Greatest Hits (Vince Guaraldi album)

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.

Greatest Hits
Compilation album by
Released1980
Recorded1962 – 1966
Genre
Length39:23 (vinyl, cassette)
57:14 (CD)
LabelFantasy
Vince Guaraldi chronology
A Boy Named Charlie Brown: Selections from the Film Soundtrack
(1970)
Greatest Hits
(1980)
Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits
(1998)
Alternate cover
Fantasy 1989 CD release cover art
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Five Cents Please[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[3]

Background edit

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]

Track listing edit

Original 1980 vinyl/cassette issue edit

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]

Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Cast Your Fate to the Wind"Vince GuaraldiJazz Impressions of Black Orpheus (1962)2:58
2."Treat Street"Vince GuaraldiThe Latin Side of Vince Guaraldi (1964)2:54
3."Mr. Lucky"Henry ManciniThe Latin Side of Vince Guaraldi2:52
4."I'm a Loser" (live)Live at El Matador (1966)2:42
5."Days of Wine and Roses" (single edit)Henry ManciniVince Guaraldi, Bola Sete and Friends (1964)2:31
6."Star Song"
  • Vince Guaraldi
  • William Siden
Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete and Friends4:46
7."Outra Vez" (live)Antônio Carlos JobimIn Person (1963)2:53
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Samba de Orpheus" (single edit)Luiz BonfáJazz Impressions of Black Orpheus3:12
2."Manhã de Carnaval"Luiz BonfáJazz Impressions of Black Orpheus5:45
3."Zelao" (live, single edit)Sérgio RicardoIn Person2:53
4."Oh, Good Grief"
Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1964)2:21
5."Linus and Lucy"Vince GuaraldiJazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown3:03
6."Christmas Time Is Here" (vocal)
  • Vince Guaraldi
  • Lee Mendelson
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)2:40
Total length:39:23

1989 CD release edit

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.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Cast Your Fate to the Wind"Vince GuaraldiJazz Impressions of Black Orpheus (1962)2:58
2."Ginza Samba"Vince GuaraldiFrom All Sides (1965)† 5:23
3."Mr. Lucky"Henry ManciniThe Latin Side of Vince Guaraldi2:52
4."Treat Street"Vince GuaraldiThe 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 ManciniVince Guaraldi, Bola Sete and Friends (1964)5:23
7."Star Song"
  • Vince Guaraldi
  • William Siden
Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete and Friends4:46
8."Outra Vez" (live)Antônio Carlos JobimIn Person (1963)2:53
9."Samba de Orpheus"Luiz BonfáJazz Impressions of Black Orpheus5:37
10."Manhã de Carnaval"Luiz BonfáJazz Impressions of Black Orpheus5:47
11."Zelao" (live)Sérgio RicardoIn Person4:30
12."Oh, Good Grief"
Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1964)2:21
13."Linus and Lucy"Vince GuaraldiJazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown3:03
14."Christmas Time Is Here" (instrumental)Vince GuaraldiA Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)6:02
Total length:57:14

† = bonus track

Personnel edit

Credits adapted from 1989 CD liner notes.

  • Vince Guaraldi – piano
  • Bola Sete – guitar (Tracks 2, 5–7)
  • Eddie Duran – guitar (Tracks 3, 4, 8, 11)
  • Monty Budwig – double bass (Tracks 1, 2, 9, 10, 12–14)
  • Fred Marshall – double bass (Tracks 3, 4, 6–8, 11)
  • Colin Bailey – drums (Tracks 1, 8–14)
  • Nick Martinez – drums (Track 2)
  • Jerry Granelli – drums (Tracks 3, 4, 6, 7)
  • Lee Charlton – drums (Track 5)
  • Bill Fitch – congas (Tracks 3, 4)
  • Benny Velarde – timbales (Tracks 3, 4); güiro (Tracks 8, 11)
Additional
  • Gene Santoro – liner notes

References edit

  1. ^ a b Ginell, Richard S.. Greatest Hits at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Bang, Derrick. "Vince Guaraldi on LP and CD: Greatest Hits". fivecentsplease.org. Derrick Bang, Scott McGuire. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  3. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 614. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.

External links edit