Greatest Hits 1970-2002 is a nearly flawless double-disc set commemorating Elton John's three-decade career. Disc one features what may arguably be John's most essential work: Seeing songs such as 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting,' 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,' 'Candle in the Wind,' and 'Bennie and the Jets' - not to mention 'Your Song,' 'Rocket Man,' and 'Tiny Dancer' - lined up back. Elton John Elton John's Greatest Hits Overview (current section) Wiki Artwork Shouts Scrobbles. Listen to songs from the album Greatest Hits 1970-2002. To preview and buy music from Greatest Hits 1970-2002 by Elton John.
Elton John’s Greatest Hits Volume III (1979-1987) June 13, 1987. April 10, 1970 Elton John. June 3, 1969 Empty Sky. Elton’s career-spanning album contains some of his biggest and best songs up until 2002. It was certified five-times platinum by the RIAA, and four-times platinum in Canada, and the record garnered the #12 spot on.
| Greatest Hits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 8 November 1974 | |||
| Genre | Rock, pop | |||
| Length | 47:40 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Gus Dudgeon | |||
| Elton John chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[2] |
Greatest Hits (often referred to as Elton John Greatest Hits in North America) is the eleventh official album release for Elton John, and the first compilation. Released in November 1974, 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. It was the best-selling album of 1975 in the United States, and is his 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.[3] It remains John's best-selling album and one of the best-selling albums of all time, with 24 million copies sold worldwide.[4]
- 3Charts
Contents[edit]
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,' an album track on Elton John outside of the US and Canada, went to No. 92 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and to No. 34 on the Canadian RPM national singles chart as a single in 1970.[5] 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, the compilers left off several other hit singles from the time period. 'Tiny Dancer' and 'Levon' from the Madman Across the Water album made it to No. 41 and No. 24 respectively as singles in the US, and 'The Bitch Is Back,' his most recent single, was a No. 4 in the US and topped the chart in Canada. Although all of these charted higher than 'Border Song,' it may have been included because it was the first Elton John single to chart in any market, or because of the cover versions by high-profile acts such as The 5th Dimension or Aretha Franklin, the latter version reaching #37 in the Billboard Hot 100 and #23 in the Cash Box Top 100 in December 1970.[6] Of the ten selections for the North American album, two ('Crocodile Rock' and 'Bennie and the Jets') had been US No. 1 hits; 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.[7][8]
In 2003, Greatest Hits was ranked at number 136 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Track listing[edit]
All music composed by Elton John, all lyrics written by Bernie Taupin.
- Original North American version
Elton John's Greatest Hits
| Side one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Album | Length |
| 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 Road | 4:55 |
| Side two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Album | Length |
| 1. | 'Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)' | Honky Château | 4:40 |
| 2. | 'Bennie and the Jets' | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | 5:10 |
| 3. | 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me' | Caribou (1974) | 5:33 |
| 4. | 'Border Song' | Elton John | 3:19 |
| 5. | 'Crocodile Rock' | Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player | 3:56 |
- 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.[9] In 2000, Universal Music Japan reissued the album under the alternative title Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The track listing is as follows:
| Your Song: Elton John's Greatest Hits | |
|---|---|
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Charts[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
Certifications[edit]
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See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. 'Greatest Hits – Elton John'. AllMusic.
- ^Christgau, Robert (1981). 'Consumer Guide '70s: J'. Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN089919026X. Retrieved 27 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ ab'RIAA - Diamond Awards'(PHP). riaa.com. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
- ^'Elton John's Greatest Hits hits #1'. History. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^Library and Archives Canada. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.4700&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=msnvgu5v4a643al8ugim1ea684Archived 14 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2018.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
- ^List of RPM number-one singles of 1973
- ^List of RPM number-one singles of 1974
- ^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.
- ^ abKent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN0-646-11917-6.
- ^'Top Albums/CDs - Volume 22, No. 20'. RPM. 11 January 1975. Archived from the original(PHP) on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- ^'dutchcharts.nl Elton John – Greatest Hits'. Hung Medien, dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ^source:Pennanen, Timo: Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava, 2006. ISBN9789511210535. page: 280
- ^'InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste' (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2013.Note: user must select 'Elton JOHN' from drop-down.
- ^Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN4-87131-077-9.
- ^'charts.nz Elton John – Greatest Hits'(ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^'norwegiancharts.com Elton John – Greatest Hits'(ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^'Number 1 Albums – 1970s'. The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^'Allmusic: Greatest Hits : Charts & Awards : Billboard Albums'. allmusic.com. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^'Album Search: Elton John – Greatest Hits' (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^'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.
- ^'Elton John - Chart History'. Billboard. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^'RPM Top 100 Albums of 1975'. RPM. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 27 December 1975.Check date values in:
accessdate=(help) - ^'The Official UK Charts Company : ALBUM CHART HISTORY'. Archived from the original on 16 December 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2007.
- ^'Pop Albums ('Talent in Action' supplement)'. Billboard. 27 December 1975. p. 16.
- ^'Pop Albums ('Talent in Action' supplement)'. Billboard. 25 December 1976. p. 12.
- ^'Canadian album certifications – Elton John – Greatest Hits'. Music Canada.
- ^'Les Certifications depuis 1973'. Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 26 December 2017. Select 'Elton JOHN' from drop-down list and click 'OK'.
- ^'RIAJ > The Record > September 1996 > Certified Awards (July 1996)'(PDF). Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original(PDF) on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
- ^'RIAJ > The Record > February 2001 > Certified Awards (December 2000)'(PDF). Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original(PDF) on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
- ^'British album certifications – Elton John – Greatest Hits'. British Phonographic Industry.Select albums in the Format field.Select Platinum in the Certification field.Type Greatest Hits in the 'Search BPI Awards' field and then press Enter.