6 / 10
Given the recent revelation that Elton John can afford to spend something like £20,000 a week on fresh flowers, it's difficult to see why he feels the need to release yet another 'Greatest Hits' album. This latest collection of Elton John and Bernie Taupin's finest moments, as performed live in Madison Square Gardens, is just another cynical Christmas cash-in album - a needless addition to the mountains of useless compilations that are sold each December to people who buy one record a year.
But why is that necessarily such a bad thing? When you've got 24-carat gold winners like the tear-stained 'I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues' and the tragic tale of brotherly demise that is 'Daniel', you can't really complain. The experience of tucking into a nice mince pie by the fire can be improved immeasurably by the pre-Diana version of 'Candle In The Wind', while Boxing Day hangovers have been proven to disappear within seconds of hearing the first strains of 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me'.
Despite the fact that Elton's weaker material, such as the drippy 'Sacrifice' and the feckless 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight?', is completely unbearable to listen to, you do have to remember that this is a man who survived a horrendous 20-year battle with cocaine and booze, only to come out of it with more hair than he
was born with.
Buy this for an elderly relative and make them happy, because Elton John will be around longer than Father Christmas.
Andy Capper
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