Idea for Greatest Hits-type albums for individual Fleetwood Mac singers: Stevie Nicks's songs, Lindsay Buckingham's songs, Christine McVie's songs, Bob Welch's songs, even group songs (“The Chain,” “Tusk” – the ones that come to mind are the chanty ones)
Fleetwood Mac deep cuts: “Oh Well,”
“Albatross,” “Hypnotized.” (Others?)
“Keep on Going” from Mystery to Me is a great, propulsive song. Did it get progressive fm radio play at the time of album
s release?
A remarkably fertile category. It must be said that the greatest hits record was released chronologically before, although quite near (within a year or two) to the later single, so it would only be the most cynical and conspiracy-minded who would think the record execs were saying, “that new Foreigner is sure to be a big hit, we better get this greatest hits record we've been working on out the door before it's released so we can use the new song as the fulcrum for a second greatest hits record.” In all of the cases below, arguably, this lone song was the last mega-single by the group and really should've been included on the first greatest hits record, obviating any need, however slender, for the second greatest hits record.
Get Closer – Seals & Crofts
I Want to Know What Love Is – Foreigner
Don't Bring Me Down – ELO
If You Leave Me Now – Chicago
What a Fool Believes – Doobie Brothers
This Guy's in Love with You – Herb Alpert
If I Could Reach You – 5th Dimension
Indian Reservation – Paul Revere & The Raiders
Hotel California – Eagles
For this last, “Life In the Fast Lane” also might/should've been included.
Gypsy – Moody Blues
Rolling Stones, Let It Bleed
David Bowie, Ziggy Stardust
Pretenders, first album
Paul Simon is the only guy who writes a viable album (Hearts and Bones) on which there are songs on the following subjects: “Cars Are Cars,” “Allergies”
Calling them “hits” is somehow inaccurate (which is why some groups have Best of's), maybe because the artist is of sufficiently high stature, they are an album-oriented artist, etc. An example of a sensible track choice for such an artist is Janis Joplin's greatest hits (in Joplin's case unlike S & G, there's some wiggle room because she doesn't have a full-album's worth of actual hits, allowing for inclusion of inspired not-quite hits like “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)” and “Move Over”). The S & G case seems to seek to enshrine unproven, untested-in-the-marketplace-thus-they-weren't hits like “Kathy's Song” “For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her” “America” “El Condor Pasa” over actual hits like “Hazy Shade of Winter” or “Fakin' It.” It's an alt-canon, back-formation, Velvet Underground syndrome-type move by Simon himself, presumably, to reshape people's image of what his “hits” were or should have been. For example, according to my U.S. Top 40 book “Feelin' Groovy” didn't chart. In this case, though, Simon is such a smart guy and has such good taste that the back formation works; Simon's revisions aren't half bad.