One Night Only

1	Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 3:18
2	Philadelphia Freedom 5:21
3	Don't Go Breaking My Heart 4:19
4	Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time) 5:43
5	Crocodile Rock 4:13
6	Sacrifice 5:20
7	Can You Feel the Love Tonight? 3:59
8	Bennie and the Jets 5:02
9	Your Song 4:17
10	Sad Songs (Say So Much) 3:54
11	Candle in the Wind 3:45
12	Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting 4:38
13	I'm Still Standing 3:04
14	Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me 5:59
15	I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues / Mary J. Blige 5:10

Barnes & Noble

Before we get to the music, let's clear up a couple of matters. First, despite the goofy cover image of Elton John in a claustrophobic, fruit-wallpapered room, One Night Only -- The Greatest Hits is a live album. Secondly, One Night Only was recorded over two nights -- October 20 and 21, 2000 -- at New York's Madison Square Garden. As for the "Greatest Hits" part of the equation, Elton more than backs that up. Spanning from the earnest 1972 ballad "Your Song" to the, er, earnest 1995 ballad "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" every song on One Night Only cracked the Top 20 on the singles chart. And Elton, with the help of a handful of special guests, runs through them all with unfettered enthusiasm. Bryan Adams shows up for a loose, barroom-style sing-along of "Sad Songs (Say So Much)," Kiki Dee capably reprises her role in the bicentennial smash "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," and Mary J. Blige darn near steals the show with her throaty lead vocals on "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues." As for Elton, well, the strained high notes on "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Rocket Man" suggest that the voice isn't quite what it used to be, but he can still croon his way through "Candle in the Wind," which has its old "Norma Jean" lyrics back intact. But the rockers are where Elton and his nine-piece band really hit their stride: The rollicking piano runs and energetic bellows that punctuated "Crocodile Rock" and "Bennie & the Jets" prove that -- after 30 years dominating the pop charts -- Elton John is still standing. Bill Crandall

All Music Guide

It's hard to imagine the wondrous spectacles that were Elton John shows in the †70s. Decked out in the kind of campy dress that would make a drag queen call the fashion police, Elton pranced and danced across the stage like he owned it -- because he did. But, alas, the †80s and a monstrous coke habit came calling, and when they left John was never the same performer or singer again. What was once fun and camp somehow became tacky and the singer seemed hopelessly out of it. This CD, taken from a sold-out weekend stand at Madison Square Garden in October 2000, is his bid to capture that old live magic for the younger types who missed it the first time around. Through the course of 17 tracks the artist huffs, puffs, wheezes, sputters, and does everything in his power to find that once unbridled energy. Does he? No, not really. But he does play nearly every major hit he's had in the process which, when you realize how many there are and how good they are, is one hell of a consolation prize. The cover, which depicts John decked in a white suit and surrounded by bananas and the like, doesn't do much to nix the tacky tag, but the music is, thankfully, better than its packaging. He also pulls several rabbits out of his hat in the form of Bryan Adams (who guests on "Sad Songs"), Mary J. Blige (who duets on "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"), and, most amazingly, Kiki Dee, who rips into "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" in a way that Rupaul could only dream of. No, he hasn't recaptured that †70s magic, but the melodies are still great and you'll still know every word. Steve Kurutz