Customer Reviews

The Greatest Hits 1970-2002

5 star:		(158)
4 star:		(66)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

It's impossible to fit all of Elton John's hits from 1970-2002 into a two-disc compilation, even with the addition of a third bonus disc. During the seventies, the songwriting team of Elton John and Bernie Taupin had the Midas touch. Wisely, the first disc of this collection covers their heyday from 1970-1976. The song selection is superb, balancing hit singles with essential album tracks. "Your Song" was Elton's first hit and the obvious choice for starting this collection. "Tiny Dancer" peaked at number 41 and, amazingly, "Candle In The Wind" wasn't even released as a single. Being among two of Elton's best and most recognizable songs, they rightly appear on the first disc. "Island Girl" is a lightweight song that is not well remembered, but was included because it hit number one on the charts! On the other hand, Elton's excellent version of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" hit number one, but must have been excluded because it was a cover version of a Beatles' song.

Like the import CD "The Very Best Of Elton John," the second disc starts off with Elton's number one song with Kiki Dee, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." Whereas that previous collection only went up to 1990, this disc goes up to 2001. It's great to have "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" and "Circle Of Life" from the Lion King, as well as "Written In The Stars" from Aida, on an Elton John compilation. However, I would have included them on the bonus disc to make room for other worthy songs from his regular albums, such as "Nobody Wins," "Blue Eyes," "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" and "Healing Hands," to name a few. The second disc closes out on a strong note with the two best songs from Elton's last album, namely the Lennonesque "I Want Love" and the autobiographical "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore."

The limited edition, bonus disc is another reason for buying this collection. It has Elton's live version of "Candle In The Wind," which peaked at number 6, and his duet with George Michael on "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," which hit number one. "Live Like Horses" is an interesting curiosity, being a duet with Luciano Pavarotti. The last song on the bonus disc was recorded in 2002. It is Elton's duet with Alessandro Safina on "Your Song." Thus, Elton's greatest hits comes full circle, including an incredible selection of fantastic songs in-between the two versions of "Your Song."

Yes I realize there is always considerable consternation among collectors about the plethora of "Best of" and "Greatest Hits" packages that are put on the market every year. Some artists simply don't warrant a "Greatest Hits" collection while the music of more important and prolific performers is constantly being repackaged. But if you are someone like me "Elton John Greatest Hits 1970-2002" is a fine value. This collection replaces 3 previous vinyl "Greatest Hits" albums I now own. I will be keeping those vinyl LP's for the tunes that were not included in this particular package.
I must say that Universal has done an outstanding job with the series of anthologies they have released in the past couple of years. This collection offers up 34 of Elton Johns' biggest and best. There is no doubt that everyone will probably quibble about a few of the tracks that were included as well as those that failed to make the cut. But overall, I am quite pleased with this one. Just about all the big ones you would expect to find are included. Among the hits that did not make it are 1979's soulful "Mama Can't Buy You Love" and 2 hits from 1982 "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" and the wonderful "Blue Eyes". The collection comes in a very attractive package that includes a nicely done 40 page booklet. One of the unique features of the booklet is a fold-out section showing all 41 album covers from Elton Johns' fabulous career. The remastering on these tracks is also first rate. Again, if the price of this collection was $29.99 I would be much more critical. But the price is quite reasonable for a collection you are sure to enjoy for years to come. Highly recommended.

There's not many artists that have as much as success or that have lasted as long as Elton John has. While not perfect, this album, Greatest Hits 1970-2002, isn't far from it.

The thick booklet contains many pictures of the artist himself and a nice biography of Elton John's music career. Included in this biography are such things as what many of the songs mean and how he and his songwriter, Bernie Taupin, met and bonded through the years musically.

As good as the booklet is, it's not half as great as the music that is encaptured on the two discs in this collection. From the first song of disc one to the last song of disc two, the songs are all in chronological order, all the way from the beginning of the 70's to the ones from recent times. The first disc is as classic as classic can be. From the love songs such as "Your Song", "Tiny Dancer", and "Candle In The Wind", to upbeat rockers like "Crocodile Rock" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", to just plain timeless hits with the likes of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Philadelphia Freedom", the first disc covers six years (1970-1976) of musical greatness.

The second disc may not be quite as strong, but it's almost as great and just as essential. With it you have great more great songs from the late seventies ("Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (With Kiki Dee) and "Little Jeannie"), the eighties ("Sad Songs (Say So Much)", "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues", etc.), and more recent, more underrated pop hits such as "Blessed" and "This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore." Of course, everything in-between such as "The One", "Sacrifice", and the two major Lion King hits are also here to be heard at anytime you please.

With a two-disc compilation that includes not only the great hits that almost any classic rock and adult contemporary radio listener can still hear played these days, but also the more hard to find essentials ("Levon", "Island Girl", "Believe", etc.), how can you go wrong with purchasing this compilation called Elton John Greatest Hits 1970-2002 that barely costs more than a normal single-disc album? The answer is that you can't! There's also an extra compact disc that has the songs, "Candle In The Wind (Live)", "Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me" (With George Michael), "Live Like Horses" (With Luciano Pavarotti), and "Your Song" (With Alessandro Safina) to make it even more worthy of your purchase.

Yeah, of course there are a few great songs that didn't find their way onto this compilation, or in the case of Elton, quite a few, such as "Blue Eyes", "Healing Hands", "Simple Life", "You Gotta Love Someone", "Club At The End of The Street." Many of those probably did not make the cut because they were not big Top 40 hits, although they made a big impact on the Adult Contemporary charts ("Simple Life" and "You Gotta Love Someone" were both #1 Billboard AC hits). Nonetheless, this is by far the best Elton John compilation that has ever been made so far. It's surprisingly comprehensive and it's cheap, making it a worthwhile sampler for any casual fan. Get it now, while you can!

With all due respect to Michael Jackson, I always believed that Elton John is more deserving of the title "King of Pop." Both performers have endured their share of artistic and personal ups and downs, but while Jacko has recently morphed into self-parody, Sir Elton still churns out freshly-crafted pop (as evidenced on his excellent "Songs from the West Coast"). I'm excited as the next Elton fan that we now have a double-disc greatest hits album spanning his entire career, but let's be honest: it's not as comprehensive as it could have been. There are enough omissions on this recording to warrant a third disc: "Blue Eyes," "Empty Garden," "A Word in Spanish," "In Neon," "Kiss the Bride," and so forth. Also, the disc completely ignores the albums "Victim of Love" and "Leather Jackets," which is a smart move since both records were easily among his least inspired. But moving on, the material that DOES surface on this collection is, for the most part, mind-blowingly good. Disc 1, which covers the 1970s, is utter perfection, a snapshot of classic, vintage Elton in peak form. "Your Song," "Daniel," "Tiny Dancer," "Somebody Saved My Life Tonight," and "Rocket Man" form ample evidence that Elton and lyricist Bernie Taupin were among the best songwriting teams of the 1970s. Disc 2 (which covers 1980-2002) has some good stuff, but it's easily the lesser disc which has some decent tunes as well as a handful of not-so-great ones. "I'm Still Standing" is still a winning tale of perseverence, while "Sad Songs," "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues," and "Little Jeannie" also stand out, too. However, I wasn't a big fan of his work for "The Lion King," and personally wasn't fond of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" and "Circle of Life." However, this disc closes on a great note with "I Want Love" and "This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore," which are from 2001's "Songs from the West Coast." The limited edition has 4 tracks; the best of which is the live version of "Candle in the Wind" (NOT the tribute to Princess Diana) and his duet with George Michael "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." Overall, I'm impressed with this hits collection, which comes with some really cool liner notes and nice photographs from his early years. For a one stop guide to Elton's work, "Greatest Hits 1970-2002" is the way to go, warts and all.

I admit...I'm ashamed of myself ! As long as I've collected music...I've ALWAYS researched before making a purchase...whether it's a new release...or an anthology. For Elton John's "Greatest Hits 1970-2002...I didn't...and my recommendation is that if you're a devoted Elton John fan....bypass this one ! It's incomplete in every area you can think of ! Refer to reviews here by people like Robert Hrycay and Dave O...I share their opinions as well !

Here's my list of problems .You have important hits missing here from the 70's and 80's...the sound quality isn't that great....and they fade out of songs that ended "cold" origionally...for example..."Daniel" ! I almost fell out of my chair....maybe an overreaction...but you don't physically alter classic songs (like the edited version of "Come Sail Away" by STYX that still "sails" around on radio occasionally)! Oh...and forget the so called "bonus disc"...I call it the "bogus disc"...that should have been used to make a more complete collection !

The less devoted Elton John fan will likely find this collection suitable...and the booklet included is nice...but we "diehards" should take Robert Hrycay's advice here and "burn" our own collection...or buy "To Be Continued" that you'll find on this site. You can even expand THAT collection on your own if you like. Fortunately I have some friends who like Elton's music enough to take this set off of my hands !

Another greatest hits compilation from Elton John, After Greatest Hits, Volume II, Volume III, The Very Best of (Import),1976-1986, Love Songs and One Night Only (The Greatest Hits)-the horrible live album, here comes Greatest Hits 1970-2002. Granted Sir Elton has had a long career filled with ups and downs with a lot of wonderful songs, so let's hear a few other hits. I'm am a huge Elton John fan, having every commerical release and was excited about this purchase as well. The songs on the disc sound wonderful but there are so many hits lacking which is why I gave it only 3 stars. How about a 3rd disc with many other top 20 songs that he had. Where is Blue Eyes, Healing Hands, Empty Garden, Part Time Love and nobody in the US is going to believe that Written in the Stars with LeAnn Rimes was a bigger hit than Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds which doesn't appear here. I think rabid Elton John fans would have loved more material, especially from the down side of his 70's career and 80's comeback. So the songs weren't up to snuff but wouldn't it great to hear even some guilty pleasures for old times sake like Ego, Bite Your Lip, Victim Of Love (well maybe not),Nobody Wins, Chloe, Kiss The Bride, Who Wears These Shoes, Wrap Her Up, A Word In Spanish, Club At The End of The Street, The Last Song and the extremely wonderful and Adult Contempory #1 Simple Life. Look I mentioned 17 songs in this review, easily another full disc of music. Guess we fans will have to burn our own greatest hits from Elton John to get what we really want especially from later in his career.

This 2CD plus bonus mini-CD set, released in a second straight Christmas season dominated by comprehensive classic rock reissues, aspired to be the final definitive statement on Elton John's 30-year reign atop the pop charts.

But despite a well-written essay and photographs, and an extra disc featuring duets with Luciano Pavarotti and Alejandro Safina (an unbelievably overwrought "Your Song") , this collection fails against Elton's three previously released best-ofs.

Elton's first such collection from 1974 remains one of pop/rock diamonds. He, songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, producer Gus Dudgeon (who with John coordinated this set) mixed fast and slow, hard and soft, pulling pop music and cultural influences left and right to create one of music's most fertile, creative five year success runs. Repeated here, songs from that collection are missing ("Border Song") or truncated ("Daniel" and "Saturday Night's All Right For Fighting") Moreover, "Friends," among Elton's beloved songs, is missing and would have been a great value-add.

His second volume from 1977 chronicled his three years as the world's most popular singing star. Yet two #1 radio hits from that collection missed this set, his bombastic "Pinball Wizard" and his audacious, reggae-tinged take on the Beatles "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds." Elton made those tracks from respective rock superstars his own, sealing his dominance of the era.

Elton's 1976-86 greatest hits collection, released by two different labels, covered his resurgent 80s career linked closely to the return of his piano-ballad style and acknowledgement from artists he influenced (everyone from George Michael to Guns n' Roses). Yet some remarkable songs from even that set (especially "Blue Eyes" and 1979's Thom Bell-produced "Mama Can't Buy You Love") are noticeable by their absence. Any would have formed a more compelling third disc than, say, 1990's flaccid Elton-Michael duet on "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me."

Even the artwork looks slipshod. The cover recreates a 70s pencil-style drawing on white cover, with dates (1970-2002) indicating a short life, not a long career Elton defiantly announced was "To Be Continued" on his 4CD box set. Yet its hard arguing with the songs here, most correctly chronicling Elton's gradual shift from camp rocker to soft rock balladeer to Broadway and film composer/ classical collaborator. This set is recommended for casual fans or those wanting one spot for Elton's biggest hits. But fans wanting to dig deeper into Elton John's music and the pop culture he epitomised are better served by the three individual sets.

I found this cd set to be somewhat lacking in quality. The recordings have obviously not been remastered since they were originally produced for LP's, and the resultant product on these cds is scratchy and limp at best - incomprehendable at worst. What makes it all the more glaring is that as the cd tracks are arranged in chronological order, the quality of the recordings gradually gets better. But, if you play track 20 followed by track 5, the gap in quality is reprehensible. Very poorly executed.

I really want to like this cd but the sound is awful.

Afwul? Surely you jest? its clear and loud. clear is ok. LOUD is not. Music is not supposed to to charactized by it's loudness regardless of the type of music being played.

I mean how much bloody compressor did they use on this thing. Everything sounds LOUD. And it's the same loudness the whole song through. Ughhh. The results of this compressor magic are no soundstage, no dyanmics, and no enjoyment.

The only thing this sounds "good" on are bargain basement electronics and speakers. I pray to baby jesus that they don't start de-naturalizing the majority of albums this way. Shudder.

Maybe I'm being picky. But try listening to this thing on good equipment and see what i mean.

While Michael Jackson rather embarrasingly coined himself the "King of Pop", said self-serving creation would better serve Sir Elton John if there truly were such a "title". Although this collection does not get a perfect score from me, it is a very good representation of the masses of hits that Elton John had from 1970-2002. And I am sure that there are more to come.

This 2 CD set is well priced and there is a plethora of goodies to be found in the inserts. Some artists find it impossible to fit their hits into one CD, much less two. Elton could have easily gone for three CDs. Most of the great songs are here and they sound great. In a nutshell, this release is the one to buy if you are a casual Elton John fan.

Notwithstanding the fact the I believe that this is a great release, like many fans when it comes to artists they have followed, they find the faults even as they enjoy what is on the menu. For example, where is:

1) "Funeral For A Friend"/Love Lies Bleeding";
2) "Harmony;
3) "Border Song";
4) "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds";
5) "Blue Eyes";
6) "Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters"

The list can go on and some may correctly point out that this is a 2 CD set and it should be representative of Elton's career as per the title. However, I could have done without the two selections from "Songs From The West Coast" as they sound out of place to me and although I think that the duet with Leann Rimes is nice, to ignore the aforementioned and many others makes me give this 4 stars instead of 5. Elton John the artist gets a 5, especially if you'd had the chance to see him in concert at almost anytime during his career.

Side bar: Although this does not affect my rating the set also includes an extra compact disc that does nothing for me so I just dicarded it. I wish that instead of "Candle In The Wind (Live)" and "Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me" (With George Michael) and others, this extra CD would have gone into the catalogue to find loved songs that may not have been conventional hits. But this is a non-issue. Enjoy the set!