From the foreword:

Not every phenomenon occurs overnight. Every now and then something comes along that grows steadily, invisibly, in front of everyone's eyes, until one day it's simply the biggest, most powerful thing there is. History abounds with examples, mostly negative (Hitler, Nixon), but in the world of pop music, where we're accustomed to the almost weekly turnover of new 'sensations', each accompanied by the most lavish fanfare and hype, the emergence of Elton John has been a most notable exception to all the rules. He has so persistently defied the accepted patterns of things, challenged the formulas we expect rock & roll to follow, presented us with such a bewildering, unclassifiable set of images, that one could say the fact and circumstances of his career have been as unusual and noteworthy as his music itself.