Greatest? Really?

I just got done ripping my copy of Santana’s Greatest Hits. The album was originally released in 1974.

1. It’s now 2006 and Santana is still generating albums and singles and garnering a platinum record here or there.

It seems to me that labeling an album with such a superlative before the artist is even done making music is rather pessimistic. “These are the hits. They are good. There will be no more. The rest will suck.”

C’mon, people, think a little. Maybe call these things “The Really Good and/or Popular Hits So Far” or maybe “The Songs We Like to Play” or more realistically “The Songs Which Might Make Us Go Postal if We’re Forced to Put Them on One More Stinkin’ Setlist. Geez, People, We Wrote Other Good Stuff Too For Pity’s Sake, Please Let Us Play Them.” The latter album title could just be abbreviated as “Freebird.”

Greatest hits in 1974. Sheesh! Sure, for The Beatles maybe. But not for Santana.