Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Rarely mentioned as one of the great double albums, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road had to settle for ending up in a few million record collections. So sprawling that it doesn't quite measure up to the earlier, more laid-back Honky Chateau or the later, pushy Rock of the Westies, this still holds claim to a lot of brilliant, very pop-savvy music: the winking rebellion of "Bennie and the Jets" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," the ready-made nostalgia of "The Ballad of Danny Bailey," the downbeat melodicism of "Harmony." --Rickey Wright Amazon.com essential recording

Elton John's Best Album.

When Elton John released his double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in 1973, he and lyricist Bernie Taupin were at the peak of their songwriting collaboration. While "Levon," "Rocket Man," "Honky Cat," "Daniel," "Tiny Dancer," and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" are truly great songs, few fans would disagree that this is John's best album. Recorded at the Château d'Hérouville (where John also recorded Honky Chateau in 1972 and Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player in 1973), it features the Number 1 radio hit "Bennie and the Jets," along with the meticulously crafted, 11-minute "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Candle in the Wind," "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," "Harmony," and "Grey Seal." It is also one of the best song-sequenced albums of all times (especially evident in its original vinyl LP format. For instance, Side One of the first LP included "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding," "Candle in the Wind," and "Bennie and the Jets.") On the album, Elton John is backed Dee Murray on bass and backing vocals, Davey Johnstone on electric guitar and backing vocals, Nigel Olsson on drums and backing vocals, and David Hentschel on A.R.P. synthesizer. It is perhaps now common knowledge that John wrote "Funeral for a Friend" as the kind of instrumental he would like performed at his own funeral, and "Candle in the Wind" as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe. (Taupin first heard the phrase "candle in the wind" used in reference to Janis Joplin.) In "Bennie and the Jets," Taupin paints a poetic picture of John: "She's got electric boots, a mohair suit/ You know I read it in a magazine Ohh..." Complete album tracks include:

1. Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding 11:08
2. Candle In The Wind 3:49
3. Bennie And The Jets 5:23
4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 3:13
5. This Song Has No Title 2:23
6. Grey Seal 4:00
7. Jamaica Jerk-Off 3:38
8. I've Seen That Movie Too 5:58
9. Sweet Painted Lady 3:54
10. The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-1934) 4:23
11. Dirty Little Girl 5:01
12. All The Girls Love Alice 5:08
13. Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock'n Roll) 2:42
14. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting 4:53
15. Roy Rogers 4:08
16. Social Disease 3:43
17. Harmony 2:45

G. Merritt June 11, 2008

Wow, Ain't Technology Great!

We All know Elton John's signature album. It has it's own unique place in history.

This repoduction is stunning! Essential for any EJ fan.

- FB June 9, 2008

yellow brick road

I bought the CD because I'd heard a few tracks from the album on digital radio and decided that the new re-makes make recordings from 20 years ago pale.And I was correct.It sounds great. May 20, 2008

One of the best double albums ever.

Elton and Bernie were certanly very prolific writers in the early 70s. This was their eigth album in four years and they had enough material to record a double album. Eighteen songs (if you separate the first two songs according to the original LP)and they pulled it off very well indeed. It is almost a culmination of the their work thus far rather than breaking new ground but the band had been together for a few years by this time and they worked together very well at this point.

However, there is one unsettling aspect and that is Nigel Olsson's drumming sounds very heavy and the bass drum is way overused.

In fact the whole album has a heavy bass and drum feel to it and the recording is very claustraphobic. I almost feel like I need fresh air after listening to it. Compare it to the very clean, almost sterile sound on BLUE MOVES three years later. I wonder if this was the reason Nigel and bass player Dee Murray were fired by Elton in 1975

1. FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND (5.26). I cannot think of a better way to open a musical work since Beethoven's 5th symphony. Still sounds wonderfully eerie thirty years later. It leads directly into the next track.

2. LOVE LIES BLEEDING (5.46). Again a great rock song that goes all out at the end. There is a nice interlude on the piano but Nigel's bass drum accompaniment has no real rhythmic pattern to it.

3. CANDLE IN THE WIND. (3.50) It's ok. Not too crazy about it and I really dislike the line; "all the papers had to say was that Marilyn was found in the nude". Could Bernie not think of a better line than this? More bass drum too.

4. BENNIE AND THE JETS (5.23) Quite a good song but the falsetto goes on too long at the end. I remember the cassette in the 70s had switched this track with DANNY BAILEY and it actually made more sense in the playing order. More of that later.

5. GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD (3.14). Many interpretations but i think it is an autobiographical song about country boy Bernie. If it was not a single, I do not think it would be so well known. It does however contain some great lyrics.

6. THIS SONG HAS NO TITLE (2.23) Very obscure but it is pretty good. Basically a solo piece by Elton where he plays all the keyboards.

7. GREY SEAL (3.58). A remake of an earlier song and a much better version. I have no idea what the lyrics mean and Bernie admitted that he did not know either. One of NIgel Olsson's better drumming efforts

8. JAMAICA JERK-OFF (3.39) Cannot decide if the title is hilarious or unneccessary as it is a great little reggae tune and the most summer-sounding song on the album! Because of the song title, it does not get any airplay. A real shame!

Four of the next five songs deal with women in a rather nasty way. There is the prostitute, the shallow lover, the lesbian and the tramp. It adds a very dark and controversial side to the album and is not very easy listening.

9. I'VE SEEN THAT MOVIE TOO (6.00) Boy this song goes on an on. Way too many chorus repeats and some of the words sound like gears crashing as they do not fit too well. "I'm not a blueprint for all of your B-films" for example. But he really puts his lover down. There's that bass drum again!

10. SWEET PAINTED LADY (3.52) Nothing like a ditty about the life of prostitution. Again the chorus repeats are too many and you know about the drumming. Some lame lyrics too. "getting paid for being laid". Wonderful subtlety!

11. THE BALLAD OF DANNY BAILEY (1909-1934) (4.24) One of the best songs on the album and I love the orchestral arrangement, especially at the end. Sort of gets lost amongst all the songs about women that surround it. That is why I thought it made more sense to switch it with BENNIE. Maybe the most American song on the album

12. DIRTY LITTLE GIRL (5.01). One for all the generations to sing. All together now: "Someone grab that bitch by the ears". What wedding would be complete without this song! Definitely the worst song on the album. Ugly, untuneful and again lyrics that are hard work to sing. Sounds like a mess. I would have much preferred two rejected tracks: JACK RABBIT and WHENEVER YOU'RE READY in its place.

13. ALL THE GIRLS LOVE ALICE (5.08). Title says it all. Again the lyrics make for uncomfortable listening. I would have thought lesbians in London of the 70s would have an easier life than this and certainly more acceptance. The noisiest rockingest song on the album

14. YOU"RE SISTER CAN'T TWIST (BUT SHE CAN ROCK AND ROLL) (2.42). finally getting back into a little fun. A fast-paced roller coaster ride and you know they were all smiling when they recorded this song! Contains the word s**t so again no airplay.

15. SATURDAY NIGHT"S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING (4.54) Another big hit and probably the most musically tight song on the album. Elton's first well-known rocker.

16. ROY ROGERS (4.08) Brilliant lyrics from Bernie and interestingly a very English song. The music is a little ponderous and could have used a better arrangement.

17. SOCIAL DISEASE (3.44). Again it sounds like the band had a lot of fun recording this song. The song is enhanced by the sax of Larry Gomez and it seems to be a continuation of ELDERBERRY WINE from the Don't Shoot Me ..album

18. HARMONY (2.45) At last we come to the only love song on the album. There is a hint of bitterness in the lyrics but it is a warm way to close the album. Bass drum issues of course.

As a rock drummer, Olsson is one of the best but on the slower numbers, I think his style is very predictable. Does it detract from the album? Not really. And intentional or not, it helps give the album its definitive sound. Hey it is still thought of as Elton's best, so whatever reservations, I may have the album works very well and I still listen to it with a lot of pleasure. March 7, 2008

Hands down--my favorite album of all time!

I love music--and own everything from Madonna to Joni Mitchell to Patsy Cline to Queen--and everything in-between. That said--this is without a doubt, my favorite album of all time. I never, ever get tired of even one song on it. It is a masterpiece through and through. If I had to choose only one album to listen to for the rest of my life--this would be the one. November 19, 2007

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