Greatest Hits (James Taylor album)
| Greatest Hits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | November 1976 | |||
| Recorded | December 1969–October 1976 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:42 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | ||||
| James Taylor chronology | ||||
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Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. Released in November 1976. To this day, it is the best-selling album of his career.
The album took place in the context of Taylor's end of his recording contract with Warner Records. It features redone versions of "Carolina in My Mind" and "Something in the Way She Moves", both of which had been previously included on Taylor's self-titled debut album in 1968. It also includes a previously unavailable live version of "Steamroller".[1]
The album did not rise higher than #23 on the Billboard albums chart on its original release. However it became a steady seller for many years, and Greatest Hits has sold over 11,000,000 copies certifying it as a Platinum album eleven times over, and a diamond album once (for 10 million copies).
In August 2012, the album re-entered the Billboard albums chart at #15, which gave the album a new peak.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C[2] |
| MusicHound Rock | 3.5/5[3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
Music critic William Ruhlmann gave the album a positive review, writing for Allmusic that it constitutes a "reasonable collection for an artist who wasn't particularly well-defined by his singles. While cautioning that the release didn't quite show the "evolution" of Taylor's songwriting, he stated that it remains "a good sampler" of the artist's early work.[1]
Track listing
All songs were written by James Taylor except where noted.
Side 1:
- "Something in the Way She Moves" (1976 Version) – 3:14
- "Carolina in My Mind" (1976 Version) – 4:00
- "Fire and Rain" – 3:26
- "Sweet Baby James" – 2:55
- "Country Road" – 3:26
- "You've Got a Friend" (Carole King) – 4:33
Side 2:
- "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" – 2:39
- "Walking Man" – 3:36
- "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) – 3:39
- "Mexico" – 3:01
- "Shower the People" – 4:01
- "Steamroller" (Live) – 5:19
Personnel
- James Taylor - acoustic guitar, vocals
- Kenny Ascher - electric piano (track 8)
- Byron Berline - fiddle (track 2)
- Michael Brecker - tenor saxophone (track 7)
- David Crosby - harmony vocals (track 10)
- Nick DeCaro - hornorgan, voiceorgan (track 11)
- Craig Doerge - piano (track 7)
- Dan Dugmore - pedal steel guitar (tracks 1, 2)
- Victor Feldman - orchestra bells, vibes (track 11)
- Andrew Gold - harmonium, backing vocals (track 2)
- Milt Holland - percussion (track 10)
- Jim Keltner - drums (track 9)
- Carole King - piano, backing vocals (tracks 3–5)
- Danny Kortchmar - electric guitar (tracks 7, 9–10, 12); credited as Danny Kootch - acoustic guitar, congas (track 6)
- Russ Kunkel - drums (tracks 2–7, 10–12); congas (tracks 6–7); cabasa (track 6); tambourine (track 9); shaker (track 10)
- Gayle Levant - harp (track 10)
- John London - bass guitar (track 4)
- Rick Marotta - drums (track 8)
- Ralph MacDonald - percussion (track 8)
- Clarence McDonald - piano (tracks 2, 9, 12); Fender Rhodes piano (tracks 9, 11); voiceorgan (track 11)
- Randy Meisner - bass guitar (track 5)
- Joni Mitchell - backing vocals (track 6)
- Andy Muson - bass guitar (track 8)
- Graham Nash - harmony vocals (track 10)
- Gene Orloff - strings (concertmaster) (track 8)
- Herb Pedersen - backing vocals (track 1)
- Red Rhodes - pedal steel guitar (track 4)
- David Sanborn - saxophone (track 9)
- Carly Simon - harmony vocals (tracks 9, 11)
- Leland Sklar (credited as "Lee" Sklar) - bass guitar (tracks 1–2, 6–7, 9–12)
- David Spinozza - electric guitar; acoustic guitar (track 8)
- Bobby West (credited as Bobby "Wild Wild" West) - double bass (track 3)
Sales and certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[5] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[6] | Platinum | 300,000* |
| United States (RIAA)[7] | 11× Platinum | 11,000,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
References
- ^ a b c d https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19702
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: T". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 15, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 1124. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
{{cite book}}:|first2=has generic name (help); Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ "James Taylor: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 953. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "British album certifications – James Taylor – Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ "American album certifications – James Taylor – Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 6, 2020.