| Joy to the World: Their Greatest Hits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | November 1974 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 47:15 | |||
| Label | Dunhill | |||
| Producer | Jimmy Ienner, Gabriel Mekler, Richard Podolor | |||
| Three Dog Night chronology | ||||
| ||||
Joy to the World: Their Greatest Hits is the twelfth album by American rock band, Three Dog Night, released in 1974.
Joy to the World is the follow-up compilation to Golden Bisquits , consisting of eleven (out of twelve) charted hits from the group's previous four studio albums (the top 20 hit "Pieces of April" was left off for reasons unknown), two charted hits that already appeared on their first greatest hits compilation ("One" and "One Man Band"), and non-charting B-side "I'd Be So Happy". In 1981 the album was reissued on MCA Records with issue number MCA-37120. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   link |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+ [2] |
Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote: "Things seem to be winding up for the Kings of Oversing, but this fourteen-song compilation demonstrates that the singles, unlike the albums, didn't diminish much. It also suggests that though they're praised when at all for translating weirdos like Nilsson and Newman into AM, they also deserve credit for preserving the odd goody (two apiece) by the likes of Paul Williams and Hoyt Axton. Only Lighthouse keeper Skip Prokop proves beyond help." [2]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Joy To The World" | Hoyt Axton | Naturally , November 1970 | 3:50 |
| 2. | "One" | Harry Nilsson | Three Dog Night , October 1968 | 3:04 |
| 3. | "Sure As I'm Sittin' Here" (Edited single version) | John Hiatt | Hard Labor , March 1974 | 3:06 |
| 4. | "An Old Fashioned Love Song" (Single version) | Paul Williams | Harmony , September 1971 | 3:21 |
| 5. | "Let Me Serenade You" | John Finley | Cyan , October 1973 | 3:04 |
| 6. | "Shambala" | Daniel Moore | Cyan | 3:22 |
| 7. | "Black and White" | David I. Arkin, Earl Robinson | Seven Separate Fools , March 1972 | 3:47 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Never Been to Spain" | Hoyt Axton | Harmony | 3:43 |
| 2. | "One Man Band" | Billy Fox, January Tyme, Tommy Kaye | Naturally | 2:49 |
| 3. | "Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)" (Edited single version) | Allen Toussaint | Hard Labor | 3:34 |
| 4. | "I'd Be So Happy" (Edited single version) | Skip Prokop | Hard Labor | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Liar" (Newly edited version of stereo album mix) | Russ Ballard | Naturally | 3:04 |
| 6. | "The Family of Man" | Paul WIlliams, Jack Conrad | Harmony | 3:10 |
| 7. | "The Show Must Go On" (Single version) | David Courtney, Leo Sayer | Hard Labor | 3:37 |
Production
Album - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Pop Albums | 15 [3] |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) [4] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
War is an American funk/rock/soul band from Long Beach, California, known for several hit songs . Formed in 1969, War is a musical crossover band that fuses elements of rock, funk, jazz, Latin, rhythm and blues, psychedelia, and reggae. According to music writer Colin Larkin, their "potent fusion of funk, R&B, rock and Latin styles produced a progressive soul sound", while Martin C. Strong calls them "one of the fiercest progressive soul combos of the '70s". Their album The World Is a Ghetto was Billboard's best-selling album of 1973. The band transcended racial and cultural barriers with a multi-ethnic line-up. War was subject to many line-up changes over the course of its existence, leaving member Leroy "Lonnie" Jordan as the only original member in the current line-up; four other members created a new group called the Lowrider Band.
Damn the Torpedoes is the third studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on October 19, 1979. This was the first of three Petty albums originally released by the Backstreet Records label, distributed by MCA Records. It built on the commercial success and critical acclaim of his two previous albums and reached #2 on the Billboard album chart. The album went on to become certified Triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, with founding members consisting of vocalists Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup (guitar), and Floyd Sneed (drums). The band had 21 Billboard Top 40 hits between 1969 and 1975, with three hitting number one. Three Dog Night recorded many songs written by outside songwriters, and they helped to introduce mainstream audiences to writers such as Randy Newman, Paul Williams, and Hoyt Axton
The Trammps are an American disco and soul band, who were based in Philadelphia and were one of the first disco bands.
It Ain't Easy is the fourth album by American rock band Three Dog Night, released in 1970.
Harmony is the seventh album by American rock band Three Dog Night, released in 1971. The album featured two Top 10 hits: "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and a cover version of Hoyt Axton's "Never Been to Spain".
Seven Separate Fools is the eighth studio album by American rock band Three Dog Night. Released in 1972, the album reached number six on the US Billboard 200, becoming the band's highest-charting album. The LP version of the album was released with seven large playing cards as an extra bonus.
Hard Labor is the eleventh album by American rock band Three Dog Night, released in 1974.
Celebrate: The Three Dog Night Story, 1965–1975 is a two-CD anthology of Three Dog Night recordings released in 1993 which includes some pre-3DN material from co-lead singers Danny Hutton and Cory Wells, as well as an unreleased track "Time to Get Alone", penned and produced by Brian Wilson from the band's brief "Redwood" incarnation. It covers all of the band's singles, as well as some album tracks, in the band's career.
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy is a compilation album of singles by British rock band The Who, released in 1971 as Track 2406 006 in the UK and as Decca DL 79184 in the US. It entered the US Billboard 200 chart on 20 November 1971, peaking at number 11, and the UK chart on 3 December 1971, peaking at number 9.
Cool for Cats is the second studio album by the English new wave group Squeeze, released in 1979. Cool for Cats contains four UK hit singles, more than any other album the band has issued. The album peaked at number 45 in the UK Albums Chart, spending 11 weeks in that listing.
Who Came First is the debut album by Pete Townshend, released in 1972 on Track Records in the UK and Track/Decca in the US. It includes demos from the aborted concept album Lifehouse, part of which became Who's Next. The original release had a gatefold cover and included a poster with additional photos of Meher Baba from the Louis van Gasteren film Beyond Words. The cover photo of Townshend standing on eggs is a reference to the eternal question "Who came first: the chicken or the egg?" It peaked at number 30 on the UK album chart and at number 69 on the US Billboard 200.
Made in the Shade, released in 1975, is the third official compilation album by the Rolling Stones, and the first under their Atlantic Records contract. It covers material from Sticky Fingers (1971), Exile on Main St. (1972), Goats Head Soup (1973) and It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (1974).
Wet Willie is an American band from Mobile, Alabama. Their best-known song, "Keep On Smilin'", reached No. 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1974. Several other of the group's songs also appeared on the singles charts in the 1970s, which utilized their soulful brand of Southern rock.
Greatest Hits is the third greatest hits compilation by American singer-actress Cher, released in October 1974 by MCA Records. The album was released to close Cher's contract with MCA, her record company since 1971. This release follows the greatest hits albums Golden Greats (1968) and Superpack (1972). The album peaked at #152 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Time Peace: The Rascals' Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album from the Rascals, released on June 24, 1968. It reached number one on the Billboard Pop Albums chart by September 1968. It also topped the Cash Box albums chart with a run in the Top 10 for 20 consecutive weeks
Living and Dying in ¾ Time is the fourth studio album by American popular-music singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffett and the second major-label album in Buffett's Don Gant-produced "Key West phase". It was initially released in February 1974 as his second album for Dunhill. It contains the song "Come Monday", his first top-40 hit single.
Loretta Lynn's Greatest Hits, Vol. II is a compilation album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on May 13, 1974, by MCA Records. The album is made up of Lynn's biggest hits between 1968 and 1973.
Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound is the thirtieth studio album by Hank Williams, Jr. and his fourth on the Elektra/Curb labels. The full-length album was Williams' second of 1979, with Family Tradition released in April.
Disco Nights is the debut album by American soul/disco group GQ, released in 1979 on the Arista label. The lead single "Disco Nights " was a major crossover hit, topping the R&B chart and peaking at #12 on the pop chart. The follow-up, a cover of Billy Stewart's 1965 classic "I Do Love You", also made the R&B top 5 and the pop top 20. On the back of its hit singles, the album became a big seller. It reached #2 R&B and #13 pop and was certified Platinum by the RIAA.
