''Greatest Hits'' (titled Greatest Hits Vol. II in Australia) is a compilation of hits by the Australian band

Little River Band Little River Band (LRB) are a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March 1975. The band achieved commercial success in both Australia and the United States. They have sold more than 30 million records; six studio albums reached the top ...

, released in November 1982. The album peaked at No. 13 on the Australian

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...

albums chart, at No. 1 in New Zealand, and at No. 33 on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...

. It included two new tracks, " The Other Guy" and " Down on the Border", to introduce the band's new lead singer,

John Farnham John Peter Farnham (born 1 July 1949) is a British-born Australian singer. Farnham was a teen pop idol from 1967 until the mid-1970s, billed as Johnny Farnham. He has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer.McFarlane (1999). Enc ...

. In 1992, it was

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2× Platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. The album was digitally remastered and repackaged with additional tracks in an expanded edition in 2000.

Reception

Cash Box magazine ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said "This is a unique 'best of' package in that it serves to close the door of one era of this most popular Australian band's career while ushering in another. Glenn Shorrock, the 'voice' of LRB for so many years, has departed for a solo flight, while the 'new' lineup with lead singer

is represented here by the currently rising Top 40 tune 'The Other Guy' and ' Down on the Border'. Fans of LRB can reminisce over 'Reminiscing', 'Lady', 'Help Is On The Way' ic 'Lonesome Loser', 'Happy Anniversary', 'Night Owls' and the more recent hits, 'Man On Your Mind' and 'Take It Easy On Me'."

Track listing

Versions

Initial copies of the digitally remastered 2000 edition contained never-before-heard alternative versions of three of its tracks: *" Take It Easy on Me" When the band recorded the album '' Time Exposure'' in

Montserrat Montserrat ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, wit ...

with

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...

, two versions of this song were recorded, with

Glenn Shorrock Glenn Barrie Shorrock (born 30 June 1944) is an Australian singer and songwriter. He was a founding member of rock bands the Twilights, Axiom, Little River Band and post LRB spin-off trio Birtles Shorrock Goble, as well as being a solo perfo ...

and

Wayne Nelson Wayne Nelson (born June 1, 1950) is an American musician best known for being the bassist and co-vocalist of the rock band Little River Band, in which he joined in 1980 and, since 1999, has been the band's frontman. Shortly after his birth, ...

respectively on lead vocal. "The Night Owls", with Nelson on lead vocal, had already been selected as the first single from the album. When Martin selected the Nelson version of "Take It Easy on Me" for the album and second single, Shorrock complained, and his version of the song was used instead. It is the Nelson version of " Take It Easy on Me" that appeared on the first 2000 release of ''Greatest Hits''. *" Man on Your Mind" The alternative version uses a horn section in the backing music. *"The Night Owls" The alternative version has a heavier guitar sound. Some members of the band objected to these alternative tracks. The remaining CDs were removed from the market and reissued with the original album tracks. The "unauthorised" version is keenly sought by collectors. However, the "unauthorised" version is still used on the

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streaming version of ''Greatest Hits''.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1982 greatest hits albums Little River Band albums Capitol Records compilation albums