MORE JEWELS

Amid the plethora of box sets that descended as we entered the 2020 holiday season, it’s difficult not to single out Elton John’s Jewel Box (UMC) as the crowning glory.

You don’t even have to be an Elton fan! Three discs of wholly-unreleased early (pre-1971) demos, two more compiling post-mid’70s B-sides, and three further discs of his personal favorites establishes this not only as an extraordinary gift to collectors, but also a uniquely personalized take on what, for many other artists, is simply another way of milking the cash cow.

In strictest terms, it’s very much a successor to the now almost-30 years old collection, whose own amassing of B-sides and rarities dovetails neatly with . But, while there’s nothing here to match the sublime “Madman Across the Water” outtake that was the earlier package’s greatest gift, the approach this time