| The Best of The Guess Who | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | April 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1968–1970 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 42:29 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Jack Richardson | |||
| The Guess Who chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[2] |
The Best of The Guess Who is the fourth compilation album by the Canadian group The Guess Who. It was originally released by RCA Records in April 1971 and contains recordings made between 1968 and 1970. The album reached number 12 on the Billboard top LPs chart in the United States.[3]
A follow-up, The Best of The Guess Who Volume II, was released in 1973.
The first half of the album contains tracks from 1968-1970, while the second half of the album contains tracks from the 1970 album "Share the Land". Some of the songs on this album are single edits. For example, the single version of "American Woman" is missing the acoustic introduction. The single version of "Undun", is used as well without the piano intro.
Randy Bachman appears as lead guitar for the first half of the album, while Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw appear on guitar on the second half of the album.
In addition to the usual 2-channel stereo version, the album was also released by RCA in a 4-channel quadraphonic version on 8-track tape and reel-to-reel.
The first CD issue in 1988 by RCA replaced the single version of "American Woman" with the album version. A reissue by Legacy Recordings in 2006 had the single version restored and added three bonus tracks.
In 2014, the album was released in the Super Audio CD format by Audio Fidelity. This version contains the complete stereo and quadraphonic versions on one disc. The stereo version[4] includes the full album version of "American Woman", but the quad version has the edited recording. Both the stereo and quad versions of "Hang On to Your Life" include the Psalm 22 ending.[5]
Gary Hill of AllMusic says "It is sometimes hard to believe that the same group that brought the world the jazzy 'Undun' and the CS&N-ish hippie anthem 'Share the Land' is also responsible for the rocking 'No Time.' This 11-track collection paints a very entertaining picture of a multi-talented band and is a perfect introduction for the casual fan."
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "These Eyes" |
| 3:43 |
| 2. | "Laughing" |
| 2:44 |
| 3. | "Undun" | Bachman | 3:25 |
| 4. | "No Time" |
| 3:45 |
| 5. | "American Woman" |
| 3:50 |
| 6. | "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature" |
| 4:52 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Hand Me Down World" | Kurt Winter | 3:26 |
| 8. | "Bus Rider" | Winter | 2:56 |
| 9. | "Share the Land" | Cummings | 3:53 |
| 10. | "Do You Miss Me Darlin'?" |
| 3:55 |
| 11. | "Hang On to Your Life" |
| 4:08 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Albert Flasher" | Cummings | 2:27 |
| 13. | "Broken" |
| 3:08 |
| 14. | "Rain Dance" |
| 2:44 |
on tracks 1-6
on tracks 7-11 + bonus tracks
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[8] | 9 |
| USBillboard 200[9] | 12 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[10] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[11] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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| Studio albums |
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| Live albums |
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| Compilations |
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| Singles |
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| Related articles |
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