Discography: Compilation Albums

Title:             

Nature's Best 3: Complete The Collection of New Zealand's Top Songs of All Time

Artist:             Various

Catalogue #:   Sony 5122102000 (2 CD set)

Web site:          www.sonymusic.co.nz

Commentary:   (Courtesy of Sony Music NZ Ltd)

"The concept was brilliant – ask all members of APRA (being all of New Zealand's songwriters and performers) plus an invited academy of 100 people to list their all time favourite New Zealand songs – and have that list compiled into what was originally going to be a published list of the 30 best New Zealand songs of all time.

How that concept has grown.

I was there on the night the concept was announced and indeed, there on the night of the 2001 Silver Scroll Awards when the countdown took us through to the coveted No. 1 position.

Shortly thereafter, whilst on holiday, I was able to sit back and fully understand the scope of what APRA had done. Here was a definitive list of the best New Zealand songs of all time, and something that I felt needed to be preserved on CD memory !

Thereafter, in early 2002, Sony Music released "Nature's Best – Our Top 30 Songs of All Time". This was done with enormous co-operation from musicians and all New Zealand record labels. It was embraced by the New Zealand public as never before.

The first Nature's Best CD has gone on to sell over 100,000 copies and of course continues to sell, week in and week out. It also remains on the official Recording Industry Top 10 Compilation Sales Chart, 60 weeks after it was released !

In a follow up discussion with Mike Chunn at APRA, we decided that with the success of Nature's Best, and a quick glance at the rest of the songs remaining, that Volumes 2 & 3 should follow.

This set completes that trilogy, and gives everyone the opportunity to own New Zealand's top 100 songs of all time. The ultimate collection of New Zealand songs !

One other major benefit to this series is that every CD sold returns an additional royalty to APRA (over and above performer and songwriter royalties), which in turn is used to help continued promotion of New Zealand music.

When Nature's Best 2 was released, most people were very surprised about how many great songs were in that collection – I have no doubt that Volume 3 will have the same impact.

It is incredible to think that Volumes 1 & 2 did not represent the likes of Blam, Blam, Blam, The Mockers, The Headless Chickens, Peking Man, Prince Tui Teka, Supergroove, etc, etc.

If nothing else this collection shows the incredible depth of songs that have been produced in this country. There are songs we sung when we partied too hard ("I'll Say Goodbye", "Forever Tuesday Morning", "Jumping Out A Window", etc), songs we sung when we were melancholy ("You Oughta Be in Love", "Billy Bold", etc) and of course, songs that just live in our minds forever ("Room That Echoes", "E Ipo", "Four Seasons in One Day", etc).

This list of songs covers numbers 66 through to 100 in the full set of the Nature's Best series. There may well be a Volume 4, but that should wait for at least another 50 years !

I hope you enjoy listening to the Nature's Best series as much as we have enjoyed putting them together and bringing them to market.

Michael Glading
Sony Music New Zealand"

Feature Track:     Suddenly Strange

Date of Issue:       12 May, 2003

Country of Issue:  New Zealand

Track Listing:

-Blam Blam Blam - Don’t Fight It Marsha, It’s Bigger Than Both Of Us

-Hello Sailor - Gutter Black

-Herbs - Long Ago

-Blam Blam Blam - There Is No Depression In NZ

-Dave Dobbyn - You Oughta Be In Love

-Fur - Patrol Andrew

-Graham Brazier - Billy Bold

Crowded House - Distant Sun

-Bic Runga - Suddenly Strange

-The Mockers - Forever Tuesday Morning

-Headless Chickens - Cruise Control

-The Feelers - Pressure Man

-Crowded House - Private Universe

-Peking Man - Room That Echoes

-Herbs - Sensitive To A Smile

-Prince Tui Teka - E Ipo

-Front Lawn - Andy

-Shihad - Bitter

-Crowded House - Four Seasons In One Day

-The Chills - Heavenly Pop Hit

-Sneaky Feelings - Husband House

-Pop Mechanix - Jumping Out A Window

-Straitjacket Fits - If I Were You

-Dance Exponents - I’ll Say Goodbye (Even Tho I’m Blue)

-Sharon O’Neill - Maybe

-Eye TV - One Day Ahead

-Zed - Renegade Fighter

-Stellar - Part Of Me

-Coconut Rough - Sierra Leone

-Sharon O’Neill - Words

-Split Enz - Spellbound

-Citizen Band - Rust In My Car

-Shona Laing - Mercy Of Love

-Supergroove - Can't Get Enough

-Dave Dobbyn - Naked Flame