Singles Compilations vs Best Ofs

[namkcuR]

In 1998-99, Depeche Mode released two Singles compilations - one for the early part of their career, and one for the more commerically successful period of their career - that consisted of every single A-side that the released during each time period, in chronological order of each single's release. The latter compilation had two discs because there were more singles in that time period. They are, imo, great compilations.

Now, imagine if U2 had released two singles compilations in 98-99, using the same basic format, with one compilation for the early part of their career and one for the more commercially successful period of their career(up to that point), both with all of their singles in chronological order, and if any song had a different single version, THAT is the one used(this applies only to completely new mixes, NOT edits)...

U2: The Singles 79>86

1.Out Of Control
2.Another Day
3.11 O'Clock Tick Tock
4.A Day Without Me
5.I Will Follow
6.Fire
7.Gloria
8.A Celebration
9.New Year's Day
10.Two Hearts Beat As One
11.Sunday Bloody Sunday
12."40"(was a single in Europe)
13.Pride(In The Name Of Love)
14.The Unforgettable Fire
15.Bad(WAIA Live Version, WAIA is considered a single sometimes)

U2: The Singles 87>98

Disc 1

1.With Or Without You
2.I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
3.Where The Streets Have No Name(Single Version w/Extra Edge Vocals)
4.In God's Country
5.One Tree Hill
6.Desire
7.Angel Of Harlem
8.When Love Comes To Town
9.All I Want Is You
10.The Fly
11.Mysterious Ways
12.One
13.Even Better Than The Real Thing
14.Who's Gonna Ride Your Horses(Temple Bar Mix)

Disc 2

1.Numb
2.Lemon
3.Stay(Faraway, So Close)
4.Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me
5.Miss Sarajevo
6.Discotheque
7.Staring At The Sun
8.Last Night On Earth(Single Version)
9.Please(Single Version)
10.If God Will Send His Angels(Single Version)
11.Mofo
12.Sweetest Thing(Single Mix)

DM didn't put out a compilation for their most recent work(because their most recent work wasn't around yet when they made these compilations), so for this hypothetical's sake, we won't make any compilation for U2's most recent work.

All of that said, I now pose two questions:

1.Would two singles compilations like the ones I laid out above be preferable to the Best Ofs, for you?

2.Does the total ignorance of flow for the sake of chronology bother you at all?

 

[typhoon]

It's nice as a completist release because it gives you a lot of the non-album singles and alternate mixes. It doesn't work as well as an introduction to the band, though, but I think it serves a separate purpose well.

I wish they'd just release a nice big box set of everything that isn't on all the albums.

 

[Danny Boy]

Frankly, I own everything but the first two tracks on CD already, and I downloaded those from iTunes. I might buy a singles collection if it was remastered, but the idea doesn't intrigue me much. I already have a playlist on my iPod with pretty much the same tracks. I think that in the era of CD burners, a singles collection needs to offer something extra if it's going to sell well. On the same note, the only reason I bought the Best Of's was for the b-sides discs and the new tracks.

Now a box set with demos, unreleased tracks, etc.; I would be all over that.

 

[Nisse]

Hell yes, it would be much more prefferable. I'm thinking about burning a similar compilation set. But there are some problems, like if including the I Will Follow Live singles, or any remixes that were also a-sides (EBTTRT, Lemon, THBAO,Discotheque etc).But Depeche mode also released a Singles series of 6 boxes with 6 cd's each. Each CD contained every b-side and a-side of a particular single . And on top of that all the singles have been re-released on cd's. Owning 11 O'Clock or Out Of Control on CD's would fantastic. They recently also released a 3-cd compilation of remixes. Now U2 doesnt have as many remixes as DM but a compilation of rarities, the rest of the B-sides and remixes would still be welcome!

 

[ponkine]

A 3 CD box set of "The Singles 1979-1998" would be wonderful and so much better and interesting than "Best Of", especially than the Best of 1990-2000

What a wonderful idea mate !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[namkcuR]

Hell yes, it would be much more prefferable. I'm thinking about burning a similar compilation set. But there are some problems, like if including the I Will Follow Live singles, or any remixes that were also a-sides (EBTTRT, Lemon, THBAO,Discotheque etc).

Well, THBAO is only an edit of the album version, and it's only edited by 8 seconds or so, so it's basically the same exact thing.

EBTTRT is exactly the same length as the album version and you would have to really focus to hear the differences.

Lemon is an edit of the album version, but the length of the edit is more substantial than THBAO's 8 seconds.

Discotheque is 15-20 seconds shorter than the album version and is most noticably different at the beginning, where it starts right off with guitar instead of the silent build-in.

I don't think the single versions of THBAO and EBTTRT differ enough from their normal versions to be included on this hypothetical set.

I would include the Discotheque single version because I prefer it to the album version.

I don't know about Lemon.

Should a singles compilation like this include the exact single edits or should it include the album versions?

 

[LMP]

Should a singles compilation like this include the exact single edits or should it include the album versions?

I think it should include the single released version

it's like going "ok, I'm putting the album version of Please on this comp" in a way I guess

 

[Nisse]

No I mean the Discotheque remixes (DM Deep Club Mix as "a-side"), Staring At The Sun remixes (Monster Truck Mix), EBTTRT Remixes (with the Perfecto Mix as "a-side") etc singles

 

[LMP]

No I mean the Discotheque remixes (DM Deep Club Mix as "a-side"), Staring At The Sun remixes (Monster Truck Mix), EBTTRT Remixes (with the Perfecto Mix as "a-side") etc singles

ooo, hmmm, that's a toughie

because for a song like Mofo, it would have to be from a selection of remixes, prob the Phunk Phorce Mix

but for the others, they had officially released single/regular versions, so why put em twice?

 

[Iskra]

New Order just released a great set called Singles that has every commercialy released single on 2 discs.

 

[typhoon]

Should a singles compilation like this include the exact single edits or should it include the album versions?

The exact single version, edit, or remix that was the A-side. Else, it's not good as a completist release, and it's still not good as an introduction to the band (due to the lack of coherency and flow), so it's totally worthless to anyone.

 

[Danny Boy]

for a song like Mofo, it would have to be from a selection of remixes, prob the Phunk Phorce Mix

Both the Phunk Phorce Edit and the Album Version were released to radio as "singles," so I would probably go with one of those.

I have a "Singles" playlist in iTunes, and I include the album version of Mofo.

 

[Nisse]

But there was no commercially available Mofo with the album version, in other words it was just a promo?

and what about Electrical Storm? Both the William Orbit Mix and the "unmixed" version were released as singles

 

[Danny Boy]

But there was no commercially available Mofo with the album version, in other words it was just a promo?

True. I would probably go with the Phunk Phorce Mix; it just seems too long to inlclude on a singles collection.

I had always condidered the William Orbit Mix of Electrical Storm to be the "single" version. It appeared on CD 1 in most countries where two CDs were released, it was the first track in countries like Japan where only one disc was released, it was on disc 1 of Best Of 90-00, and it was the version used in the video.

I have to admit that I like the other version better, though.

 

[namkcuR]

Is Mofo's A-Side the Phunk Phorce Mix or the Phunk Phorce Edit? The Mix is the first track on the commercial single, but the Edit was only the seventh track on the promo disc. On the other hand, the Edit was what was used in the video, and apparently both were released to radio.

So which one is the A-Side?

 

[typhoon]

 

[gareth brown]

Originally posted by namkcuR
15.Bad(WAIA Live Version, WAIA is considered a single sometimes)

when/where?

 

[namkcuR]

Nobody knows which of the phunk force mix and edit is the A-Side?

 

[LMP]

Nobody knows which of the phunk force mix and edit is the A-Side?

for making a compilation's sake, I'd say The Edit

even in the MoFo video it was an edit of the Edit, so what gives?