Greatest Hits 1976–1986

1992 greatest hits album by Elton John

Greatest Hits 1976–1986

Greatest hits album by

Elton John

Released| 1992
Genre| Rock
Length| 58:21
Label| MCA
Producer| Chris Thomas, Thom Bell, Elton John, Clive Franks, Gus Dudgeon
Elton John chronology
| The One
(1992)  | Greatest Hits 1976–1986
(1992)  | Rare Masters
(1992)

|
|

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music| [2]

Greatest Hits 1976–1986 is a collection of hits by Elton John released in the United States only by MCA Records in 1992. It replaced an earlier compilation, Geffen's 1987 release Elton John's Greatest Hits Vol. 3. This was necessitated because of a shift in the control of copyrights and a resulting reshuffling of compilation albums.

## Background

[edit]

Ultimate ownership of Elton John's recordings had always rested with the artist's British labels. Hence DJM/This Record Company Ltd. owned all of John's recorded output up to and including 1976's Here and There while John's own royalty collection company (alternately called "Sackville" and "Happenstance") owned the recordings from 1976's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" single and Blue Moves album onwards, which were released outside North America by The Rocket Record Company.

However, in the United States and Canada, this was obscured by the labels distributing the same material locally. MCA and its subsidiaries released all of the artist's product up through 1980's 21 at 33 (though Blue Moves had also borne the Rocket logo), resuming with 1987's Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra while Geffen released everything from 1981's The Fox through 1986's Leather Jackets.

1977's Greatest Hits Volume II collection had, on both sides of the Atlantic, included material owned by both British proprietors. This had required an agreement between DJM and The Rocket Record Company in the UK, but not in North America where all recordings in question were under MCA anyway. Geffen's Greatest Hits Vol. 3 compilation had simply picked up where its predecessor had left off.

In 1992, Elton John signed to PolyGram Records worldwide. The deal gave PolyGram the rights to all of John's pre-1976 recordings (as well as his future output once his then-current MCA contract was satisfied). This meant that Greatest Hits Volume II could no longer be presented as before. Two years before, MCA had acquired Geffen Records.

In the new configuration, 1976's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" were shifted over to the new Volume 3 (to be replaced on their original collection by earlier, previously uncollected songs.) The new collection also included "Who Wears These Shoes?", a minor 1984 hit that had been passed up by the earlier collection. To make room for these additions, two songs from the Geffen collection were purged, namely the 1983 album (title) track "Too Low for Zero" and the 1986 minor hit "Heartache All Over the World". The running order bore little resemblance to that of the Geffen compilation.

PolyGram was bought by MCA's successor Universal Music Group in 1998, thus consolidating worldwide distribution rights to all of John's catalogue (which included the soundtrack to the film Friends, originally released on Paramount Records, then reissued on ABC Records after buying the Paramount label, ABC Records itself was sold to MCA in 1979). Elton John currently co-owns his entire catalogue with Universal.

The album was reissued in 2001 on Island Records. After the consummation of the Universal/PolyGram merger, it was decided that Island would act as one of two American labels for Elton John (Island handled the back catalogue, while Universal, and later Interscope and Decca Records would handle new releases), and Mercury Records would be his international label. In the US, it was certified gold in January 1994, platinum in October 1995 and 2× platinum in August 1998 by the RIAA.

## Track listing

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No.| Title| Writer(s)| Album| Length

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1.| "I'm Still Standing"| Elton John/Bernie Taupin| Too Low for Zero (1983)| 3:02
2.| "Mama Can't Buy You Love"| LeRoy Bell/Casey James| The Thom Bell Sessions (1979)| 4:04
3.| "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"| John/Taupin| Blue Moves (1976)| 3:47
4.| "Little Jeannie"| John/Gary Osborne| 21 at 33 (1980)| 5:12
5.| "Blue Eyes"| John/Osborne| Jump Up! (1982)| 3:26
6.| "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (Duet with Kiki Dee)| John/Taupin (credited as Ann Orson/Carte Blanche)| Non-album single (1976)| 4:30
7.| "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)"| John/Taupin| Jump Up!| 5:11
8.| "Kiss the Bride"| John/Taupin| Too Low for Zero| 4:24
9.| "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues"| John/Taupin/Davey Johnstone| Too Low for Zero| 4:42
10.| "Who Wears These Shoes?"| John/Taupin| Breaking Hearts (1984)| 4:02
11.| "Sad Songs (Say So Much)"| John/Taupin| Breaking Hearts| 4:08
12.| "Wrap Her Up"| John/Taupin/Charlie Morgan/Paul Westwood/Johnstone/Fred Mandel| Ice on Fire (1985)| 6:09
13.| "Nikita"| John/Taupin| Ice on Fire| 5:44

## Certifications

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Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
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United States (RIAA)[3] | 2× Platinum  | 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r58892
2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "John, Elton". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 2,003. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
3. ^ "American album certifications – Elton John – Decade – Elton John's Greatest Hits 1976-1986". Recording Industry Association of America.

* v
* t
* e

Elton John

* Songs
* Albums
* Singles
* Concerts
* Videos
* Awards

Studio albums|

* Empty Sky
* Elton John
* Tumbleweed Connection
* Madman Across the Water
* Honky Château
* Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player
* Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
* Caribou
* Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
* Rock of the Westies
* Blue Moves
* A Single Man
* Victim of Love
* 21 at 33
* The Fox
* Jump Up!
* Too Low for Zero
* Breaking Hearts
* Ice on Fire
* Leather Jackets
* Reg Strikes Back
* Sleeping with the Past
* The One
* Duets
* Made in England
* The Big Picture
* Songs from the West Coast
* Peachtree Road
* The Captain & the Kid
* The Diving Board
* Wonderful Crazy Night
* Regimental Sgt. Zippo
* The Lockdown Sessions

Live albums|

* 17-11-70
* Here and There
* Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
* Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits
* Elton 60 – Live at Madison Square Garden
* Live from Moscow 1979
* Live from the Rainbow Theatre

Soundtrack albums|

* Friends
* The Lion King (1994)
* Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida
* The Muse
* The Road to El Dorado
* Gnomeo & Juliet (soundtrack)
* Rocketman
* The Lion King (2019)

Compilation albums|

* Greatest Hits
* Greatest Hits Volume II
* Lady Samantha
* Greatest Hits Vol. 3
* The Complete Thom Bell Sessions
* To Be Continued
* The Very Best of Elton John
* Rare Masters
* Greatest Hits 1976–1986
* Chartbusters Go Pop
* Classic Elton John
* Love Songs
* Greatest Hits 1970–2002
* Elton John's Christmas Party
* Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits
* Diamonds
* Elton: Jewel Box

Extended plays|

* "I've Been Loving You"
* The Thom Bell Sessions
* Remixed

Other albums|

* Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin
* The Union
* Good Morning to the Night
* Revamp & Restoration
* Who Believes in Angels?

Video albums|

* Night and Day Concert
* Live in Australia
* The Very Best of Elton John
* Live in Barcelona
* Love Songs
* Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits
* Dream Ticket
* Elton 60 – Live at Madison Square Garden
* The Red Piano

Concert tours|

* 1970 World Tour
* Rock of the Westies Tour
* Louder Than Concorde Tour
* 1979 tour of the Soviet Union
* 1980 World Tour
* Jump Up Tour
* Too Low for Zero Tour
* European Express Tour
* Breaking Hearts Tour
* Ice on Fire Tour
* Tour De Force
* Sleeping with the Past Tour
* The One Tour
* Face to Face 1994
* Face to Face 1995
* Made in England Tour
* Face to Face 1998
* An Evening with Elton John
* Medusa Tour
* Stately Home Tour
* Face to Face 2001
* Songs from the West Coast Tour
* Face to Face 2002
* A Journey Through Time
* 2003 Tour
* Face to Face 2003
* 2004 Tour
* Peachtree Road Tour
* 2006 European Tour
* The Captain and the Kid Tour
* Rocket Man: Greatest Hits Live
* Face to Face 2009
* Face to Face 2010
* 2010 European Tour
* Greatest Hits Tour
* 40th Anniversary of the Rocket Man
* The Diving Board Tour
* Follow the Yellow Brick Road Tour
* All the Hits Tour
* The Final Curtain Tour
* Wonderful Crazy Night Tour
* Farewell Yellow Brick Road

Concert residencies|

* The Red Piano
* The Million Dollar Piano

Miscellaneous
performances|

* List of Elton John and Ray Cooper concert tours
* The Union Tour

Musicals|

* The Lion King
* 1994 film
* 2019 film
* 1997 musical
* The Road to El Dorado
* Aida
* Billy Elliot the Musical
* Lestat
* The Devil Wears Prada
* Tammy Faye

Documentaries|

* Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras
* Elton John: Me, Myself & I
* The Union
* Elton John: Never Too Late

Related articles|

* Bernie Taupin
* Elton John Band
* Gus Dudgeon
* Paul Buckmaster
* John Reid
* Ray Williams
* Dick James
* DJM Records
* David Furnish
* Kiki Dee
* Elton John AIDS Foundation
* Watford F.C.
* Bluesology
* Hookfoot
* Woodside, Old Windsor
* Rocket Pictures
* Elton John: The Classic Years
* Rocketman (film)
* Me

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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