Elton John

Rocket Man - Number Ones (2007)

1.Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
2.Bennie and the Jets
3.Daniel
4.Crocodile Rock
5.Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
6.Philadelphia Freedom
7.Island Girl
8.Don't Go Breaking My Heart
9.Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word
10.Sacrifice
11.Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me
12.Can You Feel the Love Tonight?
13.Your Song
14.Tiny Dancer
15.Rocket Man
16.Candle in the Wind
17.Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting

At first glance, Rocket Man: Number Ones might appear to be yet another tidy summary of Elton John’s long and winding career. But when one remembers that Greatest Hits 1970–2002 had been released a mere five years earlier, the rationale behind this compilation starts to look less curatorial and more commercial.

Trimmed to a single disc, Rocket Man seems geared toward the so-called “casual listener”—those who want a quick Elton fix without the baggage of a box set or sprawling anthology. But even within that framework, things get murky. The subtitle suggests this is a collection of bona fide number one hits. Fine in theory, but in practice, the definition of “number one” appears to be... flexible.

Take Tiny Dancer, for example—easily one of Elton’s most beloved songs, but hardly a chart-topper in its time. A late-blooming fan favorite? Absolutely. A number one hit? Not quite. Meanwhile, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds—a cover that actually did reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100—is included here, despite being noticeably absent from the more comprehensive Greatest Hits 1970–2002. If a chart-topping single didn’t qualify for that retrospective, one wonders why it’s earned a seat at this smaller table.

The compilation leans heavily on Elton’s early years. In fact, only two tracks here date from after 1976, which gives the set an uneven sense of career representation. While no one will argue with the inclusion of staples like Your Song, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, or Crocodile Rock, the omission of later triumphs makes this feel less like a true “greatest” and more like a time capsule with a slightly misleading title.

To be fair, the songs themselves are excellent. This is Elton John, after all. But the question remains: who is this for? Longtime fans will already own all of these tracks—most likely several times over. Newer listeners might be better served by shelling out a few extra dollars for the 1970–2002 double-disc set, which at least attempts a broader career overview and doesn't trip over its own subtitle.

Rocket Man: Number Ones isn’t a bad listen. It’s just unnecessary. A redundant compilation dressed up with a clever title and some marketing spin. As has become common practice in the post-CD boom era, the catalogue gets reshuffled yet again—not out of artistic necessity, but retail convenience.