Greatest Hits (James Taylor album)

Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by James Taylor
Released	November 1976
Recorded	December 1969 (1969-12) – October 1976 (1976-10)
Genre	Soft rock folk pop[1]
Length	43:42
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Peter Asher David Spinozza Lenny Waronker Russ Titelman
James Taylor chronology
In the Pocket (1976) Greatest Hits (1976) JT (1977)

Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, released in November 1976 by Warner Bros. records. It remains Taylor's best-selling album, with over 11 million units being sold in the United States, making it among the best-selling albums of the 1970's.[2][3]

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 number 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 million copies, certifying it as an 11× Platinum album

In August 2012, the album re-entered the Billboard 200 albums chart, at number 15, which gave the album a new peak.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	C[4]
MusicHound Rock	3.5/5[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]

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 did not 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 tracks are written by James Taylor, except where noted.

Side one

No.	Title	From	Length
1.	"Something in the Way She Moves" (1976 re-recording)	original version from James Taylor, 1969	3:13
2.	"Carolina in My Mind" (1976 re-recording)	original version from James Taylor	4:00
3.	"Fire and Rain"	Sweet Baby James, 1970	3:26
4.	"Sweet Baby James"	Sweet Baby James	2:55
5.	"Country Road"	Sweet Baby James	3:26
6.	"You've Got a Friend" (Carole King)	Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, 1971	4:33
Total length:			21:33

Side two

No.	Title	From	Length
1.	"Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight"	One Man Dog, 1972	2:39
2.	"Walking Man"	Walking Man, 1974	3:36
3.	"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" (Holland-Dozier-Holland)	Gorilla, 1975	3:39
4.	"Mexico"	Gorilla	3:01
5.	"Shower the People"	In the Pocket, 1976	4:01
6.	"Steamroller" (live)	original version from Sweet Baby James	5:19
Total length:			22:15

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)

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Greatest Hits Chart (1976–2020) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[7] 67 US Billboard 200[8] 15 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[9] 31

Year-end charts 2020 year-end chart performance for Greatest Hits Chart (2020) Position US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[10] 79

Certifications

Certifications for Greatest Hits

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[11]	3× Platinum	210,000^^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[12]	Gold	50,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[13]	Platinum	300,000^*
United States (RIAA)[14]	11× Platinum	11,000,000^^
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of best-selling albums in the United States

References

1. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19702
2. "JAMES TAYLOR album sales".
3. "Best-selling albums of 1970's".
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. "James Taylor: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 305. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
8. "James Taylor Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
9. "James Taylor Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
10. "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
11. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1996 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
12. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 953. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
13. "British album certifications – James Taylor – Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
14. "American album certifications – James Taylor – Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 6, 2020.