"Buh-Buh-Buh-Bennie and the Jets!" What else do you need to know? This Greatest Hits collection was originally released in 1974, and as an album, it's friggin incredible. Track to track to track, perfectly solid. You don't need any of the newer bullcrap collections of Elton John's work. This is THE ONE. Just buy it already, it's CHEAP! You won't regret it.

Hey, I'm a rocker, too - I like me some Stones, some AC/DC, some Aerosmith, some Zeppelin, some Sab, some Guns n' Roses, some Who, some Hendrix and some Cream. But you know, you gotta mellow out sometimes, and that's why I listen to Elton. (Hell, even Axl Rose admitted to being a big fan of his).

Now my man Reg Dwight's been taking a lot of abuse lately, mainly because he's gay (which has got to be the stupidest reason I can think of to criticize a musician). If you're looking to diss the guy just because of that, take it up with him. But I warn you - he's rich. He's probably got ninja bodyguards.

All joking aside, EJ rules. He's capable of writing the perfect pop song, and hey, that piano! He's awesome with piano! Gotta love his voice, too. In other words, very talented man. I'm not a big fan of Bernie Taupin, but hey, Elton's great. This is not the perfect compilation of his work - I'd have liked to see some songs from Madman Across the Water (like the hits Tiny Dancer and Levon), and I don't like Bennie and the Jets. Song just bugs me. Good news is, that's the only bad song here: this has my favorite all-time EJ song (Crocodile Rock, which is the ultimate feel-good tune - come on, how can you NOT like it? It's not possible! I mean, I have heard one person criticize it, but he had the rough intelligence of a cinderblock), as well as several other great ones, mostly ballads like Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Your Song (simply the perfect pop song), Candle in the Wind, Daniel, Rocket Man, and Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me. Then there are the cool stylistic experiments like the gospelly Border Song (Holy Moses) (off his self-titled second, which I recommend - it's the one with Your Song on it), and the New Orleans-sounding Honky Cat. And who says EJ can't rock? Throw on Saturday Night's All Right (for Fighting) and see if you still think that way.

A couple of Elton's studio LP's are really good too - I'd go with self-titled, Madman Across the Water and Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. Those just starting out with him should start her.e

For a brief, shining run between 1970 and 1974, Elton John blazed into the rock universe with impeccable songs by Bernie Taupin and himself, an outlandish stage show and a string of albums helped redefine expectations of superstar product. His early success was so heady that MCA Records threw this quickie greatest hits on the public in the 1974 holiday season...when I received it as a Christmas gift with a new GE stereo player from my parents. This may be one of the albums that codified my tastes in music, along with "With the Beatles," "School's Out," "Can't Buy A Thrill" and "My Aim Is True."

But in high school circa the early 70's, it was all about Elton. He had then (and still does) a stylistic range that other musicians would sell their souls for, be it the influence of country ("Border Song"), soul ("Bennie and the Jets"), old fashion radio tunes ("Crocodile Rock"), love songs ("Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me") and hard rock (the blistering "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"). Elton's brashness knew no bounds in those days, be it the flamboyant stage gear to the over the top album package that went with "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," which carried into his music. He was willing to try anything, and his hunger for stardom drove his creativity.

The results of that drive are here in this perfect time capsule about how the seventies were most certainly NOT a dark time for music. That Sir Elton is still releasing albums ("The Captain and the Kid") of strong new material and not taking the easy road of recording a sappy album of standards (I'm looking at you, Rod Stewart) speaks to the genius of Elton and Bernie. While he may have slowed down creatively after "Rock of the Westies" and further best ofs have been issued (like his 60th birthday Rocket Man: Number Ones (Eco-Friendly Packaging)"), this single disc consolidates all that was great about Elton while his career was still hot and hungry.

It's hard to believe these songs are over 30 years old. Elton John's genius continues to shine.

I consider this Elton John's best album. To this day, it has just been the one album that has all the good stuff. Over the years, his albums haven't been nearly as good. His early years were definately his best, and this album is the one to get for any Elton John fan. With such hits as "Bennie and the Jets" "Crocodile Rock" the original "Candle in the Wind" "Border Song" "Saturday Night's Alright For FIghting" and many others, who wouldn't want it? On top of all this, it is much less in cost than his other albums. I highly reccomend this cd.

i found the original greatest hits of Elton john to be of poor quality. A lot of background hiss to the recordings and a little bit on the "bright side" , (harsh to the ears when turned up).
this gold CD by mobile fidelity is long out of print , but if you find one in good condition , its a gem. very well recorded and the music draws you in!! elton at his best.

This album was a favorite during my high school years. My friends and I played it over and over as we drove all over Houston. What great company! What great songs!

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

The album is great. Although it doesn't contain all of Elton's best songs, the quality is high. The hits Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me and Your Song made this album a very special one.

After the first single "Your Song" made the U.S. TopTen, the album followed suit. Sir Elton's first American concert took place at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, in August, backed by ex-Spencer Davis Group drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray. Kicking over his piano bench Jerry Lee Lewis-style and performing handstands on the keyboards, John left the critics raving, and drew praise from fellow artists such as Quincy Jones.

This prolific compilation contains unforgettable hits about the Sir Elton 1970s career.

There are times where I look at a lot of artists today, and I notice that the simple feeling of great pop music isn't really showcased at all. It seems to be more like it is manufactured, than authentic. For artists of the past, they definitely have more of a true blue feeling of what was good music of the 70's. Elton John really is one those performers, who still knows how to continue, and definitively perform some great pop songs that still withstand the testiments of time. Although many of his records today, don't have a lot of appeal, his music still brings out the most to generations of all, and that has also been shown in his hits collections as well.

Elton John Greatest Hits, is a reflection of Elton's best songs from the early to mid 1970's, and what made that standout sound still last today. The compilation includes a whole lot of Elton's best tracks from records like Caribou, Don't Shoot Me I'm The Piano Player, Madman Across The Water, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and Honky Chateau. The collection stands out well and includes a lot of great Elton classics like Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, Candle In The Wind, the upbeat Honky Cat, and his classic definitive standard Your Song. The songs here still sound great as they were originally recorded, and Elton's definitive appeal isn't overlooked in any way.

All in all, Elton John Greatest Hits still remains a definitive collection after all this time. While many today would rather choose another package like the 1970-2002 double album of Elton's music instead, this hits package doesn't miss out on anything. I absolutely suggest this package for any die hard fan, and especially for anybody who doesn't own a Elton record, but would like to as their song.

Album Cover: B+

Songs: A-

Price: A-

Remastering: B

Overall: B 1/2+

Judging by both of their collections of "hits", the two of them produced some of the most annoying tunes of the 70s & 80s, and unfortunately, beyond. These two "pretend" rockers hit the radio with junk like "Crocodile Rock" (John) and "Uptown Girl" (Joel), thus cementing their respective geek reputations. Yuck! Neither Elton John nor Billy Joel have made anything authentic; they are both fake rock and rollers with repertoires filled with lame tunes, making them like the male equivalents of Gloria Estefan or Madonna. Yuck! Zero stars.

Elton John has produced some of the best pop songs ever, and this album is irrefutable proof to that claim. True, there are some big omissions here, but realize three things:

1. This was originally an LP, so you couldn't fit eighty minutes of music on one record.
2. Many of those omissions were put on the second collection of hits, which is also a good listen!
3. Adding more songs would be taking a risk of disappointing fans who think the new additions were inferior to the original eleven here (even if most of his early work is great.)

Keep that in mind. I judge albums by what's on them, not what's left off!

1. Your Song: Quiet, refined, and easy listening. An instant and early classic that is still one of his best to this date. 10 out of 10.
2. Daniel: More feel-good easy listening. Althoug I was never wild about this song, I enjoy it whenever it is played. Dig those guitars and that beat! 8.5 out of 10.
3. Honky Cat: It all depends upon my mood on this faster-paced track. A banjo and horns never sounded this good with piano! 8.5 out of 10.
4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: Much like Your Song, this song is a soft pop masterpiece. One of the highlights of the album with the same name. 9 out of 10.
5. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting: A rapid-fire barrage of electric guitar and piano. The riffs are some of the best and most catchy in all of rock history. My favorite Elton John song. 10 out of 10.
6. Rocket Man: Sci-fi premise, superb song. The lyrics are out of this world (pardon the pun) and Elton's performance is awe-inspiring. 9.5 out of 10.
7. Bennie And The Jets: The tricky beat and wacky lyrics only make this song better, and it already was top notch! An instant classic! 9.5 out of 10.
8. Candle In The Wind: Elton made some great slow songs and this memorable song is no exception. Standard Elton. 8.5 out of 10.
9. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me: More pop perfection. Elton pulls off an emotional performance and Taupin's lyrics are on the money. A legendary hit. 9.5 out of 10.
10. Border Song: The most curious addition here. It's not that it's subpar, because it is a grat song, but it seems a bit out of place for some unexplained reason. A great song nonetheless. 8.5 out of 10.
11. Crocodile Rock: An Elton John radio staple still in play often on soft rock and classic rock radio stations. Much more free-spirited than the rest, but you can't help but like it! A perfect way to end an awesome collection! 9 out of 10.

Overall: 9.5 out of 10. Short but sweet collection of classics. The omissions might have been great, but this album stand up perfectly on it's own, thank you!

This is my first John Elton album and it was a good one.

By 1974, Elton John had enough hits to merit his own greatest hits collection. And for an artist as successful as Elton at that point, it was no surprise that "Elton John's Greatest Hits" not only topped the album charts, but stayed there for 10 weeks and became his most successful album ever.

The question is, how well does this album hold up today? Well, as we all know, Elton went on to have many more hits since 1974, extending well into the 1990s'. So buying a collection of songs that only goes up to 1974 seems rediculous, especially since there are collections like "The Very Best Of Elton John 1970-2002" that cover his entire career.

However, this cd is a good starting point for beginners, and is filled with some of the finest rock and pop music ever written, including the evergreen "Your Song", the longing "Rocket Man", the turbo charged "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" and his best song ever "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", there's some damn fine music on here. Also, this collection contains a lot of the radio hits that casual fans hear and want to get, so this collection is great for them. However, there are collections like "The Very Best of Elton John 1970-2002" and the "To Be Continued..." boxes sets, which although it only goes up to 1990, contains a lot of his best tracks from 1975 to 1990, although his post - 91 stuff is great as well.

So in conclusion, this cd is a good starting point, but be advised that there are better collections available.

Elton John had put out many greatest hits packages over the years but none as good as this, released by MCA during the artist's commercial and creative peak. Buy this collection and it will document why Elton John was one of the best-selling artists of the 70s.

Elton John has certainly cemented his place in the history of music. He is a legendary performer who has rode a wave of success unlike any artist. Elton John first came on the music scene in 1969. Once his 1970 hit "Your Song" of his self titled "Elton John" (his second) album was released, it would begin one of the most consistent music careers in the history of music. In fact, from 1969 until 1991 - there wasn't a calendar year that passed without the release of some sort of Elton John album. Even after that, Elton would only miss 2 calendar years without a release between 1991 and 2004 (those years being 1998 and 2003). On the plus side, not only has this given Elton John a level of consistency that has been unsurpassed, but it also has allowed him to build up an incredibly large music library. There is a minus side: With such frequent album releases, Elton's albums are often diluted. While there have been dozens of legendary tracks by Elton John, there aren't too many "complete" Elton albums that I would dub of legendary status. In other words, his albums usually contain 1 to 2 great tracks with the remainder of the tracks being lukewarm at best. It is this scenario that makes a Greatest Hits album very attractive to the Elton John fan - namely because it allows one to have a collection of those legendary tracks in one place. One such collection is the first Greatest Hits collection that Elton released entitled "Elton John Greatest Hits".

Elton has certainly no shortage of Greatest Hits albums as he has released several of them. There is this collection - "Greatest Hits", but there is also "Greatest Hits Volume 2", "Greatest Hits Volume III" (this one is a tough find), "Greatest Hits 1976-1986", and "Greatest Hits 1970-2002". Other compilations include: "To Be Continued" Boxed Set and "Love Songs" collections. "Elton John Greatest Hits" focuses on the early part of Elton's career - 1969 - 1974. It is worth noting that all of the songs that are contained on this collection are also found on the "To Be Continued" Boxed Set (although "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and "Candle in the Wind" are live versions on the boxed set). With the exception of "Border Song", all of these songs are found on the "Greatest Hits 1970-2002" set. The good thing is that "Greatest Hits" focuses on that early period in Elton's career - and this makes it a very attractive collection to have these songs. However, I would still be tempted to go for one of the two broader collections - either "Greatest Hits 1970-2002" or "To Be Continued" despite some of the minor differences.

For "Greatest Hits", there are 11 songs taken from 5 Elton John albums. For 1974, this is a pretty good sized collection of music to be available on a single album (This was before the days of CDs that could fit more music on a single unit). These albums are: "Elton John" ("Your Song", "Border Song"); "Honky Chateau" ("Honky Cat", "Rocket Man"); "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player" ("Daniel", "Crocodile Rock"); "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" ("Candle in the Wind", "Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting"); Caribou ("Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"). As you can see, the pattern with Elton John not having depth on his albums seems to apply - except for the case of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (but this had 17 tracks - more than most albums during that time).

Looking at the time period of 1969 through 1974, there are some glaring omissions of songs. For starters, there are no tracks from Elton debut "Empty Sky". "Empty Sky" might not be a well-known Elton John album, but there are other more obvious omissions. There are no songs taken from the better known albums such as "Tumbleweed Collection" (namely "Burn Down the Mission") and "Madman Across the Water" ("Tiny Dancer" and "Levon"). Also missing from "Caribou" is the popular track "The Bitch is Back". Much of these omissions go back to the fact that Elton probably wanted to put out a Greatest Hits album as a single entity. As a result, just two years later Elton would release another Greatest Hits album entitled "Elton John Greatest Hits Volume 2". This second collection would include some of the tunes that were omitted from this collection - namely "Levon" and "The Bitch is Back". However, the omissions of "Burn Down the Mission" and "Tiny Dancer" are too much to overcome. I consider these two of the best Elton John songs he has ever done. While I do realize songs like "Daniel", "Honky Cat", and "Crocodile Rock" are close to the hearts of Elton John fans, I would have easily traded any of these songs to have those two omitted songs to be included.

I'm also disappointed the collection is not in chronological order of the release of the songs. The reason I prefer this is because it allows me to see how the artist progresses over time. The songs seemed to be "mixed" in an order for some reason, but I haven't been able to decipher what the logic was behind this particular ordering.

The liner notes do contain some information, but not a lot. For each of the tracks, each of the musician credits are included along with a couple of production credits. They also tell the dates the songs were recorded, but they don't tell the album that the song was contained on. As with most Greatest Hits collections, there are no lyrics included with this collection. Even with some of the flaws, this was a good collection during its time. However with some of the more recent releases, if you are a serious of casual Elton John fan, you are probably going to want to consider some of the more complete collections.

I Cant Find The Words, It's So Simply I Gave Five Starts Because This Is One Or The Best Elton John's CD

This is a great way to get introduced to Sir Elton John's music. It's mostly his older work, which is really the best. You get the classic love song, 'Your Song', which was recognized in the film 'Moulin Rouge!'. 'Daniel', 'Don't Let the Sun go Down on Me' and especially 'Rocketman' are such beautiful songs and beats anything that is played on pop radio today. Elton John's music is so well-known, you probably know most of his music even if you don't know it's him. This album proves that Elton certainly knows how to rock. With 'Bennie and the Jets', 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting' and of course, 'Crocodile Rock' we see that Elton's music is so much fun to listen and dance to. He's truly one of the greatest performers we have today.

This is about as close to a great album as one can get. EJ puts together a collection of his greatest hits up until 1974. Songs like "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on me" and "Rocket Man" highlight all of Elton's potential as a singer/songwriter. "Saturday Nights All Right for Fighting" proves that Elton can rock out, in case you didn't think it was possible.

The only problem with this album, thats why this is 4 stars, is the filler. "Crocodile Rock" is crap, plain and simple. I cringe to think that this is an Elton John song, knowing how awesome he truly is. Elton himself has said he regretted making this song. It sounds like he is going backwards in time to Buddy Holly or something.

Other than Croc Rock, this is a great album that everyone will enjoy, and I truly mean that.

This collection gives you all of Elton's HITS in the first 4 years of his career. However, many of Elton's cuts from the early albums put some of these songs to shame. For example, "Daniel" should have been replaced by "Funeral for a Friend". "Candle in the Wind" should have been replaced by "Take Me to the Pilot" or "Burn Down the Mission." Again, great songs but so many better ones left out. After getting this starter collection, I highly suggest buying "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" BEST Elton album ever recorded!!!! "Honky Chateau" and "Tumbleweed Connection" and "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" are all phenomial albums!!!!!

"Greatest Hits" is a compilation of some of hits from 1970-1974 recorded by the biggest selling artist of the 1970's. Elton John proves on every track that he is one of the greatest performers ever, therefore, deserving the title as the third biggest selling artists worldwide. His lyrics give the listener a taste of his life from those days. His depth forces everyone to feel it deep in their hearts. These words are accompanied by his genius hard-hitting piano sound. Such combination gives Elton John a unique sound that few have closely matched.

He started trends in the 1970's besides his flamboyant outfits. "Crocodile Rock" started new dance moves on the dance floor. Besides trends, "Honky Cat" and "Bennie And the Jets" introduced a new way to keep a concert jumping with only a voice and a piano. His soulful singing is defined on tracks "Your Song", "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me", and the Marilyn Monroe tribute "Candle In the Wind". "Saturday's All Right For Fighting" explores his aggressive side.

"Greatest Hits" is a must-have for all Elton John fans. No one will be disappointed in this compilation of catchy tracks. Those who want to travel further in his past should also listen to "Greatest Hits Vol. 2", which explores his hits from 1974-1976.

There's a reason this one of the best-selling albums of all time. The songs are superbly crafted, catchy and well-written, and combined with Sir Elton's classic early seventies band and you have a CD that won't leave your disk changer. This collection covers most of Elton and Bernie's "glory days" when they could basically do no wrong. Although the recently released Greatest Hits collection covers more ground and puts in songs that were almost criminally excluded from this collection (i.e. Levon and Tiny Dancer). These 11 songs are still a great survey of Elton's power as a musician and singer and Bernie Taupin's great lyrics. If you want to save some money and have a CD that you won't skip over any of the tunes, buy this one instead of the more recent greatest hits CD.

All Elton John's early 70s masterpieces are collected here, from the elegant and sensitive Your Song and Daniel to the bouncy Honky Cat and the fast-paced Crocodile Rock. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting is a rocker in similar vein, while Rocket Man and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road are beautiful ballads. Plus the famous Candle In The Wind which had many incarnations - this is the original, but there was a 1988 version too and of course, the Diana adaptation which by now must be the biggest selling single of all time. Although Elton John has created an impressive body of work in the years since, I still consider these songs to be his best. They hold a special emotional appeal for me. I know Your Song has been covered by many other artists but I'm surprised that not more of these elegantly crafted songs have been interpreted and taken up the charts by others.

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

WOW!!! Thats definetly the way to start describing this greatest hits album. Every song truly is one great hit after the other. It starts off with the classic, your song, moves through his incredible hits like honky cat, rocket man, benny and the jets, and my favorite, goodbye yellow brick road. Along with great songs, daniel, border song, saturday nights allright for fighting, crocodile rock,and dont let the sun go down on me, this album is the best of the best in my opinion. Elton hit is prime early and has carried his career on to be one of the greatest of all time

Words cannot describe how much I love this CD. It is my favorite CD that I own. All 10 tracks are great and truly capture Elton John's greatest hits of the 70's. I am only 16 years old and many of these songs were recorded way before I was born, but I still love the CD. There's nothing that I like to do more than go to my girls house put this CD on, smoke a blunt, and chill all night, while enjoying the great music this CD has to offer. Any music fan should get this essential CD. This CD truly reminds me of the Occidental lifestyle, and I love listening to it while I'm there. Espicially on Winter Nights after having a few brews just chillin with that special someone. It is a feeling I can't describe, but I truly love. I hope this review was helpful.

A great compilation of radio singles, only fault is that it could have been a massive double album had Border Song, Take me to the Pilot, Country Comfort, Burn down the Mission, Levon, Tiny Dancer, Bennie & the Jets and Harmony included. Still it sold by the millions and remains a classic.

I wish I were alive when Elton John first became popular just to hear his music for the first time. This is a great cd. Does it really need much discussion?

Elton John is by far one of the most talented artists around. Just listen to such masterpieces as "Your Song", "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", and others. Even though this only spans hits from '70 - '74, this shows you how talented he is. I really enjoyed listening to this CD, but was not impressed with the sound quality. It seems like I have to turn my stereo's volume up to a high level just to hear it in a normal volume, and I know I don't need to clean my ears out. Despite the sound, this is a marvelous disc spotlighting one of the real talents of our time!

Elton John's Greatest Hits is absolutely superb. Each of the eleven songs are true classics, ranging from the classic love anthem, "Your Song," to the rock hit, "Saturday Night's all right for fighting." Any true fan of Elton John needs this album! I missed the absence of the eternal "Tiny Dancer," on this one, but I see it's on the second edition of greatest hits. However, this album is essential to anyone's collection who likes the true classics.

This was one of the first records I purchased as twelve year old. This compilation neatly sums up Elton's classic period ranging from the pretty ballad Your Song to the hard rocking Saturday Night's Allright For Fightin' to the bouncy Crocodile Rock to the spiritual Border Song. Not a misstep in the batch and with the addition of Candle In The Wind on the CD version, this compilation gets even better.

I have gone on to collecting most of Elton's catalogue especially from this classic 70's period. Therefore, this greatest hits package is not so essential for me. But as an intro, this record is grade A.

Ten songs from Elton John's glory years up to 1974 are compiled on this hugely successful greatest hits disc. This is one of the most popular greatest hits CDs around, and who would be surprised? Say what you will about Elton's material of the 1980s or 1990s, the deal is this: he came up with some near-classic stuff in the 1970s. "Your Song" could very well be the ultimate love ballad: its power lies in its simplicity and the modest lyrics thanks to Bernie Taupin. "Daniel" and "Crocodile Rock" are also timeless as well. But as good as this stuff is, I have to dock one star off this baby for having only 10 tracks and excluding the dynamite "Tiny Dancer." Still, this is a great beginners guide to Elton and is definitely recommended.

The Elton John greatest hits was make the top of Billboard Chart on 14 weeks in 1974.This album have one of the best work in four decades."Your Song" was the first world hit, "Rocket Man" was a great song,"Bennie and the Jets" was a wonderful song.Elton is the best of England like Beatles and Rolling Stones.This greatest hits was the most expressive collecetion in 70's and continue make sucess.

The absolute bare-bones essential Elton John - that's what this album is. Containing perhaps his 10 most famous songs - some of the biggest hit singles of the first half of the 1970's - as well as the wonderful album track, Border Song, it is certainly a masterful collection of wonderful songs that will get anyone who hears it hooked on Elton. It contains all of his big hit singles from this period (except for three: ["]Tiny Dancer["] (now enjoying a resurgence in popularity due to its appearance in the movie Almost Famous), ["]Levon["], and ["]The Bitch Is Back["].) Although he has always had many great dedicated album tracks, to most people, Elton John will always be a singles artist. And the singles here are immaculate - wonderful, acutely perfect pop nuggets, from the master. No one other than The Beatles (and even they didn't do it as well) can touch Elton on crafting absolute pop perfection. And these songs are proof. It's a fine place to start if you're looking to dip your toe into the world of Elton John. That said, it by no means gives a full picture of this magnificent and multi-faceted artist. Some of his albums - particularly the sprawling double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, still one of my favorite records of all time - have a great feel and mood all their own (four tracks here are excerpted from it), and deserve to be heard on their own. Instead, let this be your ticket to experience more Elton John, in all his immaculate pop greatness.