The Katie Melua Collection

The Katie Melua Collection is a compilation album by Georgian-born British singer and songwriter Katie Melua. The album is a two disc set with 17 songs, three previously unreleased, and a DVD that was filmed in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The Katie Melua Collection
Compilation album by
ReleasedOctober 27, 2008 (2008-10-27)
Genre
Length61:46
LabelDramatico
ProducerMike Batt
Katie Melua chronology
Pictures
(2007)
The Katie Melua Collection
(2008)
Live at the O² Arena
(2009)

The album includes the singles "When You Taught Me How to Dance" from the film Miss Potter, "What a Wonderful World" with a recording of Eva Cassidy, and three new songs: "Toy Collection" (written by Melua for the film Faintheart), "Two Bare Feet", and "Somewhere in the Same Hotel".[2]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarHalf star[1]
laut.deStarStarStar[3]

BBC Music editor Elle J. Small concluded that The Katie Melua Collection, despite appearing somewhat premature as a greatest-hits release and offering limited incentive for dedicated fans, provides "an introduction to one of Britain’s key female solo artists," showcasing Melua's finest songs, "sumptuous, comforting" vocals, and storytelling talent.[4] Mark Deming of AllMusic observed that the album compiles 14 of Melua's most popular songs, together with three new tracks, and presents a concise overview of the career that followed her discovery by producer Mike Batt and her emergence as one of Britain’s best-selling female artists through her jazz- and blues-influenced style. He rated The Katie Melua Collection three and a half out of five stars.[1]

Commercial performance

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The Katie Melua Collection achieved moderate commercial success across Europe following its release in 2008. The compilation reached the top five in several countries, peaking at number three in both Denmark and the Netherlands,[5][6] number four in Portugal,[7] and number five in Switzerland.[8] It also entered the top ten in Belgium's Wallonia region, where it reached number eight,[9] and on Billboard's composite European Top 100 Albums chart, where it peaked at number seven.[10] Elsewhere, the album attained top 20 positions in Germany (12),[11] Norway (12),[12] Belgium's Flanders region (13),[13] and the United Kingdom (15).[14] The compilation received multiple sales certifications across Europe, including gold certifications in Belgium,[15] Denmark,[16] Germany,[17] Portugal,[18] and the United Kingdom.[19] In Switzerland, it was certified platinum, denoting shipments of 30,000 units.[20]

Track listing

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Disc 1

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No.TitleWriter(s)From AlbumLength
1."The Closest Thing to Crazy"Mike BattCall Off the Search4:15
2."Nine Million Bicycles"BattPiece by Piece3:17
3."What a Wonderful World" (duet with Eva Cassidy)Previously unreleased4:19
4."If You Were a Sailboat"BattPictures4:01
5."Piece by Piece"Katie MeluaPiece by Piece3:24
6."Call Off the Search"BattCall Off the Search3:25
7."On the Road Again"Piece by Piece4:38
8."Mary Pickford"BattPictures3:13
9."Spider's Web"MeluaPiece by Piece3:56
10."Thank You, Stars"BattPiece by Piece3:40
11."I Cried for You"MeluaPiece by Piece3:38
12."Crawling up a Hill"John MayallCall Off the Search3:25
13."Tiger in the Night"BattCall Off the Search3:08
14."When You Taught Me How to Dance"Miss Potter OST3:24
15."Two Bare Feet"
  • Batt
  • Melua
Previously unreleased3:00
16."Toy Collection"MeluaPreviously unreleased3:13
17."Somewhere in the Same Hotel"
  • Batt
  • Melua
Previously unreleased3:50
No.TitleWriter(s)iTunes bonus trackLength
18."Kozmic Blues"
Previously unreleased5:03
No.TitleWriter(s)Tesco bonus trackLength
18."How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You"Holland–Dozier–HollandPreviously unreleased4:23
No.TitleWriter(s)The Times bonus trackLength
18."By the Light of the Magical Moon"Marc BolanPreviously unreleased3:54

Disc 2 (A 90-minute DVD – The Arena Tour 2008, Live from Rotterdam)

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  1. "Piece By Piece
  2. "I Do Believe In Love"
  3. "My Aphrodisiac Is You"
  4. "Crawling Up A Hill"
  5. "Mary Pickford"
  6. "Blues In the Night"
  7. "If You Were a Sailboat"
  8. "Ghost Town"
  9. "Thank You, Stars
  10. "Perfect Circle"
  11. "What I Miss About You"
  12. "Spider's Web"
  13. "If The Lights Go Out"
  14. "Scary Films"
  15. "Spellbound"
  16. "Mockingbird Song"
  17. "The Closest Thing to Crazy"
  18. "Nine Million Bicycles"
  19. "On The Road Again"
  20. "Kozmic Blues"
  21. "I Cried For You"
  22. Behind the Screens – a short film about the preparation and design of the tour production.

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for The Katie Melua Collection
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BRMA)[15] Gold 15,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[16] Gold 15,000^
Germany (BVMI)[17] Gold 100,000^
Portugal (AFP)[18] Gold 10,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[20] Platinum 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Gold 100,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. 1 2 3 O'Brien, Jon. "The Katie Melua Collection". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  2. "Katie Melua - Collection: Includes Dvd". HMV. hmv.com. Aug 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  3. Schulz, Artur. "Ordentliche Best Of mit echtem Mehrwert". laut.de (in German). Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  4. "Music – Review of Katie Melua, The Katie Melua Collection". BBC Music. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Danishcharts.dk – Katie Melua – The Katie Melua Collection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Dutchcharts.nl – Katie Melua – The Katie Melua Collection" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Portuguesecharts.com – Katie Melua – The Katie Melua Collection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Swisscharts.com – Katie Melua – The Katie Melua Collection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Ultratop.be – Katie Melua – The Katie Melua Collection" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  10. 1 2 "The ARIA Report: Issue 977" (PDF). webarchive.nla.gov.au. 2006-08-23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-11-19. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
  11. 1 2 "Offiziellecharts.de – Katie Melua – Secret Symphony" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Norwegiancharts.com – Katie Melua – The Katie Melua Collection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Ultratop.be – Katie Melua – The Katie Melua Collection" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart on 2/11/2008 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  15. 1 2 "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2008". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  16. 1 2 "Danish album certifications – Katie Melua – The Katie Melua Collection". IFPI Danmark. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2008 to obtain certification.
  17. 1 2 "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Katie Melua; 'The Katie Melua Collection')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  18. 1 2 "Portuguese album certifications – Katie Melua – The Collection" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on September 18, 2010. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  19. 1 2 "British album certifications – Katie Melua – The Collection". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Formats field. Type The Collection Katie Melua in the "Search:" field.
  20. 1 2 "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('The Katie Melua Collection')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  21. "The ARIA Report: Issue 978" (PDF). webarchive.nla.gov.au. 2008-12-20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  22. "Austriancharts.at – Katie Melua – The Katie Melua Collection" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  23. "Katie Melua: The Katie Melua Collection" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  24. "Charts.nz – Katie Melua – The Katie Melua Collection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  25. "Swedishcharts.com – Katie Melua – The Katie Melua Collection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  26. "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
  27. Steffen Hung. "Swiss Year-End Charts 2008". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
  28. Chartwatch Annual Chart Booklets->Year 2008 Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  29. "Swiss Year-End Charts 2009". Media Control. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
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