20 Greatest Hits (Kenny Rogers album)

20 Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Kenny Rogers released by Liberty Records in 1983.

20 Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by
Released1983
Recorded1983
GenreCountry
Length72:51
LabelLiberty Records
Kenny Rogers chronology
We've Got Tonight
(1983)
20 Greatest Hits
(1983)
Eyes That See in the Dark
(1983)

Overview

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20 Greatest Hits marks Rogers' third compilation album as a solo artist. This compilation covers the entire span of Rogers' glorious chart run through the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Among the 20 tracks on the album is Rogers' early smash hit "Lucille", which made Rogers a world-famous solo superstar. "The Gambler" – Rogers' chart-topping story song – also makes an appearance. The single that first appeared on Rogers' first solo Greatest Hits collection in 1980, "Lady" also makes it onto the album, as does "Love Lifted Me" from 1976 (his first solo single in ten years following his split with The First Edition).

Also included are popular duets with Sheena Easton ("We've Got Tonight"), Kim Carnes ("Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer"), and Dottie West ("Till I Can Make It on My Own").

Based on hit singles from the Billboard charts, this is the strongest Kenny Rogers single disc compilation album released. Another version came in 1987 (see below). It was also re-released on CD in 1994.

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Original AlbumLength
1."Lucille"Roger Bowling/Hal Bynum1977 – Kenny Rogers3:38
2."Lady"Lionel Richie1980 – Greatest Hits3:54
3."Love Lifted Me"Preston Ross/Howard Smith1976 – Love Lifted Me3:43
4."We've Got Tonight" (with Sheena Easton)Bob Seger1983 – We've Got Tonight3:51
5."Scarlet Fever"Mike Dekle1983 – We've Got Tonight3:57
6."Love or Something Like It"Steve Glassmeyer/Rogers1978 – Love or Something Like It2:51
7."She Believes In Me"Steve Gibb1978 – The Gambler4:09
8."Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town"Mel Tillisoriginal version on the 1969 album Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town with The First Edition. This is a 1978 re-recording from Ten Years of Gold2:59
9."Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" (with Kim Carnes)Kim Carnes/Dave Ellingson1980 – Gideon4:00
10."You Were a Good Friend"Carnes/Ellingson1980 – Gideon3:54
11."The Gambler"Don Schlitz1978 – The Gambler3:32
12."Through the Years"Steve Dorff/Marty Panzer1981 – Share Your Love4:21
13."Daytime Friends"Ben Peters1977 – Daytime Friends3:08
14."You Decorated My Life"Debbie Hupp/Bob Morrison1979 – Kenny3:37
15."'Til I Can Make It on My Own" (with Dottie West)George Richey/Billy Sherrill/Tammy Wynette1979 – Classics3:19
16."Reuben James"Barry Etris/Alex Harveyoriginal version is on the 1969 album Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town with The First Edition. This is a 1978 re-recording from Ten Years of Gold2:45
17."Coward of the County"Bowling/Billy Edd Wheeler1979 – Kenny4:17
18."I Don't Need You"Rick Christian1981 – Share Your Love3:27
19."Something's Burning"Mac Davisoriginal version is on the 1970 album Something's Burning with The First Edition. This is a 1978 re-recording from Ten Years of Gold3:49
20."Love Will Turn You Around"David Malloy/Rogers/Thom Schuyler/Even Stevens1982 – Love Will Turn You Around3:40

Chart performance

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Chart (1983) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums 16
U.S. Billboard 200 22
Australian Albums Chart[1] 2
Canadian RPM Top Albums 29

Year-end charts

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Chart (2001) Position
Canadian Country Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[2] 40
Chart (2002) Position
Canadian Country Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[3] 59

Reissue

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25 Greatest Hits
 
Greatest hits album by
Released1987
Recorded1987
GenreCountry
Length93:17
LabelLiberty Records
Kenny Rogers chronology
I Prefer the Moonlight
(1987)
25 Greatest Hits
(1987)
Greatest Hits
(1988)

In 1987, Liberty issued a new disc featuring five additional tracks, covering Rogers' newest hits up to that point. The new tracks are the last five, including the title single "Love Is What We Make It" and "Sweet Music Man", the latter penned by Rogers himself.

Track listing

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Track times differ from the 1983 release and all tracks are re-presented here.
  1. Lucille
  2. Lady
  3. Love Lifted Me
  4. We've Got Tonight
  5. Scarlet Fever
  6. Love or Something Like It
  7. She Believes in Me
  8. Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town
  9. Don't Fall in Love With a Dreamer
  10. You Were a Good Friend
  11. Gambler
  12. Through the Years
  13. Daytime Friends
  14. You Decorated My Life
  15. 'Til I Can Make It on My Own
  16. Reuben James
  17. Coward of the County
  18. I Don't Need You
  19. Something's Burning
  20. Love Will Turn You Around
  21. Abraham, Martin and John/Precious Memories
  22. Love Is What We Make It
  23. Green, Green Grass of Home
  24. Desperado
  25. Sweet Music Man

References

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  1. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  2. ^ "Top 100 country albums of 2001 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 1, 2002. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  3. ^ "Top 100 country albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on December 4, 2003. Retrieved March 28, 2022.