Elton John (Official Thread)

[METALPRIEST]

Re: Elton John

Your Song

 

[Cosmic Harmony]

Re: Elton John

Lately "Tumbleweed Connection" has really been soothing my soft spot and this song in particular has been especially enjoyable. Anyone who's ever said Elton can only do sappy ballads and bouncy pop songs is very wrong...

 

[Cosmic Harmony]

Re: Elton John

"Captain Fantastic..." not only has one of my favorite titles but is also one of my all time favorites when it comes to album art.

 

[runningshoes]

Re: Elton John

I felt that his last really good album was Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, and when Rock of the Westies was released I pretty much stopped collecting his albums.

You should sit down and give a good listen to Rock Of The Westies. It is a great album. I am like you though. With the exception of the odd song, I don't listen to anything after Westies.

 

[runtfan]

Re: Elton John

You should sit down and give a good listen to Rock Of The Westies. It is a great album. I am like you though. With the exception of the odd song, I don't listen to anything after Westies.

I think you guys should give Blue Moves (1976) a chance. I think it's much better than Rock Of The Westies ( which isn't bad), and it a double album to boot.
Having said that, I pretty much didn't get into much of anything after that. In retrospect, alot of his late 70's and early 80's stuff is really good but I didn't care about it at that time. Up through the Blue Moves album, Elton was one of my top few favorite artists and then he fell off my radar ( I started discovering a wider variety music).

 

[Cosmic Harmony]

Re: Elton John

I think you guys should give Blue Moves (1976) a chance. I think it's much better than Rock Of The Westies ( which isn't bad), and it a double album to boot.
Having said that, I pretty much didn't get into much of anything after that. In retrospect, alot of his late 70's and early 80's stuff is really good but I didn't care about it at that time. Up through the Blue Moves album, Elton was one of my top few favorite artists and then he fell off my radar ( I started discovering a wider variety music).

I agree with runt that "Blue Moves" is better than "Rock of the Westies". It has actually crept up there with my favorite Elton John albums. Aside from the bit hit "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" there are other really great songs like "Cage The Songbird", "Boogie Pilgrim", "If There's a God in Heaven (What's He Waiting For?)", and my personal favorite "Where's the Shoorah?". There are are a few instruments that are pretty good as well. (unfortunately I've looked and none of these songs are up on Youtube to share)

 

[LG]

Re: Elton John

Cosmic persuaded me a few months ago to pick up "Blue Moves"...and I have softened my stance on "Rock of the Westies" as well.

But...I still think his early records are his best and I am not collecting any of his CD's post Blue Moves.

 

[Cosmic Harmony]

Re: Elton John

Yeah, Elton's best albums are from 1970 to 1976. There are other good ones like "Too Low for Zero", "Made In England", and his recent collaboration with Leon Russell "The Union" (which I was quite skeptical of) but even if they are good albums the most fitting thing you can say about them is "Well it's good....but it's only good for his post '76 work."

 

[stepcousin]

Re: Elton John

Love his early stuff up to about '76 or '77, around whenever he did that duet with Kiki Dee. Didnt like much after that, especially the MTV era like "I'm Still Standin'", I cant stand that song. These days I dont even like to hear him perform anymore, makes me cringe. But back in the day everything he touched turned to gold. His '71-'75 era was legendary.

 

[runningshoes]

Re: Elton John

Not nearly as bad as "Rock of the Westies", that was one of the low points of his 70's records

Rock Of The Westies is a bloody great album from start to finish. I can't wrap my head around what some Elton fans don't like about it.

From Allmusic

Less than four months after issuing the landmark and autobiographical Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975), Elton John re-emerged with a new band and a slightly modified sound. However, the departure of Dee Murray (bass) and Nigel Olsson (drums) would ultimately begin a deceleration in terms of John's success, which rivalled only the Beatles' and Elvis Presley's in terms of global acclaim. The revamped band grew to include new associates James Newton Howard (keyboards) and Kenny Passarelli (bass) as well as Roger Pope (drums) and Caleb Quaye (guitar), who had both performed with John as far back as his first long-player, Empty Sky (1968). He also retained the services of Davey Johnstone (guitar) and Ray Cooper (percussion) from the most recent lineup. Musically, Rock of the Westies (1975) maintains the balance of harder-edged material and effective ballads. In fact, one of the album's strongest suits is the wide spectrum of strong material. The ballsy no-nonsense "Street Kids" and the aggressive gringo rock of the ZZ Top sound-alike "Grown Some Funk of Your Own" contrast the poignant power balladry of "I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)" or the dark and brooding tale of addiction on "Feed Me." Perhaps inspired by the crossover R&B appeal of "Philadelphia Freedom," the up-tempo "Island Girl" bears a distinct and danceable groove that lies somewhere between a slightly Jamaican vibe and disco. Perhaps more soulful in the traditional sense are the boogie-based "Hard Luck Story" or propulsive Bo Diddley beat that drives "Billy Bones and the White Bird." While the increasingly fickle public as well as lack of a strong follow-up to the chart-topping single "Island Girl" may have prevented Rock of the Westies from becoming the heir apparent to Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, in the wake of John's flawless predecessors it remains a strong and worthwhile entry that also sets the stage for its follow-up, Blue Moves (1976).

My favourites from the album