The Very Best of Elton John

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The Very Best of Elton John
Compilation album by
Elton John
Released29 October 1990[1]
Recorded1970–1990
Genre
Length137:56
LabelRocket
Producer
Elton John chronology
Sleeping with the Past
(1989)		 The Very Best of Elton John
(1990)		 To Be Continued...
(1990)
Singles from The Very Best of Elton John
  1. "You Gotta Love Someone"
    Released: 8 October 1990
  2. "Easier to Walk Away"
    Released: November 1990
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStarStarStar[3]

The Very Best of Elton John is a greatest hits compilation album by British musician Elton John, released by The Rocket Record Company in October 1990. His first career-retrospective compilation 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 compilation spans his second album Elton John in 1970 to Sleeping with the Past in 1989. After the double A-sided "Sacrifice"/"Healing Hands" single became a hit and 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 number one on the UK Albums Chart followed by nine weeks at number two, kept there by Madonna's Immaculate Collection. In all, the compilation 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.[4]

It includes a total of 28 hit singles plus the new songs "Easier to Walk Away" and "You Gotta Love Someone", both of 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

All tracks are written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted.

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Original releaseLength
1."Your Song" Elton John, 19704:03
2."Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be a Long, Long Time)" Honky Château, 19724:42
3."Honky Cat" Honky Château5:15
4."Crocodile Rock" Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, 19733:58
5."Daniel" Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player3:56
6."Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 19733:17
7."Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" Goodbye Yellow Brick Road4:57
8."Candle in the Wind" Goodbye Yellow Brick Road3:51
9."Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" Caribou, 19745:38
10."Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (The Beatles cover)Lennon–McCartneyNon-album single, 19746:17
11."Philadelphia Freedom" (edited version) Non-album single, 19755:42
12."Someone Saved My Life Tonight" Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, 19756:47
13."Pinball Wizard" (The Who cover) (not on vinyl)Pete TownshendTommy soundtrack, 19755:16
14."The Bitch Is Back" (not on vinyl) Caribou3:46
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Original releaseLength
15."Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (with Kiki Dee)
  • Ann Orson
  • Carte Blanche
Non-album single, 19764:32
16."Bennie and the Jets" Goodbye Yellow Brick Road5:21
17."Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" Blue Moves, 19763:51
18."Song for Guy"JohnA Single Man, 19786:41
19."Part-Time Love"
A Single Man3:16
20."Blue Eyes"
  • John
  • Osborne
Jump Up!, 19823:28
21."I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
Too Low for Zero, 19834:46
22."I'm Still Standing" Too Low for Zero3:04
23."Kiss the Bride" Too Low for Zero3:56
24."Sad Songs (Say So Much)" (single version) Breaking Hearts, 19844:11
25."Passengers"
  • John
  • Taupin
  • Johnstone
  • Phineas Mkhize
Breaking Hearts3:24
26."Nikita" Ice on Fire, 19855:45
27."I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That" (not on vinyl) Reg Strikes Back, 19884:00
28."Sacrifice" Sleeping with the Past, 19895:08
29."Easier to Walk Away" (not on vinyl) Soon to be released on To Be Continued..., 19904:25
30."You Gotta Love Someone" Days of Thunder soundtrack, 19905:01
  • Ann Orson and Carte Blanche in track 15 are pseudonyms of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, respectively.
  • 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", "I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That" and "Easier to Walk Away" are excised from the vinyl version of the compilation.
  • For track 15 information about performance with Kiki Dee is not provided in the release.
  • The track "Bennie and the Jets" is a live version (which is not mentioned on the release), probably taken from Here and There live album from 1976 (if yes then shortened here) – as all tracks on this release (with one or two exceptions) are placed in a chronological order, and it is placed on CD2 between "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" – two songs released on a single in 1976. This live version was not released on a single.
  • The durations 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 than 5:19. On Disc 2, the back cover lists "Song for Guy" as 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" is the radio single edit (4:00) instead of the back cover's album cut 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" (Top of the Pops 1973 live 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 at 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

Weekly charts

Chart (1990–1991) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[5] 1
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[6] 1
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[7] 5
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[8] 3
French Albums (SNEP)[9] 1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] 2
Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)[11] 1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[12] 1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[13] 1
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[14] 1
Spain (Spanish Albums Chart)[15] 1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16] 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[18] 1
Chart (1995–1996) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] 28
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[20] 17
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[21] 19

Year-end charts

Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[22] 11
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] 2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24] 79
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[25] 11
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[26] 20
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 5
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] 53
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[29] 41

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30] 6× Platinum 420,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[31] 3× Platinum 150,000*
Belgium (BRMA)[32] 3× Platinum 150,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[33] Gold 100,000*
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[34] Gold 25,000[34]
France (SNEP)[35] Diamond 2,300,000[36]
Germany (BVMI)[37] 2× Platinum 1,000,000^
Italy (FIMI)[38] Platinum 450,000[38]
Netherlands (NVPI)[39] 2× Platinum 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[40] Platinum 15,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[41] Platinum 100,000[41]
Spain (Promusicae)[42] 3× Platinum 300,000^
Sweden (GLF)[43] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[44] 4× Platinum 200,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[4] 9× Platinum 2,700,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. "Elton John albums".
  2. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r471536
  3. Larkin, Colin (2011). "John, Elton". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 2,003. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  4. "British album certifications – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 December 2024. Select albums in the Formats field. Type The Very Best of Elton John Elton John in the "Search:" field.
  5. "Australiancharts.com – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  6. "Austriancharts.at – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  7. "Dutchcharts.nl – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  8. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  9. "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – J". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Elton John from the menu, then press OK.
  10. "Offiziellecharts.de – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  11. "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 12 March 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Elton John".
  12. "Charts.nz – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  13. "Norwegiancharts.com – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  14. Music & Media, vol. 7, issue 51; 22 December 1990.
  15. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  16. "Swedishcharts.com – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  17. "Swisscharts.com – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  18. "Elton John Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  19. "Ultratop.be – Elton John – The Very Best Of Elton John" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  20. "Ultratop.be – Elton John – The Very Best Of Elton John" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  21. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1996. 7. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  22. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1991". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  23. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1991". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  24. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1991". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  25. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  26. "Top Selling Albums of 1991". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  27. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1991". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  28. "Jaaroverzichten 1995". Ultratop. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  29. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1995". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  30. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  31. "Austrian album certifications – Elton John – Very Best of" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  32. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1995". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  33. "Brazilian album certifications – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
  34. "Elton John" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  35. "French album certifications – Elton John – The Very Best of" (in French). SNEP.
  36. "Elton John - 30 Years of Music". Billboard. 4 October 1997. p. EJ-34.
  37. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Elton John; 'The Very Best of Elton John')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  38. "Elton Racks 'Em Up" (PDF). Music & Media. 23 March 1991. p. 10. Retrieved 4 January 2020 – via American Radio History.
  39. "Dutch album certifications – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter The Very Best of Elton John in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1995 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  40. "New Zealand album certifications – Elton John – The Very Best of Elton John". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  41. "Bernie Taupin Elton John The Very Best of Elton John Norwegian "Platinum" Record Award". 27 February 2023.
  42. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 931. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  43. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.
  44. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Very Best of Elton John')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 January 2022.