John Denver's Greatest Hits is American singer-songwriter John Denver's first compilation album, released in late 1973 for the holiday shopping season. A version known as The Best of John Denver with the same track listing[4] was released in some countries.
| John Denver's Greatest Hits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | November 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 1969–1973 | |||
| Genre | Folk, Country, Pop | |||
| Label | RCA Records | |||
| Producer | Milton Okun | |||
| John Denver chronology | ||||
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| Singles from John Denver's Greatest Hits | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B–[2] |
| Rolling Stone Record Guide |  [3] |
History
The collection included material from his earlier days as a songwriter (going back to 1965 on "For Bobbie") to his later hit "Rocky Mountain High". Indeed, many of these tracks were not hits per se, but as Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote for Allmusic, "the[se] were [the] songs that defined him."
Moreover, Greatest Hits is important historically because it contained new, revisionist recordings of several songs. Notable new versions included "Leaving on a Jet Plane", "Starwood in Aspen", "Follow Me", "Rhymes and Reasons", "The Eagle and the Hawk", "Sunshine On My Shoulders" and "Poems, Prayers, and Promises".
Denver explained this himself in the liner notes by saying that he had picked the numbers most requested in his concerts, but that "I felt that some of these songs had grown a bit, that I am singing better than I was four or five years ago, and that I would like to treat some of the songs a little differently than I had in the original recordings."
After its release these versions were used for airplay despite differing in subtle but important ways from the original versions; generally, they were more polished, featured a more mature-sounding Denver, included strings, and were extended somewhat.
Within a few months of its release, Greatest Hits climbed to the top of the Billboard 200 pop albums chart, went platinum, and was one of the first albums worldwide to sell over 10 million copies. Overall it is easily the best-selling album of his career in the United States, being certified 9-times Platinum by the RIAA.[5]
Track listing
All tracks produced by Milton Okun; all tracks written by John Denver except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (from Poems, Prayers & Promises, 1971) |
| 3:08 |
| 2. | "Follow Me" (new recording; from Take Me to Tomorrow, 1970) | 2:56 | |
| 3. | "Starwood in Aspen" (new recording; from Aerie, 1971) | 3:10 | |
| 4. | "For Baby (For Bobbie)" (from Rocky Mountain High, 1972) | 2:58 | |
| 5. | "Rhymes and Reasons" (new recording; from Rhymes & Reasons, 1969) | 3:11 | |
| 6. | "Leaving on a Jet Plane" (new recording; from Rhymes & Reasons) | 4:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Eagle and the Hawk" (new recording; from Aerie) |
| 2:10 |
| 2. | "Sunshine on My Shoulders" (from Poems, Prayers & Promises) |
| 5:10 |
| 3. | "Goodbye Again" (from Rocky Mountain High) | 3:36 | |
| 4. | "Poems, Prayers and Promises" (new recording; from Poems, Prayers & Promises) | 4:34 | |
| 5. | "Rocky Mountain High" (from Rocky Mountain High) |
| 4:43 |
Chart positions
Weekly charts
| Chart (1974/75) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] | 4 |
| US Billboard Top LPs | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] | 25 |
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] | 20 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[9] | Gold | 10,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Personnel
For the newly recorded tracks:
- John Denver – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Eric Weissberg – guitars, banjo
- Dick Kniss – bass
- Frank Owens – piano
- Herb Lovelle – drums
- Gary Chester – percussion
See also
References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Christgau review
- ^ [1979 Rolling Stone Record Guide review]
- ^ Original LP label as seen at http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=2104022 (note that the back cover shows the songs in a different order, but the label itself has them in the same order as Greatest Hits)
- ^ "RIAA – Searchable Database: John Denver". Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 87. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 426. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 427. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1977". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved August 28, 2019.