A Collection of Hits

Untold Stories: A Collection of Hits
Greatest hits album by Kathy Mattea
Released	August 7, 1990 (1990-08-07)
Recorded	1986-1990
Studio	Jack's Tracks (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre	Country
Length	34:56
Label	Mercury PolyGram
Producer	Allen Reynolds
Kathy Mattea chronology
Willow in the Wind (1989) Untold Stories: A Collection of Hits (1990) Time Passes By (1991)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[3]

Untold Stories: A Collection of Hits is the first compilation by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in 1990 on Mercury Records and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. ^[4] The album includes eight of her previous singles, as well as one newly recorded track ("A Few Good Things Remain"), and an album cut from 1987's Untasted Honey , the Tim O'Brien duet "The Battle Hymn of Love". Both of these songs were released as singles in 1990, and both reached #9 on the Billboard country charts. ^[5]

Critical reception

AllMusic's William Ruhlmann writes, "Kathy Mattea has risen to near the top of the Nashville ranks because of a haunting, soulful voice, well-produced recordings that have a simple, folkie directness, and, most especially, an amazing talent for picking the best songs being written for the country market" ^[1]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Love at the Five and Dime"	Nanci Griffith	3:40
2.	"Walk the Way the Wind Blows"	Tim O'Brien	3:48
3.	"Train of Memories"	Andy Byrd, Jimbeau Hinson	2:52
4.	"Goin' Gone"	Pat Alger, Bill Dale, Fred Koller	4:26
5.	"The Battle Hymn of Love" (featuring Tim O'Brien)	Paul Overstreet, Don Schlitz	2:53
6.	"Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses"	Paul Nelson, Gene Nelson	3:22
7.	"Untold Stories"	O'Brien	3:01
8.	"Life as We Knew It"	Koller, Walter Carter	3:19
9.	"A Few Good Things Remain"	Alger, Jon Vezner	3:51
10.	"Where've You Been"	Don Henry, Vezner	3:44
Total length:			34:56

• Track information and credits adapted from the album's liner notes. ^[6]

Personnel

"A Few Good Things Remain"

• Kathy Mattea – vocals
• Bobby Wood – organ
• Pat Alger – acoustic guitar
• Bruce Bouton – acoustic guitar
• Bob Wray – bass
• Milton Sledge – drums

Production

• Allen Reynolds – producer
• Mark Miller – recording, mixing
• Denny Purcell – mastering at Georgetown Masters (Nashville, Tennessee)
• Barnes & Company – album graphics
• Bill Barnes – art direction, design
• Jim "Señor" McGuire – photography
• Valerie Cole – make-up
• Sherri McCoy – make-up
• Ann Rice – wardrobe stylist
• Bob Titley – management

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1990) Peak position US Billboard 200 [7] 80 US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [8] 8

Year-end charts Chart (1990) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [9] 66 Chart (1991) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [10] 20 Chart (1992) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [11] 75

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [4]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history and formats for A Collection of Hits

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
North America	August 7, 1990	LP CD cassette	PolyGram Mercury Records	[12]

References

1. Ruhlmann, William. Review at AllMusic. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
2. Robert Christgau Consumer Guide
3. Rolling Stone list
4. "American album certifications – Kathy Mattea – A Collection of Hits". Recording Industry Association of America.
5. "Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
6. A Collection Of Hits (liner notes). Kathy Mattea. Mercury. 1990. 842 330-2.
7. "Kathy Mattea Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
8. "Kathy Mattea Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
9. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
10. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
11. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
12. Mattea, Kathy (August 7, 1989). "A Collection of Hits (Liner Notes and Album Information)". PolyGram/Mercury Records. 842 330-1 (LP), 842 330-4 (Cassette), 842 330-2 (CD).