Greatest Hits (Elton John album)

Last updated

Greatest Hits
Ejgh.jpg
Greatest hits album by
Elton John
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 on the Billboard 200 and eleven weeks on the UK Albums Chart. 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 John's 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 [3] Although all of its songs are available as downloads, the album is currently out of print, having been superseded by four other greatest hits releases over the years: The Very Best of Elton John in 1990, Greatest Hits 1970–2002 in 2002, Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits in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, the latter 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]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]

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". [13] 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". [14]

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. [15] 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) [32] 5× Platinum250,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [33] Diamond1,000,000^
France (SNEP) [34] Gold100,000*
Japan (RIAJ) [35]
1996 reissue 		Gold100,000^
Japan (RIAJ) [36]
2000 reissue 		Platinum200,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [37] Platinum400,000 [38]
United States (RIAA) [39] 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

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Björk album) 2002 greatest hits album by Björk

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>Greatest Hits: My Prerogative</i> 2004 greatest hits album by Britney Spears

Greatest Hits: My Prerogative is the first greatest hits album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on November 3, 2004, by Jive Records.

<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. A double album, it was released on 5 October 1973, by DJM Records. Recorded 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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candle in the Wind 1997</span> 1997 single by Elton John

"Candle in the Wind 1997", also known as "Goodbye England's Rose" and "Candle in the Wind '97", is a threnody by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, a re-written and re-recorded version of their 1973 song "Candle in the Wind". It was released on 13 September 1997 as a tribute single to Diana, Princess of Wales, with the global proceeds from the song going towards Diana's charities. In many countries, it was pressed as a double A-side with "Something About the Way You Look Tonight". It was produced by Sir George Martin.

"Candle in the Wind" is a threnody style ballad written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier.

<i>Elton Johns Greatest Hits Volume II</i> 1977 greatest hits album by Elton John

Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume II is the sixteenth official album release for English musician Elton John, and the second compilation. The original 1977 US version features one song from 1971 and two songs from 1974 that were not on the first greatest hits album. It also features several hit songs from 1975 and two hit singles from John's past year of performing in 1976. The cover photograph was taken by Gered Mankowitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Your Song</span> 1970 single by Elton John

"Your Song" is a song written by musician Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was John's first international Top 10 chart single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Something About the Way You Look Tonight</span> 1997 single by Elton John

"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" is a song by English musician Elton John, taken from his 25th studio album, The Big Picture. It was written by John and Bernie Taupin, and produced by Chris Thomas. It was released as the album's first single on 8 September 1997 by Mercury Records and the Rocket Record Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can You Feel the Love Tonight</span> 1994 song from Disneys The Lion King

"Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King composed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. Released as a single in May 1994, the song was a hit in the UK, peaking at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, and achieved success in the United States, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was a number-one hit in Canada and France. At the 67th Academy Awards in March 1995, it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The same year, the song also won John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Completing a trifecta, the song also won a Golden Globe at the 52nd Golden Globe Awards held in 1995 for Best Song - Motion Picture.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Eurythmics album) 1991 greatest hits album by Eurythmics

Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 18 March 1991 by RCA Records. It contains their successful singles spanning the years 1982 through 1990. The album topped the charts in the United Kingdom for a total of 10 weeks, in New Zealand for eight weeks and in Australia for seven weeks. It remains the duo's best-selling album worldwide and has been certified six-times platinum in the United Kingdom and triple platinum in the United States. Phil Sutcliffe in Q Magazine noted that "this compilation portrays, for once, a band accorded precise justice by the singles charts".

<i>Greatest Hits (1985–1995)</i> 1995 compilation album by Michael Bolton

Greatest Hits (1985–1995) is a compilation album by American singer Michael Bolton, released in 1995. The album features Bolton's biggest hit singles from his four previous albums: The Hunger, Soul Provider, Time, Love & Tenderness and The One Thing, plus five new recordings. The album achieved a great deal of success, going 3× platinum in the US.

<i>Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits</i> 2000 live album by Elton John

Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits is a live album released by English musician Elton John in 2000. The album was recorded on 20 and 21 October 2000 at Madison Square Garden during his Medusa Tour. An extended version was also released as a DVD, entitled One Night Only: The Greatest Hits Live at Madison Square Garden. While the album is called One Night Only, it was in fact recorded over two nights. Due to technical issues on the first night, most of the recordings were drawn from the second show. In the US, it was certified gold in July 2001 by the RIAA.

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

The singles discography of British singer, songwriter and pianist Elton John consists of 140 official singles as main artist, 22 as a featured artist, as well as 56 other non-single guest appearances, 2 charity singles, and 3 other charted songs.

<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

Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits is a compilation album by English musician Elton John featuring 13 number one songs and a number of bonus tracks and live renditions. Worldwide there have been released 17 different versions of the album, including a CD/DVD combo. All versions include, "Your Song", the title track, "Rocket Man ", "Daniel", "Candle In The Wind", and "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Made in England (song)</span> 1995 single by Elton John

"Made in England" is a song by English musician Elton John, released in May 1995 by Rocket and Mercury as the title track and second single from his twenty-fourth studio album of the same name (1995). It is an autobiographical telling of his growing up, parts of his life, and what life is like in England. The song peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart and number five on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, topping the RPM Adult Contemporary chart for one week. In the United States, the song peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The accompanying music video was directed by Howard Greenhalgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Written in the Stars (Elton John and LeAnn Rimes song)</span> 1999 single by Elton John and LeAnn Rimes

"Written in the Stars" is a song by English musician Elton John and American singer LeAnn Rimes. The song came from the musical Aida, written by Elton John and Tim Rice. There are two different recordings of the song, one with Rimes performing the first verse, the other with John. The song was later featured on Rimes' 2002 album I Need You and the concept album for the musical. The song was performed live at VH1 Divas Live '99.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Craig David album) 2008 greatest hits album by Craig David

Greatest Hits is Craig David's first greatest hits album and was released on 24 November 2008. It contains three new songs, "Where's Your Love", "Insomnia" and "Just My Imagination". "Officially Yours" and "Unbelievable" are the only two singles previously released by David not to feature on the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocket Man (song)</span> 1972 single, music by Elton John, lyrics by Bernie Taupin

"Rocket Man(I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin and performed by John. It was originally released on 17 April 1972 in the US, as the lead single to John's album Honky Château. The song first charted in the UK on 22 April, rising to No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming a major hit single for John.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Avril Lavigne album) 2024 greatest hits album by Avril Lavigne

Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. It was released on June 21, 2024, by Legacy Records to support Lavigne's eighth concert tour, the Greatest Hits Tour. The album includes twenty songs spanning Lavigne's music career since her debut in 2002.

References

  1. ↑ "BPI".
  2. ↑ "American album certifications – Elton John". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  3. ↑ "Elton John's Greatest Hits hits #1". History . Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "RPM 100 Singles". RPM. Vol. 14, no. 7. 3 October 1970. Archived from the original on 14 September 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2024– via Library and Archives Canada.
  5. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 12/19/70". Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  6. ↑ List of RPM number-one singles of 1973
  7. ↑ List of RPM number-one singles of 1974
  8. ↑ "Greatest Hits no. 135". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  9. ↑ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  10. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Elton John – Greatest Hits". AllMusic.
  11. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved 27 February 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  12. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). "John, Elton". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 2,003. ISBN   978-0-85712-595-8.
  13. ↑ Charlesworth, Chris (23 November 1974). "Magical Elton". Melody Maker . p. 40.
  14. ↑ Byrom, Sue (16 November 1974). "Albums". Record & Popswop Mirror . p. 24.
  15. ↑ エルトン・ジョン / ユア・ソング～エルトン・ジョン・グレイテスト・ヒッツ [Product description: Elton John – Your Song: Elton John's Greatest Hits (PHCR-1443)]. cdjournal.com (in Japanese). CD Journal. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  16. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 158. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  17. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3900a". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Elton John – Greatest Hits" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  19. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  20. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Elton John – Greatest Hits" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  21. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  22. ↑ "Charts.nz – Elton John – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Elton John – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Elton John Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  26. ↑ "グッバイ・イエロー・ブリック・ロード～エルトン・ジョン・グレイテスト・ヒッツ／エルトン・ジョン-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック" [Highest position and charting weeks of Your Song: Greatest Hits (1996 reissue) by Elton John]. oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  27. ↑ "Elton John Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 20243.
  28. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6849a". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  29. ↑ "The Official UK Charts Company : ALBUM CHART HISTORY". Archived from the original on 16 December 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2007.
  30. ↑ "Pop Albums ("Talent in Action" supplement)". Billboard. 27 December 1975. p. 16.
  31. ↑ "Pop Albums ("Talent in Action" supplement)". Billboard. 25 December 1976. p. 12.
  32. ↑ "Elton John Australian Award". 4 April 2023.
  33. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Elton John – Greatest Hits". Music Canada.
  34. ↑ "French album certifications – Elton John – Greatest Hits" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 9 November 2021.Select ELTON JOHN and click OK. 
  35. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – エルトン・ジョン – Greatest Hits" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan . Retrieved 29 August 2022.Select 1996年7月 on the drop-down menu
  36. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – エルトン・ジョン – エルトン・ジョン・グレイテスト・ヒッツ" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan . Retrieved 29 August 2022.Select 2000年12月 on the drop-down menu
  37. ↑ "British album certifications – Elton John – Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry.
  38. ↑ "DJM to Lift Sales From Pye In May". Billboard. 11 January 1975. p. 29. Retrieved 25 December 2021– via Google Books.
  39. ↑ "American album certifications – Elton John – Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 12 September 2020.
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.