Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992

Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992
Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992
Greatest hits album by Olivia Newton-John
Released	9 June 1992
Recorded	1971–1992
Genre	Pop; country pop;
Label	Geffen
Producer	Peter Asher; Harding Curnow; John Farrar; David Foster; Elton John; Jeff Lynne; Giorgio Moroder; James Newton Howard; Guy Roche; Louis St. Louis; Diane Warren; Bruce Welch;
Olivia Newton-John chronology
Singles from Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992
	"I Need Love"; Released: June 1992; "Deeper Than a River"; Released: August 1992;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]

Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992 is the third greatest hits album by English-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released on 9 June 1992 by Geffen Records. It is the first compilation to contain both her country and pop hits. The album contained four new tracks: lead single "I Need Love" (produced by Giorgio Moroder), US Adult Contemporary top-20 single "Deeper Than a River", "Not Gonna Be the One" and a cover version of Brenda Lee's 1960 US number one "I Want to Be Wanted". A tour was planned to promote the album, but had to be cancelled when Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Release

The album was released with different track listings in different territories in order to feature her biggest hits in each region. Although the album did not chart highly in the US, it was a long-term big seller and eventually certified Gold.^[2] The album was a bigger success in the UK and Australia.

Reception

AllMusic rated the album four and a half stars, stating that "an artist well-defined by her hit singles, Olivia Newton-John has had a stylistically varied career, as is illustrated on Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971-1992, a set that ranges from her teary ballad "I Honestly Love You" to that bouncy paean to getting horizontal, "Physical." Fans may quibble that such hits as "Let Me Be There" and "Make a Move on Me" are not included, but Newton-John's two greatest-hits albums are out of print, and this is the only collection to combine both her good-girl and bad-girl personae."^[3]

In their review of the album, Billboard commented that "it's hard to believe that Livvy has been cranking out guilty pop pleasures for more than 20 years now. Though she has frequently taken a hefty critical slagging, there's no denying that tunes like "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)," "A Little More Love," and "I Honestly Love You" have worn well over time. On this set, which has numerous cuts previously unavailable on CD, ONJ keeps from drowning in nostalgia by offering four strong new songs. "I Need Love," an AIDS-conscious pop/dance cut, is the best radio bet, while "Not Gonna Be The One" proves exactly how much Wilson Phillips really does owe her." ^[4]

Cashbox stated "the amazing career of Olivia lives on. Her 18th album (second on Geffen) is primarily a greatest hits LP with four new songs...the rest of the album consists of 13 other select should make this record a collector's item."^[5]

Spin commented that Newton-John's music was "the soundtrack to a million adolescent infatuations, consummations and separations," noting that "the four new-for-'92 tracks included on this collection harken back to the Olivia of old. Call this a comeback."^[6]

Track listing

*Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992* – American edition
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Deeper Than a River"	Diane Warren	Guy Roche Warren	4:19
2.	"Not Gonna Be the One"	Seth Swirsky	John Farrar	3:12
3.	"I Want to Be Wanted"	Giuseppe Spotti Alberto Testa Kim Gannon	Peter Asher	3:26
4.	"I Need Love"	Stephen A. Kipner John Lewis Parker	Giorgio Moroder	4:12
5.	"Twist of Fate"	Kipner Peter Beckett	David Foster	3:43
6.	"Physical"	Kipner Terry Shaddick	Farrar	3:43
7.	"Magic"	Farrar	Farrar	4:25
8.	"Deeper Than the Night"	Tom Snow Johnny Vastano	Farrar	3:35
9.	"A Little More Love"	Farrar	Farrar	3:27
10.	"You're the One That I Want" (with John Travolta)	Farrar	Farrar	2:47
11.	"Summer Nights" (with John Travolta)	Jim Jacobs Warren Casey	Louis St. Louis	3:36
12.	"Hopelessly Devoted to You"	Farrar	Farrar	3:00
13.	"Please Mr. Please"	Bruce Welch John Rostill	Farrar	3:24
14.	"Sam"	Farrar Hank Marvin Don Black	Farrar	3:37
15.	"Have You Never Been Mellow"	Farrar	Farrar	3:28
16.	"If You Love Me (Let Me Know)"	Rostill	Farrar	3:12
17.	"I Honestly Love You"	Peter Allen Jeff Barry	Farrar	3:36
Total length:				54:19

*Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992* – European and Japanese editions
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"If Not for You"	Bob Dylan	Welch Farrar	2:53
2.	"Banks of the Ohio"	Traditional	Welch Farrar	3:16
3.	"What Is Life"	George Harrison	Welch Farrar	3:26
4.	"Take Me Home, Country Roads"	Bill Danoff Taffy Nivert John Denver	Farrar	3:17
5.	"I Honestly Love You"			3:37
6.	"Have You Never Been Mellow"			3:30
7.	"Sam"			3:42
8.	"You're the One That I Want" (with John Travolta)			2:48
9.	"Hopelessly Devoted to You"			3:06
10.	"Summer Nights" (with John Travolta)			3:35
11.	"A Little More Love"			3:29
12.	"Xanadu" (with Electric Light Orchestra)	Jeff Lynne	Lynne	3:28
13.	"Magic"			4:31
14.	"Suddenly" (with Cliff Richard)	Farrar	Farrar	4:00
15.	"Physical"			3:43
16.	"The Rumour"	Elton John Bernie Taupin	John James Newton Howard	3:56
17.	"Not Gonna Be the One"			3:04
18.	"I Need Love"			4:13
19.	"I Want to Be Wanted"			3:26
20.	"Deeper Than a River"			4:19
21.	"Warm and Tender" (Japanese bonus track)	Olivia Newton-John Farrar	Farrar	3:22
Total length:				71:21

*Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992* – Australian edition
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"I Need Love"			4:14
2.	"Deeper Than a River"			4:20
3.	"Not Gonna Be the One"			3:06
4.	"I Want to Be Wanted"			3:31
5.	"If Not for You"			2:56
6.	"Banks of the Ohio"			3:19
7.	"Let Me Be There"	Rostill	Welch Farrar	3:01
8.	"I Honestly Love You"			3:38
9.	"If You Love Me (Let Me Know)"			3:16
10.	"Have You Never Been Mellow"			3:33
11.	"Don't Stop Believin'"	Farrar	Farrar	3:40
12.	"Sam"			3:45
13.	"A Little More Love"			3:30
14.	"Physical"			3:44
15.	"Make a Move on Me"	Farrar Snow	Farrar	3:19
16.	"Hopelessly Devoted to You"			3:07
17.	"Xanadu" (with Electric Light Orchestra)			3:29
18.	"Magic"			4:31
19.	"Twist of Fate"			3:42
20.	"Soul Kiss"	Mark Goldenberg	Farrar	4:33
21.	"The Grease Megamix" (with John Travolta)	Farrar Jacobs Casey	Farrar St. Louis Harding Curnow	4:51
Total length:				73:05

*The Singles: Australasian Tour Souvenir* – 1998 bonus disc
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"No Matter What You Do"	Newton-John	Newton-John Murray Burns Colin Bailey	4:22
2.	"Don't Cut Me Down"	Newton-John	Newton-John Burns Bailey	4:15
3.	"It's Always Australia for Me"	John Capek Newton-John	Davitt Sigerson	3:19
4.	"Can't We Talk It Over in Bed"	Sandy Linzer Irwin Levine	Hank Medress Linzer	3:55
5.	"The Rumour"			3:59
6.	"Please Mr. Please"			3:24
7.	"Jolene"	Dolly Parton	Farrar	3:07
8.	"Don't Cry for Me Argentina"	Andrew Lloyd Webber Tim Rice	Farrar	6:02
9.	"Heart Attack"	Kipner Paul Bliss	Farrar	3:08
10.	"Toughen Up"	Terry Britten Graham Lyle	Farrar	3:49
Total length:				38:00

Charts

1992 chart performance for *Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992*
Chart (1992-1995)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[7]	15
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[8]	7
UK Albums (OCC)^[9]	12
US Billboard 200^[10]	121
European Albums (Eurotipsheet)^[11]	80
Denmark Album Chart^[12]	2

Certifications

Certifications for *Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[13]	Gold	35,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[14]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ AllMusic review
^ "American album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992". Recording Industry Association of America.
^ "Back to Basics - Olivia Newton-John | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic.
^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard Music Week. No. 27 June 1992. p. 46. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. No. 20 June 1992. p. 5. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
^ "Album Releases". Spin. No. August 1992. April 1989. p. 77. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
^ "Australiancharts.com – Olivia Newton-John – Back to Basics - The Essential Collection 1971-1992". Hung Medien.
^ "Charts.nz – Olivia Newton-John – Back to Basics - The Essential Collection 1971-1992". Hung Medien.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
^ "Olivia Newton-John Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
^ "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 9, no. 32. 8 August 1988. p. 15. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
^ "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 35. 2 September 1995. p. 15. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1992 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
^ "American album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971-1992". Recording Industry Association of America. 23 July 1998.

[1] AllMusic review

[2] "American album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992". Recording Industry Association of America.

[3] "Back to Basics - Olivia Newton-John | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic.

[Billboard19610828-4] "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard Music Week. No. 27 June 1992. p. 46. Retrieved 5 August 2024.

[5] "Album Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. No. 20 June 1992. p. 5. Retrieved 12 August 2024.

[6] "Album Releases". Spin. No. August 1992. April 1989. p. 77. Retrieved 5 August 2024.

[ac_Australia_Olivia_Newton-John-7] "Australiancharts.com – Olivia Newton-John – Back to Basics - The Essential Collection 1971-1992". Hung Medien.

[ac_New_Zealand_Olivia_Newton-John-8] "Charts.nz – Olivia Newton-John – Back to Basics - The Essential Collection 1971-1992". Hung Medien.

[ac_UK2_-9] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2022.

[ac_Billboard200_Olivia_Newton-John-10] "Olivia Newton-John Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.

[11] "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 9, no. 32. 8 August 1988. p. 15. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.

[12] "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 35. 2 September 1995. p. 15. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.

[AustraliaOlivia_Newton-JohnBack_to_Basics:_The_Essential_Collection_1971–1992albumCertRef-13] "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1992 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 November 2021.

[US_Plat-14] "American album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971-1992". Recording Industry Association of America. 23 July 1998.

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v t e Olivia Newton-John
Albums Singles Videography Tours Awards and honours
Studio albums	If Not for You Olivia Let Me Be There Long Live Love Have You Never Been Mellow Clearly Love Come On Over Don't Stop Believin' Making a Good Thing Better Totally Hot Physical Soul Kiss The Rumour Warm and Tender Gaia: One Woman's Journey Back with a Heart 2 Indigo: Women of Song Stronger Than Before Grace and Gratitude Christmas Wish A Celebration in Song This Christmas Liv On Friends for Christmas
Compilations	If You Love Me, Let Me Know First Impressions Greatest Hits Greatest Hits Vol. 2 Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992 The Definitive Collection Magic Gold 40/40: The Best Selection Hopelessly Devoted: The Hits Just the Two of Us: The Duets Collection (Vol. 1) Just the Two of Us: The Duets Collection (Vol. 2)
Live albums	Love Performance Highlights from The Main Event One Woman's Live Journey Olivia's Live Hits Two Strong Hearts Live
Soundtracks	Grease Xanadu Two of a Kind A Few Best Men
EPs	Hotel Sessions
Video releases	Olivia Physical Olivia in Concert Twist of Fate Soul Kiss Olivia Down Under The Main Event Video Gold Live at the Sydney Opera House
Singles	"Till You Say You'll Be Mine" "If Not for You" "Banks of the Ohio" "What Is Life" "Just a Little Too Much" "Take Me Home, Country Roads" "Let Me Be There" "Long Live Love" "I Honestly Love You" "If You Love Me, Let Me Know" "Have You Never Been Mellow" "Please Mr. Please" "Something Better to Do" "Let It Shine" "Come on Over" "Jolene" "Don't Stop Believin'" "Every Face Tells a Story" "Sam" "Making a Good Thing Better" "You're the One That I Want" "Hopelessly Devoted to You" "Summer Nights" "A Little More Love" "Deeper Than the Night" "Totally Hot"/"Dancin' Round and Round" "I Can't Help It" "Rest Your Love on Me" "Magic" "Xanadu" "Suddenly" "Physical" "Make a Move on Me" "Landslide" "Heart Attack" "Tied Up" "Twist of Fate" "Soul Kiss" "The Best of Me" "The Rumour" "Reach Out for Me" "When You Wish Upon a Star" "The Grease Megamix" "Grease: The Dream Mix" "I Need Love"
Featured singles	"You Have to Believe"
Other songs	"Me and Bobby McGee" "If" "Help Me Make It Through the Night" "If You Could Read My Mind" "Angel of the Morning" "Everything I Own" "God Only Knows" "The Air That I Breathe" "Love Is Alive" "Ring of Fire" "Slow Dancing"
Concert tours	Physical Tour One Woman's Journey Tour Heartstrings World Tour A Summer Night with ONJ Summer Nights Two Strong Hearts Live
Related articles	Toomorrow (soundtrack) Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You Max Born Pat Carroll John Farrar Tottie Goldsmith Chloe Lattanzi (daughter) Matt Lattanzi (first husband) Emerson Newton-John (nephew)
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