Search - Elton John :: Rocket Man: Number Ones (Eco-Friendly Packaging)

Fine celebration of Elton's 60th birthday

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 08/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Elton John always does things big; and this CD is no exception. This latest release covers all his biggest hits during his 35 year career. Although it claims to be comprehensive, Elton had so much success that many people will still wish this had included even more stellar songs than it already has! Indeed, there's simply not a loser in this bunch. Elton's recordings leave you excited and stunned at their beauty; and I dare you to be able to listen to the CD only once and then just put it away for good!



The CD starts off with twelve massive Elton John hits in chronological order: the track set begins with the classic "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." The sound is excellent, as it remains throughout the entire CD. "Bennie And The Jets" follows with an incredible beat; Elton's voice remains in excellent form here. The touching ballad "Daniel" continues the track set as Elton wishes his friend Daniel had not left him.



Other timeless hits--and truthfully, that would probably mean the whole album--include "Crocodile Rock;" this tune rocks hard as Elton laments a love gone awry. "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" displays Elton's stupendous ability to make a cover of a Beatles song and yet infuse it with a certain flavor to make it his own. Awesome! "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" features a duet between Elton and George Michael; the crowd roars with delight as both artists have them in the palms of their hands.



The CD then gives us five bonus tracks to make this a very generous package. We get the beautiful ballad "Your Song" with its lush and very moving musical arrangement; and "Candle In The Wind" possesses equal sensitivity. "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time)" allows Elton the chance to sing about a love that goes wrong; and the CD ends incredibly strong with Elton's hardest ever rockin' song, "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)." "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting) is a timeless classic about youthful rebellion that any generation can appreciate. What a strong ending for the CD!



If you get the limited edition version of this package, you also receive a DVD that gives you a generous portion of Elton's 2005 "Red Piano Show" in Las Vegas; and you also get five bonus videos made at various times during Elton's career. The "Red Piano Show" video lasts about 25 minutes; you get terrific clarity as you watch Elton at a red piano with his band knocking out such hits as "Bennie & The Jets;" "Candle In The Wind" and "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" all with great videos playing on a giant screen behind Elton and the other performers. The bonus videos include an awesome "I'm Still Standing;" "Your Song" and "Tinderbox." "Tinderbox" boasts great special effects, too.



Unfortunately this eco-friendly packaging completely forgoes the CD booklet with lyrics and so much wonderful artwork. Big disappointment for die-hard fans! Yes, it is eco-friendly--but couldn't they have packaged this with some type of abridged booklet? I suspect that there may have been the desire to make a cheaper product that still makes them a profit. I will take off one star for this to make this a four star review.



Elton John is a living legend. Long after most "celebrities" have been buried and forgotten, people will still remember Elton John. Elton John possesses a singular talent for making people happy and letting them feel their sorrow through his songs. When Elton sings, you listen--and you listen closely, too, because Elton makes every syllable count as he emphasizes the exact sounds he wishes to emphasize for the right effect. We are immensely better off for Elton's sharing his genius with us; and I believe that his career will continue well into the future.



Obviously, Elton's fans will consider this a "must-have" for their collections; and people who enjoy great rock and pop will appreciate this CD, too.



Rock on, rocket man!

"

Back, and better than ever!

Kurt A. Johnson | North-Central Illinois, USA | 09/06/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!"

THE ROCKET MAN'S GREATEST HITS AND MORE......

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 08/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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".).

"