PART 3: THE BARGAIN BIN FEEDING FRENZY CONTINUES

Rock, Roll and some Satisfying Soul.

The Greatest Hits don’t always fit.

Six of the seven records in today’s selection are Greatest Hit collections.

For the casual listener, compilations provide a tempting overview of an artist, economically packaged for maximum impact. A quick glance over the selections above reveals that 20 tracks are optimum in the economy stakes. More than you’d expect from a regular album and close to the limit of what you can cram onto a disc.

Of the four 20-trackers, three are called 20 Golden Greats. I guess that title was workshopped in a focus group somewhere, as compilations usually assert commercial rather than artistic intent. Of the six collections, the 20 Golden Greats prove to be the most coherent.

The key reason for this is that the artists in question managed a solid number of hits, and those hits belong to a single record label.

20 Golden Greats. Diana Ross and the Supremes.

I once owned a five-disc box set of the Supremes. It was certainly enough to convince me that, beyond the hits, there wasn’t a lot going on. For example, their cover of House of the Rising Sun was especially poorly conceived.

Yet the Supremes had hits, and lots of them. Not only are they deserving of such a tribute, they were big enough that I can recall this album being advertised on TV in the early eighties.

Where Did Our Love, Baby Love, Stop in the Name of Love, You Can’t Hurry Love, Love Child, Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart. And that’s just the ones with LOVE in the title. You Keep Me Hangin’ On, I Hear a Symphony, Reflections.

Based on this album alone, Motown proves that it deserves the moniker Hitsville.

Unusual for such a package, the artwork is remarkably tasteful and appropriate. A simple black cover with white writing, the only graphic being three microphones, each with a set of disembodied lips singing into them. As accurate a logo for the music as I could imagine.

Bargain-o-meter: 6 out of 7.

20 Golden Greats. The Temptations.

Another majestic Motown act, The Temptations also offer up an incredible roster of hits that once we get to the late sixties, eclipses the Supremes from an artist's perspective.

Just My Imagination, Superstar, I Second That Emotion, Cloud Nine, Papa Was A Rolling Stone, My Girl, Get Ready, Ball of Confusion, and more.

While The Supremes' album feels definitive compared to their box set, The Temptations 20 Golden Greats comes in a distant second compared to Motown's superb triple album Anthology.

In this instance, the artwork is utterly tasteless. An airbrushed illustration of a large-breasted demon lady in a red devil jumpsuit, looking like she just escaped from a Bananarama film clip. Ridiculous.

Bargain-o-meter: 4 out of 7.

2o Golden Greats. Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

Some more lame artwork. This time, a brick wall supposedly graffitied with the legend “Buddy Holly Lives.” No graffiti artist writes that neatly.

Once again, all the hits, from Peggy Sue onward, are on display.

There is no shortage of Buddy Holly hits packages. I’ve seen many in the bargain bins as of late. Yet, for me, this is the one that stands out for one simple reason. It includes the brilliant Well…Alright. It is a song that shows Holly’s developing capabilities as a songwriter. I’m not the only one to notice. Blind Faith covered the song on their sole studio album.

It only goes to amplify the tragedy of losing Holly so young.

Bargain-o-meter: 5 out of 7.

The Johnny Nash Collection. Johnny Nash.

If any song besides I Can See Clearly came into your head at the mention of Johnny Nash, then I’m surprised. It’s a great slice of pop reggae that has rightfully earned Johnny a place in the history books. Yet it hardly serves as justification for the 20 tracks presented here.

Johnny comes across as the all-round entertainer type with an odd mix of Bob Marley, Sam Cooke, and Bobby Darin covers. Certainly, nothing as engaging as I Can See Clearly.

The packaging is the epitome of a cheap art department knock-up. A picture of the artist with some text thrown over the top.

Bargain-o-meter: 1 out of 7.

The Best of Lloyd Price. Lloyd Price.

Featuring the only three Lloyd Price songs I am aware of, Stagger Lee, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, and Personality, there is at least some level of value for money going on here.

Stagger Lee is a standout for me, so I’m very grateful to have it on vinyl.

However, if Johnny Nash’s selection of covers seems safe and uninspiring, The Best of Lloyd Price includes some truly puzzling selections.

Hooked On a Feeling? Me and You and a Dog Named Boo?

The Artwork? Not bad, just boring.

Bargain-o-meter: 2 out of 7.

Greatest Hits. Booker T and the MGs.

If the inclusion of Well…Alright is what makes the Buddy Holly collection, then it’s the exclusion of Green Onions that breaks this one. I’m scratching my head as to who the hell selected these tracks.

Yes, Time is Tight is here, and as primarily an instrumental outfit featuring Booker T, Al Jackson, Steve Cropper, and Donald “Duck” Dunn, some of the finest players in rock and soul, they could play just about anything, and it would sound good. Just about…

Covers of Eleanor Rigby, Mrs Robinson, and Something feel woefully out of place. Still, the two-colour cover is groovy, and anything with the Stax logo looks better.

Bargain-o-meter: 3 out of 7.

Hold On, I’m Coming. Sam & Dave.

This brings me to the only album in this round that isn’t a compilation.

While on the surface, that might appear to be its most immediate strength, the mono sound recording jumps right out of the speakers in a way I wasn’t expecting.

Featuring all of Booker T and the MGs, with Isaac Hayes on organ and as primary songwriter (along with David Porter), it offers up many of the thrills I expected from the MGs’ greatest hits packages. Sam and Dave’s vocals help take it to the next level.

The title track, of course, was one of their biggest hits, and across the rest of the album, there is very little filler. It feels like a moment in time has been captured, giving the entire project a certain appeal beyond being just a collection of songs.

This batch is the one I expect will have the most enduring presence on the turntable.

Bargain-o-meter: 7 out of 7.

This is the third part of the Bargain Big Feeding Frenzy. You can read the first here:

And the second here:

Up next, we’re going New Wave, with some tasty selections from the English Eighties.