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The Very Best of Elvis Costello

{{More citations needed|date=May 2014}}

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{{Infobox album

| name = The Very Best of Elvis Costello

| type = greatest

| artist = Elvis Costello

| cover = The Very Best of Elvis Costello.jpg

| alt =

| released = 2 August 1999

| recorded = 1977–1998

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = New wave, punk rock, pub rock, power pop, pop rock

| length = 154:07

| label = Polygram

| producer = Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach, T-Bone Burnett, Geoff Emerick, Larry Kalman Hirsch, Trevor Jones, Kevin Killen, Nick Lowe, Clive Langer, Billy Sherrill, Alan Winstanley

| prev_title = Painted from Memory

| prev_year = 1998

| next_title = The Sweetest Punch

| next_year = 1999

}}

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = Allmusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r525744}}

}}

The Very Best of Elvis Costello is a compilation album by English musician Elvis Costello, first released on 21 September 1999 through Polygram Records. The album spanned his recorded work from 1977 through 1998. It was re-released less than two years later on Rhino Records as the first entry in their comprehensive Costello reissue series.

Track listing

All songs written by Elvis Costello unless otherwise indicated.

=Disc one=

  1. "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" (Nick Lowe) (single, 1978) – 3:31
  2. "Oliver's Army" (from Armed Forces, 1979) – 2:57
  3. "Watching the Detectives" (single, 1977) – 3:43
  4. "Alison" (from My Aim Is True, 1977) – 3:21
  5. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" (from This Year's Model, 1978) – 3:07
  6. "Accidents Will Happen" (from Armed Forces, 1979) – 3:01
  7. "Pump It Up" (from This Year's Model, 1978) – 3:13
  8. "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down" (Homer Banks, Alan Jones) (from Get Happy!!, 1980) – 2:05
  9. "Radio Radio" (single, 1978) – 3:06
  10. "Clubland" (from Trust, 1981) – 3:43
  11. "A Good Year for the Roses" (Jerry Chesnut) (from Almost Blue, 1981) – 3:35
  12. "Man Out of Time" (from Imperial Bedroom, 1982) – 5:25
  13. "I Wanna Be Loved" (Farnell Jenkins) (from Goodbye Cruel World, 1984) – 4:46
  14. "Everyday I Write the Book" (from Punch the Clock, 1983) – 3:52
  15. "Brilliant Mistake" (from King of America, 1986) – 3:41
  16. "The Other Side of Summer" (from Mighty Like a Rose, 1991) – 3:53
  17. "Tokyo Storm Warning" (from Blood and Chocolate, 1986) – 6:23
  18. "Sulky Girl" (from Brutal Youth, 1994) – 5:04
  19. "So Like Candy" (MacManus, McCartney) (from Mighty Like a Rose, 1991) – 4:35
  20. "Veronica" (MacManus, McCartney) (from Spike, 1989) – 3:07
  21. "She" (Charles Aznavour, Herbert Kretzmer) (from Soundtrack to Notting Hill, 1999) – 3:05

=Disc two=

  1. "Big Tears" (B-side of "Pump It Up" single, 1978) – 3:10
  2. "Beyond Belief" (from Imperial Bedroom, 1982) – 2:33
  3. "Lipstick Vogue" (from This Year's Model, 1978) – 3:31
  4. "Green Shirt" (from Armed Forces, 1979) – 2:44
  5. "Pills and Soap" (from Punch the Clock, 1983) – 3:43
  6. "Tramp the Dirt Down" (from Spike, 1989) – 5:41
  7. "Shipbuilding" (MacManus, Clive Langer) (from Punch the Clock, 1983) – 4:51
  8. "High Fidelity" (from Get Happy!!, 1980) – 2:28
  9. "New Lace Sleeves" (from Trust, 1981) – 3:47
  10. "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" (from My Aim Is True, 1977) – 2:46
  11. "Talking in the Dark" (single, 1978) – 1:57
  12. "New Amsterdam" (from Get Happy!!, 1980) – 2:13
  13. "I Hope You're Happy Now" (from Blood and Chocolate, 1986) – 3:07
  14. "Riot Act" (from Get Happy!!, 1980) – 3:34
  15. "My Funny Valentine" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) (B-side from "Oliver's Army" single, 1979) – 1:29
  16. "Indoor Fireworks" (from King of America, 1986) – 4:09
  17. "Almost Blue" (from Imperial Bedroom, 1982) – 2:49
  18. "I Want You" (from Blood and Chocolate, 1986) – 6:43
  19. "God Give Me Strength" (Burt Bacharach, MacManus) (from Painted from Memory, 1998) – 6:10
  20. "That Day Is Done" (MacManus, McCartney) (I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, 1997) – 5:10
  21. "I Want to Vanish" (from All This Useless Beauty, 1996) – 3:14

Charts

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"| Chart (1999)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA){{cite web|url=https://imgur.com/a/Ll2l4Kn | title=Elvis Costello ARIA Chart History (1988-2024)|publisher=ARIA|via=Imgur.com|access-date=2 February 2025}} N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.

|align="center"| 168

{{album chart|Flanders|48|artist=Elvis Costello|album=The Very Best Of Elvis Costello|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 September 2020}}
{{album chart|Netherlands|11|artist=Elvis Costello|album=The Very Best Of Elvis Costello|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 September 2020}}
{{album chart|Scotland|11|date=19990814|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 September 2020}}
{{album chart|UK2|4|date=19990814|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 September 2020}}

{{col-2}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"| Chart (1999)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100){{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1999&cat=a|title=Jaaroverzichten – Album 1999|website=dutchcharts.nl|accessdate=4 September 2020}}

| 99

scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC){{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/end-of-year-artist-albums-chart/19990110/37502/|title=End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1999|publisher=Official Charts Company|accessdate=4 September 2020}}

| 99

{{col-end}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Elvis Costello}}

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Category:2001 greatest hits albums

Category:Albums produced by Burt Bacharach

Category:Albums produced by Elvis Costello

Category:Albums produced by Nick Lowe

Category:Albums produced by T Bone Burnett

Category:Elvis Costello compilation albums