His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John - Hardcover

Elizabeth J. Rosenthal is a freelance writer who has written for two Elton John fanzines, East End Lights and Hercules. She lives in New Jersey.

Rosenthal, a freelance writer, here attempts only the second serious biography of the bespectacled pianist (after Philip Norman's Elton John, LJ 2/1/92) and the first to include significant critical analysis of the star's music. As a biographer, Rosenthal relies exclusively on secondary sources to cobble together John's story, risking the perpetuation of inaccuracies. She also presents an assembly line of factoids but fails to give the reader a broader understanding of the man. As a critical analysis of John's music, the book is more successful, but here, too, are puzzling inconsistencies. Rosenthal takes pains to discuss every album track John has recorded in his 30-plus-year career, yet she ignores the plethora of nonalbum B-sides that he has released on singles a significant oversight. Oddly, the author devotes considerable space to lesser-known songs and only two sentences to "Your Song," arguably John's most beloved composition. Still, as a secondary selection, Rosenthal's well-meaning work is vastly superior to Susan Crimp and Patricia Burstein's The Many Lives of Elton John (Birch Lane Pr., 1992). Despite being dated, Norman's book remains the most definitive account. Lloyd Jansen, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.