So why is everyone so dismissive over his later work if they do favor pop music? All I'm hearing is that his early 70's work is best because he 'rocked harder' then and his later work got too 'poppy,' whatever the hell that means.
What I really like is Elton post 1975, which I guess there isn't a thread about and would be pointless to make one since no one wants to talk about it. I guess poor Elton must be wasting his time if after forty years of work, only five of those years are apparently worth listen to. At least he's still making his way through live shows with these earlier songs, which are great shows for the likes of people here, but they are not meant for the rest of us die-hards.
There are some of us who like both. I am of the opinion that Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Captain Fantastic, Tumbleweed Connection and Honky Chateau are his best works... but I love a lot of his post-1975 material as well. The difference IMO between pre and post-1975 Elton is that up until 2001 the albums as a whole were very spotty. He had some albums (like Reg Strikes Back and Breaking Hearts) that were better than others (like Ice On Fire or Leather Jackets) but for the most part the 1976-2000 albums were largely driven by a few great singles and the rest of the album was lacking. For example, I loved the singles off Too Low For Zero (I'm Still Standing, I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues...) but the rest of the album is quite mediocre... on the other hand, there is not one clunker on Honky Chateau. That run of albums from the s/t to Rock Of The Westies (I know some hate the album but I actually like it, it's his heaviest album) were generally solid albums. While Caribou is seen as a lackluster filler album from that run, place it alongside his 80's and 90's work and its actually very strong in comparison, even though "Solar Prestige A Gammon" might be his worst song ever.
Since 2001 though IMO he's been working harder on delivering excellent ALBUMS again instead of using them as a vehicle for a good single or two. I agree that Songs From The West Coast is as close to the quality and caliber of 1970's Elton as it'll get.