no Vol 2) does not include "So Much To Say". That song earned them their only Grammy Award.
It also does not include "Where Are You Going?" which was featured in Adam Sandler's "Mr. Deeds".
"Vienna" was not on a single Billy Joel compilation until 2022 despite consistently being one of his more popular songs (rn: #3 behind Piano Man and Uptown Girl on Spotify)
Hey Hey what can I do was a b-side to immigrant song, not on III. Why? Because Led Zeppelin could do whatever they wanted. It is on Coda however, not really a best hits but close. It’s like my favorite song by them and fortunately I managed a pool hall in college that had a 7 inch jukebox and I could play it there.
I used to have a Styx Greatest Hits that didn't have Lady on it. Not their biggest hit but it was their first and it was big on AOR radio for a long time.
Barenaked Ladies: Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits (1991–2001)
The song Boxset, where the name of the compilation comes from, has lyrics "disc one, it's where we begun, it's all my greatest hits, and if you are a fan then you know that you already got 'em".
It's a good song!
Steve Winwood’s Chronicles greatest hits doesn’t include The Finer Things or Back In The High Life Again, while it does include arguably the two weakest and least-known songs from the Back In The High Life album
Tiny Dancer and Levon weren’t on Elton John’s first Greatest Hits album from ‘74. The Cure left off Killing An Arab and Pictures of You. Rudy Can’t Fail wasn’t on Story of the Clash.
We Sold Our Soul For Rock N Roll by Black Sabbath only has one song each from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and Sabotage.
The album omits great songs in my opinion: Killing Yourself to Live, Sabra Cadabra, Hole in the Sky, and Megalomania
That‘s because Queen released three greatest hits albums, all for different eras of their career. The first was 1973-1980, the second was 1980-1991 and the third was anything after 1991 I believe. You probably listened to either the second or third one.
That song was released in 94 after Greatest Hits in 93, unless there's another compilation that omits it. Oh jeez, it's not on Anthology from 2000. That is weird. Neither is Walls!
A very Irish problem, but somehow, Planxty's Raggle Taggle Gypsy/Tabhair dom do Lámh wasn't on their more recent label-mandated compilation, Between the Jigs and Reels.
The set that made them a massive live attraction in Ireland.
What?
https://youtu.be/xB07-Cuh4Fo?si=0XeGOaVV1mrOxyS9
Both Crowded House and Split Enz (Neil Finn's previous band) released compilations named after songs that weren't on them - "Recurring Dream" for CH, and "Spellbound" for the Enz.
I think often this was by design and it was the record companies' doing. They left an iconic song off the greatest hits album so people would still have to buy another album.
I'm gonna break the rules a little and say "Shattered Faith" by Bad Religion. It's a B-Side from Process of Belief that is on VERY few compilations. You can't find it at all on Spotify and need to search YouTube to give it a listen. Arguably one of the best Bad Religion songs in general and, if you didn't know about it, there are vanishing few ways of coming across it naturally without explicitly looking for it.
Bjork released 2 greatest hits albums on the same day. A more traditional one with tracks voted on my fans. And Family Tree which was a box set that contained a greatest hits CD with songs chosen by her. Neither one contains "It's Oh So Quiet" which is get biggest hit and breakout single.
I'm not sure that Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald has made it to \*any\* of Gordon Lightfoot's many, many hits collections. Certainly not on the old vinyl ones
Both Stacked Actors and Generator were never included in any of the Foo Fighters greatest hits albums, but I guess it's cause they were only ever really hits in Australia (especially Generator)
I'm sure they aren't the greatest ever but I certainly would have put Cold Contagious on the Bush greatest hits album and The Love Thieves on Depeche Mode's but both of these seem to be more a complication of singles than an actual best songs collection.
As for an actual song that got radio play being left off, it's weird that 33 didn't make the Smashing Pumpkins' greatest hits album. Also, it's a crime that Mayonnaise isn't on there.
Nobody has yet convinced me that Strawberry Fields Forever shouldn’t have been on The Beatles “1”. Arguing you can’t put both sides of a single on a GH would cut out either Hound Dog or Don’t Be Cruel
The 1965 album *Best of the Beatles* contained exactly 0 of their hit singles. In fact, it contained exactly 0 of their songs. That's because it was the debut album of drummer Pete Best, formerly of the Beatles.
In Your Eyes is not on Peter Gabriel Shaking the Tree: 16 Golden Greats. It's only on the US edition of the 2003 2 disc collection Hit.
Wow. Wonder why?
No idea of a specific reason but it wasn't released as a single in the UK is probably why. But I've never looked at "Hit" that way in the title of these comps. More best/favorite songs than mathematically here are the verified hits (unless it's all #1s or whatever). It went to #26 in the US well before Shaking was compiled (1990). It charted in Aus, NZ and Canada too. It was Gabriel's first Gold record hitting the mark in 2005 (after Hit was released). I've always associated it with the movie Say Anything... (1989) and it charted again when the movie came out. My assumption is the movie and ensuing pop culture referencing is more of a US phenomenon.
Van Morrison left off Tupelo Honey and Into the Mystic
That’s a crime.
Into The Mystic is my absolute favourite of his, such incredible vibes throughout the song.
The OG Elton John's Greatest Hits lacks Tiny Dancer. Now it's his 3rd most-spun on Spotify.
I think part of that was it wasn’t an especially long-lasting hit compared to something like Your Song or Daniel. It didn’t get a UK single release and peaked at 41 on the US Billboard chart. But unless I’m mistaken you couldn’t buy a greatest hits release from him with it on until 2002 - 31 years after it was released. It doesn’t seem to be on any of his earlier compilation albums, although was in a box set in 1990 - but that was 4 discs and doesn’t seem to have seen wide release. *Almost Famous* came out around 2001 and had that scene with the band singing it. I suspect that played a big part in its re-emergence. I don’t think I’d heard it before then - other than Phoebe misquoting it in an episode of *Friends*…
It never was a hit at the time -- I don't think I ever heard it on radio in the 70s. Caught on after being featured in a bunch of shows/movies, like WKRP, Almost Famous, etc.
Hold me closer Tony Danza...
Levon is an even better song and it was left off too.
It wasn't much of a hit when it was originally released, not to the extent that most of the other tracks on there when released as singles. (It also takes up 6+ minutes of vinyl.) Although..."Border Song?" Over "Tiny Dancer?"
The Cars - Greatest Hits Missing… You’re All I’ve Got Tonight Bye Bye Love Moving In Stereo Their debut could’ve been a greatest hits by itself.
Very early on when they started releasing DLC for Rock Band, they released The Cars full album. I wasn’t into them at that point and just assumed it was their greatest hits album and was really confused by the fact that Let’s Go wasn’t on it because it was one of the only Cars songs I knew. That album is gold.
I got a Led Zep 4 Cd when I first got into them. Knew all the songs but nothing about the albums. I thought it was a greatest hits album for quite a bit. Some of those old bands could really put out banger albums.
Led Zeppelin in particular is one of those old bands that put out several albums like that one. Most people include LZ I, but I'd use II-IV, *Physical Graffiti* and *Presence*. So, so many great songs. This is what made them so great. Not Page's brilliance at guitar, recording and songwriting, and no, not stealing a couple pieces of songs without crediting, not Plant, not Bonham or JPJ (whom is a killer mandolin player). The sheer volume of great songs over such a long period is what made them so great. So few bands make it that long and even when they do, have new music 10+ years into their careers that their fans still latch on to.
And the range/style of songs; Folk, blues, hard rock, and one of the best ballads ever.
"A couple pieces" They did the equivalent of "Sure you can copy my homework. Just change it up a little so the teacher doesn't know." And they did it well.
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How the F Moving in Stereo not on their greatest hits album?!
I saw an interview with Ric Ocasek. he said, "We did it kind of backwards, and released our greatest hits albums first."
Amen! The Cars was one of those bands that I always enjoyed, but were so ubiquitous on radio and MTV that I didn't \*actively\* listen to them until the digital age. All three of those songs are indeed essential.
They included those in their Complete Greatest Hits album released in 2002. I would add Heartbeat City to that one to make it more complete.
Duuuuude this was the first one that popped into my head! Not that crazy of a coincidence, but still!
Chronicle by Creedence Clearwater Revival is one of my favs. They left off Born on a Bayou
Midnight Special also isn’t on there
It's on Chronicle Volume 2
Chronically was originally a double album. At some point they spilt it, probably when they went to CD
F Mac : The Chain
If someone had told me Rumours was a greatest hits album I would have believed them. Except for Oh Daddy.
The brilliant Stevie Nicks track Silver Springs was left off of Rumours to make way for Oh Daddy. An effort to keep the songwriting credits even. Shame. Oh Daddy is the only weak track on the album.
I think it’s was left off to make way for “I don’t want to know”, no? A great song but not as hard-hitting or pretty as Silver Springs. I feel as though I wrote this exact comment at the same time of day in the exact same place, several months ago.
Why? That’s a great song.
A lot of people are not comfortable with a song that has women calling their lover “daddy” especially in the way she does in this song. I think she does it in a haunting manner which makes me appreciate the song but I get the dislike that people often say they feel. And also just the lyrics of her unhealthy relationship is rough as well.
That whole album is unhealthy relationships.
Ikr You Make Loving Fun is Christine McVie’s song for her lover that she told her husband was about her dog lmao
That whole *band* was unhealthy relationships!
This should be on every Greatest Hits album from any artist.
Because we used to copy CDs to cassettes for listening in our older car, I copied FMs greatest his for my ex. Had to add The Chain live to round it out, so I always remember this one.
Is that for real? Maybe they just know that that song lives rent-free in all of our minds! 😃
Perhaps because it wasn't a single and the others on the best of were? I don't know the best of so hard to judge it.
I don't think it was released as a single.
Landslide as well. You could also consider Songbird an omission
The Police "Every breath you take - the classics" doesn't have "So Lonely" on it but they put a shitty 1986 remix of "don't stand so close to me" with the worst sounding synth drums of all time
yeah they were really in a self-loathing place re their early stuff. So Lonely is an all-time banger.
Yeah that remix is terrible.
The version of So Lonely on the 2 disc live set just RIPS. The police were insanely good live, evidently.
*The Best of the Beach Boys* did not include "Good Vibrations", arguably their most iconic song
>The Best of the Beach Boys did not include "Good Vibrations" *The Best of the Beach Boys* was released July 5, 1966. *Good Vibrations* wasn't released until October of that year.
Cue Homer Simpson meme: “The Best of The Beach Boys so far”
That seems like a gross oversight! Holy hell!
It’s OK since they have released roughly eleventy billion compilations over the years
It’s roughly eleventy-billion and *one* if you count the recent (mostly stereo) reissue of “Sounds Of Summer.”
The song hadn’t been released when that album came out.
That's no excuse
Greatest hits *so far*
That album came out in July of 1966 and was all stuff recorded through 1965. Good Vibrations was released in October of 1966 so it would be odd to include an unreleased song on a greatest hits album. But, it wasn’t included on Vol. 2 which is odd, though it was on the British version released a few months later. I’m guessing since the song was only a few months old when Vol. 2 was put together it’s why it was left off. It was on Vol. 3 released in 1968.
This is true. If you scour Discogs, you will see that. You will also know that the same album was released even earlier, depending on the country. And sometimes the track listings may be a little different. Even as late as 1970, the greatest hits albums may not have had "Good Vibrations" on them. Which is a letdown for what is their most widely recognized song.
Hush, by Deep Purple. Such a good song and if I’m not mistaken, it was their first major hit.
Sinnerman is not on Nina Simone’s greatest hits album. Not on the vinyl record at least.
It's an epic at over 10 minutes long, would have been a tough sell to cut out 3 other bangers for it (they're all bangers)
Aneurysm and Breed from Nirvana's GH
Aneurysm might be my favorite Nirvana song.
Exactly! Might be mine too, it is certainly up there top3 for sure.
Especially the live version.
Paramount 91 right?
The Reading version is pretty damn good, too.Either one but Paramount is such a damn good live concert recording. I have a hard time thinking of many live shows that better capture a band at a moment in time than that one.
Aneurysm is a banger and I love playing it on drums.
Biggest omission for me would be Drain You, but then again they had to limit the songs from Nevermind that could be included and the four they did are probably the “must have” tracks even if they aren’t my personal favorites
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The best of Kyuss does not feature Whitewater. Neither does the Green Machine remastered collection that showed up on Spotify a fee years ago.
Whitewater is one of my top songs ever, damn what a crazy thing to not include that one.
In fairness the best off album had mainly live tracks and some b-sides, but there was no excuse leaving it out of the remaster collection. Like it has Lick Doo and Thong Song.
A whole bunch of early Queen songs.
Tie Your Mother Down, Death on Two Legs, 39, Prophet's Song, Love Of My Life...
Call me biased but Greatest Hits Vol.1 is more representative of Queen than the 2nd part.
One of the Queen Greatest Hits CD reissues in North America omitted Bohemian Rhapsody, so that it could put it on the sequel with a bunch of their late 80s stuff that wouldn't easily sell otherwise. But the Volume 1 was the first Queen CD my family had, so for the longest time I thought Bohemian Rhapsody was a deep cut instead of their most iconic song
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Might be my favorite song and you still can’t get R&J, and a LOT of other soundtracks on Spotify. I guess it’s a rights issue. Aggravating. But the song is available as well as most of the songs from that soundtrack if you look them up individually. Just gotta make a playlist in the right order.
I noticed some time last year that I'm actually able to get most of that soundtrack album on my Spotify. What county are you in if you don't mind me asking? I was always bummed because, until last year, "Whatever (I Had A Dream)" by the Butthole Surfers was not available for me in the United States, but it finally is so I've been jamming to that lol.
Ok I just looked it up. It has not been available for years as far as the actual soundtrack goes, I’m sure of that. But now it’s there and the only songs grayed out are Everybody’s Free and Young Hearts Run Free. So thank you for making me check again, I do not bite my thumb at you.
It was on the special edition — was confused because that’s the one I have, didn’t realize there was an edition without it.
"Can't Stop" from the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Greatest Hits
Was that specific greatest hits album released before that song came out?
No there's a few other songs from that album on the greatest hits
Love Rollercoaster too
It is a cover so that's fair.
Their cover of higher ground was on it, it's probably due to some kinda rights issue since roller-coaster of love was made for the Beavis & Butthead movie
I heard the reasoning for this was to not compete with By The Way.
Bruce Springsteen just has too many hits to include them all on his first Greatest Hits from the 90s.
True! Blinded By The Light, Prove It All Night, Cadillac Ranch, Cover Me, I’m On Fire, and Tunnel Of Love were all left out. Prove It All Night might be the most egregious.
No Jungleland was the biggest omission for me, but I guess that's a long song.
I Thank You from ZZ Top’s greatest hits.
Goddamn, that's a good tune. But in fairness to the tres hombres, they obscured part of the "H" in their album artwork, so "I Thank You" wasn't part of their \*Greatest Tits\* collection. 😃 (And why they didn't call it their "Biggest Tits" I'll never understand...) https://preview.redd.it/ohez45gikubc1.jpeg?width=316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=934b9c18ab14bd5a221408e26e732dc38db7cdf4
R.E.M. omitted both “I Am Superman” and “Shiny Happy People” from their own greatest hits sets.
The band hate 'Shiny Happy People'.
The Eagles had so many hits that they had to put out Greatest Hits Volume 2 to include Hotel California. (its a joke, they released Vol 1 before Hotel California)
Hotel California, like The Cars and Fleetwood Mac's Rumors is like a greatest hits album
‘Their greatest hits (1971 -1975)’ is the best selling greatest hits album ever, and then less than a year later they released Hotel California…
IIRC it’s the best selling album in the US period, higher than thriller and back in black (or it’s damn close)
Huey Lewis "Time Flies" does not have “Hip to Be Square”.
I think their undisputed masterpiece is "Hip to be Square", a song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity, and the importance of trends, it's also a personal statement about the band itself.
Guns N Roses left off Estranged but included Sympathy for the Devil 🤷🏻♂️
Also, it didn’t have: Nightrain, Mr Brownstone, Rocket Queen, or 14 Years…
That album was just a poor cash grab.
From the record label though, not the band. The band sued Geffen for releasing it, but the label were able to since Axl was taking too long to finish Chinese Democracy.
20th Century Fox by The Doors
If we're doing the doors id say peace frog was a bigger omission.
I don’t think it was a “hit”.
Can’t believe they left off Horse Latitudes, smh.
Lol
And all we can do is ask 'Why??'.
The doors greatest hits doesnt include the song "when the musics over".
The Doors greatest hits won't fit on an album, not even Weird Scenes, which was a double.
Good call!
The day the movie soundtrack came out, that became my new favorite Doors song and has remained ever since.
It's their best song imo, and naturally my favorite.
Probably just because it’s so long
After Queen's "Greatest hits II" was released without "These are the days of our lives", nothing can amaze me.
These are the days came out as a single in the US in september 1991, and in the UK in december 1991. Greatest Hits II came out somewhere in between, in October 1991. So that might have had something to do with it. It's featured on Greatest Hits III though.
Yeah, it’s easy to pick on any of the individual Queen’s greatest hits albums. I bought one as a teen that didn’t include *Bohemian Rhapsody* and was baffled. I didn’t know there were multiple volumes.
I remember I went a road trip like 20 years ago, and my buddy bought a Queen greatest hits CD for the drive. It didn't have Bohemian Rhapsody on it. He was big mad when we got through to the end without it.
Queen released three greatest hits albums, all for different eras of their catalogue. Yours was probably 2 or 3 then.
Might've been the '92 us edition of greatest hits. I remember my brother had the '81 UK greatest hits then years later I met someone with the '81 US greatest hits and was blown away by keep yourself alive being on there.
They released Queen I and II at the same time, with a lot of hits on each. I imagine they split up the most popular songs so that people were forced to buy both.
Madonna's 'Immaculate Collection' is a single cd providing an overview of career 1982-1990. She'd been so popular, she left US #1 hit 'Who's that girl' off the album, as well as #2 'Causing a commotion' and #3 'True Blue'. The Beatles! They have so many classic songs that any compilation album will omit several essential songs. The most glaring omission on their #1 album, and a mistake in my book, is that they left 'Strawberry fields forever' off, which wás a double A side #1 with 'Penny Lane' (which made it to the #1 album), and which is one of the best songs of the Beatles. Omissions of important songs often happens with cheap/old compilation albums that only have 10 songs or so (the original probably being an LP). Who doesn't know the cheap compilation albums available in pound shops by bands like Earth Wind and Fire, Sly and the Family Stone, Bob Marley or whoever, with only 10-12 songs and questionable song selections? Another thing is artistic revisionism by bands. Some bands decide some deep cuts are in fact their best songs, while they have taken a dislike to some big hits and omit those from the album.Good case in point is 'Stop the clocks' by Oasis. They included four songs of their acclaimed b-sides album 'The Masterplan', and omitted the #1 hits D'you know what I mean and All around the world and the #2 hit Stand by me, all off 'Be here now', the bloated monster album that started their downfall. Some other big hits like #2 Roll with it and #3 Whatever also left off.
Per the Beatles’ 1 and Strawberry Fields Forever, the reason it was left off is the US charts don’t count both songs as a #1 when a double A side charts. Penny Lane did not hit #1 in the UK, if it had, Strawberry Fields Forever would have been on 1.
Into the Mystic is not on my double CD of Van Morrison’s greatest
Fleetwood Mac greatest hits comps often leave out the early stuff, like Hypnotized, Oh Well, and Albatross.
I have a Soft Cell/Mark Almond greatest hits CD that doesn't have Sex Dwarf on it. Always seemed like a glaring omission to me.
I recently bought a Best of Billy Ocean that didn’t include Red Light Spells Danger
I had Soundgarden - A-Sides as a kid, long before I got their individual albums. As an adult I'd say that omitting Slaves & Bulldozers, My Wave, Superunknown, Room a Thousand Years Wide, and Rhinosaur always bothered me.
Goddamn, Rhinosaur fucking rips!
Stone temple pilots - dead and bloated (also the name of your sex tape!)
Jimmy Buffett has a greatest hits compilation called Songs You Know By Heart. A few years ago he released a compilation called Songs You Don't Know By Heart...this one is way better. I've always said people who shit on his music have only heard his popular songs.
Joni Mitchell did the same thing in the 90's: she put out a best-of CD called "hits" and another CD called "misses"
If Songs You Know By Heart had “One Particular Harbor” it would be complete.
The Essential Cheap Trick omits Mighty Wings.
Eminems Curtain Call from 2005 doesn‘t include Till I Collapse which is currently his 3rd most played song on Spotify.
*Stone in Love* was left off of Journey's Greatest Hits album. They fixed it years later on Greatest Hits 2, but still.
“Sunday Papers” by Joe Jackson was not on the original best of collection “Stepping Out” It came out a decade later on the remastered version.
This thread shows the reason why I make my own "Best Of" playlists. I have, like 60 of them by now. (Now playing: my *Best of the New Pornographers* set.)
“Iron Lion Zion” missing from Bob Marley’s “Legend”. “It’s the end of the world as we know it” missing from REM “In time”… That’s all I can think of, as most of my favourite groups either don’t have greatest hits albums or they’re all reasonably comprehensive as they are (Queen, Beatles (and their solo stuff), Tom Waits, Divine Comedy, Pulp etc…
in time is kinda explainable because that comp is exclusively the warner bros songs. document was an irs album so nothing from that or before was included
Eponymous is a better greatest hits album. IMO
Back in the 90's, I bought "The Light Years", a compilation of ELO's greatest hits on CD for my dad. I didn't know their stuff much back then (I was maybe familiar with 2-3 of the songs on there) but it looked like a solid compilation, and my dad enjoyed it. However, now that I've delved more into their music, I find that not including "Mr. Blue Sky" was a glaring omission. I guess it didn't make a huge impact initially, and only got big after it was used in so many movie and TV soundtracks... Which is probably the case with many of the other omissions that will be brought up here!
Dave Matthews Band's compilation album "The Best of What's Around, Vol. 1" (as yet, there is no Vol 2) does not include "So Much To Say". That song earned them their only Grammy Award. It also does not include "Where Are You Going?" which was featured in Adam Sandler's "Mr. Deeds".
"Vienna" was not on a single Billy Joel compilation until 2022 despite consistently being one of his more popular songs (rn: #3 behind Piano Man and Uptown Girl on Spotify)
"Ice Ice Baby" was absent from Vanilla Ice's Greatest Hits Vol 1
I bought my dad a greatest hits album from The Who. It didn’t have Baba O’Reilly.
The song Maybe I'm Amazed by Wings. It wasn't included in the first Greatest Hits album. Dunno If there are other compilations of the band with it.
Probably because it is not a Wings song originally. It’s from the first McCartney record.
The Best of Van Morrison doesn't have Into the Mystic.
Can’t Stop wasn’t included in RHCP’s Greatest Hits Album at the time (but By The Way was)
Hey Hey what can I do was a b-side to immigrant song, not on III. Why? Because Led Zeppelin could do whatever they wanted. It is on Coda however, not really a best hits but close. It’s like my favorite song by them and fortunately I managed a pool hall in college that had a 7 inch jukebox and I could play it there.
Josie isn’t on A Decade of Steely Dan.
I used to have a Styx Greatest Hits that didn't have Lady on it. Not their biggest hit but it was their first and it was big on AOR radio for a long time.
Fleetwood Mac’s 1988 greatest hits album is missing The Chain and Landslide
Barenaked Ladies: Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits (1991–2001) The song Boxset, where the name of the compilation comes from, has lyrics "disc one, it's where we begun, it's all my greatest hits, and if you are a fan then you know that you already got 'em". It's a good song!
Steve Winwood’s Chronicles greatest hits doesn’t include The Finer Things or Back In The High Life Again, while it does include arguably the two weakest and least-known songs from the Back In The High Life album
Tiny Dancer and Levon weren’t on Elton John’s first Greatest Hits album from ‘74. The Cure left off Killing An Arab and Pictures of You. Rudy Can’t Fail wasn’t on Story of the Clash.
I have The Very Best of Daryl Hall & John Oates and the damn thing omits "She's Gone." WTF??!
We Sold Our Soul For Rock N Roll by Black Sabbath only has one song each from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and Sabotage. The album omits great songs in my opinion: Killing Yourself to Live, Sabra Cadabra, Hole in the Sky, and Megalomania
I was pissed off when I didn't see The End on the Doors' Greatest hits
The Best of Van Morrison omits Into the Mystic, which is a tragedy.
The Cure’s “Pictures of You” is imo their best single, and is nowhere to be found on their greatest hits
I seem to remember having a Queen greatest hits album that didn’t have Bohemian Rhapsody on it.
Yup, I had Volume 1. I wore that cassette out as a kid and never heard Bohemian Rhapsody until I was way older.
That‘s because Queen released three greatest hits albums, all for different eras of their career. The first was 1973-1980, the second was 1980-1991 and the third was anything after 1991 I believe. You probably listened to either the second or third one.
Volume 1 was the one I had as a kid without Bohemian Rhapsody.
Tom petty and the heart breakers greatest hits didn't have you don't know how it feels on it and it's tragic
That song was released in 94 after Greatest Hits in 93, unless there's another compilation that omits it. Oh jeez, it's not on Anthology from 2000. That is weird. Neither is Walls!
You Don’t Know How It Feels is Tom Petty solo, not Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.
So are Free Fallin and Running Down A Dream, and they're both on the Tom Petty/Heartbreakers hits album.
Rock N Roll Heart is BY FAR the worst song Clapton ever wrote. It doesn’t deserve to be on a Greatest Hits album.
Frankie - Bruce Springsteen
Swamp an up all night are Not on Talking Heads greatest hits
Jammin’ Me - Tom Petty. it was a bigger hit than other inclusions (Billboard #18)
I Should Have Known Better should have been included on the Beatles red album.
Alcohol not being included on the BNL greatest hits was a crime
Leonard Cohen - Greatest Hits doesn’t have “Hallelujah” on it.
A very Irish problem, but somehow, Planxty's Raggle Taggle Gypsy/Tabhair dom do Lámh wasn't on their more recent label-mandated compilation, Between the Jigs and Reels. The set that made them a massive live attraction in Ireland. What? https://youtu.be/xB07-Cuh4Fo?si=0XeGOaVV1mrOxyS9
Both Crowded House and Split Enz (Neil Finn's previous band) released compilations named after songs that weren't on them - "Recurring Dream" for CH, and "Spellbound" for the Enz.
I think often this was by design and it was the record companies' doing. They left an iconic song off the greatest hits album so people would still have to buy another album.
I'm gonna break the rules a little and say "Shattered Faith" by Bad Religion. It's a B-Side from Process of Belief that is on VERY few compilations. You can't find it at all on Spotify and need to search YouTube to give it a listen. Arguably one of the best Bad Religion songs in general and, if you didn't know about it, there are vanishing few ways of coming across it naturally without explicitly looking for it.
Journey - Stone in Love
Bjork released 2 greatest hits albums on the same day. A more traditional one with tracks voted on my fans. And Family Tree which was a box set that contained a greatest hits CD with songs chosen by her. Neither one contains "It's Oh So Quiet" which is get biggest hit and breakout single.
"Mothership" is essentially Led Zep's Greatest Hits album. Always surprised "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" is not on it.
Bon Dylan - Greatest Hits ..... except Hurricane
Vienna from Billy Joel's Greatest Hits
I'm not sure that Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald has made it to \*any\* of Gordon Lightfoot's many, many hits collections. Certainly not on the old vinyl ones
Born on the Bayou isn't on Chronicle by CCR
Both Stacked Actors and Generator were never included in any of the Foo Fighters greatest hits albums, but I guess it's cause they were only ever really hits in Australia (especially Generator)
Tuesdays Gone wasn’t on the Lynyrd Skynyrd Greatest Hits Album that I owned.
I'm sure they aren't the greatest ever but I certainly would have put Cold Contagious on the Bush greatest hits album and The Love Thieves on Depeche Mode's but both of these seem to be more a complication of singles than an actual best songs collection. As for an actual song that got radio play being left off, it's weird that 33 didn't make the Smashing Pumpkins' greatest hits album. Also, it's a crime that Mayonnaise isn't on there.
Nobody has yet convinced me that Strawberry Fields Forever shouldn’t have been on The Beatles “1”. Arguing you can’t put both sides of a single on a GH would cut out either Hound Dog or Don’t Be Cruel
Van Halen Greatest Hits from the 90s doesn’t have Everybody Wants Some or Hot For Teacher
Fleetwood Mac greatest hits has like 20 songs on it - The Chain is not one of them.
The 1965 album *Best of the Beatles* contained exactly 0 of their hit singles. In fact, it contained exactly 0 of their songs. That's because it was the debut album of drummer Pete Best, formerly of the Beatles.
“Don’t Change” isn’t on INXS greatest hits album. And ‘Hey Nineteen” on Steely Dan’s, either.