39 replies to this topic

[Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ]

two of the best singles bands of their time, or any time. what say you?

[Magnus Malcolm]

two of the best singles bands of their time, or any time. what say you?

I tend to dislike Greatest Hits albums, so I'm not much one to say, but I'll have to go with The Police. I just find it to be a better collection of songs, and just like The Police better.

[Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ]

doesn't have to be those albums. we could just go with your personal favorite singles in general.

[The Good Dr Bill]

Petty, largely on the (possibly unfair) assumption that all the Petty I really need is on his hits, while a number of my favorite Police songs are not on theirs

[Magnus Malcolm]

Petty, largely on the (possibly unfair) assumption that all the Petty I really need is on his hits, while a number of my favorite Police songs are not on theirs

That's actually a damn good point. I made my decision based on which artist I preferred. Yet, perhaps I should've chosen Petty as I hold that same (possibly unfair) assumption.

[Ent]

A track list would probably help me make up my mind more quickly.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits

1. American Girl
2. Breakdown
3. Listen To Her Heart
4. I Need To Know
5. Refugee
6. Don't Do Me Like That
7. Even The Losers
8. Here Comes My Girl
9. The Waiting
10. You Got Lucky
11. Don't Come Around Here No More
12. I Won't Back Down
13. Runnin' Down A Dream
14. Free Fallin'
15. Learning To Fly
16. Into The Great Wide Open
17. Mary Jane's Last Dance
18. Something In The Air


Looks like the Police have 4 different versions of a greatest hits CD. So I picked the closest one that looks like the cover you posted, which is the 2 CD anthlogy.

The Police (2CD Anthology)

1. Fall Out
2. Can't Stand Losing You
3. Next To You
4. Roxanne
5. Truth Hits Everybody
6. Hole In My Life
7. So Lonely
8. Message In A Bottle
9. Reggatta De Blanc
10. Bring On The Night
11. Walking On The Moon
12. Don't Stand So Close To Me
13. Driven To Tears
14. Canary In A Coalmine

1. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
2. Voices Inside My Head
3. Invisible Sun
4. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
5. Spirits In The Material World
6. Demolition Man
7. Every Breath You Take
8. Synchronicity I
9. Wrapped Around Your Finger
10. Walking In Your Footsteps
11. Synchronicity II
12. King Of Pain
13. Murder By Numbers
14. Tea In The Sahara

Jeez. I still don't know...

[Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ]

the (possibly unfair) assumption that all the Petty I really need is on his hits

no this is true, except for a couple scattered songs ("Shadow of a Doubt"!). I'd prefer they be judged on just the merits of the singles alone though.

I was all set to vote for the Police but I just listened to "I Need to Know/Listen to Her Heart" and man I have no idea now

[Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ]

also if we ignore my previous point, Tom Petty is probably just the best dude to hang out with whereas Sting, not so much

IF YA MAKIN' ME WAA-EE-AAA-EET

[Vivian Darkbloom]

In many ways, Anthology: Through the years is the superior Tom Petty hits collection to Greatest Hits...for starters, the former has "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," with Stevie Nicks, lamentably missing from the latter.

[Ent]

also if we ignore my previous point, Tom Petty is probably just the best dude to hang out with whereas Sting, not so much

Tom Petty seems like he would probably be cooler to hang out with and have a beer or burn one with.

[Hans Christian Anderson]

shit. this is a really tough one. i'm not voting.

[avec]

Petty all the way

[Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ]

for what it's worth I may like some Petty songs more overall, but there's really not a bad song on the Police comp, which is more than I can say for the former ("You Got Lucky," and I can't stand "Free Fallin").

[avec]

One of these days I'll spin my parents Police Greatest Hits again, but for now I'm content thinking of Sting as a pussy with too high a voice

[Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ]

just listened to "Even the Losers" for the first time in a while, might swing my vote to Petty

[Pavement Ist Rad]

Petty, of course.

As far as Police compilations go, Every Breath You Take is more compact and solid, despite the presence of the "remixes" that everybody hates. So you have a solid overview of the singles, but then there's all the choice album cuts missing. I guess it's good to have some of those alongside the big singles, but in trying to create a "definitive" career overview, you lose big time due to the absence of the more than worthy "Omegaman," "Does Everyone Stare," "Man In A Suitcase," etc. They only made five albums. Each one is worth exploring.

Petty's hits collection is more practical than either of the Police's. I'm so familiar with the Police's full-lengths, anyway.

As far as the quality of the songs is concerned, that's a tough one. I guess I'd rather experience Petty's "amazing rock single after amazing rock single" sequence of amazingness that is found on Greatest Hits. That's some wholesome pop/rock music, right there.

[Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ]

Stewart Copeland is so fucking great though.

[Ent]

Stewart Copeland is so fucking great though.

Yes, I bet he'd be more fun to hang out with than Sting. I loved the fact that he was part of Oysterhead.

[The Good Dr Bill]

Even if we're just going by what's on the discs, I'd probably still go Petty. Can you think of any other singles artist that steadily evolved their sound for nearly two decades while staying consistently good and consistently popular? "American Girl," "The Waiting," "You Got Lucky," "Don't Come Around Here No More," "Free Fallin'," "Learning to Fly" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance"--there's no way these songs should all be roughly equivalent in quality and commercial success, but they totally are. Pretty impressive.

[Johnny Feathers]

Good lord that's tough. I'd say the Police, as they're the only one of those I paid (serious) money to see. But then again, having gotten to work at a Petty show (and thus not pay money to see him), he was amazing live. The Police, not so much. I'll say Petty, as I still think (perhaps mistakenly) that all I need is the singles.