Greatest Hits (Blondie Album)

Greatest Hits (Blondie Album)

Greatest Hits is a compilation album of recordings by the band Blondie released by EMI/Capitol Records in 2002. Following the re-issue of the six original Chrysalis studio albums in 2001, this was the first Blondie "Best of" compilation to be digitally remastered, the first Blondie "Best of" to be officially sanctioned by the band for over 20 years, and also the first to include their comeback hit "Maria", a UK #1 in February 1999.

Compiled by Capitol's Kevin Flaherty and London-based music journalist Steve Pafford, who also wrote the album sleeve notes, Greatest Hits also contains all four long-deleted 'special mixes' by producer Mike Chapman that appeared on the band's very first hits compilation, 1981's The Best of Blondie. Author Pafford was in the early stages of working with Debbie Harry on a lavish illustrated coffee table book entitled BlondieStyle (the sequel to his acclaimed BowieStyle, published by Omnibus Press), though as of 2010 the project is still on hold.

The album charted at Number 38 on the UK's Top 75 Album Chart and charted for 4 weeks. In New Zealand the album reached number 15 and charted for 8 weeks.

The album was accompanied by a DVD release, The Greatest Video Hits, which included the original 1981 Best of Blondie video album. The 2002 version added the videos for "The Hardest Part" (1979), "Island of Lost Souls" (1982) and the uncensored version of "Maria" (1999).