On 13 November, Elton John will release Elton: Jewel Box, a deluxe, career-spanning 148-song boxset containing some 60 previously unreleased songs.

The set revolves around some of the singer’s lesser-known material recorded during his 50-year-plus career. According to the press release, the set covers “deep cuts, rarities from the earliest stages of his and Bernie Taupin’s musical journey, B-sides spanning 30 years, and songs discussed in his best-selling, critically-acclaimed 2019 memoir Me.” 

The 8CD boxset comes complete with a hardcover book with the discs housed in the back, all wrapped in an outer slipcase. Each section comes accompanied with extensive notes including a track-by-track commentary by Elton on the first two discs, dubbed Deep Cuts.

“To delve back through every period of my career in such detail for Jewel Box has been an absolute pleasure,” said Elton. “Hearing these long lost tracks again, I find it hard to comprehend just how prolific Bernie and I were during the early days. The songs just poured out of us and the band were just unbelievable in the studio. I always want to push forward with everything I do and look to the future, but having time during lockdown to take stock and pull these moments from my memory from each era has been a joy. As a devout record collector myself, this project has really excited me and I couldn’t be happier with the level of craft involved in such a carefully curated, lovingly constructed boxset. I’m sure my fans will enjoy it as much as I have.”

Boxset details

Discs 1 & 2: Deep Cuts – A selection of personal favourites, curated by Elton. The boxset book includes a track-by-track commentary.

Discs 3, 4 and 5: Rarities 1965 -1971 – Elton’s much sought-after 1960s and early 1970s demos and music that cemented the foundations of the iconic Elton John/Bernie Taupin writing partnership. The compelling, previously unreleased, missing piece in his illustrious career. Daryl Easlea narrates this fascinating story with contributions from those who were there at the time. These discs encompass 65 songs, all but a few of which have been stored in the vaults for more than 50 years. Most of these demos were recorded during sessions before Elton was signed to a recording contract or released his first album. Also included are the first song ever written by Elton and his debut appearance on a record (both Come Back Baby – 1965), Elton and Bernie’s first composition (Scarecrow – 1967), and newly-unearthed piano/vocal demos of some of Elton’s most acclaimed songs from his early albums. The packaging appropriately contains rare archival artwork and select original lyric sheets.

Discs 6 & 7: B-Sides 1976-2005 – Non-LP tracks and flipsides, never before compiled together. 36 gems that are now given another chance to sparkle – 17 previously only available on vinyl, resulting in all of Elton’s studio B-sides now being offered digitally for the first time in his career.

Disc 8: And This Is Me . . . – To coincide with the release of the updated paperback edition of Me, the final collection celebrates the songs mentioned by name by Elton in his acclaimed autobiography, closing Jewel Box with the 2020 Academy Award-winning duet with Taron Egerton, (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again.