Bespectacled, bejeweled and beknighted, Sir Elton John could scrap all of
his trademark flamboyance, and no one would kick him off their piano bench.
Elton is blessed with the ability to effortlessly pair an emotive melody with
just about anything — no doubt including VCR programming instructions
and binary code — and his genius gleams more brilliantly than an entire
wardrobe of rhinestone suits. Rocket Man: Number Ones is a
CD/DVD celebration of Elton’s 60th birthday, and a commemoration of selected
musical pinnacles from his illustrious, four-decade career.
A pioneer of piano-driven rock who took over where Little Richard and Jerry
Lee Lewis left off, Elton is showcased in all of his impassioned glory on 12
digitally remastered Number One hits and five additional classics. His ability
to imbue songs with depth and conviction is gilded with power chords, boogie-woogie
breakdowns, gospel torrents and orchestral flourishes. Whether it’s the
poignant elegance of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Daniel,”
and “Candle In The Wind,” or the straight-ahead churn of “Crocodile
Rock” and “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” —
all of the songs possess a cinematic quality that unfolds with the story-arcing
vividness of a big-screen drama.
But it’s the audience’s reactions to the five songs captured on
DVD during Elton’s “Red Piano” Vegas show that truly tell
the tale of his work’s profound, defining impact — not only upon
music collections, but upon hearts and lives. High rollers appear enraptured
and transported, with expressions of wide-eyed, childlike wonderment. Tears
spill during the tenderly sentimental “Candle In The Wind” and “Your
Song,” seemingly welling from a place where Elton has touched upon genuine
pain. A woman gently raises her companion’s hand to her lips; another
soundlessly mouths a “Wow!” that still resonates like a firecracker.
Topped off with five bonus videos, including the gorgeous “I Guess That’s
Why They Call It The Blues,” “Tinderbox,” and “I Want
Love,” lip-synched in a duel of angst and hope by Robert Downey, Jr.,
this compilation is a great collector’s item, either for veterans who’ve
logged many missions with the Rocket Man, or newbies who have just been pulled
into his extremely magnetic orbit.
~ Merryl Lentz
