Greatest Hits (Neil Young album)

Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by Neil Young
Released	November 16, 2004 (2004-11-16)
Recorded	1969–1991
Genre	Rock, country rock, folk-rock
Length	76:07
Language	English
Label	Reprise
Producer	David Briggs, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Kendall Pacios, Elliot Mazer, Henry Lewy, Tim Mulligan, Ben Keith, Niko Bolas
Neil Young chronology
Greendale (2003) Greatest Hits (2004) Prairie Wind (2005)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Pitchfork Media	[2]

Greatest Hits is Neil Young's third compilation album after Decade and Lucky Thirteen. Eleven of the first twelve tracks appear on Decade, and the disc spans his solo career from 1969 through 1992. On the rear cover of the album, Young comments that the tracks were selected "based on original record sales, airplay and known download history."

Remastering

All tracks on this album were remastered using the HDCD process, which Young has been utilizing for his studio work since 1995. The album was also released as a high-resolution DVD Audio disc, and in a two-disc format including the audio album plus a bonus DVD with videos for "Rockin' in the Free World" and the "Harvest Moon". Extensive notes on the remastering process can be found on Young's website. [1]

On the press release, Young said:

"One of the most important jobs of any musician is to provide quality sound to the people. Quality has taken a hit in recent years, but it's starting to come back thanks to DVD-stereo. There is just no comparison between DVD-stereo and a regular compact disc or even 5.1 sound. It's the difference between a true reflection of the music and a mere replica. I've always been a strong believer in analogue and this is about as close to the rewarding listening experience of vinyl as the real thing."[2]

Track listing

#	Title	Writer(s)	Performed by	Length	Album
1.	"Down by the River"	Neil Young	Neil Young with Crazy Horse	9:20	Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
2.	"Cowgirl in the Sand"	Young	Neil Young with Crazy Horse	10:08
3.	"Cinnamon Girl"	Young	Neil Young with Crazy Horse	3:02
4.	"Helpless"	Young	Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young	3:40	Déjà Vu
5.	"After the Gold Rush"	Young	Neil Young	3:48	After the Gold Rush
6.	"Only Love Can Break Your Heart"	Young	Neil Young	3:11
7.	"Southern Man"	Young	Neil Young	5:33
8.	"Ohio"	Young	Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young	3:02	non-album single
9.	"The Needle and the Damage Done"	Young	Neil Young	2:13	Harvest
10.	"Old Man"	Young	Neil Young with The Stray Gators	3:25
11.	"Heart of Gold"	Young	Neil Young with The Stray Gators	3:09
12.	"Like a Hurricane"	Young	Neil Young and Crazy Horse	8:23	American Stars 'n Bars
13.	"Comes a Time"	Young	Neil Young	3:07	Comes a Time
14.	"Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)"	Young, Jeff Blackburn	Neil Young and Crazy Horse	5:02	Rust Never Sleeps
15.	"Rockin' in the Free World"	Young	Neil Young	4:44	Freedom
16.	"Harvest Moon"	Young	Neil Young	5:03	Harvest Moon

7" single

1. "The Loner" – 3:50
2. "Sugar Mountain" – 5:41

Issued exclusively with the vinyl edition of the album

Chart performance

The album debuted on Billboard 200 album chart for December 4, 2004 at number 27, with first week sales of approximately 51,000 copies.^[3] It remained on the chart for 17 weeks. It was awarded a certified gold record by the RIAA on January 23, 2006. The album was certified 2x Platinum in New Zealand on January 18, 2009, selling over 30,000 copies.^[4] In 2010, the album got certified Gold in Germany for 100,000 copies sold.^[5]

References

1. ^ Allmusic review
2. ^ Pitchfork Media review
3. ^ Margo Whitmire, "Eminem Thankful To Remain No. 1", Billboard.com, November 24, 2004.
4. ^ http://www.radioscope.net.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=79&Itemid=61
5. ^ AT LEAST ONE OF artist or title MUST BE PROVIDED for GERMAN CERTIFICATION.