Greatest Hits: Back to the Start is the second greatest hits album by Megadeth. It was released on June 28, 2005, via Capitol Records.[1] The title "Back to the Start" is a reference to lyrics in "Rust in Peace... Polaris" from Megadeth's 1990 album Rust in Peace: "The day of final conflict/All pay the price/The third World War rapes peace/Takes life back to the start." The cover art is an edited version of the 1954 Castle Romeo H-bomb test.
Background and release
The selection of tracks for the album was largely determined by fans, who voted on songs in polls on the band's website.[2] However, the inclusion of "Kill the King," a track originally released on Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years in 2000, was insisted upon by Mustaine.[3] To help promote the release, a new video was made for "Kill the King."[1]
Commercial performance
Greatest Hits: Back to the Start reached No. 65 on the U.S. Billboard 200,[4] selling 17,441 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan.[5] By December 16, 2005, the album had sold about 133,000 copies in the U.S.[6] The album was also certified gold in Canada on July 15, 2011.[7] On July 23, 2011 in Toronto, Canada, the band was presented with gold plaques by EMI in recognition of the achievement.[8]
Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic critiqued the album for being more of a sampler and having a more "balanced" approach to the band's Capitol Records material, rather than focusing on Megadeth's first few records.[10]
