Elton John - Rocket Man: Number Ones [CD/DVD Package]
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Free Music Notes for Rocket Man: Number Ones [CD/DVD Package]
Free Music Review: Great Buy
Hit: 5 Stars
This is a great Cd with a perfect mix of Elton's hits. A true Super Star!Free Music Review: Hello Yellow Brick Road
Hit: 4 Stars
There have been within the past several years, many greatest hits record that try to deliver what they claim to, as being as definitive with reflecting an artist and their career. Unfortunately, most of those hits records really could've been more that should've been desired. Nevertheless, there are performers who have shown that they really are as strong as when they first came out, and Elton John is really one of those few. This year has marked a few milestones that've been just great, including his recent 60th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden, and also the 40th anniversary since he met his longtime writing partner Bernie Taupin, and made music history. Now, another hits record has came out to celebrate his career, but does it deliver.
Elton John's 2007 Rocket Man: Number Ones is a welcomed single disc retrospective that remains as definitive as his voice. Unlike other hits records, this one mostly delivers in the feeling of being all about #1. The collection includes 17 great tracks that've all been #1 at one time on Billboard in Adult Contemporary, Pop, or even in the U.K. The songs have all been remastered well and sound great. The collection includes great #1's including Your Song, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me with George Michael, his sooulful late 80's ballad Sacrifice which hit #1 in the U.K., as well as the overlooked cover of The Beatles Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, which was not featured in his previous Greatest Hits 1970-2002 in the U.S. edition, and Don't Go Breakin' My Heart with Kiki Dee. Although this collection handles well, there are a few #1 tracks that actually were overshadowed here including Something About The Way You Look Tonight from 1997, and Believe which was a #1 Adult Contemporary hit in 1995 from Made In England. The DVD does makeup though, by showing Elton at his best from highlights of his 2005 NBC special The Red Piano, where he showed even though he is older, he hasn't lost his edge.
All in all, Rocket Man: Number Ones is a decent and well-received hits package that gently reintroduces Elton John, to audiences that might be more into acts like Beyonce' and Usher. But it does deliver great music that still stands the test of time today. I definitely recommend this record for anyone who doesn't yet own a Elton John album, that should know what its like to hear the rocket man stand.
Album Cover: A
Songs: B 1/2+
Price: B
Remastering: A-
Overall: B 1/2+
Free Music Review: Love him or loathe him.
Hit: 4 Stars
Good old Elton: spats with George Michael, agony aunt to the Beckhams, adopted daddy to Robbie Williams, songwriter on Billy Elliot's stage reinvention, not to mention his birthday's celebration.
It's a wonder the man, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, has time for a pop career at all.
But what a colourful career it has been. Love him or loathe him, in terms of sales and lasting popularity the singer, with over three decades of back catalogue, has more than earned his superstar status.
Never a conventional looker with his Lily Savage specs and rug bouffant, John's ability to dip into soul, disco and country as well as classic pop and progressive rock on tracks such as "Tiny Dancer", "Rocket Man", "Your Song", "Sacrifice' and "I'm Still Standing", has made him a musical legend.
Through sales slumps and well-publicised fall-outs with lyricist Bernie Taupin, the music maestro has managed more comebacks than Cher's Farewell tour.
To mark the occasion of his 60th birthday, Elton John releases a special edition 2-disc edition that includes a bonus DVD featuring five promo videos spanning the last four decades and five prevously unreleased tracks from his legendary Red Piano Las Vegas show.
The main CD features 18 tracks of hits spanning the likes of "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Candle In The Wind", including "Tiny Dancer" (the song that was immortalised by the filmmaker Cameron Crowe in his fictional rockumentary "Almost Famous").
The collection veers more towards his Seventies' work and mixes the ballads with the rowdier numbers such as "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting") and "I'm Still Standing".
Some of the tracks are overly sentimental, particularly the latter stuff, but there's no getting away from the quality of recordings such as "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" and "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long Time)".
Fans will lap it up as part of the birthday celebrations, even though there's been a better "greatest hits" collection only few years ago.
But it's hard to begrudge such an enduring and popular artist his place in the limelight, particularly now that he's reached 60 years of age.
On the whole this is as solid a compilation as anyone who lacks a bit of Elton in their collection could wish for.
Free Music Review: A Long, Long, Time of Hits!
Hit: 4 Stars
This release coincided with Elton's 60th birthday in March of 2007. And while there have been many greatest hits collections over the years, this one offers pretty much the best of the hits. All of the big hits from the 70s hey day are represented here. Bennie, Philadelphia Freedom, Crocodile Rock, Daniel, etc. And the always endearing duet with Kiki Dee (Don't Go Breaking My Heart) is included as well.
Sadly, however, there has yet to be an attempt to repackage some of Elton's great 80s and 90s work. While his music may have changed and he became more adult contemporary, that's expected with anyone who's had such a long career. Sure, Sacrifice and I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues are here but what about the Top 20 Healing Hands, from '89's Sleeping With The Past? Or any number of other truly great pop songs he's recorded? His most recent single, Tinderbox, from the underrated Captain and The Kid album, shows up here only as a video, again, another wasted opportunity (it should have been included with the rest of the music).
Interestingly enough, the liner notes of this release practically dare you to compare these hits with other lost gems from other albums. For instance, the liner notes read: "If you enjoy Philadelphia Freedom, check out Where Have All The Goodtimes Gone from '82 Jump Up album." While it's nice to see an actual reference to Jump Up, why not take a chance and include it so the public might actually be exposed to it (who knows, they might like it! I do!)
But these are small quibbles. If you don't have these songs in another hits collection, it makes for enjoyable listening. How could it not? I just sense the marketing of Elton John relies on the old hits instead of taking some chances.
And speaking of taking chances, the bonus DVD show several clips from his Vegas show. And while it showcases the older songs as well, they are packaged in a unique concert viewing experience that is well worth the money for this release. The show is quite a spectacle and I'm glad it's included here.
All in all, a worthy collection that captures what makes Elton John an icon.
Free Music Review: The Ever-Eminent EJ
Hit: 4 Stars
To celebrate his 60th birthday, the ever-eminent Elton John released "Rocket Man: The Number Ones," his first single disc greatest hits hodgepodge since "The Very Best of Elton John" was released outside the US in 1990. His first Top 10 LP since 1997 and 16th overall, it outdid many debuts, including the new Jennifer Lopez CD.
One irksome aspect of the disc is that it does not necessarily adhere to the definition of the #1 single. Some songs that did not reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 are included due to reaching the pole position on another chart, such as the Adult Contemporary tally or, in the case of the ever-evocative classic title track of 1973's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," the now-defunct Cash Box Pop chart.
Meanwhile, some Hot 100 toppers like the Lady Di tribute "Candle In the Wind 1997" and "That's What Friends Are For," his Grammy-winning collaboration with Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight, do not show up. The same goes for many A/C number ones like "Believe" and the ever-ignored "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That," his late 80's comeback single.
Still, the disc is perfect for the most casual of Elton listeners, and even includes some non-chart toppers like "Tiny Dancer" and "Your Song" under the heading of "And Other Favorites." Those who simply aren't satisfied by just the likes of "Island Girl" and "Philadelphia Freedom" and want other heavy hitters like "Levon" and "Nikita," however, would be more satisfied with the 2-disc set "Greatest Hits 1970-2002."
The limited edition version contains a bonus DVD with 5 performances from his current Las Vegas stint "The Red Piano" that blow the roof off the house, as well as 5 music videos including the classics "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" and "I'm Still Standing," not to mention the incredible visual spectacle that is "Tinderbox" from his underratted 2006 LP "The Captain and the Kid."