The Best of... So Far

The Best of... So Far is a greatest hits album by British rock band The Kooks, released on 19 May 2017 by Virgin and Astralwerks.[1] The compilation includes singles from the band's four studio albums to date, non-singles "Seaside" and "Matchbox" from debut album Inside In/Inside Out, and two new tracks, "Be Who You Are" and "Broken Vow". The deluxe edition of the album includes a 20-track second disc containing demos and alternate versions.[2]

The Best of... So Far
Greatest hits album by
The Kooks
Released19 May 2017
GenreIndie rock, indie pop, chamber pop, alternative
LabelVirgin EMI
The Kooks chronology
Hello, What's Your Name?
(2015)		 The Best of... So Far
(2017)		 Let’s Go Sunshine
(2018)

Background

On 21 November 2016, The Kooks announced a 'Best Of' UK Tour to take place in April and May 2017 to mark their tenth anniversary as a band, in which they were planning to perform hits, b-sides and brand new music.[3] To coincide with the tour, on 31 March 2017 the band announced the upcoming release of The Best of... So Far, as well as releasing "Be Who You Are", one of two new songs included on the compilation.[4]

Lead singer and songwriter Luke Pritchard cited initial hesitation in releasing a greatest hits compilation. He stated, "I wasn't particularly sure about the idea of doing a 'best of' album to begin with, because we're not even old - we haven't even been around for twenty years, but it's been cool to see the nostalgia out there from people who grew up with our music." Regarding the compilation's song selection, Pritchard added, "We chose the songs that we thought defined us the most over the years and put them on there."

The two new songs included in the compilation were recorded during sessions with producer Brandon Friesen for the band's upcoming fifth album, Let's Go Sunshine. According to Pritchard, "Be Who You Are" was an attempt to recreate the band's old sound. He said, "I was like, 'What would I have written then, and what kind of style should it be?' The lyrics are all self-reflective and about me at that time. I thought it would be good to go with all the other songs, so it's a nice reflective moment."

Meanwhile, "Broken Vow" is a tale that was inspired by the "hypocrisy" of the Catholic Church, of which Pritchard had some first-hand experience having gone to an all-boys Catholic school in his youth.[5]

Pritchard was also keen to emphasize that this compilation did not signal the end of the band. "It's been the greatest pleasure to work, travel, fight, hate and love the best and most talented people I've met in my life. It's the greatest job in the world and we don't intend to stop any time soon."[1]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Naïve"
  • Luke Pritchard
  • Hugh Harris
  • Max Rafferty
  • Paul Garred
3:25
2."Always Where I Need to Be"PritchardHoffer2:41
3."Junk of the Heart (Happy)"
  • Pritchard
  • Hoffer
Hoffer3:07
4."Bad Habit"
  • Pritchard
  • Dean Wynton Josiah Cover
  • Peter Denton
Inflo3:41
5."She Moves in Her Own Way"
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred
Hoffer2:49
6."Shine On"PritchardHoffer3:15
7."Seaside"
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred
Hoffer1:39
8."Down"
  • Pritchard
  • Cover
Inflo2:43
9."Sofa Song"
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred
Hoffer2:14
10."Is It Me"PritchardHoffer3:29
11."You Don't Love Me"
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred
Hoffer2:35
12."Forgive & Forget"
  • Pritchard
  • Cover
  • Alexis Nuñez
Inflo3:57
13."Ooh La"
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred
Hoffer3:32
14."Sway"PritchardHoffer3:37
15."Eddie's Gun"
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred
Hoffer2:14
16."Matchbox"
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred
Hoffer3:12
17."Be Who You Are" (Alternative Intro)
Friesen3:54
18."Broken Vow"
Friesen4:26
Digital-only bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
19."Naïve" (The Him Remix)
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred
Hoffer3:27
Deluxe edition bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Eddie's Gun" (demo) Paul Stacey2:11
2."Sofa Song" (demo)  2:04
3."Pull Me In"
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred[8]
 3:18
4."California"Mason JenningsThe Kooks2:10
5."Slave to the Game"
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred
The Kooks2:59
6."Constantine's Love" (demo)Pritchard 2:52
7."Naïve" (alternate version) Ian Broudie3:29
8."Suburbs" (demo)Pritchard 3:11
9."Lesson Number 3" (demo)
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred
 3:30
10."The Saboteur" (demo)Pritchard[9] 4:04
11."Shine On" (demo)  2:26
12."Disappear" (demo)Pritchard[10] 3:45
13."Catch That" (demo)
  • Pritchard
  • Garred
Pritchard2:13
14."Creatures of Habit"
Innis4:20
15."Lonely Cat" (demo)Pritchard[12] 3:17
16."Gap" (demo)
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred[13]
 3:49
17."Always Where I Need to Be" (demo)  2:34
18."If Only" (demo)
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred[14]
 2:03
19."Be Mine" (demo)
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred[15]
 2:35
20."Bus Song"
  • Pritchard
  • Harris
  • Rafferty
  • Garred[16]
The Kooks2:04

Personnel
  • Luke Pritchard – vocals, guitar
  • Hugh Harris – guitar (except tracks 4, 8 and 12), backing vocals
  • Peter Denton – bass (tracks 3, 4, 8, 10, 17 and 18), guitar (track 4), backing vocals
  • Alexis Nuñez – drums (tracks 4, 8, 12, 17 and 18), bass (track 12)
  • Max Rafferty – bass (except tracks 3, 4, 8, 10, 12, 17 and 18), backing vocals
  • Paul Garred – drums (except tracks 4, 8, 12, 17 and 18)

Charts
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 47
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] 167
Scottish Albums (OCC)[19] 15
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 18

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Gold 100,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "The Kooks Announce Greatest Hits Album, Share New Song". Archived from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  2. "The Best Of... So Far Deluxe - Signed".
  3. "The Kooks return for mammoth 'Best Of' UK tour in 2017 - NME". NME. 21 November 2016.
  4. "Listen to The Kooks' new single 'Be Who You Are' as they announce Best of album - NME". NME. 31 March 2017.
  5. "The Kooks take us inside the studio – exclusive pics and interview - NME". NME. 31 March 2017.
  6. "Be Who You Are". BMI. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  7. "Broken Vow". BMI. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  8. "Pull Me In". ASCAP. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  9. "The Saboteur". ASCAP. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  10. "Disappear". ASCAP. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  11. "Creatures of Habit". BMI. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  12. "Lonely Cat". ASCAP. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  13. "Gap". ASCAP. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  14. "If Only". ASCAP. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  15. "Be Mine". BMI. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  16. "Bus Song". BMI. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  17. "Ultratop.be – The Kooks – The Best Of... So Far" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  18. "Ultratop.be – The Kooks – The Best Of... So Far" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  19. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  20. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  21. "British album certifications – Kooks – The Best of... So Far". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 August 2020. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type The Best of... So Far in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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