For the Record: 41 Number One Hits is a two-disc, 44-track greatest hits package released by the American country/Southern rock band Alabama. The album chronicles the biggest hits from Alabama released from 1980 to 1998. The lineup includes all 33 of their Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles & Tracks No. 1 singles, as well as other songs which reached number one on the former Radio & Records (now Mediabase) charts; each of the non-Billboard No. 1 hits made the top 5 on that chart. Three new tracks are also included. Of these, "How Do You Fall in Love" reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in late 1998. The follow-up single, "Keepin' Up", reached the Top 20 in early 1999, while "Five O'Clock 500" remained an album cut as it was not released as a single. All of the greatest hits are presented in their single/radio edit forms. In some cases, the songs were nearly two minutes shorter than their original album versions.

The Essential

For the Record was re-released and re-packaged in 2005 as The Essential. Both albums have an identical track lineup. In his review of The Essential, AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that the new album title eliminated "the misleading subtitle that claimed all of the songs on the album hit No. 1." A disclaimer on the back of the album indicates that The Essential is the newly reissued For the Record.

Sales

The original release of For the Record album was certified platinum for sales of 5 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Song listing

Live DVD

A DVD was released with Alabama performing all 41 Number One Hits (plus My Home's In Alabama) at Las Vegas on October 10, 1998, as a promotion to the album. The three new tracks were not performed live.

Personnel on Tracks 1-3 (Disk #1)

Alabama's drummer, Mark Herndon, does not play on the new tracks.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications