Elton John Album: “Greatest Hits [Slimline]”

Elton John was to the 70's what The Beatles were to the 60's. He was the undisputed king of the 70's. This brilliant and timeless collection proves why. You get a huge chunk of Elton's first batch of hits from the early to mid 70's. You get the gorgeous ballads like "Your Song", "Daniel", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", and the overlooked "Border Song". Then there's the uptempo rockers like "Crocodile Rock", "Bennie And The Jets", "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" and more. Elton showcases his brilliant genius of melodies and chords. Bernie Taupin, as Elton's lyric writer, is one of the best lyricists ever. Some people I've come across say "Crocodile Rock" is silly and weightless. Is that supposed to mean something?. Is that supposed to actually matter?. Of course not. It's catchy, bouncy, fun, and has fun lyrics. You don't need more than that. It's no surprise that this collection is one of the top 10 highest selling albums of all time. It should be. Greatest Hits 2 and 3 are also top choices to check out. Elton John is, and always will be, the true king of pop.

This compilation is definitely the best of Elton John. Though later albums are enjoyable, nothing comes close to these classics and being digitally remastered make them all the more better.

When Elton John released his first greatest hits collection in late 1974, he was the biggest rock act in the world. He was riding a streak of four straight number one albums and Greatest Hits would be his fifth in a row. In fact the album spent a career high 10 weeks at the top. The album is populated with some of the biggest hits of the first half of the 70's including the number one hits like his ode to a glam rocker, the rollicking "Bennie & The Jets" and his ode to the 50's, the fun and punchy "Crocodile Rock". Other classics include the orchestral "Goodbye Yellowbrick Road", the beautiful "Your Song", the funky "Honky Cat", the soaring "Rocket Man" and the heartbreaking "Candle In The Wind".

This review refers to the CD edition of "Elton John - Greatest Hits"

You've owned them on 8-track. You've heard them on audio cassette. Now hear Elton's first compilation of his greatest hits from 1970-1974 on this excellent CD. They never sounded better! Even if you're not old enough to have heard these first on 8-track, if you are an EJ fan(or know someone who is), this CD is a must for your collection.

Elton and the band, including Dave Richmond, Clive Hicks, Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson Ray Cooper, Carl Wilson, and Toni Tenille to name a few who contribute, really make you appreciate the early beginings of this legendary music. It's a great mix of songs that will either make you want to get up and dance, or just kick back and wax nostalgic. There are 11 tracks in all (a complete list is located in the buying info),including these beloved tunes... "Your Song", "Daniel", "Benny and The Jets", "Rocket Man" and "Border Song".

As I mentioned the CD is fabulous sounding and is great to listen to around the house and I especially love to listen to it in my car, roll up my windows and maybe even sing along (if no one's looking). After 30 years this music still moves me and I'm thrilled to be able to listen to it on this great CD.

If you really love EJ, I would also reccommend a Video of one of his greatest performances "John: Live in Austrailia", where you can not only hear his wonderful music but feel his energy as you watch him perform as well.

"Don't Let The Sun Go Down......"...enjoy..Laurie

This CD of Elton John's "Greatest Hits" proves that Elton John is one of the very few Godfathers in the world of music. Even decades later these songs are great songs; he still performs "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" at many of his concerts even today.

While I agree with the reviewer who writes that some albums are not represented on this CD, I nevertheless believe that this CD is still very strong and entertaining. It starts out beautifully with an especially tender ballad entitled "Your Song;" and it continues with "Daniel," another ballad about the singer's affection for a man who has left him at least for now. Other great classics on this CD include "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" which tells the story of a man who wants something more than living an unhappy life with a rich partner; the ode to Marilyn Monroe entitled "Candle In The Wind;" and the bittersweet memories of a long gone youthful romance in the song "Crocodile Rock." The musical arrangements are all very well done; the rock and roll flavor mixed with a certain pop feel work incredibly well to produce powerful songs with lyrics and melodies that you will find hard to ever forget.

The liner notes offer song credits and the date and place where each song was recorded. There's a picture of Elton--without his usual over-the-top attire--and the other picture of his band mates is great, too.

Overall, I highly recommend this CD for Elton John fans, fans of pop-rock, and for people who want to get better acquainted with Elton John's earlier work. If you like this CD, I recommend his CD entitled Greatest Hits part two or maybe better yet the Elton John two CD set called Greatest Hits 1970-2002. Elton John--what a genius! He sure wasn't knighted for nothing! SMILE