Greatest Hits [2 LP]

by Shania Twain

Overview

Just like the albums her husband/producer Mutt Lange produced for Def Leppard, Shania Twain's albums are designed to generate hit singles for two or three years, which means that each of her blockbuster records -- 1995's The Woman in Me, 1997's Come On Over, 2002's Up! -- already seem like greatest-hits records, since they're filled with huge hits. This makes assembling an actual greatest-hits album a little difficult, since not only is the material overly familiar, but there are so many hits that they're difficult to fit on a single-disc collection. Impressively, 2004's Greatest Hits -- the first compilation Shania has released in her career -- doesn't skimp in either the hits or its actual length. Weighing in at a whopping 21 tracks, it has every big hit from her career, bypassing just a handful of tracks (including anything from her eponymous 1993 debut, plus "God Bless the Child" from 1996 and "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" from 2004), none of which are greatly missed. The collection runs in reverse chronological order, beginning with the ballad "Forever and Always" from Up! then running through hits like "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!," "That Don' Impress Me Much," "You're Still the One," "Any Man of Mine" -- all in their most familiar radio mixes, which means pop mixes alternate with country mixes according to the song -- before ending with four new tracks (the gleefully goofy "Party for Two" is featured in two versions, a pop version with Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath and a country version with Billy Currington). Taken as a whole, this is a pretty impressive and consistent body of work -- sure, her hits can be slick, glossy, and silly, but they're infectious, irresistibly catchy, impeccably crafted, and most importantly, still tremendous fun after hundreds of plays. This isn't straight country, but it never pretends that it is. Instead, Twain and Lange poached the catchiest elements from arena rock and adult contemporary pop, peppered it with '90s pop culture references -- anything from bad hair days to Brad Pitt -- and developed a glorious, supersized sound that defined mainstream pop and country for nearly a decade. And, as this wonderful collection proves, Shania's hits not only defined their time, but transcend them, as this Greatest Hits is as fun as pop music can get. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/17/2023
Label:	Mercury Nashville
UPC:	0602458342178
Rank:	4370

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Shania Twain   Primary Artist,Vocals,Clapping,Vocal Harmony,Vocals (Background)
Billy Currington   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Mark McGrath   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Michael Thompson   E-Bow,Guitar (Electric),Slide Guitar,Bouzouki
Joe Chemay   Guitar (Bass),Fretless Bass,Bass (Electric)
Paul Franklin   Pedabro,Pedal Steel
Aubrey Haynie   Fiddle
Biff Watson   Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Nylon String)
B.J. Cole   Dobro,Pedal Steel
Billy Crain   Slide Guitar
The Irish Film Orchestra   Strings
John Hughey   Pedal Steel
Larry Franklin   Fiddle
Paul Leim   Drums,Percussion
Carl Marsh   Strings
David Hungate   Bass
John Hobbs   Organ,Wurlitzer
John Willis   Banjo,Bouzouki,Mandolin,Guitar (Acoustic)
Joe Spivey   Fiddle
John Barlow Jarvis   Piano,Wurlitzer
Simon Duggal   Percussion
Robert John "Mutt" Lange   Clapping,Vocal Harmony,Vocals (Background)
Rob Hajacos   Fiddle
The Nashville String Machine   Strings
Matt Rollings   Piano
Nick Keca   Clapping
Brent Mason   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Glen Duncan   Fiddle
Dann Huff   Guitar,Talk Box,6-String Bass,Sound Effects,Wah Wah Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm),Sitar (Electric),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String Electric)
Bruce Bouton   Pedal Steel
Terry McMillan   Harp,Cowbell,Stomping,Harmonica
Larry Byrom   Slide Guitar,Drums (Electric),Guitar (Acoustic)
Jonathan Yudkin   Cello,Fiddle,Violin,Mandolin
Joey Miskulin   Accordion
David Hamilton   Strings
Michael Omartian   Piano
Stuart Duncan   Fiddle
Diamond Duggal   Percussion
Arthur Stead   Organ,Piano,Wurlitzer

Technical Credits

Bob Bullock   Audio Engineer,Engineer
Brian Masterson   Audio Engineer,Engineer
Robert John "Mutt" Lange   Audio Production,Arranger,Composer,Producer
Stephen Marcussen   Mastering
Terry Manning   Engineer
Simon Pressey   Assistant
Carl Gorodetzky   Contractor
Craig White   Assistant Engineer
Gavin Greenaway   String Arrangements
Carl Marsh   String Arrangements
Shania Twain   Composer
Lynn Peterzell   Mixing
Jeff Balding   Engineer
Warren Peterson   Engineer
Steve McMillan   Mixing
Nick Keca   Engineer
Olle Romo   Engineer,Programming
Mike Shipley   Mixing
Oswald Bowe   Assistant
Dann Huff   Tic Tac
Cory Churko   Digital Editing
David Hamilton   String Arrangements
Lee Groitzsch   Engineer
Wayne Morgan   Assistant Engineer
Ron Reynolds   Engineer
Ronn Huff   String Arrangements
Rob Degroff   Engineer,Assistant,Technical Maintenance
Tim Waters   Assistant Engineer
Alex Dixon   Assistant
Helen Mitchell   Wardrobe
Caitriona Walsh   Orchestra Manager
Taketo Gohara   Assistant
Robert Charles   Assistant Engineer
Jeff Lippencott   Copyist
Mark Hagan   Assistant Engineer
Sandy Jenkins   Assistant Engineer
Mike Carroll   Engineer
Bethany Newman   Design,Art Direction
Guido Andreani   Assistant
Angelis, Peppe de   Assistant
Kieran Lynch   Digital Editing
Susan McCarthy   Make-Up
Tony Stanton   Copyist
Frankie Foye   Hair Stylist
Michel Gallone   Mixing,Assistant,Technical Assistance