Arista Records: New Whitney News & Reviews Comment...

WHITNEY HOUSTON's 15-YEAR CAREER AT ARISTA CELEBRATED WITH HER 'GREATEST HITS' RELEASES
36-SONG COLLECTION ON 2-CDs/2-CASSETTES;
24-PERFORMANCE HOME VIDEO COLLECTION ON DVD/VHS;
4-RECORD BOX-SET OF 8 'UNRELEASED MIXES' ON VINYL IN-STORE APRIL 25; CD/CASSETTE AND DVD/VHS SET FOR MAY 16th IN-STORE DATE

Four newly recorded tracks include new duets with Enrique Iglesias, George Michael, Deborah Cox, and new Q-Tip song

Archival footage, interviews, film segments, clips and interactive content featured on home video; mixes by Junior Vasquez, Jellybean & David Morales, Clivilles & Cole, and Hex Hector issued on limited-edition vinyl box-set

(April 17, 2000) In the midst of her 15th anniversary year as an Arista recording artist, and in the wake of her sixth Grammy win this year for "It's Not Right But It's Okay," WHITNEY - THE GREATEST HITS celebrates the career of the artist whose combined sales in the U.S. are more than 70 million units, and who has sold more than 110 million records and videos sold worldwide.

Highlights include newly-recorded duets with George Michael, Enrique Iglesias and Deborah Cox, a new song co-produced by Q-Tip and Raphael Saadiq, rare vintage tracks unavailable for a decade, impossible-to-find club mixes, and bonus tracks. The multi-tiered release encompasses Whitney's record-breaking success on the pop and R&B singles front (on two CDs/two cassettes), as a screen presence since her career began at the label (on DVD and VHS home-video), and in the clubs as a remixer's delight (on a limited edition four-record vinyl box-set). The latter is set for an April 25 in-store date, while the CDs/cassettes and DVD/VHS are due May 16th.

WHITNEY - THE GREATEST HITS, a 36-track collection, comprises both the Cool Down CD of all the ballad hits in their original version and the Throw Down second CD of all the uptempo signature cuts and sizzling club mixes, both CD's spanning her entire career to date. Newly-recorded for the occasion are duets with Enrique Iglesias (the Diane Warren composition, "Could I Have This Kiss Forever") and Arista label-mates Deborah Cox ("Same Script, Different Cast") and Q-Tip ("Fine"), plus a brand new version of "If I Told You That" (from My Love Is Your Love) that was reconfigured by producer Rodney Jerkins as a duet with George Michael, with additional production done by George Michael.

Spanning 1985 to 2000, WHITNEY - THE GREATEST HITS includes hard-to-find rarities (such as "One Moment In Time," the 1988 Summer Olympics theme; and 1991's Super Bowl XXV version of "The Star Spangled Banner"); plus a most requested 1986 classic duet with Jermaine Jackson ("If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful") that was released only on his album, never as a single.

The innovative programming of the two CDs (and cassettes) enables the listener to experience the full breadth of Whitney's career with both volumes. Disc 1 (Cool Down), for example, builds from her first hits of 1985, "You Give Good Love," "Saving All My Love For You," and "Greatest Love Of All," all the way to the year 2000 with two great new records featuring Enrique Iglesias and Deborah Cox respectively. Disc 2 (Throw Down) recaps the uptempo hits from My Love Is Your Love - with club remixes of "It's Not Right But It's Okay," "My Love Is Your Love," "Heartbreak Hotel" (featuring Faith Evans & Kelly Price), and "I Learned From The Best" - then presents remixes of ten more hits from Whitney's all-time classic repertoire. Disc 2's remixes show off the talents of such masters as Junior Vasquez, David Morales, Jellybean, Hex Hector, Clivilles and Cole, The Dronez, Rodney Jerkins and others.

The two volumes draw from Whitney's first three studio albums, Whitney Houston (1985, now certified 13-times RIAA platinum), Whitney (1987, 9x-platinum), and I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990, 4x-platinum); then Whitney's three original soundtrack albums, The Bodyguard (1992, 17x-platinum), Waiting To Exhale (1995, 7x-platinum), and The Preacher's Wife (1996, 3x-platinum), and her most recent My Love Is Your Love (1998, 3x-platinum). Whitney's U.S. album sales add up to a sub-total in excess of 56 million copies. Add to this figure: 13 RIAA gold and 6 platinum singles, the 4-times platinum "I Will Always Love You" single, one gold home video and two platinum home videos - and the total is well in excess of 70 million units sold in the U.S. alone. (*Please see complete track listings, chart facts and RIAA certifications attached.)

WHITNEY - THE GREATEST HITS is also the title of Whitney's first DVD and VHS home-video collection. Each version reprises the lion's share of Whitney's hits in the course of its 21 titles, a combination of video clips (with such noted directors as Wayne Isham, Peter Israelson, Julian Temple, Randee St. Nicholas, Brian Grant, and Kevin Bray), and live performance. On the digital side, the DVD (with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Audio) utilizes interactive technology to provide song lyrics and cutting-edge multi-media content. The main menu provides links to such rarities as the star's premiere television performance (on "The Merv Griffin Show" in 1985), appearances on several awards show, a tune from Disney's Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997), interview segments featuring Whitney and her co-producer, Arista president Clive Davis, and much more.

WHITNEY - THE UNRELEASED MIXES is a special limited-edition four-record vinyl box-set that acknowledges the importance of her music in clubs around the world. Seven songs, eight mixes, one track on each side of four 12-inch vinyl discs make this another must-have for fans and club professionals. Once again, the studio wizardry of master remixers Junior Vasquez, David Morales, Jellybean, Hex Hector, and C+C Music Factory's Clivilles and Cole brings a new perspective to the music: "How Will I Know," "Greatest Love Of All," "I'm Every Woman," "Love Will Save the Day," "I Will Always Love You," "So Emotional," and "I'm Your Baby Tonight."

As Arista Records celebrates its own 25th anniversary year, the 15th anniversary of its all-time best-selling artist is commemorated on these three new cross-referenced collections. And to think it all started on the charts 15 years ago last month, when "You Give Good Love" entered the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart on March 9, 1985, went to #1 and hit RIAA gold. The self-titled Whitney Houston album entered the Top 200 (pop) album chart on March 30th, went to #1 for 14 weeks, and now stands at 13-times platinum.

WHITNEY - THE GREATEST HITS
(Arista 2-CDs 07822-14626-2 or 2-cassettes 07822-14626-4)

Disc 1/Cassette 1 - Cool Down

Disc 2/Cassette 2 - Throw Down

* indicates album airplay track, not released as single

WHITNEY - THE UNRELEASED MIXES
(Arista special limited-edition vinyl box-set 07822-14652-1)

WHITNEY - THE GREATEST HITS
(Arista VHS 07822-15745-3 and Arista DVD 07822-15745-9)

* indicates album airplay track, not released as single

WHITNEY - THE GREATEST HITS
(Arista DVD 07822-15745-9)

Same sequence as above, with Special Added Features on Interactive menu:

Also:
- Interviews with Whitney & Arista Records founder & president Clive Davis
- Behind-the-scenes footage from the GREATEST HITS photo shoot
- Lyrics to Whitney's best-loved songs
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Audio

[From Arista Records Whitney Houston Website]

NEWSFILE: 25 APRIL 2000