Good old Elton: spats with George Michael, agony aunt to the Beckhams, adopted daddy to Robbie Williams, songwriter on Billy Elliot's stage reinvention, not to mention his birthday's celebration.

It's a wonder the man, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, has time for a pop career at all.

But what a colourful career it has been. Love him or loathe him, in terms of sales and lasting popularity the singer, with over three decades of back catalogue, has more than earned his superstar status.

Never a conventional looker with his Lily Savage specs and rug bouffant, John's ability to dip into soul, disco and country as well as classic pop and progressive rock on tracks such as "Tiny Dancer", "Rocket Man", "Your Song", "Sacrifice' and "I'm Still Standing", has made him a musical legend.

Through sales slumps and well-publicised fall-outs with lyricist Bernie Taupin, the music maestro has managed more comebacks than Cher's Farewell tour.

To mark the occasion of his 60th birthday, Elton John releases a special edition 2-disc edition that includes a bonus DVD featuring five promo videos spanning the last four decades and five prevously unreleased tracks from his legendary Red Piano Las Vegas show.

The main CD features 18 tracks of hits spanning the likes of "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Candle In The Wind", including "Tiny Dancer" (the song that was immortalised by the filmmaker Cameron Crowe in his fictional rockumentary "Almost Famous").

The collection veers more towards his Seventies' work and mixes the ballads with the rowdier numbers such as "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting") and "I'm Still Standing".

Some of the tracks are overly sentimental, particularly the latter stuff, but there's no getting away from the quality of recordings such as "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" and "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long Time)".

Fans will lap it up as part of the birthday celebrations, even though there's been a better "greatest hits" collection only few years ago.

But it's hard to begrudge such an enduring and popular artist his place in the limelight, particularly now that he's reached 60 years of age.

On the whole this is as solid a compilation as anyone who lacks a bit of Elton in their collection could wish for.

I think this has been done before, there was a best of set released after "Songs From The West Coast" came out. Now we got another one, with a DVD as a additional item to get buyers to buy this set. Don't get me wrong, I'm a Big Elton fan but "another" "Best Of" collection. If your really serious on getting this album, take the DVD performances & burn them to CD/mp3. those really are the only tracks worth buying this collection for in which all these other songs have been re-released many times before ;-) Search "Judemac Forever" on msn.

Rocket Man - Number Ones is a two disc set. On the first disc you get seventeen songs. Twelve are tried and true number ones and include hits like "Bennie & The Jets" and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?"

One of my favorites is "Tiny Dancer", a song written about Maxine Feibelmann, a dancer who was on tour with Elton and who later married Bernie Taupin. They are divorced now, but the song will forever be a beautiful story and mind's eye visual performance to me. Close your eyes when you listen, you can see her dance.

Now, one song I would have liked on this compilation is "Ticking." That is just me, and that song is another of my all-time favorites.

When you're finished listening to disc one, you'll be filled with memories of where you were and what you were doing at the time each of the songs hit the airwaves. It was a nice return to the past. You can sing along, wash dishes, take a walk, or just listen. It was nice to have all the hits in one place.

As much as I love the music, I really loved the second disc in the set. The DVD is also broken up into two sections.

Five videos (the good kind - the when MTV was all about videos kind) are on the disc. "Tinderbox" is nostalgic and you see some of the old band mates when they were young and footage of shows and concerts, bus trips and plane rides. The cinematography is awesome and I'm not sure if I watched or listened more.

If you remember "I Want Love", this is a haunting piece that uses Robert Downey, Jr. He's in an empty apartment looking for love with sad eyes, hardwood floors, a fireplace and great windows. I think I want to live there. Although the focus in this piece is on Downey, Elton sings lyrics that weave a story. You will also smile at the video of "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues." This video hits home now with the war and so many soldiers leaving and returning to the United States. At the end of the "Your Song" video, I clapped. In my study, alone with my cat, Gus, I clapped at my laptop screen.

Don't fear if you're a fan of live music. This compilation has something on there for you as well. You can see performances from Elton's "The Red Piano Show" in Las Vegas.

I loved the concert footage. I forgot how great Elton John was on stage. I saw him in Cleveland a long time ago. I was a size 5 then, more interested in scanning the crowd for boys then appreciating that I was in the presence of a fantastic performer. Oh, so is youth.

Speaking of youth, if you are a bit older, like me, this is a great CD to share with your kids. They will get a good review of Elton's work and also get to see him perform.

In late March 2007, shortly after Elton John's 60th birthday, Universal Music released yet another of his "Best Of" compilations, which, surprisingly, became a nearly instantaneous smash hit on the Billboard Charts. But is it truly a surprise when, in the course of a forty-year long musical career, Elton John and his lyricists, most notably his long-time partner Bernie Taupin, have crafted some of the finest examples of pop songwriting craft? Of course not, and this "Best Of" compilation truly demonstrates some of the most elegant examples of that craft, emphasizing almost exclusively, his early halcyon days back in the early to mid 1970s when he was truly "Captain Fantastic", the reigning king of pop and rock and roll in America. "Rocket Man: Number Ones" includes twelve hit songs which were at the top of the charts in various categories - virtually all Billboard's - plus five additional songs which have been long-time favorites at Elton's live performances. This CD-only version of Elton's latest greatest hits compilation is quite desirable for its list of songs that emphasizes the legendary earliest phase of his decades-long career. Packed in eco-friendly foam packing, the CD is accompanied by a thin booklet that lists the songs, co-writers (Primarily of course, lyricist Bernie Taupin; only two songs aren't listed as having been written by Elton.), the songs' producers, and a cover of the albums from whence these songs were released originally (or subsequently appeared if they were released initially as stand-alone singles). Best of all, this is a "Best Of" compilation that's worth acquiring since the sound quality is much better than on virtually any of his previous "Greatest Hits" compilations.

The opening tracks are a musical return to the "dizzy heights" of Elton's storied career: "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Bennie & The Jets", "Daniel" and "Crocodile Rock", which are still among the most popular long-time favorites at Elton's live performances. His absolutely brilliant cover version of The Beatles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", "Philadelphia Freedom", "Island Girl", "Don't Go Breaking My Heart (with Kiki Dee)", and "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" close out the legendary 1970s phase of his career on this CD. Surprisingly, only three hits recorded after 1976 are included, out of many potential choices; "Sacrifice", "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (with George Michael)", and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" (co-written with lyricist Tim Rice originally for the Disney animated film "The Lion King"). Under the subheading "And Other Favorites", five classic songs from the 1970s serve as a musical bookend to this "Best of" compilation: "Your Song", "Tiny Dancer", "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time)", "Candle In The Wind", and "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" (The last two songs were more popular in Great Britain than they were here in the United States at the time of their original release as hit singles back in the 1970s; in fact "Candle In The Wind" was the B Side of "Bennie & The Jets".).

Elton John always does things big; and this CD/DVD set is no exception. This latest release covers all his biggest hits during his 35 year career. Although it claims to be comprehensive, Elton had so much success that many people will still wish this had included even more stellar songs than it already has! Indeed, there's simply not a loser in this bunch. Both the CD and the DVD give you nothing but a treasure trail of hit after hit after hit. Elton's recordings leave you excited and stunned at their beauty; and I dare you to be able to listen to the CD only once and then just put it away for good!

The CD starts off with twelve massive Elton John hits in chronological order: the track set begins with the classic "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." The sound is excellent, as it remains throughout the entire CD. "Bennie And The Jets" follows with an incredible beat; Elton's voice remains in excellent form here. The touching ballad "Daniel" continues the track set as Elton wishes his friend Daniel had not left him.

Other timeless hits--and truthfully, that would probably mean the whole album--include "Crocodile Rock;" this tune rocks hard as Elton laments a love gone awry. "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" displays Elton's stupendous ability to make a cover of a Beatles song and yet infuse it with a certain flavor to make it his own. Awesome! "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" features a duet between Elton and George Michael; the crowd roars with delight as both artists have them in the palms of their hands.

The CD then gives us five bonus tracks to make this a very generous package. We get the beautiful ballad "Your Song" with its lush and very moving musical arrangement; and "Candle In The Wind" possesses equal sensitivity. "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time)" allows Elton the chance to sing about a love that goes wrong; and the CD ends incredibly strong with Elton's hardest ever rockin' song, "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)." "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting) is a timeless classic about youthful rebellion that any generation can appreciate. What a strong ending for the CD!

There's still more; the DVD gives us a generous portion of Elton's 2005 "Red Piano Show" in Las Vegas; and you also get five bonus videos made at various times during Elton's career. The "Red Piano Show" video lasts about 25 minutes; you get terrific clarity as you watch Elton at a red piano with his band knocking out such hits as "Bennie & The Jets;" "Candle In The Wind" and "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" all with great videos playing on a giant screen behind Elton and the other performers. The bonus videos include an awesome "I'm Still Standing;" "Your Song" and "Tinderbox." "Tinderbox" boasts great special effects, too.

The liner notes include great art work and you get the full lyrics to each and every song on the CD. There is information about the DVD and a brief retrospective essay about Elton and his career as well.

Elton John is a living legend. Long after most "celebrities" have been buried and forgotten, people will still remember Elton John. Elton John possesses a singular talent for making people happy and letting them feel their sorrow through his songs. When Elton sings, you listen--and you listen closely, too, because Elton makes every syllable count as he emphasizes the exact sounds he wishes to emphasize for the right effect. We are immensely better off for Elton's sharing his genius with us; and I believe that his career will continue well into the future.

Obviously, Elton's fans will consider this a "must-have" for their collections; and people who enjoy great rock and pop will appreciate this CD/DVD package, too.

Rock on, rocket man!