How many of you here are fans of Elton John and his vast legacy of recordings he first established in 1969 with Empty Sky?

Although Empty Sky would not be released in the USA until January 1975, there are a few great moments on it: the title track, and the medley "Gulliver/Hay-Chewed/Reprise," the second part is a name-only pun on the Beatles' "Hey Jude" (the music itself is rather jazzy), and the medley's lattermost part is just snippets of all the album's previous tracks.

Most people know him and his career starting from the time of his second, self-titled release, dating from 1970, which contained the hits "Border Song" (which would be a bigger hit for Aretha Franklin later in 1970), "Your Song" and "Take Me to the Pilot." This album was followed by Tumbleweed Connection four months later.

Madman Across the Water, released in October 1971, contained the singles "Levon" and "Tiny Dancer"; the song "All the Nasties," which features the Cantores in Ecclesia choir, backs Elton on the coda, which sounds like a rather poor attempt to copy the coda ("Oh my soul, oh my soul" ) from the Beatles' "Hey Jude."

His first #1 album was 1972's Honky Chateau which contained the hits "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)" (inspired musically and lyrically by David Bowie's "Space Oddity" ) and "Honky Cat." But his first USA #1 single was "Crocodile Rock" from his early 1973 LP Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player," partially ripped off from Pat Boone's "Speedy Gonzales."

His biggest success in the '70s was his late 1973 double-LP Goodbye Yellow Brick Road which sold in excess of seven million copies. Every one of the 17 songs is a keeper: besides the hit singles that are "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," the title track, "Bennie and the Jets," "Candle in the Wind" (of which the Live in Australia version, from 1987, was the first to chart here in the USA; the most well-known version of "Candle" is the 1997 version with lyrics referencing the then-dead Princess Diana of Wales). Other standout songs include the opening track "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding," "Grey Seal" (a rerecording of an obscure 1970 non-LP single) and "Harmony."

He scored several more #1 albums, including 1974's Caribou (though not as successful as Goodbye Yellow Brick Road; this had "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," "The B***h is Back" and "Solar Prestige a Gammon," the lattermost being a novelty track inspired by the Beatles' "Sun King" ). John released his first greatest-hits LP later that same year, followed by his cover of the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (with John Lennon, credited incognito as "Winston O'Boogie" ). Another single, "Philadelphia Freedom," was released in the spring of 1975.

His two 1975 albums both entered the charts at #1: Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy (which contained "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" ) and Rock of the Westies ("Island Girl," "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" and "I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)" ). Renowned musician James Newton Howard ("Theme from ER" ) had been a member of John's backing band during this period.

In 1976, he would release what would be his final #1 single until 1997, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," a duet with Kiki Dee. The same March 1976 sessions also bore material for his second double-LP, Blue Moves, the first album since 1971's Madman Across the Water to not reach #1, known for songs like "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word," and "Tonight."

The low sales of his second double-long-player may have been attributed to his Rolling Stone magazine article entitled "Elton's Frank Talk," in which people had just begun to realize his real sexual orientation, which was not revealed until 1988. Because of these problems, record sales went down the tube. A second greatest-hits LP was released in 1977.

His greatest albums post-1976 was perhaps the 1983 album Too Low for Zero, which was a full-on reunion with his usual lyricist, Bernie Taupin, and contained the hits "I'm Still Standing" and "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues."

The two didn't write any songs together for 1978's A Single Man, or especially the dreaded 1979 follow-up, Victim of Love (where Elton's sole contribution was singing), but Taupin did return to write a few songs for 1980's 21 at 33, 1981's The Fox (his first release for his new U.S. label, Geffen Records) and 1982's Jump Up!

The only other great lyricist besides Taupin to have worked with Elton John between 1978 and 1982 was Gary Osborne, who was responsible for "Little Jeannie" and "Blue Eyes." The 1981 single "Nobody Wins" was an adaptation of a French Hi-NRG song by Jean-Paul Dreau, with Osborne writing the song's English lyrics.

Following the success of 1983's Too Low for Zero, John would release three more albums for Geffen: Breaking Hearts (1984, best known for "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" ), Too Low for Zero (1985, which saw the return of producer Gus Dudgeon, and contained the hits "Wrap Her Up" and "Nikita," both featuring George Michael of Wham! on backing vocals) and Leather Jackets (1986). The lattermost LP was very disappointing in sales, and its lone single, "Heartache All Over the World" became the first single since "Border Song" not to reach the Top 40; moreover, the album was said to be a contractual obligation effort.

During summer 1987, John released another live album, Live in Australia, which as mentioned earlier contained the first chart version of "Candle in the Wind." A third greatest-hits LP was released that fall which chronicled his Geffen years, but it reached a disappointing #84 on the Billboard 200 chart.

His first studio album since reuniting with his old label MCA was 1988's Reg Strikes Back, which contained the hit "I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That." The U.S. version of the album's cover art featured all the costumes John had worn at his various live shows, which he auctioned off. 1989's Sleeping with the Past ("Healing Hands," "Sacrifice" ) was intended as a tribute to the R&B music he'd listened to in the '60s, and it was also his final album released before he quit snorting on cocaine ("Sometimes when I'm flying over the Alps, I think, 'That's like all the cocaine I sniffed.'" ).

A 4-CD box set chronicling his career starting from when he was a member of Bluesology ("Come Back Baby" ), To Be Continued..., was released in 1990.

~Ben



Edited 9 time(s). Last edit at 2012-11-25 06:04 by BrianJones1969.

I love the guy what he did in the past especially the first years, one of my first singles (it's a little bit funny) I bought was Your Song.

Love his Madman Across the Water............

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Want to hear a real Elton John rip-off of a Rolling Stones song? Listen to track #8 of his 1980 album, 21 at 33 to find out:





Listen to the chord progression (it will sound like "Far Away Eyes," the live version in particular, due to the added violin lines by Byron Berline). One can only imagine hearing "Far Away Eyes" with more electric piano in it.

~Ben



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-01 03:10 by BrianJones1969.

This song s-u-c-k-s

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NICOS
This song s-u-c-k-s

Probably due to the album's biggest hit being "Little Jeannie," that which gave him his first Top 10 hit in the '80s.

~Ben

Can't believe Tumbleweed Connection wasn't in that initial post. Maybe my favorite from him. Ballad Of A Well Known Gun, My Father's Gun, Son Of Your Father, Burn Down The Mission. Not a bad track in the bunch.

eltons amazing,doesnt soung like faraway eyes to me.

I simply love Elton, more than I love life itself. And I guess that's why they call it the blues!

Drew

I don't like his persona but he knows how to compose a beautifull melody. I like that video clip of one of his song.He isn't in it which is great.
Rock and Roll,
Mops

Huge influence on me - I started playing piano in 1973
I was taught classical music at first but wanted to play Elton songs
So I became a pretty darn good pop piano player.

nobody had a more impressive body of work in the 70's. nobody.

"Had garlands in the wings back then, all the pretty little things back then, calling out my name, oh what fame brings"






Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-02 12:07 by tatters.

One of the best!

From Tumbleweed Connection DELUXE

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StonesTod
nobody had a more impressive body of work in the 70's. nobody.

Stevie Wonder had a more impressive body of work in the 70's. Stevie Wonder.

elton had a great opening run of albums in his career that ended after rock of the westies

In Feb 1974,setlist @ Budokan, Tokyo

Funeral For a Friend - Love Lies Breeding
Your Song
Candle in the Wind
Hercules
Rocket Man
Bennie and the Jets
Daniel
This Song Has No Title
Honky Cat
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
The Ballad of Danny Bailey
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
Elderberry Wine
I've seen that movie too
All the Young Girls Love Alice
Step Into Christmas
Crocodile Rock (1st encore)
Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (2nd encore)

I saw him first time at this show.
Very very good show. I still own a cassette tape of that night.
I was so surprised that he appeared in feathered costume.

He has a handful of great songs like Nikita-Song for Guy-them from Lion King and Crocodile Rock...but a fan...Nah...

2 1 2 0

I'm a huge fan of his albums to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Also love Capt Fantastic but by then he was too much into showbiz. Tumbleweed Connection is a masterpiece. Great great Americana. Too bad he got into wearing Donald Duck and other outfits because his talent was immense. But he's slowly digging himself out of the hole he was in and last year's album with Leon Russell was another step in the right direction.

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rollmops
I don't like his persona but he knows how to compose a beautifull melody. I like that video clip of one of his song.He isn't in it which is great.
Rock and Roll,
Mops

Great role by Justin Timberlake.

My favorite from this album (which i love) is this one though:





Bernie Taupin has written some of his most beautiful lyrics.

Elton John another British icon im going to see him on the 25th of November..

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loog droog

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StonesTod
nobody had a more impressive body of work in the 70's. nobody.

Stevie Wonder had a more impressive body of work in the 70's. Stevie Wonder.

perhaps a close second...but elton wins on numbers alone.

nobody had a more impressive body of work in the 70's. nobody.





Sir Paul?

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Come On
nobody had a more impressive body of work in the 70's. nobody.





Sir Paul?

no, sir

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Silver Dagger
I'm a huge fan of his albums to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Also love Capt Fantastic but by then he was too much into showbiz. Tumbleweed Connection is a masterpiece. Great great Americana. Too bad he got into wearing Donald Duck and other outfits because his talent was immense. But he's slowly digging himself out of the hole he was in and last year's album with Leon Russell was another step in the right direction.

He is. Enjoyed the album he did with leon. Saw in concert early this year/ Excellent show. No big theatrics. Just Elton and band playing. Did about 2 1/2 hours. Great setlist. Not just greatest hits. Probably better than any Stones show I saw on the ABB tour.

I detect a considerable Beggars Banquet [specifically, Dear Doctor] influence here.






Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-01 19:03 by tatters.

Like a lot of songs, don't like him that much but love Bernie.

Amoreena, from the opening of Dog Day Afternoon... always liked how it was coming out of the car radio at the end.







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-01 19:28 by Natlanta.