This will be the first installment of likely several custom greatest hits tracklistings I make available on this site. Many bands have greatest hits or best of albums but many bands don’t for different reasons. Most reasons involve a record label. Some bands that have best of packages are flawed for one reason or another. Examples of this are the tracklist isn’t updated or they just plain did a bad job picking songs.

I like making these “Best of” packages for my car, as I’m sure many people do. Because of this, all my tracklists should fit onto a regular blank cd if anybody is interested in making one of their own. The term “Best of” works much better than “Greatest Hits” for these collections I feel. Many of the bands I will do this for don’t really have hits anyway. Hits are for Lady GaGa, I’m interested in good music.

For my first collection I have chosen the Decemberists. Why? They just released a new album; I am currently liking the album quite a bit; They have never had a best of collection. So here is the tracklisting for the album.

1. Oceanside

2. July, July

3. Los Angeles, I’m Yours

4. We Both Go Down Together

5. Eli, The Barrow Boy

6. 16 Military Wives

7. The Mariner’s Revenge Song

8. The Island: Come & See/The Landlord’s Daughter/You’ll Not Feel The Drowning

9. Yankee Beyonet

10.  O Valencia!

11. The Perfect Crime #2

12. The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid

13. The Rake’s Song

14. January Hymn

15. Down By The Water

16. This Is Why We Fight

A few notes:

I chose to do this in chronological order, most times I don’t do this but for this album I felt it was appropriate.

I only took one song from their first two records. I know this will likely enrage longtime Decemberists fans who think those first records are the best things they have ever recorded. The bottom line: they aren’t, their new stuff is much better.

Songs from albums are as follows:

5 songs ep: 1

Castaways and Cutouts: 1

Her Majesty: 1

Picaresque: 4

The Crane Wife: 4

Hazards of Love: 2

The King Is Dead: 3

FYI, the last cuts I made were: The Hazards of Love 1, Billy Liar, Valarie Plame and Shankhill Butchers.

I would love any feedback on this list or anything else on the site. Post a comment or send me a direct email. wiederholt8@yahoo.com