Greatest Hits (Aerosmith album)
Encyclopedia
Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits
compilation album
by American
hard rock
band Aerosmith
, released by Columbia Records
in October 1980. It went multi-platinum and contained the hits that made the band an icon of the 1970s rock era. A few remastered versions of Greatest Hits appeared in the 1990s and are considered partly responsible for the band's popular rejuvenation during the decade.
Some of the tracks were significantly edited from their original versions. The single version of "Same Old Song and Dance
" was used, and was edited down almost a full minute. It also contained an alternate lyric which wasn't heard on Get Your Wings
. The original lyric was "Gotcha with the cocaine, found with your gun." The alternate lyric, included on the compilation, was "You shady lookin' loser, you played with my gun." "Sweet Emotion
" also used the considerably less popular single version. The coda which ends the song was replaced with a repeating of the chorus and fades out. The song also begins with the first chorus, cutting out the now famous talk box
intro. "Kings and Queens
" was also edited down, cutting the intro and certain other parts. "Walk This Way
" was edited slightly, chanting the first chorus once instead of twice. The other remaining tracks were kept intact.
In 2004, a slightly revised version, Greatest Hits 1973–1988, was released, with the ten tracks in their edited versions retained, with five additional songs from the same era added, plus the 1991 version of "Sweet Emotion" and a live version of "One Way Street".
Greatest Hits is the band's bestselling album in the United States
, achieving sales in excess of 11 million copies. The album was certified Diamond
when its sales reached the ten million mark in 2001.
Additional musicians
Production
in 1980 and #154 in 1987.
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
by American
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in October 1980. It went multi-platinum and contained the hits that made the band an icon of the 1970s rock era. A few remastered versions of Greatest Hits appeared in the 1990s and are considered partly responsible for the band's popular rejuvenation during the decade.
Some of the tracks were significantly edited from their original versions. The single version of "Same Old Song and Dance
Same Old Song and Dance
"Same Old Song and Dance" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. The song was written by lead singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry. It was released on March 19, 1974 as the lead single of their second studio album, Get Your Wings...
" was used, and was edited down almost a full minute. It also contained an alternate lyric which wasn't heard on Get Your Wings
Get Your Wings
-Side two:-Song information:Same Old Song and Dance*Built around a riff Joe Perry came up with while sitting on his amp, Steven Tyler quickly came up with the verse riff. The song appears in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock...
. The original lyric was "Gotcha with the cocaine, found with your gun." The alternate lyric, included on the compilation, was "You shady lookin' loser, you played with my gun." "Sweet Emotion
Sweet Emotion
"Sweet Emotion" is a song by American rock band Aerosmith, released by Columbia Records in April 1975 on the album Toys in the Attic and was released as a single a month later on May 19th . The song began a string of pop hits and large-scale mainstream success for the band that would continue for...
" also used the considerably less popular single version. The coda which ends the song was replaced with a repeating of the chorus and fades out. The song also begins with the first chorus, cutting out the now famous talk box
Talk box
A talk box is an effects unit that allows a musician to modify the sound of a musical instrument. The musician controls the modification by lip syncing, or by changing the shape of the mouth...
intro. "Kings and Queens
Kings and Queens (Aerosmith song)
"Kings and Queens" is a song performed by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, and Jack Douglas, their producer, who helped the band write many of the songs on Draw the Line. The song first appeared on the album Draw the Line...
" was also edited down, cutting the intro and certain other parts. "Walk This Way
Walk This Way
"Walk This Way" is a song by American hard rock group Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the 1975 album Toys in the Attic. It peaked at Number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1977, part of a string of successful hit...
" was edited slightly, chanting the first chorus once instead of twice. The other remaining tracks were kept intact.
In 2004, a slightly revised version, Greatest Hits 1973–1988, was released, with the ten tracks in their edited versions retained, with five additional songs from the same era added, plus the 1991 version of "Sweet Emotion" and a live version of "One Way Street".
Greatest Hits is the band's bestselling album in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, achieving sales in excess of 11 million copies. The album was certified Diamond
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
when its sales reached the ten million mark in 2001.
Original version
Track Listing - 2004 reissue
Track details same as Original Version track listing, except where noted.Personnel
Aerosmith- Steven TylerSteven TylerSteven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents... - Joe PerryJoe Perry (musician)Anthony Joseph "Joe" Perry is the lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist, and contributing songwriter for the rock band Aerosmith. He is influenced by many rock artists especially The Rolling Stones and The Beatles...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, arrangement, except on "Lightning Strikes", six string bassExtended-range bassExtended-range bass refers to an electric bass guitar with greater frequency range than the standard 4-string bass guitar. Bass guitars tuned one octave lower than a standard four-string instrument are also considered an extended-range bass...
on "Back in the Saddle" - Brad WhitfordBrad WhitfordBradford Ernest Whitford is the rhythm guitarist for the hard rock band Aerosmith. He graduated Reading Memorial High School in 1970.-Career:...
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, producer, arrangement, except on "Lightning Strikes" - Tom Hamilton – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, producer, arrangement - Joey KramerJoey KramerJoseph Michael "Joey" Kramer is the drummer for the American hard rock band Aerosmith....
– drumDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
s, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, producer, arrangement
Additional musicians
- Jimmy CrespoJimmy CrespoJames "Jimmy" Crespo Jr. is an American guitarist. He was the lead guitarist for the hard rock band Aerosmith from 1979 until 1984. Jimmy co-wrote Rock in a Hard Place with Steven Tyler...
– lead guitar, backing vocals on "Lightning Strikes" - Rick DufayRick DufayRichard Marc "Rick" Dufay is a guitarist who played in Aerosmith in the period after Brad Whitford left the band in 1980 up to his return in 1984....
– rhythm guitar on "Lightning Strikes" - Michael BreckerMichael BreckerMichael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz...
– tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
on "Same Old Song and Dance" and "Big Ten Inch Record" - Randy BreckerRandy BreckerRandal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...
– trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
on "Same Old Song and Dance" - Stan Bronstein – baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
on "Same Old Song and Dance" - Jon Pearson – tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
on "Same Old Song and Dance" - David Woodford – saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
on "Mama Kin" - Scott Cushnie – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
on "Big Ten Inch Record" - Jay MessinaJay MessinaJay Messina is an American audio engineer, mastering and mixing engineer and music producer. He started out recording sessions for legendary arranger Don Ellion and quickly promoted to A&R Recording. He later moved to the Record Plant when it opened in 1968...
– bass marimbaMarimbaThe marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
on "Sweet Emotion" - Paul Prestopino – banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
on "Last Child"
Production
- Jack DouglasJack Douglas (record producer)Jack Douglas is an American record producer. He was born in New York City. Starting out as folk musician and performer, he worked on Robert Kennedy's senatorial campaign as a song-writer. Douglas then moved to England and joined a succession of bands before returning to New York to attend the...
– producer, arrangement - Adrian BarberAdrian BarberAdrian Barber is a musician / producer who is responsible for recording the Beatles "Gray Zone" Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962.-Musician / electronics:...
– producer - George MartinGeorge MartinSir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
– producer - Ray ColcordRay ColcordRay Colcord is an American film and TV composer living in Los Angeles, most famous for TV series such as 227, The Facts of Life, Silver Spoons, My Two Dads, Dinosaurs, Big Brother, and Boy Meets World...
– producer - Jay MessinaJay MessinaJay Messina is an American audio engineer, mastering and mixing engineer and music producer. He started out recording sessions for legendary arranger Don Ellion and quickly promoted to A&R Recording. He later moved to the Record Plant when it opened in 1968...
– engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including... - Vic Anesini – remasteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Janet PerrJanet PerrJanet Perr is an art director, graphic designer, author and illustrator.She has designed record covers, advertisements, posters, CD packages and book covers and is now the creator of the books Yiddish For Dogs Janet Perr is an art director, graphic designer, author and illustrator.She has designed...
– cover conceptConceptThe word concept is used in ordinary language as well as in almost all academic disciplines. Particularly in philosophy, psychology and cognitive sciences the term is much used and much discussed. WordNet defines concept: "conception, construct ". However, the meaning of the term concept is much... - John Berg – designDesignDesign as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
Charts
The album reached #53 on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
in 1980 and #154 in 1987.
Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – United States | Gold | March 3, 1981 |
| Platinum | January 27, 1986 | |
| 2× Platinum | November 24, 1986 | |
| 4× Platinum | November 21, 1988 | |
| 5× Platinum | April 29, 1991 | |
| 6× Platinum | March 10, 1992 | |
| 8× Platinum | October 21, 1994 | |
| 9× Platinum | August 1, 1996 | |
| Diamond | February 26, 2001 | |
| 11× Platinum | December 13, 2007 | |
| CIA – Canada | Gold | Feb 27, 1997 |
| Platinum | Feb 27, 1997 |