Greatest Hits 1976–1986

Infobox Album |
Name = Greatest Hits 1976-1986


Type = compilation
Artist = Elton John
Released = 1992
Recorded = 1976-1985
Genre = Rock and roll
Label = MCA
Producer = Chris Thomas, Thom Bell, Elton John, Clive Franks, Gus Dudgeon
Reviews = Allmusic rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ta9us38ba3xg~T00 link]

"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 "Greatest Hits Vol. 3 (1979-1987)". This was necessitated because of a shift in the control of copyrights and a resulting reshuffling of compilation albums.

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 "Hapenstance") 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 Rocket Records. 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 Records 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 Rocket in the UK, but not in North America where all recordings in question were under MCA anyway. Geffen's "Volume 3" compilation had simply picked up where its predecessor had left off.

In 1992, Elton John signed to Polygram Records woldwide. 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.

In the new (and as of 2007 still current) 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 nonhit "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 ownership 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).

The album is currently available on Island Records.

Track listing

# I'm Still Standing
# Mama Can't Buy You Love
# Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
# Little Jeannie
# Blue Eyes
# Don't Go Breaking My Heart [with Kiki Dee]
# Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny)
# Kiss The Bride
# I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
# Who Wears These Shoes?
# Sad Songs (Say So Much)
# Wrap Her Up
# Nikita