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Greatest Hits (Elton John album)

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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.

Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by
Elton John
Released8 November 1974
Recorded1970–1974
GenreRock, pop
Length44:12
Label
ProducerGus Dudgeon
Elton John chronology
Caribou
(1974) 		Greatest Hits
(1974) 		Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
(1975)

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worldwide.[3] Although all of its songs are available as downloads, the album is currently out of print, having been superseded by four other greatest hits releases over the years: The Very Best of Elton John in 1990, Greatest Hits 1970–2002 in 2002, Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits in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

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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

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [10]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [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

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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

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[32] 5× Platinum 250,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[33] Diamond 1,000,000^
France (SNEP)[34] Gold 100,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[35]
1996 reissue 		Gold 100,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[36]
2000 reissue 		Platinum 200,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[38] Platinum 400,000[37]
United States (RIAA)[39] 17× Platinum 17,000,000‡

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

See also

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References

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  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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ "DJM to Lift Sales From Pye In May". Billboard. 11 January 1975. p. 29. Retrieved 25 December 2021 – via Google Books.
  38. ^ "British album certifications – Elton John – Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry.
  39. ^ "American album certifications – Elton John – Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
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