FEATURE:
Your Songs
IN THIS PHOTO: Elton John in 1975
Elton John at Seventy-Five: His Five Essential Albums
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WHLST I have…
PHOTO CREDIT: David Redfern/Redferns
sort of already done this when I included Elton John in A Buyer’s Guide, because he is seventy-five on 25th March, I wanted to highlight his five greatest studio albums. 2016’s Wonderful Crazy Night is his most-recent album in terms of new recordings (2021’s Regimental Sgt. Zippo is composed of material from 1967 and 1968 and is a vinyl-only release). With thirty or so studio albums under his belt, I will drill down to the best five from the regal and supreme Elton John. I am sure there will be features and celebrations when it comes to marking his seventy-fifth birthday closer to 25th March. For today, I wanted to highlight his albums that you need to listen to and get. From his 1969 debut, Empty Sky, to the 2021 collaboration album, The Lockdown Sessions, John has given the world so much phenomenal music. Here are the greatest five albums from…
A true music icon.
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Elton John
Release Date: 10th April, 1970
Producer: Gus Dudgeon
Label: DJM
Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=84203&ev=mb
Standout Tracks: Your Song/Border Song/The Greatest Discovery
Review:
“Empty Sky was followed by Elton John, a more focused and realized record that deservedly became his first hit. John and Bernie Taupin's songwriting had become more immediate and successful; in particular, John's music had become sharper and more diverse, rescuing Taupin's frequently nebulous lyrics. "Take Me to the Pilot" might not make much sense lyrically, but John had the good sense to ground its willfully cryptic words with a catchy blues-based melody. Next to the increased sense of songcraft, the most noticeable change on Elton John is the addition of Paul Buckmaster's grandiose string arrangements. Buckmaster's orchestrations are never subtle, but they never overwhelm the vocalist, nor do they make the songs schmaltzy. Instead, they fit the ambitions of John and Taupin, as the instant standard "Your Song" illustrates. Even with the strings and choirs that dominate the sound of the album, John manages to rock out on a fair share of the record. Though there are a couple of underdeveloped songs, Elton John remains one of his best records” – AllMusic
Key Cut: Take Me to the Pilot
Honky Château
Release Date: 19th May, 1972
Producer: Gus Dudgeon
Labels: Uni (U.S.)/DJM (U.K.)
Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=85555&ev=mb
Standout Tracks: Honky Cat/I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself/Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
Review:
“The fifth Elton album, and the first since the debut Empty Sky not to be drowned in strings, 72’s Honky Château stands up as one of his most eclectic, durable collections. Best-known for the hits Rocket Man and Honky Cat, it witnesses the singer finding the balance between camp pop-rock and gushing ballads which would subsequently serve his career so well. It was also the first on which his finest touring band was allowed to gel in the studio, and session musicians weren’t to the foreground.
Named after Château d’Herouville in France, where Elton was to record his next two albums (and which subsequently hosted Pink Floyd, T.Rex, David Bowie and Iggy Pop), it has a warm, relaxed feel which complements both the sincere and the ironic songs. Rocket Man somehow slots into both categories. A curious classic, clearly indebted to Bowie’s Space Oddity, its melodic power and sadness are undeniable, but its lyrics get in a right old tangle. Chief among many clumsy clunkers has to be: "Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids / and there’s no-one there to raise them if you did."
Honky Cat is a flippant piano boogie in the style of Dr. John, but there are darker, deeper shades to come, with Bernie Taupin minimising the private jokes. I Think I’m Going to Kill Myself is a satire of teenage angst, but hits a few nerves on its way. Susie (Dramas) is another song of infatuation which beneath its honky-tonk nuances locates grit. Salvation is white gospel, taking a mild dig at religion, while Slave sees Taupin revisiting his Americana obsessions and Amy is Elton mimicking Mick Jagger.
The outstanding Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters is a textbook showcase of the writing pair’s talent: on paper, it’s maudlin and hymn-like. In reality, it works. Only Elton John could follow this with a silly, doo-wop finale, Hercules, which the most ardent fan couldn’t defend. No matter: a number one in the US and number two in the UK, Honky Château was where John laid down solid foundations” – BBC
Key Cut: Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Release Date: 5th October, 1973
Producer: Gus Dudgeon
Labels: MCA (U.S.)/DJM (U.K.)
Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=30577&ev=mb
Standout Tracks: Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding/Candle in the Wind/Bennie and the Jets
Review:
“Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, Elton John became one of the biggest stars of the glitz n’ glamour fueled ‘70s, racking up seven consecutive number one albums and scoring at least one Top 40 hit every year until 1996. Following his 1972 U.S. breakthrough, Honky Chateau, which spawned the hits “Rocketman” and “Honky Cat,” John released two back-to-back albums, Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player and the now-classic Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which displayed the singer’s talent for crafting infectious pop/rock ditties that evoked a diverse span of genres ranging from mellow piano music to full-out rock n’ roll. The double-album begins with the dirge-like, 11-minute “Funeral for a Friend,” which opens with a foreboding organ that later gives way to swirling prog-rock guitars, piano, and psychedelic keyboards. The complex song is instantly juxtaposed by the album’s second track, the simple “Candle in the Wind,” John and perennial songwriting partner Bernie Taupin’s famously sentimental homage to Marilyn Monroe. (The song would later become the fastest selling single in history after John revised it as an ode to the late Princess Diana in 1997.) Accentuating Goodbye’s impressive diversity is the smooth, lounge-y “Bennie and the Jets,” with John’s high-reaching falsetto giving the track a cabaret feel. The album doesn’t shy away from John’s signature subversion either: “All the Girls Love Alice” is a masked sweet ballad that’s really about a teenage lesbian who does “favors” for older women, while the hit “Sweet Painted Lady” is a jaunty song about prostitution: “Getting paid for being laid/Guess that’s the name of the game.” From the catchy title track and the orchestral “I’ve Seen That Movie Too” to songs like “Grey Seal,” with its high-adrenaline rush of pounding piano keys and won’t-leave-the-head-for-days hook, it’s the balance between melancholic ballads (where John’s vocals and strong narratives take center stage) and the pure rock n’ roll tunes that makes the album work as a whole. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is such an epic, varied display of emotional depth and soul that it should be classified as some sort of operetta” – SLANT
Key Cut: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Too Low for Zero
Release Date: 30th May, 1983
Producer: Chris Thomas
Labels: Geffen (U.S.)/Rocket (U.K.)
Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=87201&ev=mb
Standout Tracks: Too Low for Zero/I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues/Kiss the Bride
Review:
“Elton John began inching back into the mainstream with Jump Up, an uneven but strong record highlighted by "Empty Garden." Its success set the stage for Too Low for Zero, a full-fledged reunion with his best collaborator, Bernie Taupin, and his classic touring band. Happily, this is a reunion that works like gangbusters, capturing everybody at a near-peak of their form. That means there aren't just hit singles, but there are album tracks, like the opener, "Cold as Christmas (In the Middle of the Year)," that strongly (and favorably) recall Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. John hadn't been this engaging in years, not since Gerald Ford was in office. Why does this work so well? Well, the question isn't just consistency, since records like A Single Man were strong, but it's because each cut here showcases John at a peak. He's rocking with a vengeance on "I'm Still Standing" and "Kiss the Bride," crafting a gorgeous romantic standard with "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" -- songs that anchor this album, giving the hits context. While this may not be as rich as his classic early period, it's a terrific record, an exemplary illustration of what a veteran artist could achieve in the early '80s” – AllMusic
Key Cut: I’m Still Standing
Songs from the West Coast
Release Date: 1st October, 2001
Producer: Patrick Leonard
Labels: Rocket/Mercury
Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=126938&ev=mb
Standout Tracks: Dark Diamond/Original Sin/This Train Don't Stop There Anymore
Review:
“Not counting two soundtrack albums and a live release, 2001’s “Songs from the West Coast” is the first formal Elton John studio album of the 21st century.
A throwback to his 1970s’ sound, “Songs from the West Coast” boasts a warm, crisp and organic sound that had been sorely lacking on his 1980s’ and most of his 1990s’ works. Especially prominent is the return of an acoustic piano sound, which has always served Elton’s richly textured melodies much better than the hollow clinical electronic keyboard sound he began using in the early 1980s’. Elton also wisely invited back arranger Paul Buckmaster back into the fold, giving several songs the lush orchestral treatment he gave to classics such as “Levon” and “Tiny Dancer,” and reunited with peak era drummer Nigel Olsson, who along with Davey Johnstone and Dee Murray formed the backbone of Elton’s classic sound.
Of course, the most crucial component for Elton’s albums isn’t the sound, but the songs. Even with the impressive roster of musicians and collaborators, “Songs from the West Coast” could only succeed if the material matched the pedigree of those playing it. From the opening strains of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” it’s clear that everyone involved is firing on all cylinders: Taupin’s lyrics are clever, introspective and evocative, Elton’s melody is gorgeously layered, his voice is in fine shape, and Johnstone and Olsson’s harmonies are reminiscent of their soaring accompaniment on songs such as “Someone Saved My Life Tonight.”
The rest of the record delivers admirably on its promise; the songs all range from good to outstanding, with even the weakest tracks having something enjoyable to offer, whether it be a clever or moving lyrical passage, a catchy melodic hook, or a robust vocal from Elton’s now fully ripened baritone. The best songs are the reflective ballads, such as the cinematic, elegant “Original Sin,” the Lennon esque confessional “I Want Love,” the nostalgic “Mansfield,” and the surprisingly cynical closer “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore.” Lyrically and melodically, these are all first rate songs that hold their own against previous John-Taupin peaks. There are also two tracks inspired by current events, “American Triangle” and “The Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes.” “Ballad” is a quietly angry damnation sung from the perspective of a AIDS victim who suffered at the hand of Ronald Reagan’s ignorance, while “Triangle” is an absolutely chilling account of the murder of homosexual teen Matthew Shepherd, a critical moment in the fight for gay rights and the acknowledgement of hate crimes within the gay community. Both songs are successful, particularly for Taupin, whose lyrics handle the songs’ delicate subject matter with grace, empathy, and tastefulness.
With its excellent material and outstanding production, “Songs from the West Coast” is one of the watershed moments in the last 25 years of Sir Elton’s career, and can easily hang with his best records of the 1970s’. While his subsequent records have been very solid, none have the sense of purpose or consistent quality that “Songs” has from start to finish” – Sputnikmusic
Key Cut: I Want Love