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List Price: $18.98 | | Label: Island
Salesrank: 42170
Released: May 15, 2001 |
| Our Price: $4.00 |
| Used Price: $0.01 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Elton John - Greatest Hits 1976-86 Track Listing:
1. I'm Still Standing
2. Mama Can't Buy You Love - Elton John, Bell, Leroy
3. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
4. Little Jeannie
5. Blue Eyes
6. Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Elton John, Blanche, Carte
7. Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny)
8. Kiss the Bride
9. I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues
10. Who Wears These Shoes?
11. Sad Songs (Say So Much)
12. Wrap Her Up
13. Nikita
Elton John - Greatest Hits 1976-86 Reviews:
good music 
2008-01-16 - This includes late 70s to mid 80s Elton John songs. My personal favorite is "I'm Still Standing" which was used in a magazine back in 2000 for "Got Milk?" showing Elton John playing the piano with a glass of milk and cake with his milk moustache and saying "I'm Still Standing." "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word" are also classics.
Elton John's Greatest Hits Vol 3.2
2007-06-23 - After his brilliant run with MCA records, Elton John joined the early roster of mogul David Geffen, who pledged to make his Geffen Records a haven for Artist's Artists. His initial signings were John Lennon, Donna Summer and Elton. His first album for Geffen, "The Fox," had a minor top 40 single on it that isn't even included here, "Nobody Wins." Thus Elton entered a slower period that didn't really reinvigorate until the third Geffen album, "Too Low for Zero" and "I Guess That's Why The Call It The Blues."
After the poorly recieved "Leather Jackets," Elton resigned with MCA and re-established his career with the "Live in Australia" album, Geffen issued a third Greatest Hits collection. It seems Elton must have retained the rights to his materail since this set came out within ten years on MCA and covers hits from "Blue Moves" to "Leather Jackets."
What this set does show is that, even in a somewhat shallow period of success, Elton John still could create finally tuned pop gems. From "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" to "Wrap Her Up" ("Heartache All Over The World" is one of the drops from the prior GHv3 set), this best-off really does pack on hits. It also misses a few key tracks ("Act Of War," "In Neon" and "Nobody Wins" would have been nice), yet includes one bona-fide oldie "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." You're still getting several top tens ("I Guess That's Why..." and "Sad Songs Say So Much" are now classics) to offer that proof of Elton's staying power.
The change between the two GHv3 is that this version has 13 songs (from the Geffen's 12), drops two songs ("Heartache All Over The Word" and "Too Low For Zero"), then adds "Sorry Seems...," "Who Wears These Shoes" and "Don't go Breaking My Heart." The cover art on this one is a step down from the Geffen version, but the sound quality is an improvement. And I always get a smile from hearing Elton and George Michael name-check everyone from Samantha Fox to Nancy Reagen (!?!) on "Wrap Her Up."
TIDY CATCH-ALL 
2007-05-14 - This is a nice wrap-up of Elton's 1980s work, featuring tracks that don't appear on other compilations. It follows on nicely from the second 'Greatest Hits', and begs the question, why not put volumes four and five out? Rocket should be able to do it, picking out the hits of the late 1980s, right up to now. It'd be a coup of sorts, simply for the fact that no other artist could conceivably release five albums of genuine "hits". Imagine that as a baby boomer gift box-- a five disc set of 'Elton's Greatest Hits'.
Culls from a Very Piano-less Period
2007-01-16 - The great thing about an Elton John recording is the diversity of styles and the sheer unpredictability of what you're going to find on it.
It starts with that great "I Will Survive"-style anthem, "I'm Still Standing" that just oozes energy and optimism. Then there's his foray into Philadelphia Soul with the help of the great producer Thom Bell. Imagine using the Spinners as your backup group! As an African-American who grew up with this music, "Mama Can't Buy You Love" is an EXCELLENT production that some people like to make fun of for some reason. This is a GREAT production, and I'm always a sucker for a French horn! Besides, Elton John wasn't the first white performer featured on Soul Train for nothing!
"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" was reincarnated recently on the late Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company album. If Brother Ray loved this enough to record it with Sir Elton, that's good enough for me. But you sure have to be in the proper mood to listen to it. And that's OK; you can't dance ALL the time, can you? "Blue Eyes", even with it's fake string section and electronic Charlie Rich piano, has great production value.
Bernie Taupin is the master of metaphor, and his poignant tribute to fallen friend John Lennon is truly masterful. I'm glad I now have a copy of this recording. The Elton John band put their signature on it as well. Gorgeous.
By the late 70s I had stopped buying Elton John albums, so I discovered a couple of songs here that are really fun to listen to, that I don't remember on Oklahoma radio. ('Nuff said, there.) One is the rockin' "Kiss the Bride" with a Phil Collins-style drum beat and a bass line to beat the band (Dee Murray was an unofficial "funk brother" in my opinion), and the toe-tappin' head noddin' "Who Wears These Shoes" is sheer delight!
"Little Jeannie" is sweet, would have never envisioned a sax solo in an Elton song in the 70s, or electric piano for that matter! This song, for me, epitomizes the newer, softer Elton that made the transition from album rock to Top40 radio in the 80s. Stevie Wonder's harmonica on "I Guess That's Why You Call It Blues" is fabulous.
There's one boner in the bunch! What in the world was Elton into when he made "Wrap Her Up" with Wham's George Michael?! This one is pure garbage, and I hate to even say that about anything with Elton's name on it. If they needed a dance number, I would have rather they put "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance)" from 1976's "Blue Moves" album. But "Wrap Her Up" is one that should have stayed on the album it came from and certainly not included on a hits package; unless it was, heaven forbid, actually a hit..
A common denominator of a lot of the songs from this collection is the glaring absence of Elton's signature piano work! Elton is first and foremost a piano man par excellence, and it seems his piano skills were purposely either de-emphasized or completely eliminated during this period. You barely hear the electric substitute in "Blue Eyes". It could be the Top40 radio influence of what 20-year-olds back then were buying and listening to. I don't know, I was in my twenties in the 80s, and I wasn't even listening to Elton John anymore.
Still, it was a sign of the times in the 80s when electronica ruled and "real" instruments where shunted in favor of Casios. Luckily for me and others who enjoy the master piano player's work, those days are over, and by the mid-nineties, he had re-discovered his old friend and brought it back to the forefront, once he got past all the Disney stuff. I think he needs to re-record "Who Wears These Shoes" at least and put that piano back in there! I would rate this collection, a good snapshot of the times, and other than one I would have definitely left off, a very listenable collection.
music brings back memories.
2007-01-05 - Listening to this album brought back many fond memories. The quality of sound and convienence of the CD helped bring those memories to life.
