Top 10: Essential Greatest Hits Collections Ever

In the next few weeks there will be some ridiculous Greatest Hits collections going on sale. I have no problem with the Foo Fighters getting one, they've been doing their thing for a while now and have had some very solid singles over the year, and their collection of hits could easily replace their records on my shelves. But a band like Fall Out Boy??? Give me a break and get serious for a minute here. Over the years countless artists have put out scores of Greatest Hits collections to keep the money flowing in, or to give fans one definitive place to get their best songs for their iPods. A lot of these bands, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Nirvana, don't need these collections because their records are so valuable taken as a whole. Others don't even come close to meriting such a collection of songs, I think you know who I'm talking about here (Fall Out Boy!!!!). Still the Greatest Hits album is an important part of a lot of band's histories, it signifies that they have had a profound impact on music (or at least some impact) and that people want a collection of their best songs to be right at their fingertips. Some these collections can replace the lackluster records that featured one or two songs, some can introduce you more fully to an artist, and some are just plain fun! I have taken the liberty of picking 10 out of a very, very long list of Greatest Hits albums based on what they do in terms of song choices, record collection slimming, and repeat listens. I've left off bands like R.E.M. and The Beatles who have a few great collections of their songs, but whose overall albums are still far superior to any selection of songs could be. As always feel free to chime in in the comments with your own picks, but understand that there's a good chance I thought about that record and chose one of these instead! Enjoy!

10. Blondie The Best of Blondie; Over the course of their career Blondie has had a lot of records, some were very good Parallel Lines, others not so good No Exit, but most of the albums were loaded with fantastic singles mixed in with some tracks that don't quite carry the sparkle. For that reason there is The Best of Blondie a record that has pretty much every single you would ever want to hear from the band, from "Heart of Glass" to "One Way or Another" and all their other big hits. If you're just starting out on the career of Blondie this is your starting point, if you're a casual fan this is all you need, and if you're a die hard you probably only need this.
Blondie - "Heart of Glass"

9. Pylon Hits; Along with bands like Gang of Four, Mission of Burma, and R.E.M., Pylon helped define the early days of indie rock. They took a propulsive energy and post-punk ideals to the max with a sound that would influence bands for generations and of course they couldn't have done that without some great songs. While their first LP Chomp is slightly more essential than Hits this record does take a few of the songs off of Chomp and rolls them up with earlier material of their 7"s and EP's. That wide collection of songs makes this an essential record for any fan of indie anything.
Pylon - "Beep"

8. U2 The Best of 1980 - 1990; Let's go ahead and be a bit brutally honest right here, the pretension and better than thou feeling that U2 now exudes in buckets has started to weigh on their catalog past and present. It's soiled their reputation as a voice of the Irish people and you have to sometimes wonder where Bono's brain is even if his intentions are in the right places. That said, throughout the 80's they put out some of the best arena ready rock music in the history of pop music. There songs were anthemic, meant to be screamed along to by thousands of people and based on their still amazing live shows they can still bring out those feelings in people. But who amongst us really wants to wade through full albums of this pompous music when you can slim it down to one album with the very best songs the band has ever recorded. Everything you'd ever want to hear is on this record, "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "Pride (In the Name of Love)", "Where the Streets Have No Name", and even the one previously unreleased add-on, "The Sweetest Thing", ain't too shabby.
U2 - "Sunday Bloody Sunday"

7. The Ramones Ramones Mania; I will not for a second attempt to deny that The Ramones released some of the most classic records around, records that can be listened to from beginning to end without skipping a track in about 30-minutes. But let's face it that sometimes those 30-minute long albums can be a little too short, and not quite enough of a Ramones fix for us aging punks! That's where Ramones Mania becomes an essential piece of any record collection. Instead of having to switch between Leave Home and the self-titled record you can just listen to most of their catchiest tracks straight through on this 30-song collection. Yeah there's some major omissions on this collection, "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" and "53rd & 3rd" being the two most glaring, but it's loaded with some of the bands best under 3-minute long moments ever.
The Ramones - "Judy Is A Punk"

6. Bob Marley Legend;There's a good chance this record is somewhere in your house. Whether it's your parents or yours is another issue entirely, but with over 25 million copies sold this is the most popular and probably the most revered reggae album of all-time. Now we don't want to diminish what Marley and the Wailers were able to do on their other records but really if you are just a casual fan, as most of us seem to be at this point in time, there really doesn't seem to be much need for anything but the very best of what the man has to offer. Of course this means subtracting some fine songs, but it also means you get all the classic hits you shouldn't be able to live without.
Bob Marley - "No Woman No Cry"

5. The Kinks Greatest Hits; Back in the 1960's bands were forced to continuously crank out music in order to remain on top. Bands would release a couple of albums a year not just one every couple of years as they do today, and that led to some watered down tracks in some instances. There is no doubt that The Kinks released some truly fantastic records, but like a lot of their peers at the time they also filled in the gaps between hit singles with songs that aren't as necessary as some of their others. This 1966 release capitalized on the very best The Kinks had put out up to that point, 10-songs that included all their chart topping hits. "All Day and All of the Night", "You Really Got Me", "Tired of Waiting for You", they are all here and they really are perfect when lined up next to each other one immediately after the other.
The Kinks - "All Day and All of the Night"

4. Abba The Definitive Collection; For most people the disco music of the 70's can be as painful as a trip to the dentist and I happen to be one of those people. That said there is no point in arguing against Abba. The band is one of the most important pop groups of all time and their music has proven to be timeless over the course of the last three decades. Now I wouldn't willingly put one of their full albums on my record play or even stick it on my iPod, instead I'd turn to The Definitive Collection with a total of 39 of the band's most important, catchy, and wonderful songs there is no going wrong with this collection. It's comprehensive, drawing from every part of the band's career, and it spans the scope of time and tolerance to deliver some of the finest pop nuggets that have ever existed. Rail all you want against disco, I will back you for most of it, but don't talk shit about Abba because their shit is dope.
Abba - "Does Your Mother Know"

3. Marvin Gaye The Very Best of Marvin Gaye; For three decades Marvin Gaye was as much the face of Motown as anyone else. His music transcended genre, taking his R&B and soul sound to a huge audience thanks to his trademark take on sex and love. Everyone can get down to his music and nearly everyone does, I'm sure you've thrown this on somewhere to try and coax a special someone into making a move! It's special music and this collection tracks thirty four of the very best moments in his career. The music starts from the very beginning of his career and his early taste of success with "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" all the way to his final brilliant piece of music, the eternal "Sexual Healing". The music knows no boundaries, no sense of age or color, nothing holds this sound back from penetrating to the deepest core of your being.
Marvin Gaye - "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"

2. Queen Greatest Hits Volume 1 & 2; So I couldn't decide between which of these two volumes to include and I didn't want to use two spots for the same band so really today's Top 10 is more of a Top 11. But really, how can you separate these two brilliant collections of songs when they play so well together? They can both stand on their own merits (though Volume 1 is absolutely the stronger of the two) but together they form a collection of Queen songs that is all you really would ever need to hear from the band. These are the finest tunes the band ever wrote and really, does anyone my age or younger even know any of the album titles other than Greatest Hits? Probably not, which makes this all the Queen you ever need to own.
Queen - "Don't Stop Me Now"

1. Buddy Holly The Buddy Holly Collection; Having only released three albums in his all to brief career, Buddy Holly's music has spent more time on compilations and greatest hits collections then it ever did on his own full albums. Most of us only know his music thanks to these collections and honestly with 25-tracks all compiled neatly in one place it makes it awfully convenient to just go and grab this record. I'm not gonna argue if you wanna go out and buy all three of his records but this really has everything of his you will ever need. Twenty five songs that capture his three album career. Simple, neatly wrapped, and perfect in every way.
Buddy Holly - "Brown Eyed Handsome Man"