Notes & Personnel Info |  | RARE MASTERS includes rare singles, previously unreleased material, and the long out-of-print FRIENDS soundtrack. | | Producers: Caleb Quaye, Steve Brown, Gus Dudgeon. | | Compilation producer: Bill Levinson | | Includes liner notes by Bernie Taupin and Andrew Sandoval. | | At the time Rare Masters was released in 1992, most of the selections on this 37-track double-disc compilation were indeed rare. They were issued on non-LP singles, B-sides, the Friends soundtrack, one-offs; some were buried on album tracks, and some even stayed in the vault. Since then, Elton John's catalog has been remastered and reissued, with much of the best of this material appearing as bonus tracks, but the album still was worthwhile, since it not only has some songs that never appeared elsewhere on disc (such as "Step Into Christmas"' B-side, "(Ho Ho Ho) Who'd Be a Turkey at Christmas"), but it also is a hell of a listen in its own right, showcasing great songs and forgotten gems from John's prime period. There aren't too many hits here, but the quality is startlingly high and consistent, showcasing John and Taupin's partnership at its peak -- though they might not have hit the charts, "Bad Side of the Moon," "Rock & Roll Madonna," "Into the Old Man's Shoes," "Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)," "Screw You (Young Man's Blues)," and the radio staple "Madman Across the Water," plus "Grey Seal" (later re-recorded for Goodbye Yellow Brick Road) are among the finest songs of the era, and they're the linchpins on a rarities collection, not a proper album. It doesn't quite keep that same high level throughout, largely due to the pleasant but forgettable instrumentals from Friends, but it's still an essential part of any Elton John collection. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine | | In addition to the expected b-sides and previously unreleased outtakes, RARE MASTERS is notable for including in its entirely the soundtrack John and Bernie Taupin wrote in the late-'60s for the British movie FRIENDS. The soundtrack songs are early, unpolished John, but among them is the touching buddy song "Friends," (not the Bette Midler-popularized Buzzy Linhart composition) a minor hit in 1971. Among the many surprises elsewhere on RARE MASTERS is "Rock Me When He's Gone," a gospelly number from 1971 whose raw, stripped-down production emphasizes a feeling that the much better-known "Border Song" only hinted at. A nearly 9-minute-long alternate version of "Madman Across The Water" is similarly raw, and highlights its bluesy lead guitar in a way that John rarely did in those early days. You also get John blasting through the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" with John Lennon. |
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