Greatest Hits Volume Two [Us Import] [Original recording reissued, Import]

This review refers to "Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume II"(cassette).....

Elton John is just one of those extraordinarily talented musician and performers, who's works will be loved by every generation. Those who grew up with him, those discovering him now and future generations yet to come. His songs are diverse, his voice unique and familiar, his music, words and his energetic performances and will stay with you long after the listen, and if you've ever been lucky enough to see him in concert, you know his outrageous flair.

This album is the perfect follow up and companion to "Elton John's Greatest Hits". The first album takes in the early 70's and this the next few years. I have the older edition of this album which includes "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" and a duet with Kiki Dee "Don't Go Breakin My Heart". The newer edition here includes instead "Tiny Dancer" which got a great revitalization from the film "Almost Famous" and also "I feel Like A Bullet(In the Gun of Robert Ford)".

Some of the other great tunes to be found here that will get your blood pumping are "The Bitch is Back", "Philedelphia Freedom" and the wonderful "Pinball Wizard" from the soundtrack of the film "Tommy". It also shows his softer side with the beautiful rendition of "Levon" and "Someone Saved My Life Tonight". For a complete list of songs see the buying info where you can listen to bits of a few of the tracks.

A great addition to any EJ collection or give it as a gift to the EJ fan in your life. It will be well appreciated.

Enjoy.....Laurie

Elton John's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 is an outstanding CD that gives us so many of his greatest accomplishments. The sound quality is great and I love the artwork. Sure, there's not everything here; but for a CD in a two volume set it really doesn't do all that badly--this is a good CD.

The CD starts with the very rockin' "The B**** Is Back." Elton sings this so well; it works very well and the backup chorus enhances Elton's performance. The electric guitar sounds so great and Elton couldn't have done this any better! Elton John fans are sure to love this tune if by some small chance they haven't heard this famous hit before. "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" is a great cover of this song by The Beatles; and Elton's interpretation easily rivals that of his predecessors. The guitars again work very well; and Elton never misses a beat! Elton sings so well; he displays great sensitivity for the lyrics and I love every bit of it!

"Tiny Dancer" is a softer, much more sensitive tune that Elton delivers with panache; the piano work sounds great and when the guitars come in this number really takes off like a jet! Elton's voice never sounded better; he never ceases to amaze me.

"Someone Saved My Life Tonight" is a huge hit for Elton and it's easily a major highlight of this album. Elton sings this to perfection--and beyond! What an awesome voice Elton John has--it's so wonderful that he shares his talents with us. "Philadelphia Freedom" is a softer rock tune from the 1970s that still sounds very strong today. Elton belts this out and the arrangement works wonders for "Philadelphia Freedom."

"Island Girl" is another `70s hit for Elton John; he sings of a girl from the tropics who ropes in men as easily as breathing. "Island Girl" features Elton front and center--right where he belongs! It's an excellent rock song. "Levon" gets the royal treatment from Elton John who performs this ballad with heart, soul and all his might. The piano work is brilliant, too.

The album ends so well with Elton singing "Pinball Wizard" from The Who's Tommy. Elton does great justice to this cover song and The Who must surely have been pleased! The guitar work adds to the number and "Pinball Wizard" is an excellent example of Elton during his rocking years.

There are very few artists as talented as Elton John; and this CD proves it. This is an excellent collection of just some of Elton's best; and newcomers to Elton John's artistry would do well to start with albums like this one.

Elton John became the first rock superstar of the 1970s with hit after hit and a series of number one albums. His string of hits spawned "Elton John - Greatest Hits," which is one of the biggest selling albums of all time. However, that first album covered but a fraction of Elton's powerful portfolio and a second greatest hits collection was inevitable.

"Elton John - Greatest Hits" was released in 1974, and could have been released earlier given that Elton's series of hit singles was already more than one album could contain. The release of this album in 1977 filled in a couple of holes from Elton's album "Madman Across the Water" and included one song from "Caribou." Surprisingly, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" from "Caribou" was not collected as part of any of Elton's first three greatest hits collections.

There are a couple of variations of this album that have appeared. The version I have on CD has "Tiny Dancer" and "I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)" in place of "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." If you see variations in the reviews, this replacement of songs is the reason why. The version at the time of this review has the songs listed in this review.

This ten song collection begins with "The Bitch Is Back" from "Caribou." The album was somewhat controversial because some of the music was called by some critics as throwaway. Regardless of the criticism, this song and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," which appeared on "Elton John's Greatest Hits," were hits, with this song rising to #4 in 1974 with "Cold Highway" on the B-side.

The next song, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," was a cover produced with the cooperation of long-time friend John Lennon. This song was one of several songs released as singles by Elton that charted well, going to and yet were not from an album. This song went to #1 backed by "One Day at a Time."

"Tiny Dancer" was released as a single backed by "Razor Face" and went to #41 in 1972. Both songs were from "Madman Across the Water," an interesting and serious album that was an album that remains a favorite among fans and critics. "Levon" also appears on this album, and was released backed by "Goodbye," with both again being from "Madman Across the Water." The latter single reached #24 in 1972.

The next song was released as the B-side of "Grow Some Funk of Your Own." "I Feel like a Bullet in the Gun of Robert Ford" is one of my favorite songs from "Rock of the Westies." Both songs are listed as having reached #14 on the charts in 1976. This album would also be the last of a string of seven albums in a row by Elton that reached #1. Also included in this collection from "Rock of the Westies" is "Island Girl," which reached #1 backed by "Sugar on the Floor."

When "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" was released in 1975 it became the first album to be released at #1. The album proved to have staying power, in spite of some criticism regarding an autobiographical album from a singer and his writing partner that had only had musical success since about 1970. However, Elton John and Bernie Taupin had been a team since the mid-1960s, and they had paid their dues by the time the album was released. The beautifully written and executed songs were generally poorly designed to be pop singles, and "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," backed by "House of Cards," is the only song to represent this wonderful album. The song reached #4 on the charts.

The next song was another song that was released independent of an album. "Philadelphia Freedom" was backed by "I Saw Her Standing There" and reached #1. "Philadelphia Freedom" deserved its chart position, but "I Saw Her Standing There," a song that featured John Lennon, is enjoyable and makes its appearance on other Elton John and John Lennon releases.

The final song is "Pinball Wizard," a cover of the Who song that was released backed by Tina Turner's interpretation of "Acid Queen." Both songs were from the movie version of the rock opera "Tommy." I was unable to find a peak chart position in the United States for this single, though I remember hearing the song frequently on the radio in the mid-1970s.

Because this collection is so limited it is easy to avoid it for other collections. However, "Elton John - Greatest Hits 1970 - 2002" does not include "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "I Feel like a Bullet in the Gun of Robert Ford," "Grow Some Funk of Your Own," and "Pinball Wizard." "Elton John - To Be Continued" is a much more comprehensive collection that includes all the songs on this collection except for "Grow Some Funk of Your Own." However, both collections also cost more than this one CD.

Elton John will remain one of the best selling, prolific and talented singers and songwriters in the history of rock music. His decades' long partnership with Bernie Taupin has yielded dozens of albums and hit singles. Any collection of music by Elton is enjoyable and worth having by even a casual fan.