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The Best of Connie Smith (1967 album)

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The Best of Connie Smith
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedSeptember 1967
Recorded1964 – 1966
Studio
Genre
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerBob Ferguson
Connie Smith chronology
Connie Smith Sings Bill Anderson
(1967)
The Best of Connie Smith
(1967)
Soul of Country Music
(1967)
Singles from The Best of Connie Smith
  1. "I'll Come Runnin'"
    Released: February 1967

The Best of Connie Smith is a compilation album by American country singer Connie Smith. It was released in September 1967 by RCA Victor and featured 12 tracks. The disc was Smith's first compilation project released in her career and featured her most popular singles made commercially successful between 1964 and 1967. It also featured one new recording titled "I'll Come Runnin'". Penned by Smith herself and released as a single, the song became a top ten hit on the American country songs chart in 1967.

Background and content

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Three years prior to the compilation's release, Connie Smith had reached the peak of her commercial success with 1964's "Once a Day". The song spent eight weeks at the number one spot on the country songs chart and brought a series of follow-up singles into the top ten.[2] RCA Victor had previously issued seven studio albums of her material between 1965 and 1967, sometimes releasing three studio albums per year.[3] The Best of Connie Smith would be her first compilation with the label. It consisted of 12 tracks, all recorded between 1964 and 1966.[4][1] Nine of these tracks were previously released as singles and reached the top ten of the country chart: "Once a Day" (which topped the chart), "Then and Only Then", "I Can't Remember", "If I Talk to Him", "Nobody But a Fool (Would Love You)", "Ain't Had No Lovin'", "The Hurtin's All Over", "I'll Come Runnin'" and "Cincinnati, Ohio".[5]

The track, "I Saw a Man", was included on Smith's 1966 gospel album called Connie Smith Sings Great Sacred Songs. However, it was not originally released as a single.[6][7] Another track titled "Darling, Are You Ever Coming Home" first appeared on Smith's eponymous debut studio album but was also not issued as a single.[8][9] "I'll Come Runnin'" was a new track, penned by Smith. She had attempted to record the track twice with string instrumentation. On a third session done in a traditional country style (and with steel guitarist Weldon Myrick), the song was put on the compilation.[10]

Release and reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

The Best of Connie Smith was released in September 1967 and would mark Smith's first compilation album in her career. It was originally released as a vinyl LP, with six songs on each side of the record.[4] In 1969, RCA Victor issued the album on cassette.[11] The compilation spent 16 weeks on the American Billboard Top Country Albums chart, peaking at number 22 by December 1967. It was Smith's first LP to chart outside the top 20.[12] The album received mixed reception from reviewers. "Dealers shouldn't have any fears about stocking this one," wrote Billboard magazine in October 1967.[13] "The Best of Connie Smith is a much-too-brief sampling of Connie Smith's biggest hits," wrote Thom Owens of AllMusic. He only gave the album two out of five stars.[1] The only new single included was "I'll Come Runnin'", originally issued by RCA Victor in February 1967.[14] Spending 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, it peaked at number ten in May 1967.[15]

Track listings

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Vinyl version

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Side one[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Once a Day"Bill AndersonConnie Smith2:17
2."I Can't Remember"
  • Bill Anderson
  • Bette Anderson
Cute 'n' Country2:31
3."Tiny Blue Transistor Radio"Bill AndersonConnie Smith2:30
4."I'll Come Runnin'"Connie Smith2:03
5."I Saw a Man"Arthur Q. SmithConnie Smith Sings Great Sacred Songs2:42
6."If I Talk to Him"
Miss Smith Goes to Nashville2:25
Side two[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Then and Only Then"Bill AndersonConnie Smith2:23
2."Ain't Had No Lovin'"Dallas FrazierBorn to Sing2:17
3."Darling, Are You Ever Coming Home"Connie Smith2:10
4."The Hurtin's All Over"Harlan HowardDowntown Country2:50
5."Cincinnati, Ohio"Bill AndersonConnie Smith Sings Bill Anderson2:10
6."Nobody But a Fool (Would Love You)"Bill AndersonMiss Smith Goes to Nashville2:28

Cassette version

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Side one[11]
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Once a Day"Bill AndersonConnie Smith2:17
2."I Can't Remember"
  • Bill Anderson
  • Bette Anderson
Cute 'n' Country2:31
3."Cincinnati, Ohio"Bill AndersonConnie Smith Sings Bill Anderson2:10
4."Tiny Blue Transistor Radio"Bill AndersonConnie Smith2:30
5."I'll Come Runnin'"C. Smith2:03
6."I Saw a Man"A. SmithConnie Smith Sings Great Sacred Songs2:42
Side two[11]
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."If I Talk to Him"
  • Edgin
  • Mitchell
Miss Smith Goes to Nashville2:25
2."Then and Only Then"Bill AndersonConnie Smith2:23
3."Nobody But a Fool (Would Love You)"Bill AndersonMiss Smith Goes to Nashville2:28
4."Ain't Had No Lovin'"FrazierBorn to Sing2:17
5."Darling, Are You Ever Coming Home"
  • Cochran
  • Nelson
Connie Smith2:17
6."The Hurtin's All Over"HowardDowntown Country2:50

Chart performance

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Chart (1967) Peak
position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[16] 22

Release history

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Region Date Format Label Ref.
North America September 1967 Vinyl RCA Victor Records [4]
1969 Cassette [11]
Japan Vinyl RCA Records [17]
United Kingdom 1972 Vinyl RCA Victor Records [18]

References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c d e Owens, Thom. "The Best of Connie Smith: Connie Smith: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  2. ^ Bush, John. "Connie Smith: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  3. ^ Escott 2001, pp. 15–24.
  4. ^ a b c d e Smith, Connie (September 1967). "The Best of Connie Smith (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". RCA Victor. LSP-3848.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 128.
  6. ^ Smith, Connie (June 1966). "Connie Smith Sings Great Sacred Songs (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". RCA Victor Records. LPM-3589.
  7. ^ Escott 2001, p. 20.
  8. ^ Escott 2001, pp. 15–17.
  9. ^ Smith, Connie (March 1965). "Connie Smith (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". RCA Victor Records. LPM-3341.
  10. ^ Escott 2001, p. 26.
  11. ^ a b c d Smith, Connie (1969). "The Best of Connie Smith (Cassette Liner Notes and Album Information)". RCA Victor. PK-1314.
  12. ^ "Connie Smith chart history (Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  13. ^ "Country Spotlight". Billboard. Vol. 79, no. 40. October 7, 1967. p. 84. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  14. ^ Smith, Connie (February 1967). ""I'll Come Runnin'"/"It's Now or Never"". RCA Victor. 47-9108.
  15. ^ "Connie Smith chart history (Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  16. ^ "Connie Smith Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  17. ^ Smith, Connie (September 1967). "The Best of Connie Smith (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". RCA Victor. RA-5525.
  18. ^ Smith, Connie (September 1967). "The Best of Connie Smith (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". RCA Victor. LSA-3055.

Books

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