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''Greatest Hits'' is a
compilation album by the American
hard rock band
Guns N' Roses, released on March 23, 2004. Released by
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
in part because of the delay in the making of ''
Chinese Democracy'', the album was subject to lawsuits by band member
Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose Jr.; born February 6, 1962) is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its incep ...
and former band members, in an attempt to block its release due to its track listing.
Despite the album having almost no promotion, it reached number one on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
and number three on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart upon its release. ''Greatest Hits'' re-entered the ''Billboard'' 200 at number three in March 2012, selling about 85,000 copies as part of a promotion by both
Amazon
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* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
and
Google Play
Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating sy ...
that saw the album sold for 25 cents for one day.
The album has proven a popular seller, selling over six million copies in the United States by 2018. ''Greatest Hits'' is one of the
longest charting albums in the ''Billboard'' 200 era,
being one of only seven albums to notch at least 400 weeks on the chart by June 2017. As of April 2022, it has spent 568 weeks on the chart.
Lawsuit
Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose Jr.; born February 6, 1962) is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its incep ...
immediately tried to block the release by suing
Geffen, saying it would ruin his focus on ''
Chinese Democracy'' and if he were to get the album finished and released sooner, the ''Greatest Hits'' album would be selling more, leaving the album unnoticed. Former bandmates
Slash and
Duff McKagan
Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964), sometimes credited as Duff "Rose" McKagan, is an American musician. He played bass for twelve years in the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late ...
helped Rose file the lawsuit against Geffen, although they did not speak to each other in person. The lawsuit failed and the album was released under Geffen Records' rights.
Reception
The album received mixed reviews, with several critics complaining of the track listing, feeling several notable songs were missing.
''
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
'' criticized the album for "(giving) an inaccurate portrait of the band", saying "it bears all the hallmarks of a slapdash compilation, hastily assembled by the label as a way to buy time between releases. There are no liner notes, the cardboard packaging is flimsy, (&) the remastering isn't notable."
The review singled out "
Nightrain
"Nightrain" (pronounced "Night Train") is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses. The song is a tribute to an infamous brand of cheap Californian fortified wine, Night Train Express, which was extremely popular with the band during their e ...
", "
Estranged", "
It's So Easy", "
Mr. Brownstone
"Mr. Brownstone" is a song by the American rock band Guns N' Roses, featured on their debut studio album, ''Appetite for Destruction'' (1987). Group guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin wrote the tune while they were sitting around Stradlin's a ...
" and "
Used to Love Her" as songs that should have been on the album but weren't.
''
Pop Matters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fil ...
'' stated the album "does nothing to enhance the legacy of a once-proud rock band. There are no hidden insights into the inner workings of the group, no lost classics, and no evidence of their contribution to a new generation of musicians. Instead we are left with an inflated sticker price for a Pandora's box of tracks..." ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' criticized the compilation for having too many covers, as well as not including songs such as "
Out Ta Get Me", "Used to Love Her", and "
One in a Million".
''
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'' criticized the songs for being dated. ''
The Maneater
The Maneater is the official, editorially independent Student newspaper, student news publication of the University of Missouri. The Maneater editorial and advertising staffs are composed entirely of students, with the exception of a professional ...
'' stated "The appearance of the album gives the impression of a record company that focused solely on the fact that people would buy the album even if it were wrapped in brown wrapping paper." and criticized the compilation for not including songs such as "Estranged", "Mr. Brownstone", and "
Pretty Tied Up".
In a positive review, ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' stated " It’s packed with pomp, spunk and circumstance, makes blokes want to fight and girls want to dance. What the fuck else is there?".
Track listing
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.
Guns N' Roses
*
W. Axl Rose – lead vocals, percussion on "Welcome to the Jungle", whistling on "Patience" and "Civil War", synthesizer and whistle on "Paradise City", keyboards on "Since I Don't Have You" and "Live and Let Die", piano on "November Rain, "Yesterdays," and "Sympathy for the Devil."
*
Slash – lead guitar, acoustic guitar on "Civil War","Sweet Child o' Mine and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", lead acoustic guitar on "Patience"
*
Izzy Stradlin
Jeffrey Dean Isbell (born April 8, 1962), best known as Izzy Stradlin, is an American guitarist. He was a co-founder and rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, which he left at the height of their fame in 1991, and with whom he r ...
– rhythm guitar (on tracks 1, 2, 4–11 and Shadow of Your Love), rhythm acoustic guitar on "Patience", backing vocals on tracks 1–11
*
Duff McKagan
Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964), sometimes credited as Duff "Rose" McKagan, is an American musician. He played bass for twelve years in the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late ...
– bass, backing vocals, rhythm acoustic guitar on "Patience"
*
Steven Adler – drums (on tracks 1, 2, 4, and 6 and Shadow of Your Love and Civil War), backing vocals on "Patience"
*
Matt Sorum
Matthew William Sorum (born November 19, 1960) is an American drummer. He is best known as both a former member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and as a member of the supergroup Velvet Revolver. ...
– drums and backing vocals on tracks 5, 7–14
*
Dizzy Reed
Darren Arthur Reed (born June 18, 1963), better known by his stage name Dizzy Reed, is an American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the keyboardist for the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has played, toured, and recor ...
– keyboards and piano on tracks 5–14, organ
*
Gilby Clarke – rhythm guitar and backing vocals on "Ain't It Fun" and "Since I Don't Have You"
*
Paul Huge – rhythm guitar on "Sympathy for the Devil"
Additional personnel
*
Michael Monroe
Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm (born 17 June 1962), better known by his stage name Michael Monroe, is a Finnish rock musician who rose to fame as the vocalist for the glam punk band Hanoi Rocks, and has served as the frontman for all-star sid ...
– co-lead vocals on "Ain't It Fun"
*Mike Staggs – additional guitars on "Ain't It Fun"
*
West Arkeen
Aaron West Arkeen (June 18, 1960 – May 30, 1997) was an American musician best known for co-writing several Guns N' Roses songs. He died in Los Angeles of a drug overdose.
Early life
Aaron West Arkeen was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France and g ...
– percussion on "Patience"
*Rick Richards – percussion on "Patience"
*Ray Grden – percussion on "Patience"
*Howard Teman – percussion on "Patience"
*The Waters – backing vocals on "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
*
Shannon Hoon
Richard Shannon Hoon (September 26, 1967 – October 21, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer of the band Blind Melon from 1990 until his death in 1995.
Early life
Richard Shannon Hoon was born on Sept ...
– backing vocals on "Live and Let Die", "November Rain", co-lead vocals on "Don't Cry"
*Johann Langlie – programming on "Live and Let Die", "November Rain"
*Reba Shaw – backing vocals on "November Rain"
*Stuart Bailey – backing vocals on "November Rain"
*Jon Thautwein – horn on "Live and Let Die"
*Matthew McKagan – horn on "Live and Let Die"
*Rachel West – horn on "Live and Let Die"
*Robert Clark – horn on "Live and Let Die"
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Sales and certifications
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greatest Hits (Guns N' Roses Album)
Guns N' Roses compilation albums
2004 greatest hits albums
Albums produced by Mike Clink
Geffen Records compilation albums