Rocket Man: Number Ones [Best of, Original recording remastered]

In late March 2007, shortly after Elton John's 60th birthday, Universal Music released yet another of his "Best Of" compilations, which, surprisingly, became a nearly instantaneous smash hit on the Billboard Charts. But is it truly a surprise when, in the course of a forty-year long musical career, Elton John and his lyricists, most notably his long-time partner Bernie Taupin, have crafted some of the finest examples of pop songwriting craft? Of course not, and this "Best Of" compilation truly demonstrates some of the most elegant examples of that craft, emphasizing almost exclusively, his early halcyon days back in the early to mid 1970s when he was truly "Captain Fantastic", the reigning king of pop and rock and roll in America. "Rocket Man: Number Ones" includes twelve hit songs which were at the top of the charts in various categories - virtually all Billboard's - plus five additional songs which have been long-time favorites at Elton's live performances. This CD-only version of Elton's latest greatest hits compilation is quite desirable for its list of songs that emphasizes the legendary earliest phase of his decades-long career. Packed in eco-friendly foam packing, the CD is accompanied by a thin booklet that lists the songs, co-writers (Primarily of course, lyricist Bernie Taupin; only two songs aren't listed as having been written by Elton.), the songs' producers, and a cover of the albums from whence these songs were released originally (or subsequently appeared if they were released initially as stand-alone singles). Best of all, this is a "Best Of" compilation that's worth acquiring since the sound quality is much better than on virtually any of his previous "Greatest Hits" compilations.

The opening tracks are a musical return to the "dizzy heights" of Elton's storied career: "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Bennie & The Jets", "Daniel" and "Crocodile Rock", which are still among the most popular long-time favorites at Elton's live performances. His absolutely brilliant cover version of The Beatles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", "Philadelphia Freedom", "Island Girl", "Don't Go Breaking My Heart (with Kiki Dee)", and "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" close out the legendary 1970s phase of his career on this CD. Surprisingly, only three hits recorded after 1976 are included, out of many potential choices; "Sacrifice", "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (with George Michael)", and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" (co-written with lyricist Tim Rice originally for the Disney animated film "The Lion King"). Under the subheading "And Other Favorites", five classic songs from the 1970s serve as a musical bookend to this "Best of" compilation: "Your Song", "Tiny Dancer", "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time)", "Candle In The Wind", and "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" (The last two songs were more popular in Great Britain than they were here in the United States at the time of their original release as hit singles back in the 1970s; in fact "Candle In The Wind" was the B Side of "Bennie & The Jets".).

I'm giving Elton John's Number Ones collection a 5-star rating because the quality of each and every song is high and NOT because I think it gives *complete* satisfaction to the listener. Come on, Elton John has WAY too many good songs to limit yourself to one collection of tunes. However, I'm surprised with some of these selections. "lucy in the sky with diamonds" and "island girl" being on the same collection with songs like "sacrifice" is a pretty cool and unexpected turn of events. Including the original version of "don't let the sun go down on me" is a nice touch as well. I have tons of respect for any collection featuring "don't go breaking my heart", probably one of his catchiest songs ever.

Of course, there's plenty of other classic songs that weren't included here that SHOULD have been. "someone saved my life tonight" probably being the biggest question mark. Where is it? I don't know if that song in particular reached number one, but the album title is misleading anyway because it doesn't focus entirely on number one hits, so the song should have been included.

Also, if you own classic Elton John albums from the early 70's, you already know that his biggest hits are most certainly NOT his best songs. That's the truth. You should probably seek those albums out first, such as Tumbleweed Connection and Captain Fantastic.

Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight) has been a feature of the Rock-n-Roll scene since the 1970s, and was certainly a feature of my childhood. I can't remember those sunny days of my youth without hearing Bennie and the Jets, Crocodile Rock and Your Song. Well, they are back, and better than ever!

This great CD has 17 great Elton John hits - 12 number ones, and 5 other greats. Plus, they have all been digitally remastered, making the sound on the CD simply awesome. I could comment on each song if I wanted to - for example (and this might be heresy to some), I think that no one's rendition of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is better than Elton's - but, I will keep it short and sweet.

This is a great album, every song in it is a masterpiece, and sounds absolutely great. This is what I moved into CDs to hear, this kind of quality. Get this CD!

By the way, lest I forget, the environment-friendly packaging works great - yet another bonus!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 12 reviews  4.2 out of 5 stars