Post by kds on May 11, 2022 12:28:58 GMT
May 11, 2022 0:11:32 GMT B.E. said:
May 10, 2022 12:27:15 GMT kds said:
Just to play devil's advocate, but if a greatest hits album is anything less than a 10, wouldn't something be completely off? Although I think I'm a fairly generous rater, it's occurred to me as I check my notes that I'm pretty darn hesitant to rate an album a 10. Most of my favorite artists top out at a few 9s (if that) and a bunch of 8s (and 7s). And those are my favorite artists. Now, I do plan to circle around and actually post a list of studio albums I'd rate a 10, but it will be quite a short list outside of the Beatles. All that said, I do think most of my favorite artists have a compilation-worth of material that rates a 10. And so that's why I headed down that path. But, "most", being the operative word. Some don't. Either they don't have enough '10' material or a well constructed greatest hits compilation wasn't released (at all, or in a timely fashion). An example: I'm a big America fan, but even though their 1975 greatest hits compilation is well-put together smash hit (7M sales), I think the track selection could have been a little better and so as it stands I think it's "just" a very strong '9'. I feel similarly about the Byrds greatest hits album (1967). Here's an example I think you'll really appreciate, though: Bruce Springsteen. Objectively, I'm not going to argue against Born to Run or even Born in the USA. And an interesting case can be made for The River and Nebraska. Subjectively? Born to Run is an 8, Born in the USA, The River and Nebraska are 9s, and Darkness on the Edge of Town is...maybe...a 10. But consider his massively successful greatest hits comp from 1995, it's got "Streets of Philadelphia", "Secret Garden", "Murder Incorporated", "Blood Brothers" and "This Hard Land". I can't go 10 with those songs on there. 9, but not 10. So, there aren't many artist catalogs' that I rate higher, and yet I might have one 10 for him (and it's not his greatest hits album).
For example, one of my favorite bands is Iron Maiden, and many fans, and metal fans would say The Number of the Beast album is a ten. I think it's either a high 8, or a 9. But, I think Brave New World's a perfect ten, while that album tends to be a little more divisive.