The Other Recession

The country might be in an economic recession right now but I'm actually referring to the dearth of Greatest Hits on the release calendar. I may be the only one paying attention but the future is looking pretty bleak for Greatest Hits releases. Those are pretty much the only CDs I buy because they are the best value and they make great additions to shuffle through my 400-disc changer.

Here are a few holes I'd like to fill in my collection... some that are woefully overdue:

• AC/DC easily has enough material to justify a 2-disc greatest hits collection. At a minimum it would have to include: Back in Black, Dirty Deeds Done Dirty Cheap, Hells Bells, Highway to Hell, Jailbreak, Moneytalks, T.N.T., Thunderstruck, Who Made Who, and You Shook Me All Night Long.
  
  
• Metallica probably also has enough material to justify a 2-disc collection (although one disc of the really listenable stuff would be fine with me). Start with: Enter Sandman, Fade to Black, Master of Puppets, Nothing Else Matters, One, Sad but True, The Unforgiven, and Until it Sleeps.
  
  
• Foo Fighters released an album of new material late last year but there's no doubt they're ready for a retrospective that would include: All My Life, Best of You, Big Me, Learn to Fly, Monkey Wrench, My Hero, and Times Like These.
  
  
• Dixie Chicks are very un-country when it comes the best-of album. Most acts with their tenure are already working on their third collection. I'm waiting for a single disc that contains: Cowboy Take Me Away, Goodbye Earl, Long Time Gone, Not Ready to Make Nice, Ready to Run, Travelin' Soldier, and Wide Open Spaces.
  
  
• Nickelback has been prolific this decade. I think it's time for a collection that includes: Far Away, Feelin' Way Too Damn Good, How You Remind Me, If Everyone Cared, Photograph, Rockstar, Savin' Me, and Someday.
  
  
• Jewel will release her first country album in a few months so I don't expect a greatest hits anytime soon. She could put together a pretty good one with her existing repertoire: Down So Long, Foolish Games, Hands, Intuition, Standing Still, Who Will Save Your Soul, and You Were Meant for Me.
  

There are also a few artists who have already released collections but could benefit from releasing a more concise and/or complete offering:

• George Harrison released The Best of Dark Horse in 1989 but inexcusably left off My Sweet Lord. I definitely would have bought it were it not for that omission. Perhaps they could also include Handle With Care and End of the Line from his days with the Travelling Wilburys.
  
  
• Steve Winwood released a collection of his solo hits called Chronicles in 1987 but there were a paltry 10 songs on it. Then in 1995 he released a 4-disc boxed set called The Finer Things. I'm hoping that someday he'll release a better collection of solo hits that includes, well... pretty much everything on disc 4 from his boxed set.
  
  
• Tom Petty released a quality Greatest Hits album in 1993 but went on to have several more hits on future albums. As is often the case, there was a change in record labels but hopefully one day we'll see a 2-disc career spanning retrospective.
  
  
• Elvis Costello released a 2-disc collection aptly titled The Very Best of Elvis Costello in 2001. In this case all of the songs I want are there but as a casual fan I'd really prefer a single disc collection that includes his biggest hits plus a few others.