In case you missed it, beloved emo-rockers Fall Out Boy just released a greatest hits album entitled "Believers Never Die." Once you get past the attempted pomp of the title and the strange album art, you'll see that it's just a mixed tape that any middle school kid can, and has, made their best friend to get them into their "favorite band ever."
As much as I may get criticized for saying so, I've always been a fan of Fall Out Boy. They're catchy, they have somewhat witty lyrics and they make me nostalgic for my awkward pre-teen years. However, I recognize that while they are a good band, they are not necessarily a "great" or "epic" band, and their discography is not nearly expansive enough to necessitate a greatest hits album.
Bands and artists who release these compilation albums are usually ones that have been around for decades. Take, for example, Bob Dylan. Dylan has hundreds of songs, and to alleviate the stress of having his fans rummage through the entire collection, he (his record company?) put together a smattering of some of his more famous works.
Fall Out Boy has no such need for this. They have been around for almost ten years, and in those years they released five studio albums. While it is commendable that a mainstream alternative band has had the staying power (which proves to be an impressive task these days), the band's release of a greatest hits album seems premature.
In a way, it's as if the boys of Fall Out Boy are putting an end to an era. The range of songs they have on the album clearly shows the evolution of musical style the band has taken, but is this the end of it? I can only speculate as to what is in Fall Out Boy's future, but if they all of a sudden start taking themselves too seriously, who knows what the repercussions could be on the susceptible teenage youth!
So, no, I will not purchase this "album" and neither should you. I can dig up my old mixed tapes and it will be the same thing. Except mine won't have every single music video the band has ever filmed, like the coveted bonus DVD.