Greatest Hits (Elton John album)

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Greatest Hits
Ejgh.jpg
Greatest hits album by
Released8 November 1974
Recorded1970–1974
Genre Rock, pop
Length44:12
Label
Producer Gus Dudgeon
Elton John chronology
Caribou
(1974)
Greatest Hits
(1974)
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
(1975)

Greatest Hits is the eleventh official album release for English musician Elton John, and the first compilation. Released on 8 November 1974, [1] it spans the years 1970 to 1974, compiling ten of John's singles, with one track variation for releases in North America and for Europe and Australia. It topped the album chart in both the United States and the United Kingdom, staying at number one for ten consecutive weeks in the former nation and eleven weeks in the latter. In Canada, it was number one for 13 weeks between 14 December 1974, and 22 March 1975, missing only 28 December 1974, at number two to Jim Croce's Photographs & Memories.

Contents

It was the best-selling album of 1975 in the United States, and is his second best-selling album to date, being his first to have received an RIAA diamond certification for US sales of more than 10 million copies. As of April 2016 the album has been certified for 17 million units in the US. [2] It remains John's best-selling album in the U.S. and one of the best-selling albums of all time, with 24 million copies sold worldwide. [3] Although all of its songs are available as downloads, the album is currently out of print, having been superseded by four other greatest hits releases over the years: The Very Best of Elton John in 1990, Greatest Hits 1970–2002 in 2002, Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits in 2007 and Diamonds in 2017.

Contents

The single "Bennie and the Jets", which had topped the charts in both the US and Canada but which had not been released as a single in the United Kingdom at that point, appeared on the American and Canadian edition of the album. It was replaced by "Candle in the Wind" for the UK and Australian edition, having been a hit in both of those countries but never released as a single in the US and Canada. The 1992 reissue contains eleven tracks, with both songs included.

"Border Song," John's debut single from his second album Elton John in the UK, Australia, US and Canada, went to number 92 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and to number 34 on the Canadian RPM national singles chart as a single in 1970. [4] All other songs made the Top 40 in the UK and the US, most also making the top ten, with "Bennie and the Jets" and "Crocodile Rock" topping the chart in the States. John would wait until 1976 to top the singles chart in the UK, via his duet with Kiki Dee, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart."

With only ten tracks total, several other hit singles from the time period are not included in this collection. "Tiny Dancer" and "Levon" from the Madman Across the Water album reached number 41 and number 24 respectively as singles in the US, and "The Bitch Is Back," his most recent single, peaked at number four in the US and topped the chart in Canada. Although all of these records charted higher than "Border Song," it may have been included because it was the first single by Elton John to chart in any market, or because of cover versions by high-profile acts such as The 5th Dimension or Aretha Franklin, the latter version reaching number 37 in the Billboard Hot 100 and number 23 in the Cash Box Top 100 in December 1970. [5] Of the ten selections for the North American album, two ("Crocodile Rock" and "Bennie and the Jets") were number-one hits in the US; in Canada, five (these two plus "Daniel", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me") had been chart-toppers. [6] [7]

In 2003, Greatest Hits was ranked at number 135 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, [8] then was re-ranked at number 136 in a 2012 revised list. [9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [10]
Christgau's Record Guide B+ [11]

In Melody Maker , Chris Charlesworth said that he didn't think the compilation would be successful as "anyone interested enough is bound to have these tracks already", which made it hard for him to review the album. He noted that it must have been difficult to pick representative tracks for the record, but that John was "a personality who (thank God) put life back into rock when it was going stale". [12] Sue Byrom of Record & Popswop Mirror said that for those that didn't have all his other albums, "this collection ... could make a good reference point", and concluded, "A lot of people think Greatest Hits albums are a cop-out ... it could be, but as far as Elton John is concerned, he really is one of the greatest hits of the music scene". [13]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that "rarely has a greatest-hits collection been as effective as Elton John's first compilation", and called it "a nearly flawless collection, offering a perfect introduction to Elton John and providing casual fans with almost all the hits they need". [10]

Track listing

All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

Original North American version
Side one
No.TitleAlbumLength
1."Your Song" Elton John (1970)4:00
2."Daniel" Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973)3:53
3."Honky Cat" Honky Château (1972)5:12
4."Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)3:14
5."Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road4:55
Side two
No.TitleAlbumLength
1."Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)"Honky Château4:40
2."Bennie and the Jets"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road5:10
3."Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" Caribou (1974)5:33
4."Border Song"Elton John3:19
5."Crocodile Rock"Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player3:56
Original international version

On the international releases, "Bennie and the Jets" was replaced by "Candle in the Wind" (3:41, taken from the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road).

1992 Polydor Reissue

The compact disc version of Greatest Hits, issued in the 1990s, features both "Bennie and the Jets" (track 7) and "Candle in the Wind" (track 8).

1994 DCC Compact Classics Gold Disc

This edition follows the US LP track listing for the main album and adds "Candle In The Wind" as track 11.

1996 Japanese edition

The expanded edition released by Nippon PolyGram/Mercury Music Entertainment (subtitled Your Song) has a different running order, excluding "Bennie and the Jets" and adding five additional tracks. [14] In 2000, Universal Music Japan reissued the album under the alternative title Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The track listing is as follows:

  1. "Your Song"
  2. "Skyline Pigeon"
  3. "Daniel"
  4. "Crocodile Rock"
  5. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
  6. "Take Me to the Pilot"
  7. "Rock n' Roll Madonna"
  8. "Candle in the Wind"
  9. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (with Kiki Dee)
  10. "Honky Cat"
  11. "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"
  12. "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)"
  13. "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
  14. "Border Song"
  15. "It's Me That You Need"

Charts

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [31] 5× Platinum250,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [32] Diamond1,000,000^
France (SNEP) [33] Gold100,000*
Japan (RIAJ) [34]
1996 reissue
Gold100,000^
Japan (RIAJ) [35]
2000 reissue
Platinum200,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [36] Platinum400,000 [37]
United States (RIAA) [38] 17× Platinum17,000,000

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

See also

Related Research Articles

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Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Icelandic musician and singer Björk, released on 4 November 2002 through One Little Indian. Although not all of Björk's singles are included on this collection, all of the songs on Greatest Hits were released as singles. The tracks were selected by fans through a survey on Björk's website. Greatest Hits presents the songs in descending order of most-popular votes, with the exception of "It's in Our Hands" which was a new song and appears at the end of the compilation.

<i>Goodbye Yellow Brick Road</i> 1973 album by Elton John

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the seventh studio album by English singer, pianist, and composer Elton John, first released on 5 October 1973 as a double album by DJM Records. Recorded at the Studio d'enregistrement Michel Magne at the Château d'Hérouville in France, the album became a double LP once John and his band became inspired by the locale. Among the 17 tracks, the album contains the hits "Candle in the Wind," US number-one single "Bennie and the Jets," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", along with the live favourite "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding."

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elton John singles discography</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bennie and the Jets</span> 1974 single by Elton John

"Bennie and the Jets" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. The song first appeared on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album in 1973. "Bennie and the Jets" has been one of John's most popular songs and was performed during his appearance at Live Aid.

<i>Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits</i> 2007 greatest hits album by Elton John

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