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| Sioux |
quote:
Prodigal Son wrote:
Yeah I guess at that point it was Caleb Quaye and I forget the other guy (Davey Johnstone didn't join his band until a year later). Plus his rhythm section of Roger Pope/Nigel Olsson and Dee Murray was solid. He added a bunch here and there during later years, but Ray Cooper turned out to be the longest-lasting. He was one of the few rock percussionists and he's all over "Time Waits for No One" as many already know.
Agreed. His band was really good. LOVE the first 2 albums especially--and they are as different as night and day. |
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| Prodigal Son |
quote:
Sioux wrote:
Agreed. His band was really good. LOVE the first 2 albums especially--and they are as different as night and day.
Those are kinda mixed but alright still. The most consistent LP he did was Honky Chateau. I shall pull out my trad. review grading system:
Empty Sky: C (only heard sound clips but it sounded like third-drawer Bee Gees outtakes from Odessa or something)
Elton John: B+ (some great stuff, some not so great stuff that gets a bit too serious-"The Greatest Discovery" is just pure maudlin as only Taupin can provide and the orchestration just makes it worse. The bonus tracks on the mid-90s CD release enhance this thing though-"Bad Side of the Moon" is a kick-ass rock and roller. Of course the usual suspects are the highlights-"Your Song," "Take Me to the Pilot" as well as the underrated "The King Must Die". He riffs on Aretha for "Border Song" and "The Cage")
Tumbleweed Connection: B+ (marginally better than EJ, it boasts some decent classical stuff like "Come Down in Time," solid rockers-"Where to Now St. Peter?" "Country Comforts," "Son of Your Father" and "My Father's Gun," a few great R&B/soul spinoffs, Elton at his bluesiest-"Amoreena" and "Ballad of a Well-Known Gun" and a lost folk gem in "Love Song")
Madman Across the Water: B- (Not terrible like some say, but also quite average. "Tiny Dancer" and "Levon" are the only great cuts, although "Madman Across the Water" is close to a classic in itself)
Honky Chateau: A- (Not a bad song, though some tend to get a bit of a tribue act sound to it with songs like "Hercules" and "I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself" doing his 50s thing and "Salvation" doing gospel. Plus it gets a bit soppy with "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters," but "Honky Cat," "Mellow," "Amy," "Susie" "Slave" and "Rocket Man" are all inspired killer material).
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player: B (Much poppier than previous efforts as indicated by the insipid but catchy "Crocodile Rock," and the dreamy "Daniel." But there's some finer 50s takes with "Teacher I Need You" and then bluesy soul stuff like "Elderberry Wine" then a great ballad to top it off with "High Flying Bird." The rest ranges from average to mediocre though)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: B+ (Plenty of fine work but too much throwaway. Elton always had the problem of releasing 2 LPs a year and doing no covers, so the filler was a reality. He was trying to keep up a pace like the Beatles but fell short and only achieved the standards of a solo Beatle! Of course everyone knows the big hits but I like some under-the-radar stuff just as much-"Grey Seal," "Harmony," "I've Seen That Move Too" and "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" all work well. THe orchestration not done by Paul Buckmaster gives it a more theatric touch that's a fresh change. There's "Benny and the Jets," "Saturday Night's Alright.." "Goodbye Yellow..." and so forth. The rest isn't really weak- except "This Song Has No Title" and the incredibly maudlin "Candle in the Wind." Ambitious, but not a masterpiece I'd say.)
Caribou: C+ (Meh, I like some stuff okay but other than "The Bitch is Back" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," it's not much really. Some stuff, like "Ticking," is also mega dull/pretentious).
Captain Fantastic: B+ (This is more of a concerted effort for lighter tunes and a singer-songwriter revival in lieu of the glam, campy and showy music he had been producing since Don't Shoot Me. It doesn't fail next to his earlier efforts either. Some of it is minor folk-rock, like the title track, "Tower of Babel." I like the hard rock of "Meal Ticket" and the balladry of "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" isn't too bad. "We All Fall in Love Sometimes" is an emotional ballad that he practically re-wrote as "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" a year later. Now, there is the usual junk material like "Curtains" or "Bitter Fingers," but some small gems like "Writing" or "Tell Me When the Whistle Blows." The CD bonus stuff is worth it because of the lively single "Philadelphia Freedom."
Rock of the Westies: A- (At times it's a slice of commercial mechanical mainstream hard rock, but it still works. Elton sounds more at ease, having a blast than on more carefully contrived rockers of the past. Even the 'filler' works as in "Medley (Yell Help, etc.)" or "Billy Bones and the White Bird." "Island Girl" was the cheesy hit but it's nothing compared to one of his best ballads "I Feel like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)" featuring his excellent falsetto. A string of hard rock winners too, with "Grow Some Funk of Your Own," Street Kids," and "Hard Luck Story," while "Feed Me" is a haunting number.
Blue Moves: C (heard this on sound clips like Empty Sky. Other than a few songs, the self-conscious, weighty, melodrama really gets tiring. This was the beginning of the end of his classic era. After this he never really achieved the same health mix of critical and commercial approval, although many critics savaged him in his heyday. But by the 80s, the critics were acting like h was a rock god in his heyday once they realized how poorly his 80s work stood in comparison). |
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| Sioux |
Hey, great reviews...thanks! 
Love Bad Side of the Moon....and most of Tumbleweed, with Amoreena being my favorite. Burn Down the Mission is quite a song too.
On the first album {sorry, I love Buckmaster's orchestration }, I love First Epistle at Hienton and Sixty Years On. And I love the soundtrack to "Friends" as well. But I love the rockin' stuff too. He really has done a lot of good stuff in the last 40+ years. He actually got his start singing in the mid 60's. |
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| DAVINO |
quote:
IanBillen wrote:
[quote]pdog wrote:
I draw the line at Elton John, The Eagles and Journey... They put the Yuk in Suck!
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pdog I know you disagree but I do enjoy "old" Elton John. The Eagles suck. Journey is laughable now. I draw the line at The Eagles and Dave Mathews.
I know Elton is not exactly Mr. Manly, but I he was a great song writer. I will gladly take him over solo McCartney or Billy Joel any time.
Ian
The Eagles are sweet. Dave Matthews mostly sucks balls. |
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| guitarman53 |
quote:
DAVINO wrote:
The Eagles are sweet. Dave Matthews mostly sucks balls.
Elton was mixed up about his sexuality in the 70's, it wasn't until the late 90's, that he realized he was gay, David Bowie said he was gay in the 70's, & then realized he was actually attracted to women years later, I think Elton John doesn't know what the fuck his sexuality is, but he wrote the music to his songs, he didn't write the lyrics, he's very talented, but I think Bowie is heads over him in talent. |
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