3 of the Most Memorable Greatest Hits Albums of All Time

You might be thinking to yourself, what makes one greatest hits album better than the next? Surely, the album would only be as good as the hits it highlights, making the artist’s popularity the real determining factor. While that is somewhat true, other aspects of a greatest hit record can determine its true greatness. Below, revisit three of the most memorable greatest hits albums of all time. These records go beyond your typical compilation.

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‘Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)’ — The Eagles

Few bands have had as great a run as The Eagles did in the early 70s. They bottled up those golden years in the album, Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975). The lineup of this record is almost too stacked to believe. Featuring songs from their first four records, this record offers a broad look at what helped The Eagles catapult to stardom.

But the band didn’t just slap all their biggest songs on one album and call it a day. No, the group thoughtfully put together this sequencing to create not just a compilation but a robust story arc. Though the albums represented on this record are very different from one another, the group managed to find the throughline that flawlessly weaved them together.

“Red Album” and “Blue Album” — The Beatles

The Beatles’ career ended somewhere far different from where it started. You can sit back and listen to every Beatles record in tandem, but if you want a snapshot view of how the iconic music group developed over the years, you need only to listen to their two greatest hits albums, known as the “red album” and “blue album.”

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Where the first compilation ends, the second one picks up, covering their entire career. Never have two greatest hits albums been as superb as these two, and largely thanks to the level of songwriting at play. The Beatles delivered some of the greatest songs ever, so it stands to reason their greatest hits would be similarly enticing.

‘Gold: Greatest Hits’ — ABBA

ABBA has an unbelievable amount of hits. It feels like almost every song of theirs is an iconic pop offering. This track record is displayed in their greatest hits album. If you’ve ever wanted to listen to pop perfection on end for an hour or so, this is the record to jump into.

When you have as many floor fillers as ABBA, it’s nice to have them all in one place. You can really just pop on this album and let it run. It will invigorate any room it plays in, arguably beating out their actual records. This compilation keeps the energy up from beginning to end.

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