Greatest Hits (The Association album)

Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by the Association, released in 1968 by Warner Bros. Records. The album peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 album chart. In Canada the album reached #2 and was in the top 10 for 13 weeks. The RIAA certified the album 2× Platinum on June 1, 1989.

Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedNovember 1968
Recorded1966–1968
Genre
Length37:30
LabelWarner Bros.
Producer
The Association chronology
Birthday
(1968)
Greatest Hits
(1968)
Goodbye Columbus
(1969)

The autobiographical tune "Six Man Band", written by Terry Kirkman, was a new song which had also been released as a mono single in July 1968, then appeared in a stereo mix on this album. The version of "Enter the Young" that is on this collection is a re-recording of a track from their first LP. Despite the title, the album does not include the singles "Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies" (which charted at #35 in late 1966) or "Looking Glass" (which was a regional hit), using non-hits such as "Like Always" and "We Love Us" instead.

Some recordings on this album were encoded with the Haeco-CSG process.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [3]

Stephen Cook of AllMusic writes, "the majority of this hits collection focuses on the band's dreamy combination of polished folk, limber vocal arrangements, and wide-screen instrumental backdrops" and finishes the review by saying, "A great introduction to the band's prime work from the latter half of the '60s."[1]

David Bowling reviews the album for Seattle P-I and writes, "No matter what success their albums may have achieved, they will always be remembered for their string of singles. Greatest Hits gathers these singles, plus a few other tracks in support, to form a soft rock and pop album that has withstood the test of time surprisingly well."[2]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."The Time It Is Today"Russ GiguereBirthday (1968)2:14
2."Everything that Touches You"Terry KirkmanBirthday3:19
3."Like Always"Birthday3:04
4."Never My Love"Insight Out (1967)3:08
5."Requiem for the Masses"Terry KirkmanInsight Out4:05
6."Along Comes Mary"Tandyn AlmerAnd Then... Along Comes the Association (1966)2:48
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Enter the Young" (re-recorded version)Terry KirkmanAnd Then... Along Comes the Association2:43
2."No Fair at All"Jim YesterRenaissance (1966)2:35
3."Time for Livin'"
  • Don Addrisi
  • Dick Addrisi
Birthday2:44
4."We Love Us" (erroneously listed as "We Love")Ted BluechelInsight Out2:22
5."Cherish"Terry KirkmanAnd Then... Along Comes the Association3:24
6."Windy"Ruthann FriedmanInsight Out2:53
7."Six Man Band"Terry KirkmanWB single 72292:11
Total length:37:30

Track information and credits verified from the album's liner notes.[4]

Charts

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Chart (1968–1969) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[5] 2
US Billboard 200[6] 4

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[7] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[8] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Cook, Stephen. Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Bowling, David (15 September 2011). "Music Review: The Association - Greatest Hits". SeattlePI. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  3. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 26.
  4. ^ Greatest Hits (liner notes). The Association. Warner Bros. Records. 1968. 1767-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5903". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  6. ^ "The Association Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  7. ^ "Canadian Gold For WB, Atl. LP's" (PDF).
  8. ^ "American album certifications – The Association – The Association's Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America. June 1, 1989. Retrieved 19 March 2020.