Elton John ‎- Honky Château

By 1972, Elton John was already a rising star in America, although most casual listeners still identified him as part of the singer/songwriter explosion, thanks to the success of "Your Song" and "Levon." Honky Château changed all that, beginning with the success of "Honky Cat," a rousing New Orleans-ish R&B powerhouse that kicks off this terrific collection of songs. This was the album that first revealed John as a pure-pop craftsman, and he's all over the musical map on this set, moving from country-ish rock to blues-based rockers. But the best things here still might be two gorgeous ballads: "Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters" (displaying the young vocalist at his best) and the hit single "Rocket Man" (which had many rock fans debating which was the better space odyssey of the day--this or Bowie's). And lyricist Bernie Taupin was revealing a new, slightly darker side here via tunes like "I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself." --Bill Holdship

• Elton John: Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player
• Elton John: Madman Across the Water
• Tumbleweed Connection
• Elton John: Caribou
• Elton John
• Elton John: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
• Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
• Elton John: Rock Of The Westies
• Elton John: Empty Sky
• Elton John [2 CD Deluxe Edition]