ELTON'S COLLECTION OF JEWELS

In looking back at a career that spans half a century, there’s a lot of ground to cover. You could say that Elton John began his career overview in 2017 with the release of Diamonds, a greatest hits box set whose deluxe edition ran to 51 tracks. Then came Rocketman, a musical biopic about his life, released in 2019, which went on to gross $195 million worldwide. That same year saw the publication of Me, John’s no-holds-barred autobiography that received great reviews; it’s a highly entertaining story recommended for anyone interested in John and his work.

Now comes Elton: Jewel Box, a set that delves deep into his archives, with much previously unreleased material from John’s formative years — before he had his first hit, before he was even known as Elton John. The eight CDs are divided into four categories: two CDs of “Deep Cuts,” three CDs of “Rarities: 1965-1971,” two CDs of “B-Sides 1976-2005,” and one CD titled “And This Is Me,” featuring songs that were all written about in his autobiography. The set comes with a lavishly illustrated book featuring much information about the songs. There are also vinyl editions: a four-LP set of Deep Cuts, a three-LP set of highlights from the Rarities and B-Sides discs, and a double-LP set of “And This Is Me.”

The commentary in the liner notes is revealing. “I never thought of myself as