Elton John

Jewel Box (2020)

    
 
Disc One
Deep Cuts - 1
 1. Monkey Suit
 2. Where to Now St. Peter?
 3. Mellow
 4. The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-1934)
 5. Chameleon
 6. Gone to Shiloh
 7. We All Fall in Love Sometimes
 8. Too Low for Zero
 9. The Power
 10.All That I'm Allowed
 11.The Bridge
 12.The New Fever Waltz
 13.Stones Throw from Hurtin'
 14.The North
 15.Hoop of Fire
 16.Boogie Pilgrim
 
Disc Two
Deep Cuts - 2
 1. Ticking
 2. Crystal
 3. All Quiet on the Western Front
 4. Tell Me When the Whistle Blows
 5. Freaks in Love
 6. Never To Old (To Hold Somebody)
 7. The Emperor's New Clothes
 8. House
 9. (Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket
 10.Understanding Women
 11.Shoot Down the Moon
 12.Have Mercy on the Criminal
 13.Blues for Baby and Me
 14.My Quicksand
 15.Street Kids
 
Disc Three
Rarities Part One
 1. Come Back Baby
 2. Mr. Frantic
 3. Scarecrow
 4. A Dandelion Dies in the Wind
 5. Velvet Fountain
 6. A Little Love Goes a Long Way
 7. If You Could See Me Now
 8. Mr. Lightning Strikerman
 9. Countryside Love Affair
 10.I Could Never Fall in Love with Anybody Else
 11.I Get a Little Bit Lonely
 12.The Witch's House
 13.Get Out of this Town
 14.Year of the Teddy Bear
 15.Where it's At
 16.Who's Gonna Love You
 17.Nina
 18.Angel Tree
 19.Here's to the Next Time
 20.Thank You for All Your Loving
 21.Watching the Planes Go By
 22.When the First Tear Shows
 23.Tartan Coloured Lady
 
Disc Four
Rarities Part Two
 1. Hourglass
 2. 71-75 New Oxford Street
 3. Turn to Me
 4. Reminds Me of You
 5. I Can't Go On Living Without You
 6. And the Clock Goes Round
 7. When I Was Tealby Abbey
 8. I'll Stop Living When You Stop Loving You
 9. Trying to Hold on to a Love That's Dying
 10.Sitting Doing Nothing
 11.Regimental Sgt. Zippo
 12.Cry Willow Cry
 13.There is Still a Little Love
 14.If I Asked You
 15.Skyline Pigeon
 16.Two of a Kind
 17.The Girl on Angel Pavement
 18.Smokestack Children
 19.Baby I Miss You
 20.All across the Havens
 21.Bonnie's Gone Away
 22.Just an Ordinary Man
 23.There's Still Time for Me
 
Disc Five
Rarities Part Three
 1. The Tide Will Turn for Rebecca
 2. Dick Barton Theme (The Devils Gallop)
 3. Breakdown Blues
 4. Taking the Sun from My Eyes
 5. It's Me That You Need
 6. Sing Me No Sad Songs
 7. The Flowers Will Never Die
 8. In the MOrning
 9. Open Your Eyes to the Sun
 10.One Time, Sometime or Never
 11.Slow Fade to Blue
 12.Rolling Western Union
 13.My Father's Gun
 14.Amoreena
 15.Burn Down the Mission
 16.Razor Face
 17.Madman Across the Water
 18.Holiday Inn
 19.All the Nasties
 
Disc Six
B-Sides Part 1
 1. Snow Queen
 2. Conquer the Sun
 3. Cartier
 4. White Man Danger
 5. Tactics
 6. Steal Away Child
 7. Love So Cold
 8. Les Aveux
 9. Donner Pour Donner
 10.J'veaux D'la Tendresse
 11.Fools in Fashion
 12.Can't Get Over Getting Over Losing You
 13.Tortured
 14.Hey Papa Legba
 15.Take Me Down to the Ocean
 16.Where Have All the Good Times Gone?
 17.The Retreat
 18.Choc Ice Goes Mental
 19.A Simple Man
 
Disc Seven
B-Sides Part 2
 1. Lonely Boy
 2. Highlander
 3. Billy and the Kids
 4. Lord of the Flies
 5. Rope Around a Fool
 6. Medicine Man
 7. I Know Why I'm in Love
 8. Big Man in a Little Suit
 9. God NEver Came Here
 10.The North Star
 11.Did Anybody Sleep with Joan of Arc?
 12.So Sad the Renegade
 13.A Little Peace
 14.Keep it a Mystery
 15.How's Tomorrow
 16.Peter's Song
 17.Things Only Get Better with Love
 
Disc Eight
And This is Me...
 1. Empty Sky
 2. Lady Samantha
 3. Border Song
 4. My Father's Gun
 5. All the Nasties
 6. I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself
 7. Philadelphia Freedom
 8. Song for Guy
 9. Sartorial Eloquence
 10.Elton's Song
 11.Cold as Christmas
 12.I Fall Apart
 13.Amazes Me
 14.The Last Song
 15.American Triange
 16.(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again
 

If there’s one thing Elton John’s career has never been short on, it’s product. From greatest hits collections to live albums to soundtracks and duets and deluxe editions of just about everything, the catalogue is already well-mined. So when Jewel Box was announced—a lavish, eight-disc set housed in a handsome, book-style package with full-color pages, essays, and photos—it seemed reasonable to wonder what, exactly, could still be unearthed that hadn’t already been trotted out before.

The answer, as it turns out, depends entirely on what kind of listener you are. To be clear, this is not a greatest hits compilation. In fact, it may be the most intentionally anti-hits box set ever assembled by a major pop star. Of the 148 tracks included here, you’d be hard-pressed to find more than one or two that the casual fan might recognize (Philadelphia Freedom makes a surprise appearance, seemingly just to keep the lid from flying completely off). There are no chart-toppers here. No Rocket Man, no Tiny Dancer, no Your Song. For those, you’re directed to Diamonds or any of the half-dozen other greatest hits packages still floating around out there.

Instead, Jewel Box is split into segments that feel like Elton himself rifled through the back of a long-forgotten closet and decided to share what he found with the rest of us. The first two discs are dubbed “Deep Cuts,” handpicked by Elton, and they’re the strongest of the set. These are album tracks—some obscure, others semi-legendary among diehards—that showcase the breadth of Elton’s artistry away from the singles chart. To Elton’s credit, most of his selections are excellent, and they provide a refreshing detour from the usual suspects. For the curious fan looking to dig beneath the surface, this is the place to start.

Unfortunately, the other six discs are less accessible. The next three are early demos and rarities from the pre-fame years—Elton with a young Bernie Taupin, trying to find a voice. And while there’s certainly historical interest here, much of it is exactly what you’d expect: rough sketches, abandoned experiments, and piano ballads that never quite bloom. For completists and music historians, it's a gold mine. For everyone else, it’s a long and winding listen that’s more interesting in theory than in execution. To Elton’s credit, he was smart enough to include Taupin’s lyrics in the booklet, which often prove more compelling than the songs themselves.

The following two discs are comprised entirely of B-sides. Now, anyone familiar with Elton’s recording habits knows that he rarely pulled album tracks for B-sides—instead, he would record extra material specifically to accompany the singles. In other words, these are songs that weren’t strong enough to make the albums. Some, surprisingly, hold up better than expected (Things Only Get Better with Love, Can’t Stay Alone Tonight), but it’s difficult to argue that two discs’ worth of this material was entirely necessary. As with the demos, most of these tracks feel like they were left off albums for a reason.

And then there’s the final disc: “And This Is Me,” a strange coda supposedly intended to complement Elton’s memoir. It’s an assortment of tracks that are meant to reflect his life’s story, although it ultimately plays like another volume of deep cuts, just arranged with a slightly more autobiographical lens. The gesture is sincere, but the execution feels a bit redundant by this point in the set.

To be fair, the packaging is gorgeous. The book is sturdy and well-assembled, the notes are thoughtful, and for collectors, this is exactly the kind of shelf piece you want in your library. But once you actually start listening—particularly after the first two discs—the returns begin to diminish.

Jewel Box is not a casual listen, and it’s not for the casual fan. This is for those who already own Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in three different formats and can recite the tracklist of The Fox from memory. For them, it’s a treasure trove. For everyone else, it’s a lot of money for a very specific kind of nostalgia.

Three stars may be generous, but that packaging really does sparkle.