F R I D AY, N O V E M B E R 0 3 , 2 0 0 6U2 Delivers Another Hits PackageAs a kid, I studied Nielsen ratings, Variety box office figures andBillboard charts the way other kids studied box scores.</p><p> I just love thisstuff.</p><p> So let me point out a lost art: compiling a greatest hits albums.Usually, you can't just throw on every Top 40 hit and even the order(chronological? mixing up fast and slow or big hits and minor ones?)can play a crucial role in its effectiveness.</p><p> A well-chosen greatest hitspackage can become a massive seller for an artist and become adefining record for them.On the other hand, repackaging stuff over and over not only annoysfans and depresses overall sales, it can keep an artist from deliveringthat iconic album that puts them over the top.</p><p> A friend of mine wasastonished when I told him that The Eagles Greatest Hits album wasthe best-seller of all time, passing even "Thriller" just a few years ago.Then I mentioned that the Eagles foolishly undercut themselves bychurning out some new CD compilations that will make that collectionobsolete. (Worldwide sales figures are difficult to get -- don't trustWikipedia -- but one fact is indisputable: in the US "Thriller" has sold27 million copies and the Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-1975 has sold 29million copies, per the RIAA.)Look at the Beatles: they've been one of the best-selling acts in theworld for decades but mostly through sales of their original albums.They initially produced two greatest hits albums : double lp/CDs oftenreferred to as the "red" and "blue" albums.</p><p> And that was it.</p><p> No, "TheBeatles Love Songs" or "The Beatles Rock" or a million other variationsthey might have come up with.</p><p> Either buy their albums or these twogreatest hits sets.</p><p> Period.</p><p> So when they rethought their catalog becauseof the CD and it's extra length, the Beatles wisely focused on a one CDset with the very obvious hook of songs that went to #1.</p><p> The result?They sold an astonishing 10 million copies in the US and a reported 28million worldwide -- all for music that had been widely available foryears.Wisely, they've avoided rushing out an obvious follow-up like #1Around The World (which could include songs that hit #1 in othercountries but not in the US).</p><p> That would diminish the impact of thisNext Blog»sal1mineo@hotmail.comSEARCH BLOG FLAG BLOGFOLLOW BLOGP O P S U R F I N G .</p><p> C O MS U R F I N G T H E WAV E S O F P O P U L A R C U LT U R EB Y M I C H A E L G I LT Z & F R I E N D SPOPSURFING.COM: U2 Delivers Another Hits Packagehttp://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/11/u2-delivers-another-hits... 1 of 37/28/09 3:58 PMFAV O R I T E L I N K SAmericablogFive O'Clock Lightning baseball blogDeep Pop -- Lori Lakin's BlogThe Back Page -- Jason Page on ESPNRadioCine-Blog -- George Robinson's BlogDocuments On Art & Cinema - DarylChin's BlogBrucie G's Wondrous Blog OfAdventure and Mystery -- BruceGreenspan's BlogB L O G A R C H I V E▼ 2009 (17)▼ July (3)1939 -- The Greatest Year ForMoviesSwimming Bans Those Hi-TechSuits!Best Movies Of The Year -- TheMaster List► June (3)► May (1)► March (2)► February (1)► January (7)► 2008 (86)► 2007 (781)► 2006 (2412)► 2005 (5)C O N T R I B U TO R SAaronBiboyMichael in New York POPSURFING.COM: U2 Delivers Another Hits Packagehttp://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/11/u2-delivers-another-hits... 2 of 37/28/09 3:58 PMPOPSURFING.COM: U2 Delivers Another Hits Packagehttp://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/11/u2-delivers-another-hits... 3 of 37/28/09 3:58 PM
