66 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Portrait of an Artist as Pop Star, November 14, 2000
This review is from: To Be Continued (Audio CD)
If you're on a tight budget, MCA's three Greatest hits CDs would provide you with most of the hits, but the box set with key album tracks and the occasional rarity is necessary to provide the listener with an accurate portrait of Elton John as one of the greatest pop artist of the past fifty years.
I passed on this sprawling 67-track collection when it first came out in 1990. [Hey, on a teacher's salary I simply couldn't afford it.] Then during the past year when I finally felt I could, I discover that MCA had let it go out of print! Searching online for used copies, I found that they were selling in excess of one hundred dollars. What a thrill it was to see it back in print. It contains every Top Ten hit (except "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is represented in a live version--and not the 1991 duet with George Michael). Altogether, you get 30 of his 45 Top 40 hits. And what a rush to hear John Lennon on "I Saw Her Standing There" (the b-side to "Philadelphia Freedom") from 1975.
I have only two complaints: First, with a 4-disc box set, I would like to have seen more (if not all) of his lesser hits included. I especially would like to have seen the inclusion of "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" (No. 14, 1976), "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance)" (No. 28, 1977), "Part-Time Love" (No. 22, 1978), "Who Wears These Shoes" (No. 16, 1984) and "Healing Hands" (No. 13, 1989). Second, It's been ten years since this box set was first released. Why not add a fifth disc? Elton had seven Top 40 hits in the Nineties, including the million-seller "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King.
That said, Elton John along with the Beatles, Elvis Presley and few others had as big an impact on the musical landscape as any other artist of the 20th Century. If you missed this the first time around (like me), don't pass it up this time. ESSENTIAL
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It sounds even better than before., November 23, 2000
This review is from: To Be Continued (Audio CD)
Not only is To Be Continued an absolute must for every Elton John fan but it has been remastered and sounds even better than it did 10 years ago! It sounded great when it was first released but I compared it with the original and there is no comparison.So if your thinking of getting this box set better put it on your wish list as each box is numbered and it apparently is a very limited edition.Don't miss it the second time around it may be the last.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Essential Elton John, February 20, 2003
This review is from: To Be Continued (Audio CD)
For Elton John fans who don't want to buy all of his studio albums -and he made so many- "To Be Continued" encompasses most of Elton John's best work from 1965-1990. There are 67 songs in chronological order on 4 cd's. As with all boxed sets, it's what's missing that attracts the most attention. "Burn Down the Mission" and a studio version of "Dont' Let the Sun Go Down on Me" are the omissions that bothered me. But that said, "To Be Continued" is the most comprehensive collection of Elton John's work that you will find in one place.
The packaging is, well....big. The box is the size of an old vinyl album but thicker. It won't fit on most bookshelves. If you have a shelf for vinyl albums, this set will fit perfectly. The 4 cd jewel cases form a picture when placed side-by-side, which is neat. But the box is cumbersome. Included is a booklet that contains a lengthy interview with Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
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