(Photo Credit: Bradley J. Calder)
Let's just get this out of the way first, Father John Misty is perhaps my favorite singer-songwriter to come out of alt music in the last twenty years. So I was gearing up for this release. And honestly, for the price point of just over thirty bucks, fans of Misty get a lot for their dollar in his newest release Greatish Hits: I Followed My Dreams and My Dreams Said to Crawl. The career-spanning collection gathers songs from all five of his previous albums, including Fear Fun (2012), I Love You, Honeybear (2015), the Grammy-nominated Pure Comedy (2017), God’s Favorite Customer (2018), and Chloë and The Next 20th Century (2022). The release also features a new track titled "I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All". Additionally, the collection also features fan favorite "Real Love Baby" for the first time on an album.
This collection was originally released on August 16, 2024 and I have to say I'm thankful to my friends at Sub-Pop for the copy! The cover features a psychedelic scene in which a man, (presumably FJM) is riding horseback in a mushroom-laden landscape, somewhere assumingly far from earth given the landscape! Additionally, the supposed Misty is slouched over, with multiple arrows in his back, as the horse saunters.
Both jackets are on a sturdy matte style paper. The first features liner notes from Marcus Aurelius, former Roman Emperor and one from Bruce Wagner, novelist and screenwriter. The second jacket features Tillman's "Thank You's" and album credits. The quote from Wagner is particularly great, but I'll leave it to you to dig into it once you get your copy.
Now let's get down to the vinyl! Sub Pop has done such a fantastic job with their Loser Edition collection, that pretty much every time one comes out, I'm automatically going that route. These collections and records are just put together with so much time and care. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a standard black vinyl, it'll do the job...But why get that when you can have THIS!
Bask in the glory of the blue, green, and purple that run through this finely pressed vinyl! I was particularly happy with how much blue mine had in it (Go Mets and Knicks!). And boy do these records play clean. I also would like to point out that as a lazy person, I was also appreciative of how many tracks are featured on each side of this album. Lately, there's been a trend in record making that has so many albums featuring few tracks per side, all just to achieve a double LP. I'm tired of getting up and flipping dammit! This has just the right balance.
One very Father John Misty-esque touch that I absolutely loved was a green sticker on the cover that states: “WARNING! This compilation features mostly old music. Long time listeners risk swindle. Intended for new fans only”. But obviously, Misty means this in jest as there's a lot to love for longtime listeners like myself. First, you get "Real Love Baby" on an extended collection and you get new music from our favorite cynical musical wizard.
So what about the song selection? I've taken the liberty of listing the tracks below for your reading pleasure. As mentioned before, I'm a fan, so I have songs that I love that weren't featured. But guess what, that's okay! I like what was included. When you have an artist that's released five albums since 2012, it's going to be hard to include everything. And guess what? That's where Greatish Hits Volume: 2 comes in!
Track List:
Nancy From Now On
Disappointing Diamonds Are The Rarest of Them All
Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)
Goodbye Mr. Blue
When You're Smiling And Astride Me
Mr. Tillman
Things It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution
Please Don’t Die
I'm Writing a Novel
Real Love Baby
Buddy’s Rendezvous
Total Entertainment Forever
Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
Holy Shit
Pure Comedy
I Love You, Honeybear
I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All
So, what's the verdict on Father John Misty's first foray into the compilation world? I would give him an A+. I think the packaging is strong, the artwork is great, and even better it's pressed on Sub Pop Loser Edition Vinyl. You can go wrong there!
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