Greatest Hits (Neil Young album)
2004 greatest hits album by Neil Young
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Greatest Hits is Neil Young's third compilation album after Decade and Lucky Thirteen. Eleven of the first twelve tracks appear on Decade, and the disc spans his solo career from 1969 through 1992. On the rear cover of the album, Young comments that the tracks were selected "based on original record sales, airplay and known download history".
| Greatest Hits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | November 16, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | 1969–1992 | |||
| Studio | Various | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 76:07 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer |
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| Neil Young chronology | ||||
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Mastering
All tracks on this album were mastered using the HDCD process, which Young had been utilizing for his studio work since 1995. The album was also released as a high-resolution DVD Video disc with 24bit 96 kHz audio, and in a two-disc format including the audio album plus a bonus DVD with videos for "Rockin' in the Free World" and "Harvest Moon". Extensive notes on the remastering process can be found on Young's website.[3]
On the press release, Young said:
One of the most important jobs of any musician is to provide quality sound to the people. Quality has taken a hit in recent years, but it's starting to come back thanks to DVD-stereo. There is just no comparison between DVD-stereo and a regular compact disc or even 5.1 sound. It's the difference between a true reflection of the music and a mere replica. I've always been a strong believer in analogue and this is about as close to the rewarding listening experience of vinyl as the real thing.[4]
Track listing
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Performed by | Length | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Down by the River" | Neil Young | Neil Young with Crazy Horse | 9:16 | Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969 |
| 2. | "Cowgirl in the Sand" | Young | Neil Young with Crazy Horse | 10:05 | |
| 3. | "Cinnamon Girl" | Young | Neil Young with Crazy Horse | 2:59 | |
| 4. | "Helpless" | Young | Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young | 3:37 | Déjà Vu, 1970 |
| 5. | "After the Gold Rush" | Young | Neil Young | 3:46 | After the Gold Rush, 1970 |
| 6. | "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" | Young | Neil Young | 3:08 | |
| 7. | "Southern Man" | Young | Neil Young | 5:31 | |
| 8. | "Ohio" | Young | Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young | 2:59 | Non-album single, 1970; made first album appearance on So Far, 1974 |
| 9. | "The Needle and the Damage Done" | Young | Neil Young | 2:10 | Harvest, 1972 |
| 10. | "Old Man" | Young | Neil Young with The Stray Gators | 3:22 | |
| 11. | "Heart of Gold" | Young | Neil Young with The Stray Gators | 3:07 | |
| 12. | "Like a Hurricane" | Young | Neil Young and Crazy Horse | 8:20 | American Stars 'n Bars, 1977 |
| 13. | "Comes a Time" | Young | Neil Young | 3:04 | Comes a Time, 1978 |
| 14. | "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" | Young | Neil Young and Crazy Horse | 4:59 | Rust Never Sleeps, 1979 |
| 15. | "Rockin' in the Free World" | Young | Neil Young | 4:41 | Freedom, 1989 |
| 16. | "Harvest Moon" | Young | Neil Young with The Stray Gators | 5:03 | Harvest Moon, 1992 |
7" single
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Performed by | Length | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Loner" | Young | Neil Young | 3:50 | Neil Young, 1968 |
| 2. | "Sugar Mountain" | Young | Neil Young | 5:41 | Non-album B-side to "The Loner", 1969 |
- Issued exclusively with the vinyl edition of the album
Personnel
- Neil Young – guitars, pipe organ, vocals
- Danny Whitten, David Crosby – electric guitar, vocals
- Billy Talbot, Joe Osborne, Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuel, Greg Reeves, Rick Rosas, Jim Messina – bass
- Ralph Molina – drums, vocals
- Stephen Stills – guitar, piano, vocals
- Graham Nash – acoustic guitar, vocals
- Dallas Taylor, John Barbata, Chad Cromwell, Kenny Buttrey, Karl Himmel, George Grantham – drums
- Bill Peterson – flugelhorn
- Nils Lofgren, Andy McMahon – piano
- Ben Keith – pedal steel guitar, keyboards
- Spooner Oldham – piano, organ
- Tim Drummond – bass, broom
- Linda Ronstadt, Nicolette Larson – vocals
- James Taylor – banjo guitar, vocals
- Teddy Irwin – guitar
- J.J. Cale – electric guitar
- Frank Sampedro – stringman
- Rufus Thibodeaux – fiddle
- Farrel Morris – percussion
- Rita Fey – autoharp
- Also – acoustic guitarists and string players on "Comes a Time"
Additional roles
- Joel Bernstein – cover photo
- Gary Burden, Jenice Heo – art direction & design (R. Twerk)
- Toshi Onuki, L.A. Johnson, Neil Young – art direction & design (Shakey Pictures)
- Tim Mulligan – mastering
- John Hausmann, Harry Sitam – engineering
- Elliot Roberts – direction
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[22] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Belgium (BRMA)[23] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Canada (Music Canada)[24] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Germany (BVMI)[25] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| Ireland (IRMA)[26] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Italy (FIMI)[27] | Gold | 25,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[28] | 2× Platinum | 30,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[29] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[30] | Gold | 500,000^ |
| Summaries | ||
| Europe (IFPI)[31] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||