GREATEST HITS (1980)

Details:

Columbia/CBS FC/FCA/FCT-36865 (USA, Nov. 11, 1980)
Columbia/CBS CK-36865 (1986, CD Issue)
Columbia/SMEi CK/CT-57367 (1993, 20-bit SBM digital remaster)
Columbia/SME 19075846981 (2014, 140g LP reissue)
Columbia/SME 19075977671 (2019, Walmart white vinyl LP reissue)

Tracks:

A1. Dream On (4:28) - Steven Tyler
A2. Same Old Song and Dance (3:04) - Steven Tyler, Joe Perry
A3. Sweet Emotion (3:15) - Steven Tyler, Tom Hamilton
A4. Walk This Way (3:33) - Steven Tyler, Joe Perry
A5. Last Child (3:28) - Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford
B1. Back in the Saddle (4:41) - Steven Tyler, Joe Perry
B2. Draw the Line (3:24) - Steven Tyler, Joe Perry
B3. Kings and Queens (3:48) - Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, Jack Douglas
B4. Come Together (3:47) - John Lennon, Paul McCartney
B5. Remember (Walking in the Sand) (4:05) - George Morton

Notes:

Songs produced by their respective original producers. This compilation includes several single edits. Track A2 from the 1974 single edit. Shortens the opening and intro section with the vocal starting. More noticeably, the second verse lyric is changed from the original "Gotcha with the cocaine, found with your gun," to "You shady lookin' loser, you played with my gun. Finally, the outro section is shortened, and a harder fade-out applied. The brutal single edit of track A3 chops nearly 1:30 from the original track length. It removes the whole of the talk-box intro and starts on the refrain of the chorus. The break section, prior to the second chorus, is shortened from 8 to 4 measures. The ending simply starts to fade from the chorus following the second verse, over repetitions of the chorus, cutting the drum crescendo and guitar/talk-box jam of the original that continues to fade-out on the album version.

Track A4 is also a slight edit from the original album version somewhat pointlessly removing the second repetition of the chorus at the first instance, saving roughly 8 seconds. Finally, B3 is also the single edit of the song with wholesale slaughter of the intro with the first 20 seconds simply being cut. The first symphonic break is shortened leading into the second verse. The piano/bass interlude is also cut from 4 to 2 measures, the solo shortened and the fade-out started earlier. From a trade review: "One of the top-heavy metal bands of the 1970s, Aerosmith was capable of some great moments. All those moments are here... The Aerosmith catalog is full of material for a set such as this, but these tracks represent the cream of the crop of hits... and not so big hits... The result is the perfect distillation of the band's goal of being a hard rocking but melodic outfit" (Billboard, 11/1/80). From another trade review: "Rumor has it that the '70s were a dull and uninspiring time musically. Common beliefs have it that not until the Sex Pistols opened that idiosyncratic Pandora's box called 'new wave' did the current scene really begin to soar. Bollocks! Aerosmith was, and still is, one of America's premier heavy rock outfits, and this 1 greatest hits package more than amply proves it" (Cashbox, 11/1/80).

Performance credits:

Refer to original releases.

Chart Action:

Chart Peak (USA): #53 (12/20/80) with 16 weeks on the Billboard charts. The album returned to chart in for two additional runs in 1987 & 1988 for an additional 24 weeks. The album also reached #55 on Cashbox (1/17/81) during a 14-week run. Other countries: N.A.

Singles:

There were no singles issued in support of this compilation. However, Columbia promotionally issued Aerosmith's "The First Decade," which included the band's full catalog eight albums in Jan. 1981.

RIAA/Sales:

Certified Gold by the RIAA on Mar. 3, 1981 and Platinum on Jan. 27, 1986. 2x Platinum followed on Nov. 24, 1986, 4x on Nov. 21, 1988, 5x on Apr. 29, 1991, 6x on Mar. 10, 1992, 8x on Oct. 21, 1994, 9x on Aug. 1, 1996, 10x on Feb. 26, 2001, and 11x on Dec. 13, 2007. During the SoundScan era, the album had sold 4,955,290 copies between 1991 and 2007. The album was also certified Gold in Japan by the RIAJ for sales of 100,000 copies. And concurrently certified Gold and Platinum in Canada by the CRIA on Feb. 27, 1997.