Greatest Hits (Boston album)
Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by the American rock band Boston. The album, released on June 3, 1997, features songs originally released on both the Epic and MCA labels, as well as three previously unreleased recordings ("Tell Me", "Higher Power" and "The Star-Spangled Banner"). Tom Scholz, the band's leader, felt that the album's sound quality was not up to his standards, so a remastered version of the album was released in 2009 with a slightly different track listing. Boston embarked on a tour for this album both times it was released.[1]
| Greatest Hits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | June 3, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1975–1997 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 75:23 | |||
| Label | Epic/Legacy | |||
| Producer | Tom Scholz | |||
| Boston chronology | ||||
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The album was certified double platinum by the RIAA on December 4, 2003, and it has sold 2,234,000 copies in the United States as of August 2014.[2]
The cover features the guitar-shaped spaceship flying low over a planet with turquoise rocks and a turquoise tower in the distance. The backside shows a personification of New York City. To this day it is still a mystery why they choose NYC instead of Boston, the city they are named after and which they usually show on their artwork.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Tom Scholz, except where noted.
| No. | Title | From album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tell Me" | Previously Unissued, 1997 | 4:04 |
| 2. | "Higher Power" (Scholz, David Sikes) | Previously Unissued | 5:06 |
| 3. | "More Than a Feeling" | Boston, 1976 | 4:45 |
| 4. | "Peace of Mind" | Boston, 1976 | 5:05 |
| 5. | "Don't Look Back" | Don't Look Back, 1978 | 5:57 |
| 6. | "Cool the Engines" (Brad Delp, Fran Sheehan, Scholz) | Third Stage, 1986 | 4:35 |
| 7. | "Livin' for You" | Walk On, 1994 | 4:55 |
| 8. | "Feelin' Satisfied" | Don't Look Back, 1978 | 4:11 |
| 9. | "Party" (Scholz, Delp) | Don't Look Back, 1978 | 4:08 |
| 10. | "Foreplay/Long Time" | Boston, 1976 | 7:48 |
| 11. | "Amanda" | Third Stage, 1986 | 4:15 |
| 12. | "Rock and Roll Band" | Boston, 1976 | 3:00 |
| 13. | "Smokin'" (Scholz, Delp) | Boston, 1976 | 4:20 |
| 14. | "A Man I'll Never Be" | Don't Look Back, 1978 | 6:32 |
| 15. | "The Star-Spangled Banner/4th of July Reprise" (John Stafford Smith, Tom Scholz[Note 1]) | Previously Unissued | 2:44 |
| 16. | "Higher Power [Kalodner edit]" (Scholz, Sikes) | Previously Unissued | 3:52 |
All tracks are written by Tom Scholz, except where noted.
| No. | Title | From album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Had a Good Time" | Corporate America, 2002 | 4:16 |
| 2. | "Higher Power" (Scholz, David Sikes) | Greatest Hits, 1997 | 5:05 |
| 3. | "More Than a Feeling" | Boston, 1976 | 4:45 |
| 4. | "Peace of Mind" | Boston, 1976 | 5:01 |
| 5. | "Don't Look Back" | Don't Look Back, 1978 | 6:03 |
| 6. | "I Need Your Love" (Fred Sampson, Scholz) | Walk On, 1994 | 5:22 |
| 7. | "Cool the Engines" (Delp, Sheehan, Scholz) | Third Stage, 1986 | 4:36 |
| 8. | "Party" (Scholz, Delp) | Don't Look Back, 1978 | 4:06 |
| 9. | "Feelin' Satisfied" | Don't Look Back, 1978 | 4:11 |
| 10. | "Foreplay/Long Time" | Boston, 1976 | 7:48 |
| 11. | "Amanda" | Third Stage, 1986 | 4:18 |
| 12. | "Rock and Roll Band" | Boston, 1976 | 3:00 |
| 13. | "Smokin'" (Scholz, Delp) | Boston, 1976 | 4:23 |
| 14. | "A Man I'll Never Be" | Don't Look Back, 1978 | 6:40 |
| 15. | "The Star Spangled Banner/4th of July Reprise" (Smith, Scholz) | Greatest Hits, 1997 | 2:43 |
Personnel
- Tom Scholz – guitar, bass, organ, drums, clavinet, keyboards, hand clapping
- Brad Delp – vocals, guitar
- Barry Goudreau – guitar
- Fran Sheehan – bass guitar
- Sib Hashian – drums
- Jim Masdea – drums
- Gary Pihl – guitar
- Fran Cosmo – vocals
- David Sikes – bass guitar, vocals
- Doug Huffman – drums
- Michael Brinton – ukulele
- Zachary Brinton – bass guitar, guitar, drums, background singer
Charts and certifications
- Charts
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Top Selling Albums[3] | 61 |
| US Billboard 200[4] | 47 |
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Catalog Albums[4] | 1 |
"Higher Power" Peaked at #17 on the Billboard Heritage Rock Chart on July 5, 1997. It spent 9 weeks on the chart.
- Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – US | Gold[5] | April 20, 1999 |
| Platinum[5] | May 15, 2000 | |
| 2× Multi-Platinum[5] | December 4, 2003 | |
Notes
- Boston credits this song to three composers – "F.S. Key", "J.S. Smith", and "T. Scholz" – but none of Francis Scott Key's contributions to the original song (lyrics only) were used in this version.
References
- http://www.setlist.fm/stats/average-setlist/boston-73d6bee9.html?tour=Greatest+Hits+Tour
- Paul Grein (August 13, 2014). "Chart Watch: Back to The '70s With 'Guardians' Soundtrack". Yahoo! Music.
- "Top Selling Albums" (PHP). RPM. 65 (15). June 16, 1997. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- "Greatest Hits – Boston". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database" (PHP). Recording Industry Association of America.