If you're going to do a greatest hits, at least try to present the songs in a new way. I've always loved the Counting Crows best of for how it puts the songs into this cool new mixtape sequence that shows off neat transitions, allows different songs to serve the opening/closing track roles, etc. I get why it happens all the time, but chronological order is such a dull way to present a compilation.
Man, it's a bummer they scrapped the new album and went this route instead. All three of these songs are (pun intended) killer.
I dig them all, but if it's because they want to get an album made with all four original members, as mentioned in the Zane Lowe interview, I'm all for that.
Yeah he’s a lot more candid and open in this interview than he typically is, it’s worth a watch/listen. And I skimmed it again, that comment about all four of them comes around 57:40.
I get why people are bummed by “another” greatest hits album and consider it totally unnecessary in these times, but I’m glad for a few reasons. It’s a far better testament to their career than Direct Hits was, which came too early, was padded out with remixes (and some meh song choices tbh - I think most of us can agree on Dustland Fairytale being an improvement over Miss Atomic Bomb) and two bonus tracks that are only in the “quite good” territory (have never been crazy about Shot At The Night, probably the most out-of-step I am with the band). Love that on Rebel Diamonds, Be Still is highlighted closing the first disc on vinyl, as the beauty of that one has made itself apparent with time. Boy, Your Side of Town and Spirit are all killer too. Overall the tracklist contains: -9 songs from the 2000s -3 songs from the 2010s -8 songs from the 2020s which is honestly a fair reflection of the quality of their output. I maintain that the best Killers-related record from the 2010s is The Desired Effect! The Killers themselves seem more invested in it - all those trailer clips, the quality of the album art, how Brandon and Ronnie have been talking in interviews). I’ve personally ordered the vinyl and keen to add it to my collection (the only other Killers LP I have is the Sam’s Town picture disc), and folks checking the band out on Spotify will have a good place to start with this compilation, even if competing with artist radios etc.
Bones not being on Direct Hits OR Rebel Diamonds is a travesty, plain and simple. Maybe they’ll get it right on the third try.
It’s crazy when I was a kid When We Were Young and Somebody Told Me felt equally popular but Mr Brightside has insane legs
It truly is the white people party anthem and that's okay. But yeah I def remember When You Were Young being MASSIVE. It was the debut single from their follow up to a huge hit of an album, and it was a really good song. That was getting played everywhere for a long time. I remember downloading a rip of it from I think KROQ and it having that deep "KROQ" sound at the start and end of the song lol
I also remember Somebody Told Me being everywhere in 2004/2005, and Mr. Brightside being the more “minor” of the two songs.
I'm pretty sure the first song I heard was "Smile Like You Mean It" (which was a random iTunes download), but "Somebody Told Me" felt like the big one in the moment, even if "Mr. Brightside" seemed almost immediately more enduring.
I remember Somebody Told Me and Mr. Brightside being EVERYWHERE but I actually don't remember hearing When You Were Young until Guitar Hero III