The Best of Sam Cooke is the second greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. Produced by Hugo & Luigi, the album was released in 1962 in the United States by RCA Victor. The compilation contains most of Sam Cooke's most well-known hits from 1957 to 1962.

The Best of Sam Cooke
Greatest hits album by
Released1962
GenreRhythm and blues, dance, soul
Length31:50
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerHugo & Luigi
Sam Cooke chronology
Twistin' the Night Away
(1962)
The Best of Sam Cooke
(1962)
Mr. Soul
(1963)
Singles from The Best of Sam Cooke
  1. "Bring It On Home to Me"
    Released: May 8, 1962
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[2]
The Rolling Stone Record Guide[3]

Critical reception

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AllMusic critic Ron Wynn gave The Best of Sam Cooke three-and-a-half out of five stars and called it "an above-average greatest hits collection, although no sampler could fully convey Sam Cooke's genius."[4] In Blender, Robert Christgau was more critical, giving it one star and recommending listeners overlook the album in favor of the 30-song compilation Portrait of a Legend: 1951–1964.[5]

Track listing

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Side one

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  1. "You Send Me" – 2:45
  2. "Only Sixteen" – 2:02
  3. "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha" – 2:42
  4. "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" – 2:38
  5. "Wonderful World" – 2:06
  6. "Summertime" – 2:21

Side two

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  1. "Chain Gang" – 2:35
  2. "Cupid" – 2:37
  3. "Twistin' the Night Away" – 2:43
  4. "Sad Mood" – 2:38
  5. "Having a Party" – 2:36
  6. "Bring It On Home to Me" – 2:44

Personnel

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Vinyl Re-Issue

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In 2018, Sony Music reissued the album in its original vinyl format as part of the RCA Legacy Recordings series.

Notes

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  1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r33874
  2. ^ Blender, Oct. 2005
  3. ^ Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John (Editors). The Rolling Stone Record Guide, 1st edition, Random House/Rolling Stone Press, 1979, p. 84, 598.
  4. ^ Wynn, Ron. "The Best of Sam Cooke [RCA] – Sam Cooke". AllMusic. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  5. ^ Christgau, Robert (October 2005). "Two key Sam Cooke albums, and one redundant one, remember a puzzling soul singer". Blender. Retrieved August 15, 2015.