Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes

Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes is a remix and video album by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. It was released on June 16, 2009, through Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment exclusively to Walmart and J&R, although it was later made available through other retailers. Consisting of two discs, the album features music videos and dance remixes of singles from her third studio album I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes peaked at number thirty-five on the US Billboard 200, and received generally favorable reviews from music critics. It also appeared on US Billboard's component charts, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Dance/Electronic Albums. The remix version of "Ego" included on the album, featuring Kanye West, was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards (2010).

Background and content

Above and Beyoncé comprises two discs. The first contains the music videos of six of the singles from her 2008 studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce: "If I Were a Boy", "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", "Diva", "Halo", Broken-Hearted Girl" and "Ego". It also features a "fan exclusive" cut of the "Ego" video and behind-the-scenes footage of the shooting of the videos. The second disc hosts electronica dance remixes of the songs, as well as of the album's sixth single, "Sweet Dreams". A mix of "Ego" with a rap verse from Kanye West closes the album.

Release and artwork

On June 15, 2009, the behind-the-scenes footage was broadcast on BET's Access Granted. The remix video for "Ego" premiered afterwards. The cover art of Above and Beyoncé was previewed by People magazine in May 2009. The album was originally released exclusively to Walmart and J&R, on June 16, 2009. The dance mixes only were made available via MP3 format through Amazon Music the same day, and the whole album was released to the online store on November 3, 2009. The iTunes Store began selling the remixes on February 1, 2010.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic

AllMusic's Andy Kellman called the album "a nice set for devoted fans who haven't already shelled out for all the mixes", and awarded it three out of five stars. In 2011, Maura Gavaghan, writing for MTV, said: "The creative title of this video album alone is a reason for every devoted fan... to buy a copy". She added that the dance remixes of the songs make a "dance party in a neatly packaged DVD set".

Commercial performance

Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes debuted at number thirty-six on the US Billboard 200 chart dated July 4, 2009, selling 14,000 copies that week. It later peaked at number thirty-five, spending fourteen weeks on the chart. On the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes debuted and peaked at number twenty-three, spending forty-three weeks on the chart. Among the US Dance/Electronic Albums, the album debuted at number two, placing below Lady Gaga's debut studio album The Fame (2008). It spent a total of forty-eight weeks on the chart, including twenty-four weeks in the top ten. Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes was ranked at number nine on the year-end US Dance/Electronic Albums for 2009, and at number twenty-one for 2010.

Track listing

Video Collection

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Director(s)	Length
1.	"If I Were a Boy"	Toby Gad BC Jean	Jake Nava	5:06
2.	"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"	Tricky Stewart The-Dream Kuk Harrell Beyoncé Knowles	Nava	3:19
3.	"Diva"	Knowles Bangladesh Sean Garrett	Melina Matsoukas	4:06
4.	"Halo"	Knowles Ryan Tedder E. Kidd Bogart	Philip Andelman	3:45
5.	"Broken-Hearted Girl"	Babyface Mikkel Eriksen Tor Erik Hermansen Knowles	Sophie Muller	4:40
6.	"Ego" (Remix featuring Kanye West)	Blac Elvis Harold Lilly Knowles	Knowles Frank Gatson Jr.	4:53
7.	"Ego" (Fan exclusive)	Williams Lilly Knowles	Knowles Gatson Jr.	3:57
8.	"Behind the Scenes: the Videos"		Ed Burke	19:02

Dance Mixes

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"If I Were a Boy" (Maurice Joshua Mojo UK Remix)	Gad Jean	Gad Knowles Joshua	6:29
2.	"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio Remix – Club Version)	Stewart The-Dream Harrell Knowles	Stewart The-Dream Knowles DJ Escape Tony Coluccio	6:57
3.	"Diva" (Karmatronic Club Remix)	Knowles Bangladesh Garrett	Bangladesh Garrett Knowles Achilles Sparta Péter Krajczár	5:08
4.	"Halo" (Dave Audé Club Remix)	Knowles Tedder Bogart	Tedder Knowles Audé	8:55
5.	"Broken-Hearted Girl" (Catalyst Remix)	Babyface Eriksen Hermansen Knowles	Stargate Knowles James Cruz	4:46
6.	"Ego" (OK DAC Remix)	Blac Elvis Lilly Knowles	Blac Elvis Lilly Knowles OK DAC	6:29
7.	"Sweet Dreams" (Harlan Pepper & AG III Remix)	Knowles Jim Jonsin Wayne Wilkins Rico Love	Jonsin Wilkins Love Knowles Harlan Pepper & AG III Remix	6:43
8.	"Ego" (Remix featuring Kanye West)	Blac Elvis Lilly Knowles	Blac Elvis Lilly Knowles	4:44

Notes

^a – denotes a remixer.

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic and Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes's liner notes.

Kory Aaron – assistance
Damien Alexander – artists and repertoire
Phillip Andelman – direction
Dave Audé – production, remixing
Babyface – writing
Christian Baker – assistance
Bangladesh – writing
Tim Blacksmith – management
E. Kidd Bogart – writing
Ed Burke – direction
Domenic Capello – mixing
Jim Caruana – engineering, vocal engineering
Fusako Chubachi – art direction
Tony Coluccio – remixing
Tom Coyne – mastering
James Cruz – mastering
Kim Dellara – executive production
DJ Escape – remixing
The-Dream – writing
Mikkel Storleer Eriksen – engineering, instrumentation, writing
Jens Gad – drums
Toby Gad – arrangement, engineering, production, instrumentation, writing
Tim Gant – keyboards
Sean Garrett – writing
Alan Gordon – engineering
Matt Green – assistance
Kuk Harrell – engineering, writing
Matt Hennessy – engineering
Ty Hunter – stylist
Jim Jonsin – production
Maurice Joshua – remixing
Grant Jue – production
Chris Kantrowitz – executive production
Anthony Kilhoffer – vocal engineering
Kimberly Kimble – hair stylist
Juli Knapp – artists and repertoire
Beyoncé – executive production, production, writing, vocals vocal production
Mathew Knowles – executive production
Tina Knowles – creative consultant
Melissa Larsen – production
Harold Lilly – production, writing
Peter Lindbergh – photography
Rico Love – producer, writing, vocals, vocal production
Philip Margiziotis – horn
Melina Matsoukas – direction
Jake McKim – artists and repertoire
Michael Paul Miller – assistance
Sophie Muller – director
Jake Nava – director
Jeff Pantaleo – executive production
Dave Pensado – mixing
Jim Jonsin – writing
Hagai Shaham – production
Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
Tricky Stewart – writing
Ryan Tedder – arrangement, engineering, instrumentation, production, writing
Francesca Tolot – make-up
Lidell Townsell – keyboards
Jennifer Turner – marketing
Randy Urbanski – assistance
Miles Walker – engineering
Wayne Wilkins – production, writing
Blac Elvis – writing
Dontae Winslow – trumpet
John Winter – production
Andrew Wuepper – assistance

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2009)	Peak position
US Billboard 200	35
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)	2
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	23

Year-end charts

Chart (2009)	Position
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)	9

Chart (2010)	Position
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)	21

Release history

Release dates and formats for *Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes*
Region	Date	Edition(s)	Format(s)	Label(s)
Japan	June 16, 2009	Standard	CD+DVD	Sony Music Japan
United States		Standard	CD+DVD	Columbia Music World
United States		Dance Mixes	Digital download	Columbia Music World

References

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"Beyoncé". Access Granted. June 15, 2009. Black Entertainment Television. BET Networks.
^ "'Ego' Remix Video Premieres on Special BET Access Granted!" (Press release). Beyoncé's Official Website. June 15, 2009. Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
Orloff, Brian (May 20, 2009). "First Look: Beyoncé's New DVD Cover Revealed!". People. Time Inc. Archived from the original on June 1, 2009. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
^ "Beyoncé to Release Above And Beyonce Video Collection & Dance Mixes!" (Press release). Beyoncé's Official Website. May 26, 2009. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012.
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^ Kellman, Andy. "Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
^ Gavaghan, Maura (October 31, 2011). "Must-Have Items To Be A True Beyonce Stan". MTV. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
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"Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 29 March 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2011. Note: To interpret the number of weeks in the chart, the user must navigate the visualizer, which can be launched on the left of the screen.
"R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. July 4, 2009. Archived from the original on 30 March 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
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^ "Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2009. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
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Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes (Remix album). Beyoncé. Columbia Records. 2009. 88697 53949 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
I Am... Sasha Fierce (Platinum Edition). Beyoncé. Columbia Records. 2008. 0088697417352.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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