Blog 4 - Greatest Hits Albums

Over the last 28 years the Red Hot Chili Peppers have released two greatest hits albums, neither career spanning and that presents a problem.
The first What Hits!? was distributed in 1994 by EMI the bands first record label. This covers the bands first 4 albums (1984 - 1989) and also includes the mega hit Under the Bridge (1991). With its 18 songs it provides a solid representation of a decidingly unsuccessful era for the band which even the label itself pokes fun at with the album title. However the era is underrated because it shows the bands evolution towards stardom and many of the songs display the bands ability to write catchy songs. Not only that but a few of the songs were actually hits from Knock Me Down a tribute song to deceased former guitarist Hillel Slovak, to the bands cover of Stevie Wonders Higher Ground. The hits collection received average reviews and went gold in the US but wasn't hugely successful
The Second was simply titled Greatest Hits and was released in 2003 by Warner Bros. This collection only includes 16 songs but two of the cuts are newly recorded. The new tracks are excellent additions to the chili pepper catalog but its the actual hits that aren't up to par. Its not that they aren't great songs but when an era as expansive as 1991 - 2002 is being covered it is tough to include just 14 songs. It does include Higher Ground from the bands 1989 album and includes most of the hits from Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Californication (safe Around the World). However both One Hot Minute and By the Way are misrepresented. Only My Friends is included from One Hot Minute while Can't Stop and the Zepher song are missing from By the Way. It was nonetheless very successful and has sold over 7 million worldwide.
My proposal for a future Greatest Hits collection is a 20 song album that culls most of the hits from all the bands albums in chronological order. No new songs would be included. The list I have come up with goes like this (Note - This does not take into account the fact that some songs are EMI property and others are Warner Bros).

My Greatest Hits (In order of release):

1. Knock Me Down
2. Higher Ground
3. Give it Away
4. Under the Bridge
5. Breaking the Girl
6. Soul to Squeeze
7. Warped
8. My Friends
9. Aeroplane
10. Scar Tissue
11. Otherside
12. Californication
13. By the Way
14. Can't Stop 
15. Universally Speaking 
16. Zephyr Song
17. Dani California
18. Tell Me Baby
19. Snow (Hey Oh) 
20.  The Adventures of Raindance Maggie

Of course this still ignores three of the bands albums that produced no hits as well as several hits that couldn't be included but it nonetheless provides listeners with some of the best the band has to offer.