This go-around, I'll be looking at a bootleg that's grown somewhat common on digital marketplaces over the past year - Gorillaz: Greatest Hits. Fitting for a post written a mere day before New Year's Eve, huh?
This compilation features Gorillaz tracks spanning the band's entire discography, from 2001's Gorillaz, to 2018's The Now Now. To the untrained eye, it's extremely hard to tell that the set is, in fact, a bootleg; featuring appropriate official artwork and extremely Gorillaz-accurate design choices, including a hot pink motif, the modern incarnation of the band's logo, and more.
Being a Digipak, the case opens to reveal artwork of Noodle and 2-D, both taken directly from artist Jamie Hewlett's Instagram; the latter being paired with a cohesive rundown of Gorillaz' discography. Great touch, if you ask me. Though made of paper, the packaging is very strong, and unlikely to tear or dent; which can't be said of some of Gorillaz' official releases, such as Plastic Beach or The Fall - both of which are prone to deterioration.
One fold further, and the discs themselves are revealed; along with Murdoc and Russel (likewise taken from Hewlett's Instagram), completing the quartet. Both discs are held in by plastic trays, which feel very sturdy and well applied. Unfortunately, a bit of glue seems to have swept across Russel on my copy, but small imperfections are to be expected with this sort of release.
Finally, on the back, we have a complete tracklist covering both discs (using an odd font that seems to connect all paired Os), artwork, and further legal information - which seems to have been adapted from past Gorillaz releases... clever, clever.
Both discs are ordered according to release date, from oldest to newest - with the only errors being in regards to their source album's original tracklists. Between both, there's a great mix of singles and album cuts; with 6 from Gorillaz, 1 from Laika Come Home, 7 from Demon Days, 3 from D-Sides, 3 from Plastic Beach, 2 from The Fall, 7 from Humanz, 2 from Humanz: Super Deluxe, 7 from The Now Now, and 3 non-album releases. The only album missing is G-Sides - an admittedly fair oversight.
For a collection of Gorillaz highlights, I must say, the creator has done a fine job showcasing the band's musical history. Though I'd like to have seen more selections from Plastic Beach, it's omission seemingly in favor of more successful albums is understandable. To finally have Sleeping Powder, DoYaThing, Andromeda (DRAM Special) and Garage Palace on a physical format is really awesome, and I've found myself popping in these CDs far more than any other official Gorillaz release.
Compared to Gorillaz' only other mainstream compilation release, The Singles Collection, Greatest Hits is beyond a home-run. With attractive packaging and an excellent selection of songs, this is a bootleg certainly worth owning - and likely one to become highly sought after once it's surely limited production run has come to an end.
For Part One, click here!
So far, I've looked at...
- Demon Days (Instrumentals)
- Gorillaz 2017
- Gorillaz: Greatest Hits
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