Greatest Hits (Robbie Williams album)
Greatest Hits is a hits compilation released by British singer-songwriter Robbie Williams on 18 October 2004. The album includes two new songs, these being "Radio" and "Misunderstood", which were both released as singles. The album is his seventh overall released in the United Kingdom.
Greatest Hits | ||||
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Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | 18 October 2004 | |||
Recorded | 1997–2004 | |||
Length | 78:43 | |||
Label | EMI | |||
Producer | Guy Chambers | |||
Robbie Williams chronology | ||||
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Singles from Greatest Hits | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Greatest Hits was one of the fastest selling albums upon release in the UK, where it debuted at the number-one spot with first week sales of over 320,000 copies. Certain versions of the album feature a picture of Williams in a pose exposing his pubic hair on the cover, and in the booklet is the Latin phase "...si quid habet mammas vel rotas, res habebis difficiles aliquando", translating into "if it has tits or wheels, it makes life difficult." A special edition box set, containing all of Williams' singles, was released on the same day.[2]
Singles
Although Williams admitted on his website to being "perplexed at the prospect" of a greatest hits album, saying, "I rarely, if at all, look back over my career", he took the opportunity to also reveal two new songs he had been working on with his new collaborator, Stephen Duffy.[3] Both were released as singles. "Radio", the compilation's first single, was released in October 2004, debuting at number-one of the UK Singles Chart, becoming Williams' sixth number-one hit selling 41,732 copies.[4] The song was also a number-one hit in Denmark and Portugal, and it hit the top ten around the world. The album's second single, the ballad "Misunderstood", was included on the soundtrack of the film Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, and hit the top ten around the world in December of that year.
Commercial performance
Debuting at number one, the album sold 320,000 copies in its first week, becoming the fastest selling greatest hits album ever released in the United Kingdom.[3] The album hit the top spot in 18 countries: France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, the aforementioned United Kingdom, Argentina, Colombia, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland among others.[3] The album became the best selling album of the year in the United Kingdom, becoming the 61st best selling album in UK music history, with sales of 2 million copies, being certified 8× Platinum by the BPI.[5]
Greatest Hits also became the best selling album of the year in Europe being certified 5× Platinum for over 5 million copies sold[6] worldwide. The album ended up selling slightly under 8.5 million copies becoming one of Williams' best selling albums ever. In Germany, the album debuted at number one and reached this position in total nine times non-consecutively, Williams' second album to do so, the other one being Swing When You're Winning. With 102 weeks on the German Albums Chart it's his second longest chart one, just behind Sing When You're Winning, with 106 weeks. By selling 900,000 copies and reaching 9× Gold, Greatest Hits is the 20th best-selling album of the decade 2000–2009 in Germany and his 5th album to reach a position in the top twenty of the best-selling album of the decade, the others being Swing When You're Winning (4th best-selling), Escapology (5th best-selling), Intensive Care (8th best-selling) and Live at Knebworth (19th best-selling).[7][8]
Track listing
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Old Before I Die" | Life thru a Lens, 1997 | 3:53 |
2. | "Lazy Days" | Life thru a Lens | 3:54 |
3. | "Angels" | Life thru a Lens | 4:25 |
4. | "Let Me Entertain You" | Life thru a Lens | 4:22 |
5. | "Millennium" (Radio Edit) | I've Been Expecting You, 1998 | 3:46 |
6. | "No Regrets" (Radio Edit) | I've Been Expecting You | 4:43 |
7. | "Strong" (Radio Edit) | I've Been Expecting You | 4:19 |
8. | "She's the One" | I've Been Expecting You | 4:18 |
9. | "Rock DJ" | Sing When You're Winning, 2000 | 4:16 |
10. | "Kids" (with Kylie Minogue) | Sing When You're Winning and Light Years, both 2000 | 4:19 |
11. | "Supreme" | Sing When You're Winning | 4:18 |
12. | "Let Love Be Your Energy" (Radio Edit) | Sing When You're Winning | 4:06 |
13. | "Eternity" | Non-album single, 2001 | 5:00 |
14. | "The Road to Mandalay" (Radio Edit) | Sing When You're Winning | 3:18 |
15. | "Feel" (Radio Edit) | Escapology, 2002 | 3:43 |
16. | "Come Undone" (Radio Edit) | Escapology | 3:54 |
17. | "Sexed Up" (Radio Edit) | Escapology | 4:10 |
18. | "Radio" | Previously unreleased, 2004 | 3:52 |
19. | "Misunderstood" | Previously unreleased | 4:01 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
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2. | "Angels" | 4:25 | |
3. | "Let Me Entertain You" | 4:22 | |
4. | "Millennium" | 4:07 | |
5. | "No Regrets" | 5:10 | |
6. | "Strong" | 4:39 | |
7. | "She's the One" | 4:18 | |
8. | "Rock DJ" | 4:18 | |
9. | "Kids" (with Kylie Minogue) | 4:46 | |
10. | "Supreme" | 4:18 | |
11. | "Let Love Be Your Energy" | 4:59 | |
12. | "Eternity" | 5:00 | |
13. | "The Road to Mandalay" | 4:03 | |
14. | "Better Man" | Sing When You're Winning | 3:22 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
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2. | "Angels" | 4:25 | |
3. | "Let Me Entertain You" | 4:22 | |
4. | "Millennium" | 4:07 | |
5. | "No Regrets" | 5:10 | |
6. | "Strong" | 4:39 | |
7. | "She's the One" | 4:18 | |
8. | "Rock DJ" | 4:18 | |
9. | "Kids" (with Kylie Minogue) | 4:46 | |
10. | "Supreme" | 4:18 | |
11. | "Better Man" | 3:22 | |
12. | "Let Love Be Your Energy" | 4:59 | |
13. | "Feel" | 4:23 | |
14. | "Come Undone" | 4:38 | |
15. | "Sexed Up" | 4:21 | |
16. | "Something Beautiful" | Escapology | 4:48 |
17. | "Monsoon" | Escapology | 3:46 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Angels" | 4:25 | |
2. | "Let Me Entertain You" | 4:22 | |
3. | "Millennium" | 4:07 | |
4. | "No Regrets" | 5:10 | |
5. | "Strong" | 4:39 | |
6. | "She's the One" | 4:18 | |
7. | "Win Some Lose Some" | I've Been Expecting You | 4:18 |
8. | "Rock DJ" | 4:18 | |
9. | "Kids" (with Kylie Minogue) | 4:46 | |
10. | "Supreme" | 4:18 | |
11. | "Let Love Be Your Energy" | 4:59 | |
12. | "Eternity" | 5:00 | |
13. | "Better Man" | 3:22 | |
14. | "Feel" | 4:23 | |
15. | "Come Undone" | 4:38 | |
16. | "Something Beautiful" | 4:48 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
2. | "Angels" | 4:25 |
3. | "Let Me Entertain You" | 4:22 |
4. | "Millennium" | 4:07 |
5. | "No Regrets" | 5:10 |
6. | "Strong" | 4:39 |
7. | "She's the One" | 4:18 |
8. | "Angels" (Spanish Version) | 4:25 |
No. | Title | Length |
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2. | "Angels" (Spanish Version) | 4:25 |
3. | "Let Me Entertain You" | 4:22 |
4. | "Millennium" | 4:07 |
5. | "No Regrets" | 5:10 |
6. | "Strong" | 4:39 |
7. | "She's the One" | 4:18 |
8. | "Rock DJ" | 4:18 |
9. | "Kids" (with Kylie Minogue) | 4:46 |
10. | "Supreme" | 4:18 |
11. | "Let Love Be Your Energy" | 4:59 |
12. | "Eternity" | 5:00 |
13. | "The Road to Mandalay" | 4:03 |
14. | "Better Man" (Spanish Version) | 3:22 |
No. | Title | Length |
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11. | "Supreme" (French Version) | 4:18 |
The Best So Far
The Best So Far | ||||
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Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | 2 September 2006 | |||
Recorded | 1997–2004 | |||
Length | 61:46 | |||
Label | Som Livre | |||
Robbie Williams chronology | ||||
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The Best So Far is an updated version of Greatest Hits, released exclusively in Brazil to celebrate Robbie's Close Encounters tour. Even with Greatest Hits being released in Brazil, The Best So Far updates the track listing slightly, adding "Sin Sin Sin", "Advertising Space" and "Tripping", but removing earlier hits such as "Old Before I Die", "Lazy Days" and "She's the One".
- Track listing
- "Sin Sin Sin" – 4:09
- "Advertising Space" – 4:37
- "Feel" – 4:22
- "Angels" – 4:25
- "Sexed Up" – 4:20
- "Millennium" – 4:08
- "Come Undone" – 4:38
- "Rock DJ" – 4:18
- "Supreme" – 4:19
- "Tripping" – 4:07
- "No Regrets" – 5:11
- "Radio" – 3:51
- "Misunderstood" – 4:02
- "Let Me Entertain You" – 4:21
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Argentina (CAPIF)[17] | 3× Platinum | 120,000^ |
Australia (ARIA)[18] | 8× Platinum | 560,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria)[19] | 4× Platinum | 120,000* |
Belgium (BEA)[20] | Platinum | 50,000* |
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[21] | Platinum | 40,000^ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[22] | Platinum | 40,367[22] |
France (SNEP)[23] | Platinum | 300,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[24] | 9× Gold | 900,000^ |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[25] | Gold | 10,000* |
Hungary (MAHASZ)[26] | Gold | 10,000^ |
Mexico (AMPROFON)[27] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI)[28] | Platinum | 80,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[29] | 2× Platinum | 30,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[30] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[31] | 3× Platinum | 120,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] | 8× Platinum | 2,400,000 |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI)[33] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000* |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
References
- Allmusic review
- "Rakuten.co.uk Shopping: CD - Music". Archived from the original on 30 January 2008.
- "RobbieWilliams.com". RobbieWilliams.com.
- "Radio" first week sales in the United Kingdom Archived 12 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- BPI Certification for "Greatest Hits"
- IFPI Certiciation for "Greatest Hits" Archived 17 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche". musicline.de. Archived from the original on 2 November 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
- "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Robbie Williams; 'Greatest Hits')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- "Australiancharts.com – Robbie Williams – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien.
- Billboard - Robbie Williams Chart History
- "ロビー・ウィリアムスのアルバム売上ランキング". Oricon Style.
- "Los Más Vendidos 2005 - Top 100 México > Mejor posición" (PDF) (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- "OLiS: sales for the period 18.10.2004 - 24.10.2004". OLiS.
- "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- "2009 ARIA End of Decade Albums Chart". ARIA. January 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- "CAPIF - Representando a la Industria Argentina de la Música". archive.vn. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- "Austrian album certifications – Robbie Williams – Greatest Hits" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2004". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- "Danish album certifications – Robbie Williams – Greatest Hits". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- "Robbie Williams" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- "French album certifications – Robbie Williams – Greatest Hits" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Robbie Williams; 'Greatest Hits')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- "香港唱片銷量大獎 2004". IFPI Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 2 July 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2005" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 14 January 2021. Type Robbie Williams in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Greatest Hits in the box under TÍTULO
- "Dutch album certifications – Robbie Williams – Greatest Hits" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 14 January 2021. Enter Greatest Hits in the "Artiest of titel" box.
- "New Zealand album certifications – Robbie Williams – Greatest Hits". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- PROMUSICAE Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Robbie Williams; 'Greatest Hits')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- "British album certifications – Robbie Williams – Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2006". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 January 2021.