John Denver's Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by
John Denver
ReleasedNovember 1973
Recorded1971–1973
Genre
Length39:36
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerMilton Okun
John Denver chronology
Farewell Andromeda
(1973)		 John Denver's Greatest Hits
(1973)		 Back Home Again
(1974)
Singles from John Denver's Greatest Hits
  1. "Sunshine on My Shoulders"
    Released: October 22, 1973
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[2]
Rolling Stone Record Guide[3]

John Denver's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter John Denver, released in November 1973 by RCA Records. A version known as The Best of John Denver with the same track listing[4] was released in some countries.

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 and reimagined 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] The album was on the Canadian RPM Top 100 charts for 110 weeks between December 15, 1973, and May 8, 1976.[6]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Milton Okun; all tracks written by John Denver except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(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
Total length:19:23
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Eagle and the Hawk" (new recording; from Aerie)
  • Denver
  • Mike Taylor
2:10
2."Sunshine on My Shoulders" (new recording; from Poems, Prayers & Promises)
  • Denver
  • Dick Kniss
  • Taylor
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)
  • Denver
  • Taylor
4:43
Total length:20:13

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[19] Platinum 70,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[20] Gold 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Silver 60,000‡
United States (RIAA)[22] 9× Platinum 9,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

For the newly recorded tracks:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Christgau review
  3. ↑ [1979 Rolling Stone Record Guide review]
  4. ↑ 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)
  5. ↑ "RIAA – Searchable Database: John Denver". Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  6. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums – May 8, 1976" (PDF).
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums - February 23, 1974" (PDF).
  9. ↑ "Charts.nz – John Denver – John Denver's Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  10. ↑ "John Denver Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  12. ↑ "John Denver Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of '74 - December 28, 1974" (PDF).
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1975 - December 27, 1975" (PDF).
  17. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1975 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Top 50 Albums of 1976" (PDF). Music Week. December 25, 1976. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021 – via worldradiohistory.com.
  19. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  20. ↑ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1977". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  21. ↑ "British album certifications – John Denver – Greatest hits". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  22. ↑ "American album certifications – John Denver – Greatest hits". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
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