Greatest Hits, Etc.

Last updated

Greatest Hits, Etc.
Paul simon greatest hits etc.jpg
Greatest hits album by
Paul Simon
ReleasedNovember 1977
Recorded1971–77
Genre Folk rock
Length51:38
Label Columbia
Producer Paul Simon, Roy Halee, Phil Ramone
Paul Simon chronology
Still Crazy After All These Years
(1975)		Greatest Hits, Etc.
(1977)		 One-Trick Pony
(1980)
Singles from Greatest Hits, Etc.
  1. "Slip Slidin' Away [1] "
    Released: September 1977
  2. "Stranded in a Limousine [2] "
    Released: March 1978

Greatest Hits, Etc. is the first greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, released in November 1977 by Columbia Records. It was his first compilation, spanning the first six years of his solo career. Its release was prompted by the fact that two years after his last studio album, Simon didn't yet have enough material to release a new full-length album, and his contract with Columbia was finished but a new album was needed to fulfill it. Simon later signed with Warner Bros. Records. The album was initially supposed to be called Blatant Greatest Hits. [3]

Contents

The album included two new songs: the smooth ballad "Slip Slidin' Away", a US top 5 hit previously considered for Still Crazy After All These Years , and the upbeat "Stranded in a Limousine", which failed to chart in the US. "Slip Slidin' Away" was not available in any other album until 1988's Negotiations and Love Songs, and "Stranded in a Limousine" was added as a bonus track on the CD reissue of One Trick Pony . Record World said that "Stranded in a Limousine" "has a bit of rhythm and blues added to it, in the form of a good horn arrangement and some strong piano work." [4]

Half of the songs on the album were hit singles (including all of the five top 5 singles Simon achieved in his entire solo career in the US). The rest was filled with the two aforementioned new tracks, some album tracks (particularly the radio favorite "Something So Right"), and live versions of "Duncan" (from the Live Rhymin' recording) and "American Tune". From this diversity came the Etc. on the album title. This collection omits two hits during the period covered by this compilation – the duet with Phoebe Snow, "Gone at Last" and his reunion single with Art Garfunkel, "My Little Town".

The album reached No. 18 in the US and No. 3 in the UK. Originally issued as an LP in 1977 with a gatefold sleeve, it was re-released in 1986 as an LP in a non-gatefold sleeve following the success of the Graceland album. After Paul Simon won Best International Solo Artist at the 1987 Brits Awards, the re-released LP appeared with a 'Brits Award Winner' sticker. The album was also pressed for a short time in CD format by CBS/Columbia Records. The pressing of the CDs was stopped upon the release of Simon's compilation album Negotiations and Love Songs , which was issued on Warner Bros. Records and designed to supersede this album. However, a few cuts, including "Stranded in a Limousine" and "American Tune", were not included on Negotiations. The re-released album re-entered the UK charts for two weeks during January 1987. [5]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [6]
Christgau's Record Guide A [7]

Track listing

All the songs were written and composed by Paul Simon, and were performed in the studio by Simon accompanied with many of the leading session musicians of the day. [8] [ better source needed ]

Side one

  1. "Slip Slidin' Away" – 4:43
  2. "Stranded in a Limousine" – 3:09
  3. "Still Crazy After All These Years" – 3:24
  4. "Have a Good Time" – 3:25
  5. "Duncan" (Live) – 5:03
  6. "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" – 2:45
  7. "Something So Right" – 4:34

Side two

  1. "Kodachrome" – 3:32
  2. "I Do It for Your Love" – 3:35
  3. "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" – 3:33
  4. "American Tune" (Live) – 4:09
  5. "Mother and Child Reunion" – 2:50
  6. "Loves Me Like a Rock" – 3:28
  7. "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" – 3:28

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [17] Platinum100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [18] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [19] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Surrealistic Pillow</i> 1967 studio album by Jefferson Airplane

Surrealistic Pillow is the second studio album by the American rock band Jefferson Airplane, released by RCA Victor on February 1, 1967. It is the first album by the band with vocalist Grace Slick and drummer Spencer Dryden. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard album chart and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album is considered to be one of the quintessential works of the early psychedelic rock and 1960s counterculture eras.

<i>Endless Summer</i> (The Beach Boys album) 1974 greatest hits album by The Beach Boys

Endless Summer is a compilation album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on June 24, 1974. A collection of hits from the band's 1962–65 period, Endless Summer was compiled by their old label, Capitol Records, following the success of the film American Graffiti, in which several songs were featured. It revitalized the band's popularity after years of lukewarm sales, but also inspired nostalgia for the Beach Boys' early surfing and hot rod-themed music, repositioning the group as an oldies act.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Alice Cooper album) 1974 greatest hits album by Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits is the only greatest hits album by American rock band Alice Cooper, and their last release as a band. Released in 1974, it features hit songs from five of the band's seven studio albums. It does not include any material from their first two albums, Pretties for You and Easy Action.

<i>Eagles Greatest Hits Volume 2</i> 1982 compilation album by Eagles

Eagles Greatest Hits Volume 2 is the second compilation album by the Eagles. It features many of their biggest hits not on Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975), including "Hotel California", their signature song. The album was released in 1982, after the band's breakup. That same year, Don Henley and Glenn Frey both released their debut solo albums.

<i>Cheap Thrills</i> (Big Brother and the Holding Company album) 1968 studio album by Big Brother and the Holding Company

Cheap Thrills is the second studio album by American rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company. It was their last album with Janis Joplin as lead singer before she started a solo career. For Cheap Thrills, the band and producer John Simon incorporated recordings of crowd noise to give the impression of a live album, for which it was subsequently mistaken by listeners. Only "Ball and Chain" was actually recorded in concert at Winterland Ballroom.

<i>Wings Greatest</i> 1978 compilation album by Wings

Wings Greatest is a 1978 compilation album by the British–American rock band Wings and their eighth album as well as Paul McCartney's tenth since leaving the Beatles. It was the band's last release through Capitol in the US. The album is notable as being the first official retrospective release from McCartney's post-Beatles career.

<i>One-Trick Pony</i> (album) 1980 soundtrack album / Studio album by Paul Simon

One-Trick Pony is the fifth solo studio album by Paul Simon released in 1980. It was Simon's first album for Warner Bros. Records, and his first new studio album since 1975's Still Crazy After All These Years. His back catalog from Columbia Records would also move to Warner Bros. as a result of his signing with the label.

<i>Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)</i> 1969 greatest hits album by the Rolling Stones

Through the Past, Darkly is the second compilation album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in September 1969 by Decca Records in the UK and London Records/ABKCO Records in the US.

<i>The Greatest Hits Collection</i> (Bananarama album) 1988 greatest hits album by Bananarama

The Greatest Hits Collection is a compilation album released by Bananarama which features their single releases and greatest hits. It was issued by London Records in 1988, eight months after the departure of group member Siobhan Fahey. The track listing differed between versions released in the United States and Canada, as well as those released throughout Europe and other territories.

<i>The Worst of Jefferson Airplane</i> 1970 greatest hits album by Jefferson Airplane

The Worst of Jefferson Airplane is the first compilation album from the rock band Jefferson Airplane, released in November 1970 as RCA Victor LSP-4459. The "Worst" in the title is ironic as the album features all of Jefferson Airplane's hit singles up to that point. It peaked at #12 on the Billboard 200 in 1971 and has since gone platinum.

<i>On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II</i> 1979 greatest hits album by Donna Summer

On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II is the first greatest hits album by American singer Donna Summer, released on October 15, 1979. It was her fourth consecutive double album, and also made her the first person ever to take three consecutive double albums to the number one spot on the U.S. album chart. This would become Summer's third multi-platinum album to date.

<i>Negotiations and Love Songs</i> 1988 greatest hits album by Paul Simon

Negotiations and Love Songs is a compilation album of songs by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, released in 1988 by Warner Bros. Records. It consists of songs released from 1971 to 1986. The title of the compilation is taken from a line in the song "Train in the Distance".

<i>Paul Simon 1964/1993</i> 1993 compilation album by Paul Simon

Paul Simon 1964/1993 is a compilation album released in 1993 by Paul Simon. It contains a collection of recordings ranging from his earliest collaboration with Art Garfunkel and further Simon & Garfunkel hits to songs from his subsequent solo career. Despite carrying the title Paul Simon 1964/1993, the music on this compilation was recorded between 1957 and 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slip Slidin' Away</span> 1977 song performed by Paul Simon

"Slip Slidin' Away" is a 1977 song written and recorded by Paul Simon which appears on his compilation album Greatest Hits, Etc. It was one of two new songs to appear on the album, the other being "Stranded in a Limousine". Backing vocals on the song are provided by The Oak Ridge Boys. The song was originally recorded and considered for Simon's 1975 album Still Crazy After All These Years, but Simon decided not to include the song on the finished album. A demo version appears on the 2004 re-issue of the album. The song was also included on Negotiations and Love Songs (1988).

<i>The Essential Paul Simon</i> 2007 compilation album by Paul Simon

The Essential Paul Simon is a compilation album of Paul Simon's songs from the years 1971-2006 and released in 2007. An edition exists with a DVD featuring performances from The Dick Cavett Show and Saturday Night Live. It was re-released in 2010 in Australia through Sony BMG a part of The Essential series.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (ABBA album) 1975 compilation album by ABBA

Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally released in Scandinavia on 17 November 1975 and in other parts of the world in 1976, notably the UK on 10 April, and on 18 September in the US and Canada. The 1976 version of the album included the band's most recent single "Fernando".

This Better Be Good is a compilation album by Paul Simon, issued in June 2009 on the Starbucks Entertainment record label in its Opus Collection series. The disc was exclusively available at US branches of the Starbucks stores. The tracks on this album were taken from all of Paul's solo albums, up to and including the 2006 release Surprise.

Rarities is the name of two separate and unrelated compilation albums by the English rock band the Beatles. The first was released in the United Kingdom in December 1978, while the second album was issued in the United States in March 1980.

<i>Helen Reddys Greatest Hits</i> 1975 compilation album by Helen Reddy

Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Australian-American pop singer Helen Reddy. It was released in 1975 by Capitol Records.

<i>Tammys Greatest Hits, Volume II</i> 1971 greatest hits album by Tammy Wynette

Tammy's Greatest Hits, Volume II is a compilation album by American country artist, Tammy Wynette. It was released on September 6, 1971 via Epic Records and featured 11 tracks. A majority of the album compiled previously-released singles from the late sixties and early seventies. Some tracks were new material, including "Good Lovin' ". Released as the disc's lead single, it topped the country charts in 1971. The album itself reached the top five of the American country LP's chart in 1971 and later certified gold in the United States.

References

  1. ↑ "Paul Simon - Slip Slidin' Away".
  2. ↑ "Paul Simon - Stranded in a Limousine".
  3. ↑ Casey Kasem's American Top 40 from November 12, 1977
  4. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 25, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Greatest hits, etc. | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". OfficialCharts.com .
  6. ↑ AllMusic Review
  7. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 12, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  8. ↑ Discogs listing of credits
  9. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  10. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 12, 2012
  11. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl Paul Simon – Greatest Hits, Etc" (ASP). dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). MegaCharts . Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  12. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  13. ↑ "charts.nz - Paul Simon - Greatest Hits, Etc" (ASP). Recording Industry Association of New Zealand . Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  14. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  15. ↑ "The Official Charts Company - Paul Simon - Greatest Hits, Etc" (PHP). Official Charts Company . Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  16. ↑ Allmusic – Greatest Hits, Etc. > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums
  17. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Paul Simon – Greatest Hits". Music Canada.
  18. ↑ "British album certifications – Paul Simon – Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry.
  19. ↑ "American album certifications – Paul Simon – Greatest Hits, Etc". Recording Industry Association of America.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.