This Day in Pop: 'The Essential - Britney Spears' is released in 2013 (August 20)

[PokemonSpears]

On August 20, 2013, RCA released a Britney Spears compilation called "The Essential", containing two CD's with Britney's greatest hits from her first seven studio albums plus Scream & Shout. The compilation was produced by Jeffrey James and Darren Salmieri and mastered by Sean Brennan. 

The tracklist:

Disc 1

1. ...Baby One More Time
2. Sometimes
3. (You Drive Me) Crazy (The Stop Remix!)
4. From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
5. Oops!... I Did It Again
6. Lucky
7. Stronger
8. I'm a Slave 4 U
9. I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman
10. Overprotected (The Darkchild Remix)
11. Boys (The Co-Ed Remix) ft. Pharrell Williams of N.E.R.D.
12. Me Against the Music ft. Madonna
13. Toxic
14. Everytime
15. Outrageous

Disc 2

1. My Prerogative
2. Do Somethin'
3. Gimme More
4. Piece of Me
5. Radar
6. Break the Ice
7. Hot As Ice
8. Womanizer
9. Circus
10. If U Seek Amy
11. Out from Under
12. 3
13. Hold It Against Me
14. Till the World Ends
15. I Wanna Go
16. Criminal
17. Scream & Shout (will.i.am and Britney Spears)

 

 

[Heitorzinho]

So... this is an official release from her discography?

[KrisJ]

I have this 

[PokemonSpears]

38 minutes ago, Heitorzinho said:

So... this is an official release from her discography?

 well, it appears on her streaming platforms 

[Joman82]

"Out from Under"...

 

[LeglessJamie]

it was kind of a weird release.

I remember being released with that cover but pulled off shortly after and went with this:

Also the CD case changed from a regular one ton a super jewel box

Normal 1st release:

second:

[Moscow]

Me haves 5 copies of this 

[boyinthemirror]

I always forget this one exists. Isn't the back cover I'm a Slave 4 U's single cover? Kinda screams attempt at milking her brand by the label.

[rik]

19 hours ago, Heitorzinho said:

So... this is an official release from her discography?

 they also sell it in my local music stores in the mall as a CD

[Heitorzinho]

2 minutes ago, Rik said:

 they also sell it in my local music stores in the mall as a CD

It’s such an weird release, don’t you think? 

[carlosallauca]

i have this CD <3 and also the "Oops I did it again: the best of Britney Spears" one.

both are so rare and random, lol.

edit: just check and i also have another one called "playlist: the very best of BS"

[BoyDeChanel]

I always found it's weird to include Out from Under and Hot as Ice, but not to include Born to Make You Happy, Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know... They could have also included S+M Remix on it.

[PokemonSpears]

1 hour ago, BoyDeChanel said:

I always found it's weird to include Out from Under and Hot as Ice, but not to include Born to Make You Happy, Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know... They could have also included S+M Remix on it.

yeah, actually if they didn't include those songs, the two discs would've been even with 15 songs each, it was pretty weird choice

[Neydelinska Spearsi]

21 hours ago, IForgotYouExisted said:

it was kind of a weird release.

I remember being released with that cover but pulled off shortly after and went with this:

Also the CD case changed from a regular one ton a super jewel box

Normal 1st release:

second:

looks ugly both ways. reminds me of life is a beach release

[Neydelinska Spearsi]

11 hours ago, Prachi said:

Me haves 5 copies of this 

but why

[Moscow]

11 minutes ago, FreeBritBrit said:

but why

Idk I have multiple copies of everything by her almost I even have her interview dvds 📀 😅 

[Stefani]

I only stan Greatest Hits: My Prerogative and The Singles Collection. Y'know, compilation albums that were actually iconic. 

[Stannedforever]

For anyone wondering about why this was released; it is part of "the essential..." series that Sony/RCA releases for all of their artists I think. I guess they wanted to release one for Britney ASAP once she was signed 

[Urbanney]

Trash money grab. Looks like a fanmade bootleg album and was released only 4 years and 1 album after Britney's last Greatest Hits album.

[Isla]

A bit odd Hot As Ice and Out From Under were included. Also this came out around the same time Ooh La La did so they might as well have just thrown it on there seeing as practically every other Britney single is included (not counting the non-US singles)