A greatest hits collection has been a go-to-purchase of ours for as long as we can remember. These specific albums allow new fans, usually of a different generation, to discover a band’s chart topping music. For old fans, the collection will let you listen to your favorite songs without switching the CD. A greatest hits album makes it easier for fans, old and new, to access the band’s music, but for a band to have this type of album out, a considerable amount of hard work had to occur in the prior years before its creation. Take the career of the multi-platinum band, Breaking Benjamin, for example. The rock group will release a greatest hits collection, “Shallow Bay: The Best of Benjamin”, on August 16th via Hollywood Records. The two-disc release will feature the band’s chart-topping hits, such as “Breath,” “So Cold,” “Sooner Or Later,” “The Diary of Jane” and “I Will Not Bow,” as well as an entire disc of rare recordings that include never-before-released songs, live performances, acoustic recordings and remixes. A remixed version of “Blow Me Away,” which is the lead track of the two-disc set, includes the vocals of Syd Duran and the band, Valora. The tune is already available for fans on iTunes now. Alright, so you do have to change the disc with this collection, but at least it’s only once.
If your band aspires to eventually put out an album like that of Breaking Benjamin, you might want to check out the group’s success. The band’s 2004 album, We Are Not Alone, and their 2006 album, Phobia, are certified Platinum. We Are Not Alone spawned a pair of number one radio hits, “So Cold” and “Sooner Or Later” and sold 2.3 million units. Phobia debuted at number two on Billboard’s Top 200, hit number one on the Rock Album chart and was one of the top 50 selling rock albums of 2006. The album also featured one number one and two Top Five rock radio hits and sold 2.8 million units. Breaking Benjamin’s 2009 album, Dear Agony, debuted at number four on the Billboard Top 200 chart and number one on the iTunes Rock Album chart.
Time for you up and coming bands to start making moves if you want to make a “best of” album. Breaking Benjamin has left you a plentiful amount of shoes to fill.
by Lonnie Nemiroff
