Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Vol. 1
Encyclopedia
Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Volume 1 is the fourth album
and first greatest hits
album by Irish boyband Westlife
. The album was released on 11 November 2002. It peaked at #1 in the UK and at #66 in Australia
and sold close to 1.4 million copies in the UK alone. It is also the band's longest charting album. The album was the 9th best selling of 2002 in the UK. It managed to re-enter the Year-end albums chart of 2007 at #107. On October 2008, IFPI
announced that the album was certified 2x Platinum, exceeding two million sales in Europe. On the year-end album charts of 2008, the album re-entered at #79 with 191,000 copies sold within the year. The album is currently the twelfth biggest selling boyband record ever in the UK. The album spent 55 weeks on the UK Top 100 Albums chart. The album consists of all of the group's past singles, along with six brand new songs. The band's hit single "Flying Without Wings
" was re-recorded as a duet with Korean superstar BoA
and mexican singer Cristian Castro
, and each respective duet was included on the Asian and Spanish versions of the album respectively. The first single released from the album was "Unbreakable
", a UK #1 single. The second single, the double A-side "Tonight / Miss You Nights
" peaked at #3 in the UK. In 2008, the album was re-issued in an exclusive two disc edition, entitled "Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits - 2008 NZ Tour Edition". The package featured the album, with the same tracklisting, plus the "Live At Wembley" 2006 concert DVD. It peaked at #1 on the albums chart there, and achieved 2x Platinum status, with more than 30,000 copies sold. The album finished at #19 on the 2008 New Zealand Year-end charts. The follow-up greatest hits album is expected to be released in November 2011 in UK.
said: "They know how to ham it up for the ladies and are masters of the sentimental power..." of Yahoo Music gave saying: With 11 number ones so far, it's good to see how they all stand up next to each other. Sure, 'Flying Without Wings' is a talent show staple, 'My Love' is great in a-bit-like-'Chicago' kinda way, and even 'If I Let You Go' is eminently more memorable than their debut 'Swear It Again', 'Fool Again' or 'Bop Bop Baby'. In fact, take away the obvious can't-fail covers of 'I Have A Dream', 'Uptown Girl', and make the boys look slightly uglier, and Westlife would have been lucky to get anywhere near the top ten with some of these tunes. A special mention must go out to the sadism of 'Against All Odds' though: Westlife + Mariah Carey + A Phil Collins song = pure evil, anyone?
You get a taster of their new direction with the six (Six!) bonus new tracks, including the title track and new smash 'Unbreakable' and a version of Sir Clifford's 'Miss You Nights', which is this year's Christmas single. Hurrah, eh? Of the rest, it's a case of if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Westlife have certainly found their niche in pop, and by statistics alone look like becoming one of the all time greats. It's just a shame the actual musical legacy displayed here is so wet and uninspiring.
Additional Bonus Disc (Available At Woolworths Via A Daily Mirror Promotion)
Year End Charts
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
and first greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album by Irish boyband Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
. The album was released on 11 November 2002. It peaked at #1 in the UK and at #66 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and sold close to 1.4 million copies in the UK alone. It is also the band's longest charting album. The album was the 9th best selling of 2002 in the UK. It managed to re-enter the Year-end albums chart of 2007 at #107. On October 2008, IFPI
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland...
announced that the album was certified 2x Platinum, exceeding two million sales in Europe. On the year-end album charts of 2008, the album re-entered at #79 with 191,000 copies sold within the year. The album is currently the twelfth biggest selling boyband record ever in the UK. The album spent 55 weeks on the UK Top 100 Albums chart. The album consists of all of the group's past singles, along with six brand new songs. The band's hit single "Flying Without Wings
Flying Without Wings
"Flying Without Wings" is a song released by Irish boyband Westlife from their self-titled debut album.-Background:The song became an instant hit in the United Kingdom and many parts of the world. The song became the group's third UK number 1 single, spending 13 weeks on charts. It is also one of...
" was re-recorded as a duet with Korean superstar BoA
BoA
Boa Kwon , commonly stylized and known by her stage name BoA, which is a backronym for Beat of Angel, is a Korean singer, active in South Korea, Japan, and the United States and sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Korean Pop Music"....
and mexican singer Cristian Castro
Cristian Castro
Cristian Castro is a Grammy Award-nominated Mexican pop singer. He is referred to as "Christian Castro" or "Cristian."- Biography :...
, and each respective duet was included on the Asian and Spanish versions of the album respectively. The first single released from the album was "Unbreakable
Unbreakable (Westlife song)
"Unbreakable" is the first single released from Westlife's Greatest Hits album. It was released in November 2002. It set a record for becoming the greatest 'leaper' in UK Chart History - entering at #196, and 'leaping' to #1 the following week. It became the band's 11th UK Number One...
", a UK #1 single. The second single, the double A-side "Tonight / Miss You Nights
Tonight/Miss You Nights
"Tonight"/"Miss You Nights" is the second and last single released from Westlife's greatest hits album, 'Unbreakable'. It was released as a double A-Side in the UK, but in some other countries, both songs were released separately....
" peaked at #3 in the UK. In 2008, the album was re-issued in an exclusive two disc edition, entitled "Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits - 2008 NZ Tour Edition". The package featured the album, with the same tracklisting, plus the "Live At Wembley" 2006 concert DVD. It peaked at #1 on the albums chart there, and achieved 2x Platinum status, with more than 30,000 copies sold. The album finished at #19 on the 2008 New Zealand Year-end charts. The follow-up greatest hits album is expected to be released in November 2011 in UK.
Critical reception
BBC MusicBBC Music
BBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
said: "They know how to ham it up for the ladies and are masters of the sentimental power..." of Yahoo Music gave saying: With 11 number ones so far, it's good to see how they all stand up next to each other. Sure, 'Flying Without Wings' is a talent show staple, 'My Love' is great in a-bit-like-'Chicago' kinda way, and even 'If I Let You Go' is eminently more memorable than their debut 'Swear It Again', 'Fool Again' or 'Bop Bop Baby'. In fact, take away the obvious can't-fail covers of 'I Have A Dream', 'Uptown Girl', and make the boys look slightly uglier, and Westlife would have been lucky to get anywhere near the top ten with some of these tunes. A special mention must go out to the sadism of 'Against All Odds' though: Westlife + Mariah Carey + A Phil Collins song = pure evil, anyone?
You get a taster of their new direction with the six (Six!) bonus new tracks, including the title track and new smash 'Unbreakable' and a version of Sir Clifford's 'Miss You Nights', which is this year's Christmas single. Hurrah, eh? Of the rest, it's a case of if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Westlife have certainly found their niche in pop, and by statistics alone look like becoming one of the all time greats. It's just a shame the actual musical legacy displayed here is so wet and uninspiring.
Track listing
| Track No. |
Title | Credits | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Swear It Again Swear It Again "Swear It Again" is a song by the Irish pop band Westlife, released as the band's first single. It peaked at #1 in the UK for two weeks. It moved to 182,000 units in the first two weeks of its release and spent 13 weeks on the charts. This made it the first of fourteen UK number 1 hit singles... " |
Produced, Arranged By, Mixed By - Steve Mac Steve Mac Steve Mac , is a songwriter, record producer and owner of Rokstone Studios in London.He has produced more than 22 number one singles in the UK and had several multi-million selling albums worldwide... Written By - Mac, Wayne Hector Wayne Hector Wayne Hector is an English songwriter.Wayne Hector has had over 30 number ones around the globe under his belt and numerous movie soundtrack credits, Wayne Hector is one of the UK’s most successful songwriters.... |
4:07 | |
| 2 | "If I Let You Go If I Let You Go "If I Let You Go" is a song by Westlife, released in the United Kingdom on 9 August 1999, as the band's second single. It became the second of the band's fourteen UK number 1 hit singles, spending eleven weeks on charts... " |
Produced, Arranged By - David Kreuger, Per Magnusson Per Magnusson Per Magnusson is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. His musical career took off in 1994 as one of the original team members of the now-legendary Cheiron Productions, meeting great international success working with Boyzone, Britney Spears, Westlife and the Backstreet Boys.Shortly after... Written By - Jörgen Elofsson Jörgen Elofsson Jörgen Kjell Elofsson is a Swedish songwriter who has written or co-written hits for stars such as Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Guy Sebastian, Ana Johnsson, Marie Serneholt, Shayne Ward and Super Junior. He has also written hit singles for groups such as Il Divo and Westlife... , Magnusson, Kreuger |
3:41 | |
| 3 | "Flying Without Wings Flying Without Wings "Flying Without Wings" is a song released by Irish boyband Westlife from their self-titled debut album.-Background:The song became an instant hit in the United Kingdom and many parts of the world. The song became the group's third UK number 1 single, spending 13 weeks on charts. It is also one of... " |
Produced, Arranged By, Mixed By - Mac Written By - Mac, Hector |
3:36 | |
| 4 | "I Have A Dream" | Produced - Dan Frampton, Pete Waterman Remix, Producer [Additional] - John Holliday, Trevor Steel Written By - B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus |
4:15 | |
| 5 | "Fool Again Fool Again "Fool Again" was the last single to be released from Westlife's self-titled debut album. It became the band's fifth consecutive UK number one single and spent 12 weeks on charts. It sold over 215 000 copies in UK so far... " |
Produced, Arranged By, Programmed By - Kreuger, Magnusson Written By - Elofsson, Magnusson, Kreuger |
3:53 | |
| 6 | "Against All Odds Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) "Against All Odds " is a song by British singer Phil Collins recorded for soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name. It is a power ballad in which its protagonist implores an ex-lover to "take a look at me now", knowing that reconciliation is "against all odds" while considering it worth trying... " |
Produced - Mariah Carey Mariah Carey Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993... , Mac Vocals [Featuring], Arranged By [Vocals] - Carey Written By - Phil Collins Phil Collins Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist.... |
3:21 | |
| 7 | "My Love My Love (Westlife song) "My Love" is the second single from Westlife's second studio album, Coast to Coast. The single became the band's seventh UK number #1. The song was the 35th best-selling single of 2000 in the UK... " |
Produced, Arranged By - Kreuger, Magnusson Written By - Elofsson, Pelle Nylén, David Kreuger, Per Magnusson |
3:53 | |
| 8 | "What Makes a Man What Makes a Man "What Makes a Man" is the third single to be released from Westlife's second studio album, Coast to Coast. It was their first single not to peak at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, being beaten to the Christmas Number One by "Can We Fix It?", the popular theme to cartoon series, Bob the Builder... " |
Produced by - Mac Written by: Mac, Hector |
3:52 | |
| 9 | "Uptown Girl Uptown Girl "Uptown Girl" is a song written and performed by musician Billy Joel, first released in 1983 on his album An Innocent Man. The lyrics describe a working-class "downtown man" attempting to woo a wealthy "uptown girl." The single peaked at #3 on the Billboard charts in the US, and #1 in the UK,... " |
Produced, Arranged By, Mixed By - Mac Written By - Billy Joel Billy Joel William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to... |
3:07 | |
| 10 | "Queen of My Heart Queen of My Heart "Queen of My Heart" is the debut single released from Westlife's third studio album, World of Our Own. It became the band's ninth UK number #1 single, staying at the top of the charts for three weeks. The song was written by John McLaughlin, Wayne Hector and Steve Robson, Steve Mac... " |
Produced, Arranged By, Mixed By - Mac Written By - McLaughlin, Robson, Mac, Hector |
4:19 | |
| 11 | "World of Our Own World of Our Own World of Our Own is the third studio album by the Irish boyband Westlife, released on 12 November 2001. It reached number one in the United Kingdom and includes the singles "Queen of My Heart" , "World of Our Own" , "Bop Bop Baby", and the final single from the group's last album,... " |
Produced, Arranged By - Mac Mastered By - Ted Jensen Remix, Producer [Additional] - Andy Zulla, Stevie 2 Bars Written By - Mac, Hector |
3:32 | |
| 12 | "Bop Bop Baby Bop Bop Baby "Bop Bop Baby" is the third single to be released from Westlife's third studio album, 'World Of Our Own'. The single peaked at #5 on the UK Singles Chart. However, during an interview, the band claimed this was due to the obscure choice of single, as they would have much preferred to release 'Why... " |
Produced, Arranged By, Mixed By - Mac Written By - McFadden, Filan, Murphy, O'Brien |
4:30 | |
| 13 | "When You're Looking Like That When You're Looking Like That "When You're Looking Like That" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife from their second studio album, Coast to Coast. It was released as the sixth and final single from the album in in Australia, Asia, Latin America, and most notably Europe... " |
Produced, Engineer - Rami Yacoub Rami Yacoub Rami Yacoub is a Swedish music producer and songwriter of Palestinian descent, and former member of the successful songwriting/production houses Cheiron Studios and Maratone... Written By - Rami, Andreas Carlsson Andreas Carlsson Andreas Carlsson is a Swedish music producer, composer, and pop songwriter.-Biography:Carlsson was part of the Cheiron Studios team until the studio was closed down in 2001.... , Max Martin Max Martin Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,... |
3:54 | |
| 14 | "Unbreakable Unbreakable (Westlife song) "Unbreakable" is the first single released from Westlife's Greatest Hits album. It was released in November 2002. It set a record for becoming the greatest 'leaper' in UK Chart History - entering at #196, and 'leaping' to #1 the following week. It became the band's 11th UK Number One... " |
Produced, Arranged By, Mixed By - Mac Written By - Jörgen Elofsson, John Reid |
4:33 | |
| 15 | "Written In The Stars" | Produced, Recorded By - David Stenmarck, Nick Jarl Written By - Jarl, Stenmarck, Andreas Carlsson |
4:10 | |
| 16 | "How Does It Feel" | Produced, Arranged By, Mixed By - Mac Written By - McFadden, Filan, Romdhane, Larossi |
4:19 | |
| 17 | "Tonight Tonight/Miss You Nights "Tonight"/"Miss You Nights" is the second and last single released from Westlife's greatest hits album, 'Unbreakable'. It was released as a double A-Side in the UK, but in some other countries, both songs were released separately.... " |
Produced, Arranged By, Mixed By - Mac Written By - Mac, Hector, Elofsson |
4:32 | |
| 18 | "Love Takes Two" | Produced, Arranged By, Mixed By - Mac Written By - Mac, Hector |
3:49 | |
| 19 | "Miss You Nights Tonight/Miss You Nights "Tonight"/"Miss You Nights" is the second and last single released from Westlife's greatest hits album, 'Unbreakable'. It was released as a double A-Side in the UK, but in some other countries, both songs were released separately.... " |
Produced, Arranged By, Mixed By - Mac Written By - Dave Townsend |
3:22 | |
| Bonus Tracks | ||||
| 8 | "I Lay My Love on You I Lay My Love on You "I Lay My Love on You" is the fourth single to be released from Westlife's second studio album, "Coast To Coast". It was released in many parts of the world, including Australia, Asia and most notably Europe - however, it was not released in the UK and Ireland, although it was considered a highly... " |
Replaces 'What Makes A Man' on the Asian Edition Produced, Arranged By - Kreuger, Magnusson Written By - Elofsson, Magnusson, Kreuger |
3:29 | |
| 11 | "World of Our Own World of Our Own World of Our Own is the third studio album by the Irish boyband Westlife, released on 12 November 2001. It reached number one in the United Kingdom and includes the singles "Queen of My Heart" , "World of Our Own" , "Bop Bop Baby", and the final single from the group's last album,... " (US Mix) |
Replaces 'World Of Our Own' on the Asian Edition Produced, Arranged By - Mac Mastered By - Ted Jensen Remix, Producer [Additional] - Andy Zulla, Stevie 2 Bars Written By - Mac, Hector |
3:28 | |
| 20 | "Flying Without Wings" (Featuring BoA BoA Boa Kwon , commonly stylized and known by her stage name BoA, which is a backronym for Beat of Angel, is a Korean singer, active in South Korea, Japan, and the United States and sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Korean Pop Music".... ) |
Additional track on the Asian Edition Produced, Arranged By, Mixed By - Mac Written By - Mac, Hector Vocals [Featuring], Arranged By [Vocals] - BoA |
3:09 | |
| 20.2 | "Flying Without Wings" (Featuring Cristian Castro Cristian Castro Cristian Castro is a Grammy Award-nominated Mexican pop singer. He is referred to as "Christian Castro" or "Cristian."- Biography :... ) |
Additional track on the Spanish Edition Produced, Arranged By, Mixed By - Mac Written By - Mac, Hector Vocals [Featuring], Arranged By [Vocals] - Castro |
3:36 | |
Additional Bonus Disc (Available At Woolworths Via A Daily Mirror Promotion)
- "World Of Our Own" (US Mix) - 3:30
- "More Than Words" - 3:58
- "Forever" - 5:05
- "You Don't Know" - 4:12
- "Interview With Westlife" - 5:00
Chart performance
| Country | |Peak Position | |Certification |
|---|---|---|
| UK | 1 | 4x Platinum |
| Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
1 | |
| Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... |
1 | |
| Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
2 | Platinum |
| Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
3 | Gold |
| Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
4 | |
| New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
4 | Platinum |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
7 | Gold |
| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
10 | |
| Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
14 | |
| Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
14 | Gold |
| Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... (Flanders) |
27 | |
Year End Charts
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
5 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
9 |
Video Album
- "Swear It Again"
- "If I Let You Go"
- "Flying Without Wings"
- "Seasons In The Sun"
- "I Have A Dream"
- "Fool Again"
- "My Love"
- "What Makes A Man"
- "Uptown Girl"
- "I Lay My Love On You"
- "When You're Looking Like That"
- "Queen Of My Heart"
- "Angel"
- "World Of Our Own" (US Version)
- "World Of Our Own"
- "Bop Bop Baby"
- "Unbreakable"
- "Behind The Scenes Documentary"
- "Before They Were Famous..."
- "Swear It Again" (US Version)