Acts Missing A Greatest Hits Album (Updated 2022)

"Unlike proper albums, which typically have some measure of artistic pretense about them, a greatest hits compilation exists purely as a commercial proposition: all the hits in one place, perfect for casual listeners and newbies. The worst of them feel like hastily tossed-together cash grabs, but the best are so well curated in presenting a fertile period of a career that they are arguably an artist's definitive work — Madonna's The Immaculate Collection, Bob Marley and the Wailers' Legend, Squeeze's Singles 45's & Under, ABBA's Gold and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Greatest Hits all immediately come to mind. The format is a gift to artists who are better at producing singles than coherent album statements, and for cash-strapped consumers who can't go from zero to completist for any given pop star who sparks their interest." - NPR's Matthew Perpetua (7/24/19)

Up until the 2010's, you could always count on a current hitmaker to release a Greatest Hits/Anthology/Compilation album. There were still hold outs.  From the 80's, Metallica and AC/DC have never released a compilation.  From the 90's? Beck, Phish. Sure, European labels continue to release compilations on acts that came before the 1990's.  But the streaming era has ended the need for listeners to seek out a hits album.  Even in the case of Metallica & AC/DC, you can now stream a playlist of their most popular songs. Spotify has This Is & Essentials playlists for most acts.

Record companies love Greatest Hits albums.  An easy way to repackage old songs into a one-stop shop for fans and casual record buyers.  There was a reason so many were released around Christmas time.  

My own record collection is full of Greatest Hits albums.  Even by acts that produced classic albums.  But it has been a few years since I added a 2000 era acts' greatest hits to my collection.  

Below are some of my picks.  I've also included acts that were popular before the streaming age. And acts that have Greatest Hits sets, but whose last anthologies were years ago (e.g.Willie Nelson).  

AC/DC

Adele

Animal Collective
Anthony Hamilton

Arcade Fire

Ariana Grande

Avett Brothers

Beck

Beyonce

Black Keys

Bruno Mars

Chills

Coldplay

Daft Punk

Damon Albarn (a compilation of all his Blur side project bands)
Darius Rucker (solo Country hits)

Dawes

Drake

Ed Sheeran
Eric Church

Fall Out Boy
Florida Georgia Line

Fountains of Wayne & Adam Schlesinger (music outside of FOW)

Frank Ocean

Gillian Welch

Jason Aldean

Jason Isbell

Jenny Lewis

John Prine (post 00’s)

Kanye West

Katy Perry

Kings of Leon

Lady A (Lady Antebellum)

Lady Gaga

Lana Del Rey
Ledisi

Lil Wayne

Little Big Town

Lori McKenna

Lucinda Williams

Mandy Barnett

Mavericks (post 00’s)

Mayer Hawthorne (including Tuxedo)

Maxwell

Mekons

Miranda Lambert

Missy Elliot

Metallica

My Morning Jacket

National

New Pornographers
One Direction

Phish

Rancid

Raphael Saadiq

Rilo Kiley

Robyn

Shins

Steve Earle (post 90's material)

Taylor Swift

TV On The Radio

Vampire Weekend

Van Hunt

Willie Nelson (post 00's)