| Greatest Hits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1962 – 1966 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:23 (vinyl, cassette) 57:14 (CD) | |||
| Label | Fantasy | |||
| Vince Guaraldi chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternate cover | ||||
 Fantasy 1989 CD release cover art | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Five Cents Please | [2] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [3] |
Greatest Hits is the second compilation album of songs by American jazz pianist/composer Vince Guaraldi released in 1980 in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Released four years after Guaraldi's untimely death from a heart attack, Greatest Hits was Fantasy Records' attempt to gather the pianist's best known songs, picking up from where the 1964 compilation album Jazz Impressions left off. As the album was issued by Fantasy, it excluded tracks from Guaraldi's three Warner Bros.-Seven Arts releases ( Oh Good Grief! , The Eclectic Vince Guaraldi , Alma-Ville ) as well as Vince Guaraldi with the San Francisco Boys Chorus (1967) released on Guaraldi's own D&D record label. [2]
Greatest Hits was repackaged and expanded for CD release on July 11, 1989, with a different cover and one additional track culled from the album From All Sides (1965). [1] [2]
For the vinyl/cassette release, 45 single edit versions of "Days of Wine and Roses", "Samba de Orpheus" and "Zelao" were utilized, while the shorter version of "Christmas Time Is Here" with vocals was included. [2]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" | Vince Guaraldi | Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus (1962) | 2:58 |
| 2. | "Treat Street" | Vince Guaraldi | The Latin Side of Vince Guaraldi (1964) | 2:54 |
| 3. | "Mr. Lucky" | Henry Mancini | The Latin Side of Vince Guaraldi | 2:52 |
| 4. | "I'm a Loser" (live) | Live at El Matador (1966) | 2:42 | |
| 5. | "Days of Wine and Roses" (single edit) | Henry Mancini | Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete and Friends (1964) | 2:31 |
| 6. | "Star Song" |
| Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete and Friends | 4:46 |
| 7. | "Outra Vez" (live) | Antônio Carlos Jobim | In Person (1963) | 2:53 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Samba de Orpheus" (single edit) | Luiz Bonfá | Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus | 3:12 |
| 2. | "Manhã de Carnaval" | Luiz Bonfá | Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus | 5:45 |
| 3. | "Zelao" (live, single edit) | Sérgio Ricardo | In Person | 2:53 |
| 4. | "Oh, Good Grief" |
| Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1964) | 2:21 |
| 5. | "Linus and Lucy" | Vince Guaraldi | Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown | 3:03 |
| 6. | "Christmas Time Is Here" (vocal) |
| A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) | 2:40 |
| Total length: | 39:23 | |||
For the CD release, "Days of Wine and Roses", "Samba de Orpheus" and "Zelao" were restored to their original album lengths, while the longer, instrumental version of "Christmas Time Is Here" was featured. "Ginza Samba" was also added as a bonus track. [2]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" | Vince Guaraldi | Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus (1962) | 2:58 |
| 2. | "Ginza Samba" | Vince Guaraldi | From All Sides (1965) | † 5:23 |
| 3. | "Mr. Lucky" | Henry Mancini | The Latin Side of Vince Guaraldi | 2:52 |
| 4. | "Treat Street" | Vince Guaraldi | The Latin Side of Vince Guaraldi (1964) | 2:54 |
| 5. | "I'm a Loser" (live) | Live at El Matador (1966) | 2:42 | |
| 6. | "Days of Wine and Roses" | Henry Mancini | Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete and Friends (1964) | 5:23 |
| 7. | "Star Song" |
| Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete and Friends | 4:46 |
| 8. | "Outra Vez" (live) | Antônio Carlos Jobim | In Person (1963) | 2:53 |
| 9. | "Samba de Orpheus" | Luiz Bonfá | Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus | 5:37 |
| 10. | "Manhã de Carnaval" | Luiz Bonfá | Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus | 5:47 |
| 11. | "Zelao" (live) | Sérgio Ricardo | In Person | 4:30 |
| 12. | "Oh, Good Grief" |
| Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1964) | 2:21 |
| 13. | "Linus and Lucy" | Vince Guaraldi | Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown | 3:03 |
| 14. | "Christmas Time Is Here" (instrumental) | Vince Guaraldi | A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) | 6:02 |
| Total length: | 57:14 | |||
† = bonus track
Credits adapted from 1989 CD liner notes.
Vincent Anthony Guaraldi was an American jazz pianist noted for his innovative compositions and arrangements and for composing music for animated television adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip. His compositions for this series included their signature melody "Linus and Lucy" and the holiday standard "Christmas Time Is Here". He is also known for his performances on piano as a member of Cal Tjader's 1950s ensembles and for his own solo career. His 1962 composition "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" became a radio hit and won a Grammy Award in 1963 for Best Original Jazz Composition. He died of a sudden heart attack in February 1976 at age 47, moments after concluding a nightclub performance in Menlo Park, California.
"Linus and Lucy" is a popular instrumental jazz standard written by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, appearing in many Peanuts animated specials. Named for the two fictional siblings Linus and Lucy van Pelt, it was originally released on Guaraldi's album Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown. However, it gained its greatest exposure as part of the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack the following year. It is one of the most recognizable pieces by Guaraldi, and has gained status as the signature melody of the Peanuts franchise.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is the eighth studio album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. The album was released in December 1965 in the U.S. by Fantasy Records and was Guaraldi's final studio album for the label. It is the soundtrack to the Christmas television special of the same name.
Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus is the third album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, released in 1962 on Fantasy Records. It is considered Guaraldi's breakthrough album and made him a household name.
A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing is the second studio album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, released in the US by Fantasy Records in October 1957.
Vince Guaraldi Trio is the debut studio album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, released in the US by Fantasy Records in September 1956. It was recorded in San Francisco, California, in April 1956.
From All Sides is a collaboration between pianist Vince Guaraldi and guitarist Bola Sete released in February 1965 by Fantasy Records. It was Guaraldi's seventh studio album and the second of three collaborations with Sete.
Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown is the sixth studio album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, released in the U.S. by Fantasy Records in December 1964. It is the soundtrack to the unreleased television documentary film entitled A Boy Named Charlie Brown.
The Latin Side of Vince Guaraldi is the fifth studio album by Vince Guaraldi released by Fantasy Records in 1964. In a departure from his standard jazz output, Guaraldi combined elements of Brazilian and Caribbean styles of Latin jazz, utilizing a string quartet on five tracks.
Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits is a compilation album by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi released by Fantasy Records in 1998. The album was the first of several posthumous releases containing a mix of previously released material in addition to nine previously unavailable songs featured in prime-time animated television specials based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz.
In Person is a live performance album by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, released in the U.S. on June 10, 1963 on Fantasy Records. It was released as a follow-up to his album Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus which featured the surprise hit song "Cast Your Fate to the Wind".
Oaxaca is a compilation album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi released by D & D Records in 2004. The album is a mix of previously unreleased studio and live recordings taped in 1970 and 1971.
At Grace Cathedral is a live performance album by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, released in the U.S. in September 1965 on Fantasy Records.
Vince Guaraldi with the San Francisco Boys Chorus is an album collaboration between American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi and the San Francisco Boys Chorus released in December 1967. It was Guaraldi's ninth studio album and the first to be released on his D&D record label, named for the first initials of his two children, David and Dia.
The Definitive Vince Guaraldi is Fantasy/Concord Records compilation album of songs by American jazz pianist/composer Vince Guaraldi released on November 3, 2009. It contains 31 tracks over two CDs, highlighting Guaraldi's Peanuts work as well his collaborations with guitarist Bola Sete.
Jazz Impressions is the first compilation album of songs by American jazz pianist and composer Vince Guaraldi. The compilation was released in March 1964.
Essential Standards is the third compilation album of songs by American jazz pianist/composer Vince Guaraldi released on June 30, 2009, in the U.S by Concord as part of their Original Jazz Classics series.
Peanuts Greatest Hits is the seventh compilation album by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi released by Fantasy/Concord Records on July 31, 2015. The album gathers Guaraldi's most iconic compositions featured in the animated television specials based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz.
The Complete Warner Bros.–Seven Arts Recordings is a double CD compilation of songs by American jazz pianist/composer Vince Guaraldi released by Omnivore Recordings on July 6, 2018. It contains 30 tracks, containing remastered versions of Guaraldi's complete recorded output for Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, plus four bonus tracks.
40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas is a compilation album released in the U.S. by Peak Records in October 2005. The album is a tribute to the soundtrack album A Charlie Brown Christmas released by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi in December 1965.