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The Very Best of Elton John

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The Very Best of Elton John is a greatest hits compilation album by Elton John, released in October 1990. His first career-retrospective album, and fourth official greatest-hits album overall, it was released in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe, and in other countries such as Japan and Australia, but not in the United States, where the box set To Be Continued... was released the following month instead.

The album spans his second album Elton John in 1970 to the successful then most-recent 1989 album Sleeping with the Past. After the huge hit that was the double A-sided "Sacrifice"/"Healing Hands" single, which was the third best-selling single of 1990 in the United Kingdom, the album became an instant smash in that country. It spent its first two weeks at #1 and then nine strong weeks at #2. It was kept from the top during all nine weeks by Madonna's Immaculate Collection. In all the album spent 145 weeks inside the UK top 200 album chart, making a total of 11 re-entries, and it was certified 9× Platinum by the BPI on 1 March 1995.[2]

It includes a total of 28 hit singles plus the new songs "Easier to Walk Away" and "You Gotta Love Someone", which also made the charts between 1990 and 1991.

The release also spawned a music video compilation, which was originally released on both laserdisc and VHS, and reissued on DVD.

Track listing

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)AlbumLength
1."Your Song"Elton John, Bernie TaupinElton John4:03
2."Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be a Long, Long Time)"John, TaupinHonky Château4:42
3."Honky Cat"John, TaupinHonky Château5:15
4."Crocodile Rock"John, TaupinDon't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player3:58
5."Daniel"John, TaupinDon't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player3:56
6."Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"John, TaupinGoodbye Yellow Brick Road3:17
7."Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"John, TaupinGoodbye Yellow Brick Road4:57
8."Candle in the Wind"John, TaupinGoodbye Yellow Brick Road3:51
9."Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"John, TaupinCaribou5:38
10."Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"Lennon, McCartneySingle6:17
11."Philadelphia Freedom"John, TaupinSingle5:19
12."Someone Saved My Life Tonight"John, TaupinCaptain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy6:47
13."Pinball Wizard"Pete TownshendTommy (soundtrack)5:16
14."The Bitch Is Back"John, TaupinCaribou3:46
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)AlbumLength
15."Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (with Kiki Dee)(credited to Carte Blanche/Ann Orson)Single4:32
16."Bennie and the Jets"John, TaupinGoodbye Yellow Brick Road5:21
17."Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"John, TaupinBlue Moves3:51
18."Song for Guy"JohnA Single Man6:41
19."Part-Time Love"John, Gary OsborneA Single Man3:16
20."Blue Eyes"John, OsborneJump Up!3:28
21."I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"John, Taupin, JohnstoneToo Low for Zero4:46
22."I'm Still Standing"John, TaupinToo Low for Zero3:04
23."Kiss the Bride"John, TaupinToo Low for Zero3:56
24."Sad Songs (Say So Much)"John, TaupinBreaking Hearts4:11
25."Passengers"John, Taupin, Johnstone, Phineas McHizeBreaking Hearts3:24
26."Nikita"John, TaupinIce on Fire5:45
27."I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That"John, TaupinReg Strikes Back4:00
28."Sacrifice"John, TaupinSleeping with the Past5:08
29."Easier to Walk Away"John, TaupinTo Be Continued4:25
30."You Gotta Love Someone"John, TaupinDays of Thunder (soundtrack)5:01
  • Track 25 is different on European version of the album. "Whispers" from Sleeping with the Past takes the place of "Passengers".
  • "Pinball Wizard", "The Bitch Is Back", "Passengers" and "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That" are excised from the vinyl and cassette versions of the compilation.
  • The timings are different on the back cover and the actual CD. On Disc 1, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is listed as 6:12, while the actual song runs at 5:38 and "Philadelphia Freedom" runs at 5:42, rather at 5:19. On Disc 2, the back cover shows Song For Guy running at 5:02, but the actual track runs at 6:40 (the album length of the song). The same applies for "Nikita", which the back cover states for 4:53 but the actual song plays at 5:44. "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That" fades slightly earlier on the CD (4:00) instead of the back cover's listing of 4:33.

B-sides

Song Format
"Medicine Man" "You Gotta Love Someone" 7"/12"/CD (UK)
"Medicine Man" (with Adamski) "You Gotta Love Someone" 12"/CD (UK)
"Made for Me" "Easier to Walk Away" 12"/CD (UK)
"I Swear I Heard the Night Talkin'" "Easier to Walk Away" 7"/12"/CD (UK)
"You Gotta Love Someone" 7" (France)

Music video compilation

  1. "Your Song" (Top of the Pops 1971 live version)
  2. "Daniel" (live German 1973 version)
  3. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (Top of the Pops 1973 live version)
  4. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (with Kiki Dee)
  5. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (BBC Live Christmas Show version)
  6. "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long Long Time)" (live Wembley 1977 version)
  7. "Blue Eyes"
  8. "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
  9. "I'm Still Standing"
  10. "Kiss the Bride"
  11. "Sad Songs (Say So Much)"
  12. "Passengers"
  13. "Nikita"
  14. "Wrap Her Up"
  15. "Candle in the Wind" (live in Australia 1986 version)
  16. "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" (live in Prince's Trust 1987 version)
  17. "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That"
  18. "Philadelphia Freedom" (live in Verona 1989 version)
  19. "Sacrifice"
  20. "You Gotta Love Someone"

Charts

Chart (1990) Peak
position
Austrian Top 75 Albums[3] 1
Finnish Albums Chart[4] 3
French Compilations[5] 1
German Albums[6] 2
Hungarian Top 40 Albums[7] 19
Italian Albums Chart[8] 1
New Zealand Top 50 Albums[9] 1
Norwegian Top 40 Albums[10] 1
Spanish Albums Chart[11] 1
Swiss Top 100 Albums[12] 1
UK Albums Chart[13] 1
Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australian Top 50 Albums[14] 1
Netherlands Top 100 Albums[15] 5
Swedish Top 60 Albums[16] 1
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Belgium (Flanders) 100 Albums[17] 28
Belgium (Wallonia) 100 Albums[18] 17

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[19] 6× Platinum 420,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[20] 3× Platinum 60,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[21] Gold 100,000*
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[22] Gold 25,000[22]
France (SNEP)[23] Diamond 1,000,000*
Germany (BVMI)[24] 2× Platinum 1,000,000^
Italy (FIMI)[25] 4× Platinum 400,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[26] Gold 0^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[27] 3× Platinum 300,000^
Sweden (GLF)[28] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[29] 3× Platinum 150,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[2] 9× Platinum 2,700,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[30] 5× Platinum 5,000,000*

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r471536
  2. ^ a b "British album certifications – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Type The Very Best of Elton John in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter. Cite error: The named reference "United KingdomElton JohnThe Very Best of Elton JohnalbumCertRef" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John (Album)" (ASP). Austrian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  4. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  5. ^ "Les "Charts Runs" de chaque Album Classé" (PHP). InfoDisc (in French). Find "Elton JOHN" under the drop-down menu to see statistics.
  6. ^ "Album – Elton John, The Very Best of Elton John" (ASP). Media Control Charts (in German). Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  7. ^ "Archivum: Top 40 Album". MAHASZ (in Hungarian). Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  8. ^ http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/hp_yenda/lpe1990.htm
  9. ^ "Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John (Album)" (ASP). New Zealand Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  10. ^ "Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John (Album)" (ASP). Norwegian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  11. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  12. ^ "Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John (Album)" (ASP). Schweizer Hitparade. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  13. ^ "All the Number One Albums: 1990". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  14. ^ "Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John (Album)" (ASP). Australian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  15. ^ "Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John (Album)" (ASP). Dutch Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  16. ^ "Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John (Album)" (ASP). Swedish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  17. ^ "Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John (Album)" (ASP). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  18. ^ "Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John (Album)" (ASP). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  19. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  20. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Elton John – Very Best of" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  21. ^ "Brazilian album certifications – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
  22. ^ a b "Elton John" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  23. ^ "French album certifications – Elton John – The Very Best of" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  24. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Elton John; 'The Very Best of Elton John')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  25. ^ "Italian album certifications – Elton John – The Very Best of" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "The Very Best of" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  26. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan.
  27. ^ "Spanish album certifications – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España.
  28. ^ "Sverigetopplistan – Elton John" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan.
  29. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Very Best of Elton John')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  30. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1991". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
Preceded by UK number-one album
17 November 1990 – 23 November 1990 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
27 January – 2 February 1991 		Succeeded by
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