Elton's 15 F-words in a minute as he rants at his record label

The star, famed for his volcanic temper, used the F-word 15 times in just one minute, according to stunned fans.

The outburst came as he introduced a new number called Postcards From Richard Nixon. He raged: "I'm going to play a song but I'm sure you haven't heard it because the f*****s haven't promoted it."

To the amazement of the mostly female middle-aged audience at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, New York, Elton carried on with a stream of profanities, adding: "My record label isn't doing anything to help. F*** Universal."

One of the fans later asked: "What is wrong with Sir Elton? He needs an ego check. What has got into him?".

Sir Elton claimed that Universal Records had not spent "a dollar" on publicising his new album Captain And The Kid, which dropped rapidly down the charts after its launch in September.

He added: "They're useless. Here's a message to Universal Records: Please drop me. Just let me go somewhere else."

Last week's outburst came only days after his manager, Merck Mercuriadis of Twenty-First Artists, stepped down by 'mutual agreement', according to a statement.

This has led to speculation that the change in management was also linked to Sir Elton's fury over disappointing sales.

An insider said: "He gets away with it because he is Elton. But very few artists could bad-mouth their label like that."

Sir Elton's outbursts have become legendary. At Taiwan airport in 2004, dressed in an orange toupee and shiny blue tracksuit, he screamed at a group of TV crews and photographers: "Rude vile pigs! Pigs! Pigs!'

Madonna was the subject of another tirade at the Q music awards the same year, when Sir Elton interrupted a standing ovation to spit: "Madonna, best f****** live act? F*** off."

He is once said to have shouted the F-word 20 times at an aide who forgot to collect his costume.

Captain And The Kid was released on September 19. But although it peaked at No6 in the UK's album charts, it had fallen to 24 in the second week after release.

By the third week it had dropped off the Top 40. In the US it peaked at 18.

Last night Sir Elton's agent, Gary Farrow, said the star had no concerns over promotion of his new album.

"I think you'll find it was tongue-in-cheek over the record company,' he said.

"You have to look for the humour. If you look at the reviews Elton's had over the past six months, they have been the best he's ever had for a record for ten years."