20 Golden Greats Songs Ranked
20 Golden Greats (also known as Buddy Holly Lives) is a greatest hits album by Buddy Holly & the Crickets first released in the United Kingdom by EMI on February 17, 1978.[1] The songs on the UK release were licensed to EMI by MCA Records, who released the album in North America. The album is now out of print. The album became an instant success in the UK, being certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry two months after the album’s release and topping the UK Albums Chart for three weeks. It was also Buddy Holly’s first number 1 album on the chart. The album was somewhat less successful in the United States peaking at number 55 on the Billboard 200, but ended up crossing over to the Country Albums chart, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1983. In 2003, it was ranked number 92 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, maintaining the ranking in the 2012 update and dropping to number 166 in the 2020 reboot of the list. Here are all of 20 Golden Greats songs ranked.
Don’t miss out on the music of Buddy Holly. Click below and listen to his immortal songs.
10. Wishing
“The country-weened Texan put his trademark hiccup on springy rockabilly, tight rave-ups and orchestral ballads-an eclecticism that had a huge impact on the future Beatles.”
9. Bo Diddley
“I have listened to this tape every day over and over again. The tape is great and it arrived fast so I could enjoy it sooner than expected. I love Buddy Holly. You can get into all his songs.”
8. True Love Ways
“Even though there may be some classics which fall through the cracks, 20 Golden Greats remains the definitive collection of Buddy Holly, one of the first true originals in rock ‘n’ roll music.”
See more: Buddy Holly Albums Ranked
7. Rave On
“Buddy Holly was never as cool as any of the other early rock and roll stars. That’s probably quite a lot of the reason as to why he’s been pushed to the back of the pantheon. However, Buddy Holly was also one of the first rock and roll stars that got where he was by simply writing great stuff. If you somehow have no idea of the influence this guy had, bare in mind that The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen cite him as a major influence.”
6. It’s So Easy
“Pretty much every track here is a perfectly polished slice of pop music perfection. These songs are masterclasses in how to construct a catchy and fun song.”
5. Think It Over
“It’s incredible how much influence on the next generation of artists you can hear in here. More importantly though I can’t understate how great these songs are, basically every one is a perfect pop song.”
See more: Buddy Holly Songs Ranked
4. Listen to Me
“The music here, while enjoyable in a quaint way, rarely treads outside of bluesy 50s-style rock and roll. A stepping stone towards the Beatles and pop rock as a whole, but I can’t help but feel this is largely unnecessary outside of historical interest.”
3. Oh Boy
“Buddy Holly was an amazing songwriter and, most importantly, he knew that the key to a great pop song is not letting it overstay its welcome. These brief songs are universally fantastic and insanely catchy.”
2. Everyday
“The sweet, sweet sound of Buddy Holly. Definitely one to have. There are twenty lovely bursts of rock and roll to be found on this most excellent collection. “
1. Peggy Sue
“You have simple and bright music here that is clear and unmistakeable. Golden Great is in no way hype when you apply it to this artist and this collection of songs. A great album.”