Greatest Hits: Back to the Start

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Greatest Hits: Back to the Start
500px Greatest Hits Back To The Start.jpg
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedJune 28, 2005
Recorded1984–2000
Genre
Length78:04
Label
Megadeth chronology
Still, Alive... and Well?
(2002)
Greatest Hits: Back to the Start
(2005)
Warchest
(2007)

Greatest Hits: Back to the Start is the second greatest hits album by Megadeth. It was released on June 28, 2005, via Capitol Records. [1] The title "Back to the Start" is a reference to lyrics in "Rust in Peace... Polaris" from Megadeth's 1990 album Rust in Peace : "The day of final conflict/All pay the price/The third World War rapes peace/Takes life back to the start." The cover art is an edited version of the Castle Romeo H-bomb test.

Contents

Background and release

The selection of tracks for the album was largely determined by fans, who voted on songs in polls on the band's website. [2] However, the inclusion of "Kill the King," a track originally released on Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years , was insisted upon by Mustaine. [3] To help promote the release, a new video was made for "Kill the King." [1]

Commercial performance

Greatest Hits: Back to the Start reached No. 65 on the U.S. Billboard 200, [4] selling 17,441 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan. [5] By December 16, 2005, the album had sold about 133,000 copies in the U.S. [6] The album was also certified gold in Canada in July 2011. [7] On July 23, 2011 in Toronto, Canada, the band was presented with gold plaques by EMI in recognition of the achievement. [8]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]

Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic critiqued the album for being more of a sampler and having a more "balanced" approach to the band's Capitol Records material, rather than focusing on Megadeth's first few records. [10]

Track listing

No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Holy Wars... The Punishment Due"1990 - Rust in Peace 6:32
2."In My Darkest Hour"1988 - So Far, So Good... So What! 6:26
3."Peace Sells"1986 - Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? 4:02
4."Sweating Bullets"1992 - Countdown to Extinction 5:26
5."Angry Again"1993 - Last Action Hero (Soundtrack)3:47
6."A Tout le Monde"1994 - Youthanasia 4:25
7."Trust"1997 - Cryptic Writings 5:12
8."Kill the King"2000 - Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years 3:42
9."Symphony of Destruction"1992 - Countdown to Extinction4:06
10."Mechanix"1985 - Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! 4:21
11."Train of Consequences"1994 - Youthanasia3:30
12."Wake Up Dead"1986 - Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?3:38
13."Hangar 18"1990 - Rust in Peace5:12
14."Dread and the Fugitive Mind"2000 - Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years 4:23
15."Skin o' My Teeth"1992 - Countdown to Extinction3:15
16."She-Wolf"1997 - Cryptic Writings3:39
17."Prince of Darkness"1999 - Risk 6:28
Total length:78:04

[2]

Limited edition DVD

[11]

Personnel

[2]

Charts

Chart (2005)Peak
position
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [12] 21
UK Albums (OCC) [13] 47
US Billboard 200 [14] 65

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [7] Gold50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [15] Silver60,000
United States133,000 [6]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 Greatest Hits: Back to the Start liner notes. Capitol Records. 2005. pp. 6, 8–9.
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  4. "Greatest Hits: Back to the Start - Megadeth | Awards". AllMusic . Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  5. "Soundscan Report: CKY, Megadeth, Devildriver, Darkest Hour, Throwdown". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 6 July 2005. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Megadeth: Album Sales Update". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 16 December 2005. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Canadian album certifications – Megadeth". Music Canada.
  8. "Megadeth Presented With Canadian Gold Plaques For 'Back To The Start'". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 24 July 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  9. Blender Review Archived May 4, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  10. 1 2 Birchmeier, Jason. "Greatest Hits: Back to the Start - Megadeth". AllMusic . Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  11. Greatest Hits: Back to the Start limited edition back panel. Capitol Records. 2005.
  12. "Megadeth: GREATEST HITS - BACK TO THE START" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  13. Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: M – My Vitriol". Zobbel. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  14. "Megadeth Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
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