Nazareth: Greatest Hits (1975)

Now you're messin' with a
(A son of a bitch) now you're messin' with a son of a bitch

This is another record from my childhood, where my musical influences were my siblings and my metal-head cousins, as well as some friends. I would not describe Nazareth as a metal band, but they were heavier than the top 40 and disco stuff polluting the airwaves back then. On the plus side, Nazareth is a Scottish band, and I am 50% Scottish.

I suppose this band is best known for Hair of the Dog and This Flight Tonight, a song I never knew was a cover version until I heard Joni Mitchell's original version, many many years later. Surprise surprise.

Why do I keep it? I guess for nostalgia reasons. I did listen to this about a year ago. It brought back some vivid memories. The most vivid memory is of a Christmas day, long ago, when my cousins and I would play our new records. One of my cousins must have received this as a gift. I think I paid about a dollar for my copy, well after it was released, and it is in pristine condition.

The Motors: Greatest Hits (1981)

This record is either titled Greatest Hits or The Motors Greatest Hits. I prefer the former because the latter should be The Motors' Greatest Hits or The Motors's Greatest Hits. Oddly, Virgin released a CD compilation in 1995 called the Airport: Motor's Greatest Hits. Nice try.

Anyway, the record collects the greatest hits of The Motors.

Steve Miller Band: Greatest Hits 1974-78 (1978)

I have the Canadian Columbia House Club edition of this record. I'm not sure if that means it's inferior. Sometimes, The club releases lacked printed inner sleeves, so I will have to check and see if it is there. This record is probably the only one you need from the band. I mean, unless you want to go way back in the Steve Miller catalogue, to that unknown psychedelic period, this is the one. It has all the hots from Fly Like an The Joker onward.

Elton John: Greatest Hits (1974)

Elton John's Greatest Hits (later known colloquially as Greatest Hits Volume I) is the first Elton John record I ever owned, and one of the first dozen or so records in my collection. It collects some of his biggest hits to 1974, and leaves out, of course, the better tracks. Alas, that is generally the case with so-called greatest hits collections. What about Tiny Dancer, Madman Across the Water, and Levon, for starters?

The record contains:

Your Song
Daniel
Honky Cat
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
Rocket Man
Candle in the Wind
Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me
Border Song
Crocodile Rock

I have a vivid memory of buying this record in a K-Mart or a Zellers or some equally dismal store. It was during an excursion to a larger urban centre with my mother. She liked to shop in these anaemic department stores, and I recall that we would often get lunch in the store cafe, which usually meant a hot beef sandwich or a hamburger with fries. I think I enjoyed the food, but it was probably not so good.

Despite missing some more interesting tracks, this LP provides a good overview of Elton to this point in time. I played this record a while back and there is not a single pop or click on it. Sadly, it has my name written on the jacket in pen. Thank you, Photoshop.

I wonder if I could get away with dressing like Elton did on the jacket of this LP.

Daryl Hall & John Oates: Rock 'N Soul Part 1 - Greatest Hits (1983)

There doesn't seem to be a Rock 'N Soul Part 2. Oh well. If you want to hear single edits (as opposed to longer album versions) this record will do. It contains a whole whack of hits by the duo, like I Can't Go For That (No Can Do), Rich Girl, Private Eyes, etc. If you like Hall & Oates, you won't go wrong with this LP. The arrival of this record really reinforced that they had made the big time. As such, the quality of the music was bound to decline.

Bob Dylan: Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits (1976)

This is packed with hits. But, how could they leave out A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall? That is one of the top songs of the twentieth century, unquestionably. I rank it as Dylan's best. The poster is missing from my copy of this record.

Bob Dylan: Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume II (1971)

This is a double LP that collects dome of Bob's hits since the first collection of greatest hits. It commences with the previously-unreleased and truly cracking Watching the River Flow. It's an excellent collection of quality Bob Dylan tracks.

The Doors: Greatest Hits (1980)

This collection was dropped in 1980. It contains the band's biggest tracks, but misses The End, which is  the ultimate Doors track. In any case, you get 

Hello, I Love You
Light My Fire
People Are Strange
Love Me Two Times
Riders On The Storm

Break On Through
Roadhouse Blues
Not To Touch The Earth
Touch Me
L.A. Woman

My pressing is Canadian and probably worth 20 bucks. For the second best Doors track, I chose Riders On The Storm.

The Cure: Greatest Hits (2001)

Greatest Hits was released in 2001 on CD in a single or double CD configuration, with disc two being Acoustic Hits. In 2017, a remastered version was released on picture discs for Record Store Day, and then shortly after that on black 180 gram vinyl. I didn't buy the RSD picture disc for three reasons:

1) I have never been to a record store on Record Store Day;
2) I am not a huge fan of picture discs (though I have a few in my collection);
3) I have found some RSD releases after the fact, but this one was gone early, by all accounts (and I would have waited for the black vinyl anyway).

This collection is a very good overview of The Cure. It excludes some of the earlier, darker Cure material to make room for the later stuff, but it does a reasonable job at collecting the band's music. 

Buying new vinyl can be a challenge, mostly because of limited supply and crazy prices. Many stores sold out of this re-release immediately. I looked around before I bought it, passing on the first one I saw at $44.99 (which was the same price as Amazon.ca). I then left behind the copy I saw for $39.99, and finally decided I couldn't do better than the $34.99 that I eventually paid.

Alice Cooper: Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits (1974)

"She said i used to be a speed shooter.
went out deep for guys that looked like Alice Cooper. "

-  Sketchy Metal, The Hold Steady

I had a copy of this record on cassette when I was a young man and I played it so much that the cassette disintegrated. Years later, I found a cheap copy on vinyl and I had to buy it.

I love all of the tracks on this album, with one exception: School's Out is a ridiculous song. It's infantile and moronic and, even when I was yearning for summer break, I never identified with the song or it's juvenile delivery. On the other hand, there are some really great songs. I'm Eighteen, Under My Wheels, Muscle of Love, etc. I know, some people think that Alice is heavy metal. At this stage, there was no metal. These are well-crafted rock songs. This is the record you want if you want to hear classic Alice Cooper. I give the collection a 9.5 out of 10. It loses half a point for the ridiculous School's Out.

Leonard Cohen Greatest Hits (1975)

My first copy of this record was a mess. It was scratched and the cover was torn and covered in writing. The split seams on each side were "repaired" with masking and/or electrical tape. The record sounded horrible, but that somehow seemed appropriate. It was also the first Leonard Cohen record I ever owned. I listened to it about a thousand times. Years later, I bought the CD and then a replacement copy on vinyl.

I am not sure that my dad understood Mr. Cohen. Sometimes, my dad came home late in the evening from work. If he noticed a light was on in my bedroom, he would come up to say hello. During a certain period of time, I would be playing nothing other than this record. I remember him staring at the turntable in amazement, and I was never sure if it as because of the surface noise and the myriad pops and clicks, or because the music was a far cry from my usual music. He never said. I wish I had kept my beat up copy of this record. But, since I sold it for a dollar at a lawn sale, that's almost as good. I am sure that someone else found something in the music.

If you could only buy one LC record, this is the one to get.

Chicago: Chicago IX, Chicago's Greatest Hits (1975)

Chicago used to be a good band, but they meandered into mediocrity in later years. This record collects some of their better known tunes, before releasing unimpressive stuff like Baby, What a Big Surprise only two years later. The following is a killer live version of 25 or 6 to 4 with some impressive guitar work.

April Wine: Greatest Hits (1979)

I think it would have been impossible to grow up in Canada without knowing a few April Wine Songs. They still get airplay on classic rock stations. I don't listen to this record very often, but it's all about nostalgia, and it brings back certain memories of growing up in rural Ontario.

With four guitars, or three guitars and a bass:

10cc: Greatest Hits, 1972-1976 (1979)

Everyone should own this record.