Highest Hopes

Highest Hopes
Compilation album by Nightwish
Released	2005
Recorded	1997 - 2005
Genre	Symphonic power metal
Length	78:33 min
Label	Spinefarm
Professional reviews
Allmusic link
Nightwish chronology
Bestwishes (2005) Highest Hopes (2005) Dark Passion Play (2007)

Highest Hopes - The Best of Nightwish is the third compilation album by the symphonic power metal quintet Nightwish. Their first, Tales from the Elvenpath, was considered incomplete by many fans as it contains only tracks from Oceanborn, Over the Hills and Far Away, Wishmaster and Century Child, leaving out Angels Fall First and missing the later released Once. This compilation, though, contains songs from all previously-released Nightwish albums, plus a cover of Pink Floyd's "High Hopes" (live version on the limited edition).

Highest Hopes was released in three different formats: Standard, Special Edition and Extended 2 CD. In addition to the normal version, a special edition was released, omitting the song "Deep Silent Complete" and replacing it with the popular cover version of The Phantom of the Opera theme, it also contains a bonus DVD disc containing three full songs filmed live at the Mera Luna Festival in Hildesheim, Germany in 2003.

The Extended Version is a 2-CD compilation with CD1 the same as the Standard Version plus a 2nd CD of eight audio tracks form the Tarja Turunen period and includes a bonus DVD disc containing ten video tracks; Three full songs ( Tracks 1-3 ) filmed live at the M'era Luna Festival in Hildesheim, Germany in 2003 ( Identical to the Special Edition Bonus DVD but in an altered running order), three studio videos ( Tracks 4-6 ) and a further four full live songs ( Tracks 7-10 ) filmed live at the Summer Breeze Festival in Germany in 2002 .

All versions feature a new (2005) recording of the song "Sleeping Sun" and a live version of Pink Floyd's "High Hopes" from which this compilation takes its name.

The album was certified platinum in Finland – for sales exceeding 40,000 copies – the same day it was released. Today, Highest Hopes sold more than 102,000 copies in Finland alone.^[1]

Track listing (standard version)

1. "Wish I Had an Angel"
2. "Stargazers"
3. "The Kinslayer"
4. "Ever Dream"
5. "Elvenpath"
6. "Bless the Child"
7. "Nemo"
8. "Sleeping Sun (2005 version)"
9. "Dead to the World"
10. "Over the Hills and Far Away" Gary Moore cover
11. "Deep Silent Complete"
12. "Sacrament of Wilderness"
13. "Walking in the Air"
14. "Wishmaster"
15. "Dead Boy's Poem"
16. "High Hopes (Live)" Pink Floyd cover

Track listing (special edition)

1. "Wish I Had an Angel"
2. "Stargazers"
3. "The Kinslayer"
4. "Ever Dream"
5. "Elvenpath"
6. "Bless the Child"
7. "Nemo"
8. "Sleeping Sun" (2005 version)
9. "Dead to the World"
10. "Over the Hills and Far Away"
11. "Sacrament of Wilderness"
12. "Walking in the Air"
13. "Wishmaster"
14. "Dead Boy's Poem"
15. "The Phantom Of The Opera"
16. "High Hopes (Live)"

DVD:

1. She Is My sin - Live at M'Era Luna
2. Kinslayer - Live at M'Era Luna
3. Dead to The World - Live at M'Era Luna

Track listing (extended version)

Disc 1:

1. "Wish I Had an Angel"
2. "Stargazers"
3. "The Kinslayer"
4. "Ever Dream"
5. "Elvenpath"
6. "Bless the Child"
7. "Nemo"
8. "Sleeping Sun" (2005 version)
9. "Dead to the World"
10. "Over the Hills and Far Away"
11. "Deep Silent Complete"
12. "Sacrament of Wilderness"
13. "Walking in the Air"
14. "Wishmaster"
15. "Dead Boy's Poem"
16. "High Hopes (Live)"

Disc 2:

1. "The Wayfarer"
2. "Come Cover me (Live)"
3. "Dead Boy's Poem (Live)"
4. "Once Upon a Troubadour"
5. "A Return to the Sea"
6. "Sleepwalker - Heavy Version"
7. "Nightquest"
8. "Lagoon"

DVD:

1. "She Is My Sin - Live at the M'era Luna Festival in Hildesheim, Germany in 2003 )"
2. "Dead to the World - Live at the M'era Luna Festival in Hildesheim, Germany in 2003 "
3. "The Kinslayer - Live at the M'era Luna Festival in Hildesheim, Germany in 2003 "
4. "Over the Hills and Far Away (Video)"
5. "Bless the Child (Video)"
6. "Sleeping Sun (Video)* "
7. "Walking in the Air - Live at the Summer Breeze Festival in Germany in 2002 "
8. "End of All Hope - Live at the Summer Breeze Festival in Germany in 2002 "
9. "10th Man Down - Live at the Summer Breeze Festival in Germany in 2002 "
10. "Sleeping Sun - Live at the Summer Breeze Festival in Germany in 2002 "

• Please Note: This Sleeping Sun video is not the 2005 "medieval war & battle aftermath" video that had been released as a DVD Single to promote Highest Hopes or the re-recorded audio version that accompanied that video. Although the 2005 re-recording is included on the (audio) CD 1 of this set. This is the original 2000 audio/video version ( Also included as track two on the Sleeping Sun DVD Single ) that was filmed at the picturesque Pakkahuone, Tampere, Finland. Vocalist Tarja Turunen is the only Nightwish band member featured in the video.

References

External links

• Highest Hopes at MusicBrainz