Whitney Houston - The Greatest Hits

Whitney Houston | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 16, 2000)
• Original Release Date: May 16, 2000
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Arista
• ASIN: B00004R84V
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (528 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,394 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #12 in Music > R&B > Contemporary R&B
  • #27 in Music > Pop > Vocal Pop > Contemporary
  • #69 in Music > Pop > Adult Contemporary > General AAS

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

For an artist who only released four proper albums in a 15-year career, it's astounding to recall how many hits Whitney Houston was able to achieve. The two CDs on The Greatest Hits track Houston's rise from mid-'80s Top 40 balladeer to standard-setting diva. Disc 1, Cool Down, runs chronologically through Houston's down-tempo love songs, from "The Greatest Love of All" and "I Will Always Love You" to the cleverly conceived new duet with Deborah Cox, "Same Script, Different Cast." She's also showcased as the remixee of choice for DJs on the second disc, Throw Down, which serves as the antidote to the lovesick first disc. Calling in marquee mixmasters, Houston's old-shoe tunes get a new millennium polish. "My Love Is Your Love," reinterpreted by Jonathan Peters, captures the versatility of Houston's songs by making the downbeats danceable without going totally Euro-cheese. In contrast, Junior Vasquez's remix of 1985's "How Will I Know" pokes fun at the song's '80s fluffiness by layering in bells, lasers effects, and echoes on top of Whitney's enthusiastic vocals. --Heidi Sherman

Product Description

Much more than that, actually-all her #1 hits are here ( Greatest Love of All; I Will Always Love You; All the Man That I Need; Didn't We Almost Have It All , etc.), but so are her hottest remixes ( I Wanna Dance with Somebody; So Emotional; I'm Your Baby Tonight; I'm Every Woman , and more), previously unissued rarities, fan favorites and four brand-new tracks-37 of Whitney's best on 2 cassettes!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

175 of 193 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars BUY THE U.K VERSION - IT HAS ONLY 6 REMIXES! May 18, 2000

By Julie

Format:Audio CD

Which makes it a better CD. A greatest hits CD is not a greatest hits CD without the originals hits on it. I haven't heard the U.S. version - but to be honest I wouldn't buy it because the songs are probably unrecognisable.

The following is the track listing for the UK CD that I copied from Amazon.co.uk:

Disc: 1 1. Saving all my love for you 2. Greatest love of all 3. One moment in time 4. I have nothing 5. I will always love you 6. Run to you 7. You give good love 8. All at once 9. Where do broken hearts go 10. If you say my eyes are beautiful (Duet with Jermaine Jackson) 11. Didn't we almost have it all 12. All the man that I need 13. Exhale (shoop shoop) 14. Count on me (Duet with CeCe Winans) 15. I believe in you and me 16. I learned from the best 17. Same script, different cast (Duet with Deborah Cox) 18. Could I have this kiss forever (Duet with Eurique Iglesias)(Metro mix)

Disc: 2 1. If I told you that (Whitney Houston & George Michael) 2. Fine 3. My love is your love 4. It's not right but it's okay 5. Heartbreak hotel 6. Step by step 7. Queen of the night (Cj Mackintosh mix) 8. I'm every woman 9. Love will save the day 10. I'm your baby tonight 11. So emotional 12. I wanna dance with somebody (who loves me) 13. How will I know 14. I will always love you (Hex Hector mix) 15. Greatest love of all (Club 69 mix) 16. It's not right but it's okay (Thunderpuss mix) 17. I'm your baby tonight (Dronez mix)

All of the tracks that people are complaining about being missing from the US version are on this one instead. I hope you manage to get your hands on a copy - you'll like it!

59 of 62 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Renovated Beauty and the Reconstructed Beat! June 10, 2000

By J. Lund VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Perhaps if Arista downplayed the "greatest hits" label in favor of a more accurate title--maybe creating a unique two-cover front/back packaging based on the COOL DOWN/THROW DOWN theme--this set might have been met with less fan resistance. To sum up the majority opinion (and I agree): Disc 1/COOL DOWN is a fine if incomplete remastered representation of Whitney's most famous ballad performances. Disc 2/THROW DOWN mostly plays remix games with her up-tempo cuts--and most buyers would seem to prefer the original versions on a "greatest hits" collection. Couldn't the remixes have been issued on a separate CD targeted to the fans who want them?

To the potential buyer...if you aren't picky about having the original versions of every Houston hit, this colection is a decent but flawed representation of her career--probably a good deal given the discounted price. If you were hoping that this set would render all other Whitney CDs obsolete by collecting the best, unaltered tracks from each album, your expectations will NOT be met here--not even close! NONE of Whitney's uptempo hit singles are heard here except in a significantly remixed/altered state.

Two solutions: 1) if you have a DVD player, the video version of this album has the original versions of a much greater percentage of Whitney's hits than does this audio release (PLUS you get the visuals). And/or 2) pay extra money and get an import version of GREATEST HITS, which has the original versions of most of Whitney's dance hits as well as her ballads.

58 of 64 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth every penny, every second May 16, 2000

By J. Derek Reardon

Format:Audio CD

Whitney Houston is one of the key reasons I fell in love with music. I have loved her music ever since "The Greatest Love of All." And despite her recent personal turmoil (and several cancelled concerts over the years in my home town), I still hold Whitney Houston in the highest regard. This Greatest Hits compilation is great, whether you are a long-time or a new fan, whether you have all her CDs or own none, whether you love Whitney herself or whether you simply love that beautiful, soulful, and inspirational message that music can generate. Greatest Hits is a fantastic piece of music history that is a pleasure to own and enjoy.

This is a 2 CD set, which is easy to fathom given Whintey's success over the past almost 20 years. The first CD is entitled "Cool Down," which is appropriate given it features Whitney's slower power ballads, putting you in a calm, mellow, inspired place. While most of the songs are known to us all, of special note are the duets. "If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful," a duet with Jermaine Jackson, is a rare, beautiful, and wondrous gem. "Same Script, Different Cast" is a beautiful and haunting ballad featuring Deborah Cox. And Diane Warren produces another anthemic ballad masterpiece with "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" featuring Enrique Iglesias. While there are bound to be some omissions, most notably missing on this CD is "When You Believe," Whitney's duet with Mariah Carey that garnered and Oscar nomination.

The second CD, entitled "Throw Down," is meant to put you uncontrollably onto the dance floor. This CD is especially unique for offering rare items that the average listener would not typically hear. "Fine" and "If I Told You That" are two new songs that are potential dance floor smashes. If you've listened to top 40 radio at all in the past year, you will be very familiar with the Thunderpuss Mix of "It's Not Right But It's Okay" and the Jonathan Peters Mix of "My Love is Your Love." Most of the rest of the mixes I could do without - I tend to prefer the originals. However, oddly, the remix of "Greatest Love of All" is an exception. This mix is executed beautifully, maintaining the power and beauty of the original, but it enables you to interpret the way you are emotionally moved into physical movement. While not dance tunes, the last two songs still "Throw Down" in that they are hugely inspirational and make a most fantastic conclusion to this set. "One Moment in Time" is Whitney's anthemic contribution to the 1988 Summer Olympics and is an uplifting, inspirational piece. And if you missed Whitney's 1991 performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, here is your chance to hear and relive this masterpiece (for me, this song by itself is worth the price of the CD).

This CD is worth buying on a number of different levels. If you are a fan of Whintey's ballads but never purchased her CDs, this is a great way to obtain those ballads in one simple place. If you love to dance and love having unique mixes over the originals, the second CD in this set is surely for you. And for those of you, like me, who have Whintey's CDs but still went, "Oh my god! If You Say My Eyes are Beautiful! One Moment in Time! The Star Spangled Banner! " and about had a heart attack, yes, it is most definitely worth purchasing. Chances are there will be songs you don't like, and fans will be asking "Why didn't she include [such and such song]?" Despite these minor criticisms, this is undeniably an excellent compilation of Whitney's work to date, as well as a great tribute to the fans who were clamoring for rare and unique gems. A 5 star release through and through.

Thank you, Whitney, for sharing your wondrous talent with us. And thank you for sharing these beautiful, special, and unique gems of musical history. You are the greatest.