The Best of The Guess Who is the fourth compilation album by the Canadian group The Guess Who. It was originally released by RCA Records in April 1971 and contains recordings made between 1968 and 1970. The album reached number 12 on the Billboard top LPs chart in the United States.[3]
| The Best of The Guess Who | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | April 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1968–1970 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 42:29 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Jack Richardson | |||
| The Guess Who chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[2] |
A follow-up, The Best of The Guess Who Volume II, was released in 1973.
Release history
editThe first half of the album contains tracks from 1968-1970, while the second half of the album contains tracks from the 1970 album "Share the Land". Some of the songs on this album are single edits. For example, the single version of "American Woman" is missing the acoustic introduction. The single version of "Undun", is used as well without the piano intro.
Randy Bachman appears as lead guitar for the first half of the album, while Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw appear on guitar on the second half of the album.
In addition to the usual 2-channel stereo version, the album was also released by RCA in a 4-channel quadraphonic version on 8-track tape and reel-to-reel.
The first CD issue in 1988 by RCA replaced the single version of "American Woman" with the album version. A reissue by Legacy Recordings in 2006 had the single version restored and added three bonus tracks.
In 2014, the album was released in the Super Audio CD format by Audio Fidelity. This version contains the complete stereo and quadraphonic versions on one disc. The stereo version[4] includes the full album version of "American Woman", but the quad version has the edited recording. Both the stereo and quad versions of "Hang On to Your Life" include the Psalm 22 ending.[5]
Reception
editGary Hill of AllMusic says "It is sometimes hard to believe that the same group that brought the world the jazzy 'Undun' and the CS&N-ish hippie anthem 'Share the Land' is also responsible for the rocking 'No Time.' This 11-track collection paints a very entertaining picture of a multi-talented band and is a perfect introduction for the casual fan."
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "These Eyes" | 3:43 | |
| 2. | "Laughing" |
| 2:44 |
| 3. | "Undun" | Bachman | 3:25 |
| 4. | "No Time" |
| 3:45 |
| 5. | "American Woman" |
| 3:50 |
| 6. | "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature" |
| 4:52 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Hand Me Down World" | Kurt Winter | 3:26 |
| 8. | "Bus Rider" | Winter | 2:56 |
| 9. | "Share the Land" | Cummings | 3:53 |
| 10. | "Do You Miss Me Darlin'?" |
| 3:55 |
| 11. | "Hang On to Your Life" |
| 4:08 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Albert Flasher" | Cummings | 2:27 |
| 13. | "Broken" |
| 3:08 |
| 14. | "Rain Dance" |
| 2:44 |
- The original 1990 CD issue contains a misprint of the running time for "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature" as 7:51.[6]
Personnel
edit- The Guess Who
on tracks 1−6
- Burton Cummings – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, flute, harmonica
- Randy Bachman – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals
- Garry Peterson – drums, backing vocals
on tracks 7−11 + bonus tracks
- Burton Cummings − lead vocals, keyboards
- Kurt Winter − lead guitar, backing vocals
- Greg Leskiw − rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Jim Kale − bass, backing vocals
- Garry Peterson − drums, backing vocals
- Additional personnel
- Arranger: The Guess Who (Tracks 4−11)
- Engineer: David Greene and Elliot Scheiner (Tracks 1−3), Randy Kling (Tracks 4−6), Brian Christian (Tracks 4−5)
- Producer: Jack Richardson[7]
Charts
edit| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[8] | 9 |
| US Billboard 200[9] | 12 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[10] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[11] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ The Best of The Guess Who at AllMusic
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: G". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ The Guess Who, The Best of The Guess Who Retrieved March 20, 2015
- ^ The Best of The Guess Who SACD, Hybrid, Multichannel, Quadraphonic, Compilation Retrieved February 7, 2019
- ^ The Best of The Guess Who Reel-To-Reel, Compilation, Quadraphonic, 7 ½ ips Retrieved February 7, 2019
- ^ "The Best Of The Guess Who - Notes on 1990 CD". Discogs.
- ^ The Guess Who, The Best of The Guess Who Credits Retrieved March 20, 2015
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5387". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "The Guess Who Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Guess Who – The Best of Vol. 1". Music Canada.
- ^ "American album certifications – Guess Who – The Best of The Guess Who". Recording Industry Association of America.
