Elton John’s first compilation album was his 11th album simply called Greatest Hits. It was released in 1974 and lives up to its name. Yep, keep in mind this album is forty-five years old and is a prime example of Elton’s phenomenal career.

Here’s the list of songs:

Side 1
Your Song
Daniel
Honky Cat
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting

Side 2
Rocket Man
Bennie and the Jets
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me
Border Song
Crocodile Rock

It topped the charts in both the US and UK and stayed there for 10 weeks. It’s his best-selling album to date, his first to receive diamond status for more than 10 million copies sold. It’s also considered one of the best-selling albums worldwide with over 24 million copies sold. In 2003, it ranked #136 on Rolling Stone’s list of Top 500 Albums of All Time, maintaining its rank in 2012 when the list was revised.

It was reissued in 1992 and included “Candle In the Wind.” I think the album could have benefited from a second disc just so that other hit singles could have been included like “Levon,” “The Bitch is Back,” and “Tiny Dancer.” “Crocodile Rock” is my least favorite song on the album but definitely deserves its place here.

One of the best things about albums other than pouring over the liner notes is all of the photos often included of John and his band. Elton also always shines a light on Bernie Taupin and for good reason. Their friendship and collaboration is explored quite a bit in John’s book, and is truly amazing. Here’s a sexy pic of Bernie from the inner album cover.

Overall, this is a great album that any true Elton fan will appreciate. I’ve listened to it twice just while writing this blog post.