Elton John

Rare Masters (1992)

Disc One:
1.I've Been Loving You
2.Here's to the Next Time
3.Lady Samantha
4.All Across the Havens
5.It's Me That You Need
6.Just Like Strange Rain
7.Bad Side of the Moon
8.Rock and Roll Madonna
9.Grey Seal
Friends (original soundtrack)
10.Friends
11.Michelle's Song
12.Seasons
13.Variation on Michelle's Song (A Day in the Country)
14.Can I Put You On
15.Honey Roll
16.Variation on Friends
17.I Meant to do my Work Today (A Day in the country)
18.Four Moods
19.Seasons Reprise

Disc Two:
1.Madman Across The Water
2.Into the Old Man's Shoes
3.Rock Me When He's Gone
4.Slave
5.Skyline Pigeon
6.Jack Rabbit
7.Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again) 8.Let Me Be Your Car
9.Screw You (Young Man's Blues)
10.Step Into Christmas
11.Ho!Ho!Ho! Who'd be a Turkey at Christmas
12.Sick City
13.Cold Highway
14.One Day at a Time
15.I Saw Her Standing There
16.House of Cards
17.Planes
18.Sugar on the Floor

Released in 1992, Rare Masters collects the odds and ends, B-sides and curiosities from Elton John’s formative years—a double-CD set aimed squarely at completists. And it doesn’t pretend to be anything more. The liner notes, built around a candid interview with Bernie Taupin, are refreshingly honest: when choosing B-sides, the duo deliberately avoided album tracks, reserving that real estate for songs that “weren’t good enough” to make the LPs. With that in mind, one enters Rare Masters forewarned and, ideally, with tempered expectations.

What we have here is not a collection of lost masterpieces, but a musical attic clearing. For diehard fans, it’s a treasure trove—filled with oddities, alternates, and one-off releases that had long existed in scattered formats. But for the casual listener, there’s little here to latch onto. The songs span the period from 1968 to 1974, meaning we’re firmly rooted in Elton’s early output—much of it released around or just before his creative ascent into superstardom.

There are no original album tracks included (a decision both practical and philosophical), though there are a handful of alternate takes and early versions. These rarely improve on their more familiar counterparts, but they offer interesting insight into the evolution of Elton’s early sound, when he and Taupin were still sharpening their respective crafts and learning what worked.

That said, there are a few genuine draws. Chief among them is the complete Friends soundtrack, finally gathered in one place. Long unavailable in its entirety, this suite of gentle, film-scoring pop is something of a rarity in the Elton canon—charming, if slight. Also included is Step Into Christmas, the perennial holiday single that has aged remarkably well and continues to earn its seasonal airtime.

A number of these tracks later appeared on the To Be Continued... box set, which may undercut the exclusivity factor somewhat, but Rare Masters remains the only place to find all of this material together and in remastered form.

Still, there’s no disguising the patchwork nature of the set. These were songs designed for flip sides, promotional uses, and transitional moments. They were, by Taupin’s own admission, not intended to stand shoulder to shoulder with the major works. And in truth, most don’t. But that’s not really the point.

For the listener seeking a deeper dive into the margins of Elton’s early career, Rare Masters provides exactly what the title promises. It’s not essential—but it is revealing. And in a catalogue as rich and varied as Elton John’s, even the “not good enoughs” offer a glimpse into the process behind the legend.

A Volume 2? Unlikely. But as a historical document, this one serves its purpose well enough—and reminds us that even Elton’s cast-offs still carry a certain melodic weight.

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