Who doesn’t love a “Greatest Hits” collection? An album of the biggest and best songs of one of your favourite artists is a great way to listen back to your favourite tracks or it can be a great introduction to a particular artist. Many adorn my own collection of CDs.
But, what some people might not realise is that artists often record a song or two that is especially for that compilation. Sometimes, rather than just being a throwaway record, they actually tend to be quite good! So, I’ve brought together my favourite tracks released only on a “Greatest Hits” album. Sometimes, they end up being one of the act’s biggest tunes, which is all the better. My rule for this is simple, the song has to be previously unreleased, so standalone singles that were later included on a compilation don’t count. But songs that were recorded previously but not released are ok, as you will see.
Inner Smile – Texas
In my opinion, this is one of Texas’ best songs. It was released on their Greatest Hits album in 2000. Written by Gregg Alexander, who is famous for being the lead singer of the New Radicals who had a hit with You Get What You Give, plus wrote Murder On The Dancefloor for Sophie Ellis-Bextor and most of Ronan Keating’s solo hits, including Life Is A Rollercoaster to name but a few. The video is also famous for seeing Sharleen Spiteri dress up as Elvis.
Wheels – Foo Fighters
One of two tracks that were released on Foo Fighters Greatest Hits in 2009, which are my favourite band. Wheels is the better of the two if you ask me, with the other song Word Forward being a more straightforward rock hit. However, Wheels is a bit slower. I’ve also been lucky to see it live a few times, which when they don’t play a song regularly is always a treat. I think this is a great song and is therefore a worthy inclusion on my list.
Shot at the Night – The Killers
Produced by Anthony Gonzalez of electronic group M83, who is probably best known for their track Midnight City, which you might not know is the theme of Made in Chelsea. This is a great track and makes a welcome addition to The Killers’ first greatest hits, which was titled Direct Hits and released in 2013. To me, it’s a great track and one of the best that The Killers have made, making it a welcome addition alongside their other hits on that album, including of course Mr Brightside and my favourite Killers song, When You Were Young.
Outside – George Michael
I love this song. Written in 1998 for George’s excellent double album “Ladies & Gentlemen”, the track reached number two on the UK charts. But the story behind the track is rather brilliant. George was arrested six months before the release of the album for being caught in a toilet with another man by an undercover police officer and was given 80 hours of community service. This incident outed him but rather than shy away from this, he brilliantly responded with this excellent song which includes the lyric “I’d service the community, but I already have, you see” as well as direct radio reports of his arrest. Plus in the video, there are several references to the incident, including him dressing up as a police officer and disco urinals. Superb!
As– George Michael & Mary J. Blige
George Michael’s Ladies & Gentleman is such a good album, it actually gets two songs on my list, as I imagine most households in the UK have had a copy of this at some point. The cover of “As” which was originally released by Stevie Wonder in 1977 is one of those rare occasions where I believe the cover is better than the original.
You Know You’re Right – Nirvana
You Know You’re Right was the last song that Nirvana recorded before lead singer Kurt Cobain tragically committed suicide in 1994. The song remained unreleased, meaning the interest in this track grew as the years went by. It was finally released in 2002 on the “Nirvana” greatest hits album. However, this was after a high-profile leak of the song, which accelerated its release. Unsurprisingly given the hype, the song topped the rock charts in the US until it was knocked off the top spot by none other than the Foo Fighters with All My Life, which in turn was knocked off by No One Knows by Queens of the Stone Age, which featured Dave Grohl on drums. This meant that Dave Grohl replaced himself on the chart twice with three different groups. Some feat!
Now And Then – The Beatles
I think I’ve saved the best for last on my list. Who would have thought that we’d have a new Beatles song in 2023? I certainly didn’t think so. Now & Then reached the top of the UK Singles Chart and was included on the re-issue of the 1967-1970 compilation also known as The Blue Album. The story behind this is really remarkable. Originally recorded as a solo demo in 1977 by John Lennon before his murder in 1980, it was hidden away until the 1990s when Yoko Ono gave the demo to the remaining Beatles. They tried to record it as part of their Anthology album series which was released in the mid-1990s and included two other demos which were recorded by John, Free As A Bird and Real Love. However, the technology wasn’t available to separate the piano from John’s vocals on the cassette, meaning the band decided to lock it back away, but not before George recorded his guitar parts. He passed away in 2002, leaving only Paul and Ringo. Then in 2021, as part of the Get Back documentary series by director Peter Jackson, his company developed a new AI which could finally separate the tracks. This prompted Paul and Ringo to re-record new bass and drums, add in George’s parts from the 1990s, plus a new string arrangement by Giles Martin (son of the Beatles producer George Martin) and you have The Beatles final song. Incredible! The full story of this amazing tale is told here in this short documentary.
So there you have it, my favourite “Greatest Hits” songs. What are yours? Let me know in the comments!
JP
James Potts 