For those who have never heard this before. Congratulations! You just heard one of Elton John’s best. And that’s saying a lot. The musicians are superb.
Elton, back in a time, he could do absolutely no wrong. Heard this back in the day, age 11. It’s fabulous, what a magnificent performance, and a great band too.
Funeral for a Friend is pure prog - yes, classical influences, but also interweaving themes and melodies. Add synths, a wind machine and a dollop of pure bombast. It's probably the only prog that he's done.
@@maruad7577 Let's bear in mind that 1973 was probably the best year ever for Progressive Rock. Not only does this double song have changing moods, movements and time signatures but the opening is a reflection (not copy nor clone -- it's too good for that) of 1972's opening of "Watcher of the Skies" by Genesis. I see this opus as Elton & Co. declaring to the world that even with Pop like "Crocodile Rock" in their repertoire, they could also produce heavy Rock and Progressive anthems to rival anything by Yes, ELP or Genesis - the last of whom worked extensively in later years with David Hentchel, the synthesist on Elton's "Goodby Yellow Brick Road" album.
What a fantastic start to an album! Goodbye Yellow Brick Road isn't only one of Elton's best, it's one of the best albums ever. It's regarded as the pinnacle of his career, and rightly so. The album includes songs that would appeal to every popular music fan.
One thing to keep in mind, something I’ve only learned in the past year or so - “love lies bleeding” is a type of flower, and you know how Brits love their flowers. So, double meaning?
The epic keyboard intro is performed by David Hentchel who went on to become the producer for Genesis on A Trick Of The Tail, Wind & Wuthering, Seconds Out, And Then There Were Three and Duke.
Elton is obviously the star, but one must not discount greatness of the band -- Dee Murray on bass, Nigel 'so many drums I can't possibly miss' Olsson. Davey Johnstone on guitars.
The most amazing thing about this album is that it's not a Greatest Hits record lol. Not really a bad song on it, and many hits. I would argue that his deepest "pockets" are from his Captain Fantastic album. And yes, his band is very talented, as well.
Literally this. @JustJP, you really, really, really should just track this whole album. It shows the breath of his artistry at what is probably the peak of his career. Also, for fun, do a Wikipedia of his album release dates from 1970-76 and see just HOW MUCH music he put out and how quickly. Dude literally was releasing two albums a year for a while, and this is a double album. The volume, and level of quality of the volume, is absurd.
@@MilwaukeeMartin It helps a lot to have someone else writing the lyrics but still there are few people on this planet with a gift for melody and hooks like Elton has.
@@1nelsondj I agree with you, this was a collaboration made in heaven. I have seen some video of Elton John live at the Hollywood bowl where he plays a solo that's just a piano, and it is one of the best solos I've ever heard, and if you were that good on guitar he would be up there with the best guitar heroes.
Worthy recognition of one of Elton's famous tracks. "Rocket Man" wasn't mentioned. There are some early gems too, on the 1970 Tumbleweed Connection album - "Where To Now St. Peter", "Amoreena", and "Burn Down The Mission".
The entire Tumbleweed Connection album is noteworthy. Elton has always acknowledged that his piano style grew out of southern gospel blues that he listened to growing up. Tumbleweed Connection really embraces the style throughout and it is my favorite!
I've never been able to get into Tumbleweed like l did with Madman. It has been my favourite Elton album for years. However it doesn't include my favourite Elton song, it's from Caribou, the song is Ticking.
I saw him at MSG in 1976. He opened the show with these two songs... EVERY song on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a masterpiece. The diversity in styles alone is enough to make it a bucket list album. There is a song for every mood and emotion. From profound (This Song Has No Title) to silly (Jamaican Jerk-Off) to nostalgia (Roy Rogers) to straight up rock (Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting) and everything in between. It's kinda like a box of chocolates...
This whole album is great. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting became a Classic Rock radio staple for years. Constant airplay. The title track is a masterpiece. Elton went from Pop Superstar to Rock and Roll heir to the Elvis/Beatles throne after this.
Fun fact: Elton John once auditioned to be Gentle Giant's singer. He toured with the band's previous incarnation Simon Dupree and the Big Sound for a few months and they remained friends throughout their careers. He also auditioned for King Crimson, btw.
The opening is supposed to mimic a funeral dirge. There are classic songs and then there is Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. This is my favourite Elton song and also just happens to be my favourite song of all time - and that's saying a lot. Elton's music, especially his piano playing, is haunting and epic while Taupin's lyrics are evocative and heartbreaking. The arrangements and musicianship in this, particularly the wild, fast-paced last third are amazing. There is a bit of everything in this. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is an all-time double album. Davey Johnstone is such an underrated guitarist. Elton's best rocker is also on GYBR, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting.
Loved Justin’s facial expressions for each part of the many layers of this song… which is my favorite of Elton’s. To me, it was his most complex and progressive offering ever.
I think the reason most people love watching reactions is because we love the idea of people experiencing what we experienced the first time we heard a brilliant song. We also want others to appreciate what we love. During this song there was a moment when you smiled and it all clicked: "EUREKA! This is genius!" moment. THAT'S why we watch your journey, Justin. There's so much joy in watching others get what you got. Elton John was the perfect vehicle between the pop and rock world. People who loved Zeppelin could love Elton John. People who loved The Carpenters could love Elton John. He was universal. Next up on the Elton John journey: From this album: the title track, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Grey Seal, This Song Has No Title... Other songs that are immaculate: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (autobiographical brilliance), Someone Saved My Life Tonight, Curtains, Levon, Madman Across The Water, Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters, Daniel, Pinball Wizard (a cover from The Who's Tommy), Billy Bones and the White Bird, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting, the Bitch Is Back... This is a handy list to, so clip and save!! lol. Cheers!
Davey’s guitar work is amazing (love the multi-tracking), and Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson make a great rhythm section. I’m with others in the ‘Captain Fantastic Fan Club’ here. Autobiographical, it was also the last album with this incarnation of the band.
@@Drummingvulture Davey was still there, but Dee and Nigel were replaced by Kenny Passarelli and Roger Pope. Caleb Quaye added another guitarist, and James Newton Howard was just getting his career started (and what a career it’s been!). Rock of the Westies is a fun album. The Caribou Ranch has had so much good music created there.
In Toto, Let me sum up Elton John. Piano player, singer, songwriter advocate for human rights, flamboyant fashionista. Most of all first-rate father and employer! He has kept his entire band on his payroll since the early '70s. No matter what that is CLASS! Don't care for the poppier tunes but songs like this the sh*t! Peace.
Like many of the greatest albums, every song on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road has, at some point, been played as a staple on the radio. EVERY song. This qualifies as Sir Elton's Magnum Opus.
Superb double album! I still remember every single word to every song. It helped that the lyrics were on the inside cover. Both records are play worthy and not bad for the 70’s! 😁❤️
This song has always been exciting and sounds great live! They opened the show with it on the last Elton John show I saw (probably 8 years ago). He never wrote anything else like it. Elton and his band reproduced the song perfectly. Elton has a huge range of styles/genres/melodies. A lot of his songs are highly influenced by gospel music. I’m glad you liked it so much!
If Justin smiles then Justin likes. Simple. GYBR is a masterpiece, well worth an entire play-through. Try the under-appreciated jem "I've Seen That Movie Too" - it ends with a sublime wailing guitar.
This is a great album. Title track is amazing too, but I have a feeling you've heard that. But another underrated gem from this album is Grey Seal. Definitely check that one out.
The engineer on this album was David Hentschel who also worked on Genesis' "A Trick of the Tail", "Wind and Wuthering", "And then there were three" and "Duke".
Picture this... the first concert I ever went to was Elton John at the old Boston Garden in 1973. He was supporting the album this song came from "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". I had no idea what to expect and the wait for the show to start seemed to last forever. Finally the lights dim and the mist from fog machines start creeping across the stage and the churchyard bells and wind sounds from the beginning of this song start playing. The band starts playing "Funeral For a Friend" but we couldn't see them yet. As the intro hits the crescendo, a huge neon "ELTON" sign lights up and all of the spotlights come on to highlight the band members. Elton was the guy who changed me from a teeny-bopper bubble gum music kid to someone who would put on my headphones and get lost in full album of rock. Follow this up with Honky Cat for a completely different sound from Elton and the band.
I could have been the one writing this!!! Switch the words Boston Garden to The Olympia in Detroit and I have the same experience. As a 13 year old, this blew me away. My brother smuggled in a 35mm camera and we have black and white photos of the night. Too funny. Once the ARP started up and the smoke poured out? What a show.
This is such a killer song from such a fantastic album! This album was released just 2 months before PMc&W "Band on the Run! I was given both albums for Christmas that year, so I can't think of one without thinking of the other. Two of the most amazing and iconic Pop/rock albums ever, within such a short time! Anyway - I am not surprised to see how much you enjoyed and appreciated this amazing suite! I really appreciated your take on the lyrics! Of course, I have to mention that the entire album is fantastic! ;)
I got the 'GYBR' 8-track for Christmas that year (1973), also. When I first plugged it into the player and this track came out of the speakers, I was convinced I was in Heaven. I didn't buy 'Band On The Run' 'til spring of '74, but once I did, I was once again transfixed. Geez, the music that came out around that time. Wow!
The most together early album and the one I would recommend for a full album listen because it is best heard in a single sitting is ‘Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt cowboy’ which is semi autobiographical about Elton and Bernie. One thing to clarify is that Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics but it was Elton himself that composed the music. Usually Bernie would send Elton poems in the post and Elton would set them to music. There are a whole lot of great songs that illustrate that he was not just about pop records.
You might also enjoy -- Candle in the Wind -- A song written for Marilyn Monroe --- Elton sang and dedicated it to Princess Diana for her funeral --- Love that song too
Elton John and his band, when they jam, are among the best. It's not just random noise, but everything in its place. Madman Across the Water is another song where the band lets loose.
I was hoping you would have done "Levon" and the title track from Madman Across The Water before you had moved on but this is fine. The first I can remember (atm) by EJ was "Your Song". I think by this point in time I was looking for stuff that was either heavier, proggier or folkier. I had been stuck with just an AM radio and no decent stereo or even FM radio for too long and couldn't suffer pop much more. The opening feels like it has the same classical roots as many prog tunes though I don't feel it explores the music in the same manner as I would expect from a prog band. More like Procul Harum, he uses it as a platform instead of a trapeze. I awoke this morning from a dream where I was the 5th person in a 4 man band. Aretha Franklin and her band and tour bus full of her musicians and techs kept popping up. Now my inner song keeps bouncing between "Fireweed" and Steely Dan's "Nineteen". Great songs and review.
You could go through many of these older albums of his and find absolute gems that never saw any radio time. He has just a great band, with markedly amazing background vocals. Crazy that this album was recorded in like two weeks - his production during the first half of the 70s was prolific. I remember seeing an interview with the producer saying how they had a few more singles lined up but Elton had already finished the next album, and so they just moved on to that. That's David Hentschel of Genesis lore on the Arp btw - and that part live still just kind of pins you to your seat. You could easily go track by track on this double album. My favorite deep cuts are Roy Rogers, Harmony, Grey Seal and Ballad of Danny Bailey. I'm also hoping some Elton exposure slides you into some mid 70s-early 80s Billy Joel reactions.
These two songs have always been favorites of mine. I've always liked synthesizer based music and I really like the synths in this one. They did a great job combining the two songs together, they just flow together perfectly. I think the engineering on these songs is also incredible. You can hear each musician quite clearly, really nice balance. While the guitar work really sings, the bass and drums really fill things out. I definitely recommend almost everything else on this album. There are a couple of songs that aren't my favorites, but overall this is an excellent double album and I hope you do more from it.
When I was 13, David Hentschel's synth work on this song started my lifelong love of synths. I remember thinking "what is that?" - it wasn't any musical instrument I was familiar with, and I had already learned to play on a Hammond Organ. I was awestruck, and found a whole album of synthesized music - Kraftwerk's Autobahn. I also had a friend who's father taught music at a local community college, who brought us a Putney VCS3 (of Dark Side of the Moon fame). Man was it fun to be able to create sound from electronics! (I wound up getting an Electrical Engineering degree.) Of course this led me straight into my favorite band, YES, and Rick Wakeman's crafty and mind-blowing synth work. I am surrounded by synths, hardware and software, and play Funk, Rock and Reggae. Thanks for diving into the depths of Elton's vast, vast career! You have much to look forward to in this album and the many other stupendous works of his band, who are some of the top players. Taupin's lyrics are so magnificent too! Most of Elton's songs started with a sheet of lyrics from Bernie, which Elton would create his amazing compositions from. You rock, Justin! You always make me smile!
Elton John’s progressive rock song, Funeral for a Friend is a phenomenal lead in to Love Lies Bleeding. A couple of fantastic songs off a spectacular album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Please continue with this album, you will love it…
Bernie writes the lyrics only. He sends the lyrics to Elton who then sits at his piano and writes the music. Better said he builds the song. They been doing this for about 50 years.
early Elton is an absolute golldmine of wonder.There will never be another.in 6yrs he released 12 albums of which 2 were doubles.The combination of his voice,melodies,bernies lyrics,the band and their backing vocals meant it just worked lerfectly.Captain Fantastic was his peak i believe and its an autobiographical gorgeous album.A couple of songs that stand out from that period are Ticking and Talking Old Soldiers which are Elton on piano only.
Ticking has been my favourite Elton John song for years. In the early 70's Elton produced some of the best music of that time, unfortunately he didn't maintain that standard into the late 70's and 80's, only a couple of later albums stand out for me, Too Low for Zero and Songs from the West Coast, the latter album includes The Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes, that song l think had shades of the early Elton, it had a 'warmth' which was evident in some of his early tracks on albums like Madman, Tumbleweed etc.
@@keithjones6023 yes i agree. Sadly his voice was never the same. He had such a range. Capt Fantastic i think is his best. Being older i appreciate Blue Moves more as a double album. I think his last good album was Peachtree Road. These days an artist like Adele dont release an album for 5 yrs and compare that to Elton👍😎
@@RockChickFace Elton's albums released every five months! 😄 I have Peachtree album, I'm going to have another listen, see if I like it more when I've heard it again, I must admit that it's never been a favourite! 🤔.
Isn't it prog ? On the negative side, using the Arp and other synths make the thing sound a little out of date. And the mix is sometime weird. But what an album. A double album ! Musics (as often Elton John did at the time) all written within a week. Two weeks for Bernie Taupin to write the lyrics and two weeks to record it ! In the famous french studio of Chateau d'Hérouville by the way (where I lived not so far for few years a long time ago)... Goodbye Yellow Brick Road may not be the best of Elton John album but it is probably one of my favorite ! Elton John live performance in Sydney (1987) with an orchestra is a must see/hear ! Thank you JP ! This was again great video, and a very good surprise to see Elton John entering your channel.
Love Elton from the 70s. Excellent album. Great reaction, JP. These are definitely a pair of songs that go well together and gets this masterpiece of an album off to a great start. Glad you enjoyed it.
This is the song that got me into prog, and I'm thrilled to have had a chance to see you discover it as well. Regarding the lyrics, my interpretation is that the "rock and roll" bit is actually just an analogy. "I was playing rock and roll and you were just a fan / but my guitar couldn't hold you so I split the band" would then translate roughly to "You loved all these things about me, but then got bored with me, so I tried to change who I was to hold your interest, all to no avail." Just an interpretation, mind you! But that's how I hear it.
I was feeling a bit down, only 2 trick-or-treaters tonight, so I put on my favorite Elton album "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" since Elton and Bernie are both in costume. Cheered me right up, it's been a long while since I heard this, starting to forget the words. It moves me more than any other Elton album because it's so personal for them. Bernie wrote the lyrics about himself and Elton too who was engaged to a woman and attempted suicide to get out of it. Deep stuff. Just read the lyrics to 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight'."
One has to think that Wakeman's 'Six Wives' was at least some influence on the opening of 'Funeral'. I think this is EJ's best album - great tracks throughout.
These two songs, are like with Grand Funks two songs, "I'm Your Captain", and "Closer To Home." They are really part of one another. "Funeral For A Friend," and "Love Lies Bleeding," are like that too. You can't have one, without the other. Thanks Justin
See people! this's why you HAVE to comment, and honestly on the various artists. Elton 'flippin' John, back by popular demand 'apparently'. Checking comment numbers, on 'Dancer' against subscribers, only about 2.5% of people wanted more. Ergo, 97.5% didn't, likely shook their heads, rolled their eyes, tutted loudly, or changed channel. So take heed viewers, keep shtum and this's what it gets ya, MOR madness. You only have yourselves to blame :)
but now that i've heard it, sorry, listened and understood it, it confirms what my instinct told me back when I was a Kid...namely a trifle Square... or Stiff... in it's approach.. Cold as Christmas was great , and Blue Eyes and um, Saturday Night's Alright For Fightin was energetic but again , coddish/cod-esque in it's rockishness . You probably had to be there?
This may be IMHO the best song of his abundantly successful career. I was lucky to see him in 1983 when I was 16. Loved it! Tremendous performance. This is EPIC live!
You may like the song Candle in the Wind written for Marilyn Monroe on this same album, he also rewrote the song as Candle in the Wind - Goodbye England's Rose - a tribute to the late Princess Diana Spencer in 1997 that he played at her funeral in Westminster Abbey, hard to say which version is better.
Great album and wonderful lead off couple of songs. Not a bad song on this double album but my favourite couple would be 'All The Young Girls Love Alice' and 'Sweet Painted Lady'. Best Elton John song ever is 'Skyline Pigeon' on his first album 'Empty Sky'. There is, however, an embarrassment of riches to choose from.
I remember hearing Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding for the very first time. I didn't even know who it was, but thinking Wow! Who the hell is this?
FFF has that regal, "Britishy?", guitar that gets picked up some years later by Brain May. I used to bar back at a new wave/rock n roll night club in a huge old theater. Every night, as they opened the doors and the guests would star filtering into the club, this would be playing - kind of kicking the dust out of the speakers. You have a great taste of it here, but as you dig deeper into this album, pay attention to the elements of poetry throughout, including alliteration here, and here and on other tracks - interior rhyme, meter, etc. It's practically Shakespearean.
My cousin Frank and I grew up listening to Elton in the 70's... We parted musical ways when he became a Disco freak and I did not, but we always had Elton and Pink Floyd in common. We'd promised each other that we'd play this at the other's funeral, as I'm sure many have done. He must have told others because when I played it at his funeral in 2018, everyone had a big grin on their face! ;-] Just to be clear on Bernie Taupin, he is essentially a poet, not a musician. His contributions were lyrics and friendship. Elton was the musician, composer, and arranger. Thanks for the great review, Justin!
What a masterpiece is this song!! Another masterpiece you should listen to is the song: TICKING, a very touching song, It is a shame that this song is so unknown, it deserves to be heard a lot more!!
Saw the '....Yellow Brick Road' tour in '75 in Toronto, my home. Killer show, looong story short. It's a pretty potent combo, imho, EJ's broad musical palette, Bernie's smart, interesting lyrics, and a band that KICKS feckin' ASS!! Btw, I wouldn't try to read too much, such as a real, true-life backstory to the lyrics. It could be a composite: one thinks of Elton's buddy John - something, lolol. Bernie's a poet, an artisan and dealer in the work of universalizing human experience and received wisdom. Or, y'know...wotevs. Check out the premier episode of Elvis Costello's 'Spectacle' music magazine/songwriters' showcase from about a decade ago or close to it. Should still be on YT. EJ is the feature and gives my fave encounter and rabbit-hole dive of the series. Roots, man. ;>D
You should listen to the whole album. It's one of the greatest ever made. A bona fide classic! Part of his run, in the 70s, of 7 consecutive number 1 albums! He's actually the most successful solo artist in the history of the Billboard chart. In later years he diversified into film and stage musicals. He's done a lot of work for Disney, including The Lion King and has also written the score for musicals like Billy Elliot. He has had continued chart success over the years, including more number 1 albums, though his output has slowed considerably. He's also worked with numerous other music artists over the years. In recent decades he's spent almost as much time on his charitable work and foundations, as he has on his music. :)
Thanks for jumping back into Elton so quickly. And you can't go wrong with this one. I've seen him four times. First time was at the Hammersmith Apollo in West London, and he opened with this, with me looking down from the balcony about thirty feet above his head. Unforgettable. If you don't listen to the whole album, please think about 'I've Seen That Movie Too'. Davey Johnstone is back on guitar and the way he makes it cry is extraordinary. And please don't pay much mind to those who say he didn't write anything good after the mid 70s. I suspect this is where many people stopped listening regularly, as he was no longer top of the charts all the time. Of course, 1970-75 was a burst of amazing creativity, and no one can keep that up forever. But - well, chart success isn't always a guarantee of quality but he didn't actually score a UK solo Number One single until 1990 (the double-A side 'Sacrifice/Healing Hands': both excellent songs). And I think two of his very best songs came out in 1992 ('The One') and 2000 ('This Train Don't Stop There Anymore'). By the way, he recently released a new album and had another #1 single, 'Cold Heart' - a remix of 'Sacrifice', 'Kiss the Bride' and 'Where's the Shoorah', with UK singer Dua Lipa singing 'Rocket Man'. He's still going strong and I love to see him experimenting. Great reaction to a great song.
My dad used to have ‘yellow brick road’ on 8 track, this was early/mid 1970’s but learnt to love this Album because of him. I’ve always loved Grey Seal from this album which I recall dates back much further than the other songs.
Justin , Elton's rabbit hole runs deep my friend. This album in my opinion is his finest work. many hits songs from the record of my youth. Also Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy Just like GBYBR there are no bad songs and some big hits on there as well. enjoy this song He opened with this song in concert on a mirrored grand piano. 2 tombstones emerging from the stage on either side. a great show to be sure!.
No it has great songs and some mediocre no connected tunes. It was commercially a blockbuster though most older fans find Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across The Water find those as his most cohesive and finest albums!
I have only 2 Elton albums , this one and Capt Fantastic, I have heard a dozen more but they didn’t do it for me, I also acquired Tumbleweed Connection, Blue Moves and a single man which I all sold !
@@mikewest1542 You missed out or may have a hearing problem if you did not love almost all the albums before Yellow Brick road. From his first American release with Your Song Take Me to The Pilot And 60 years on to Madman with Levon, Tiny Dancer, The title track and Indian Sunset. As well as Tumbleweed Connection with Burn Down The Mission, Country Comfort, Where To Now St. Peter? With Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player album with Daniel, Crockadile Rock I have no idea what you either listened to or did not?
Good morning JP. You picked one of EJ's very best tracks. This one is really a stretch for him, stylistically. For something completely different, try "Honky Cat."
What a great way to put it: "...it sets you up..." "Benny and the Jets" I can take or leave. People just like repeating the hook. I find the song repetitious and don't care for the melody. But this song, or should I call "piece." It's got so many parts to it and it's something that Elton John does. He loves to really lay stuff out so you can see all the directions the song will take, then he goes into all the directions. Even with "Tiny Dancer," which I think is one of the best standard pop songs ever written, just the way he doesn't rush through it, building with more harmony each trip through the verse, adding lusher strings each time. Oh, and you get a bridge. How many songs don't even have a bridge? Well this one you did today...I don't know if it has a bridge or if it's just a huge network of tunnels, bridges, roads, and whatever. It's just so much stratification, the calling back to a previously introduced melody or cue. It's one of the classic, epic songs written by him, and I'm glad you heard it, though it's a little eyebrow raising to continually listen to reaction channels run by people who've never heard some of the great music that came out of the 70's, 80's, and 90's. They used to use something called melody, and not this repeating up-and-down shrill singing over top of a drumbox I hear at the gym for three hours every time I go. Is that music? And is this what all the young reactors are listening to before they start their reaction channels? Well, I guess that's a rant, but you always listen well and have really well-thought-out comments. You would've fit very well into the music environment years ago. Enjoyed a lot! :)
Is there a better album opener? Everything is so perfectly produced, every sound is just naturally where it should be. And as much as i love the first part when Eltons voice comes in i'm always so happy and think "Go get 'em tiger!". Maybe Eltons best song but who wants to pick. Also the first part could also an album closer. Almost like black and white, death and life in one song combined... but maybe i'm talking out of my ass. :D Elton 4 Ever
Elton goes even much deeper than this in a different way!Tunes like Burn Down The Mission And Where To now St. Peter are great songs from Elton’s Tumbleweed Connection album.
A contender to best double album ever, the whole album is a masterpiece. This track is extraordinary, moving from the epic start (Sir Elton going prog) to the following infectuous rocker. The rest of the album keeps this stellar standard (with the arguable exception of... ehm... Bennie and the Jets, and that says all).
@@mariosandri4010 For me when it comes to double albums it's neither the one nor the other, but rather Quadrophenia by The Who, Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Mike Oldfield's Incantations and David Sylvian's Gone to Earth.
@@a.k.1740 Different people have different tastes, and that's what makes the world interesting. For me Quadrophenia and Tommy are close to the top, Lamb has fantastic music but negligible lyrics, while Incantantions (Oldfield in general) and Gone to Earth (my least favourite of the early solo period) never really grabbed me.
The ARP synth intro and on the track was played by Studio engineer David Hentschel who went on to work with Genesis from Trick of the Tail in 76 through to Duke in 1970
Can’t believe you never heard this before, it’s been playing for years on the air waves. Try Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboys next. A great song with country flare.
Justin you would love reacting to Take Me To The Pilot, Indian Sunset, And Levon.They are some of the finest pieces of music that Elton along with Bernie’s brilliant lyrics!
For those who have never heard this before. Congratulations! You just heard one of Elton John’s best. And that’s saying a lot. The musicians are superb.
its one of my 10 deserted island albums. now if i can only find a record player and some electricity
Elton, back in a time, he could do absolutely no wrong. Heard this back in the day, age 11. It’s fabulous, what a magnificent performance, and a great band too.
@@lesblatnyak5947 Same! Ever since the day I brought it home in 74!
When Elton John meets Prog rock. One of his very best songs!
@@Katehowe3010 I have to agree. Classical influences for certain but not what I would think of as prog.
Funeral for a Friend is pure prog - yes, classical influences, but also interweaving themes and melodies. Add synths, a wind machine and a dollop of pure bombast. It's probably the only prog that he's done.
@@maruad7577 Let's bear in mind that 1973 was probably the best year ever for Progressive Rock. Not only does this double song have changing moods, movements and time signatures but the opening is a reflection (not copy nor clone -- it's too good for that) of 1972's opening of "Watcher of the Skies" by Genesis.
I see this opus as Elton & Co. declaring to the world that even with Pop like "Crocodile Rock" in their repertoire, they could also produce heavy Rock and Progressive anthems to rival anything by Yes, ELP or Genesis - the last of whom worked extensively in later years with David Hentchel, the synthesist on Elton's "Goodby Yellow Brick Road" album.
@@Katehowe3010 This song, not the whole album.
I was about to post a similar comment. Very proggy.
What a fantastic start to an album! Goodbye Yellow Brick Road isn't only one of Elton's best, it's one of the best albums ever. It's regarded as the pinnacle of his career, and rightly so. The album includes songs that would appeal to every popular music fan.
Dirty Little Girl is my favorite Elton John song. It doesn't get enough attention.
I love this album, but I think his masterpiece is Captain fantastic and the Brown dirt cowboy.
@@Shamris Poor old Danny Bailey doesn't get enough attention, my favourite track on the album! Well, maybe after Funeral 🤔
This entire double album is worthy of reviewing. This is the album that made Elton a superstar!
One thing to keep in mind, something I’ve only learned in the past year or so - “love lies bleeding” is a type of flower, and you know how Brits love their flowers. So, double meaning?
The epic keyboard intro is performed by David Hentchel who went on to become the producer for Genesis on A Trick Of The Tail, Wind & Wuthering, Seconds Out, And Then There Were Three and Duke.
Well, I love Elton, and early Genesis.
Made at a time when synthesisers were in their infancy
What a great album A Trick of The Tail is✌️
The definition of "When Music was Music!"
This is a masterpiece. I saw him and he opened the concert with this. Played to perfection.
Elton's Best instrumental !!!
Definitely! 👍
Elton is obviously the star, but one must not discount greatness of the band -- Dee Murray on bass, Nigel 'so many drums I can't possibly miss' Olsson. Davey Johnstone on guitars.
Absolutely. Without his band I'm not convinced he would have achieved the status he did. They were cornerstones of his early sound. ✌
And I believe they are underrated (a term I use rarely).
Their background vocals were always spot on!
One tends to forget how much Elton could really rock. This period of his music was incredible.
The most amazing thing about this album is that it's not a Greatest Hits record lol. Not really a bad song on it, and many hits. I would argue that his deepest "pockets" are from his Captain Fantastic album. And yes, his band is very talented, as well.
Literally this.
@JustJP, you really, really, really should just track this whole album. It shows the breath of his artistry at what is probably the peak of his career.
Also, for fun, do a Wikipedia of his album release dates from 1970-76 and see just HOW MUCH music he put out and how quickly. Dude literally was releasing two albums a year for a while, and this is a double album.
The volume, and level of quality of the volume, is absurd.
@@MilwaukeeMartin It helps a lot to have someone else writing the lyrics but still there are few people on this planet with a gift for melody and hooks like Elton has.
@@1nelsondj I agree with you, this was a collaboration made in heaven. I have seen some video of Elton John live at the Hollywood bowl where he plays a solo that's just a piano, and it is one of the best solos I've ever heard, and if you were that good on guitar he would be up there with the best guitar heroes.
I love this album, but have to agree Captain Fantastic is special.
I always loved Funeral/Loved. But my favorite song on the album is actually "Grey Seal." Really neat song.
The whole album 'Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy' is brilliant
Oh boy that’s a terrific album. !!
Worthy recognition of one of Elton's famous tracks. "Rocket Man" wasn't mentioned. There are some early gems too, on the 1970 Tumbleweed Connection album - "Where To Now St. Peter", "Amoreena", and "Burn Down The Mission".
I will be shocked if Justin doesn't Know Rocket Man.
The entire Tumbleweed Connection album is noteworthy. Elton has always acknowledged that his piano style grew out of southern gospel blues that he listened to growing up. Tumbleweed Connection really embraces the style throughout and it is my favorite!
Apparently, Rman was left off my list, oopsies… of course, absolutely one of my favorites.
I've never been able to get into Tumbleweed like l did with Madman. It has been my favourite Elton album for years. However it doesn't include my favourite Elton song, it's from Caribou, the song is Ticking.
@@stpnwlf9 absolutely agree, can't forget his self titled Elton John release
I saw him at MSG in 1976. He opened the show with these two songs... EVERY song on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a masterpiece. The diversity in styles alone is enough to make it a bucket list album. There is a song for every mood and emotion. From profound (This Song Has No Title) to silly (Jamaican Jerk-Off) to nostalgia (Roy Rogers) to straight up rock (Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting) and everything in between. It's kinda like a box of chocolates...
I heard life is like a box of chocolates too. 😆
This whole album is great. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting became a Classic Rock radio staple for years. Constant airplay. The title track is a masterpiece. Elton went from Pop Superstar to Rock and Roll heir to the Elvis/Beatles throne after this.
Fun fact: Elton John once auditioned to be Gentle Giant's singer. He toured with the band's previous incarnation Simon Dupree and the Big Sound for a few months and they remained friends throughout their careers. He also auditioned for King Crimson, btw.
Started out early on as Long John Baldry’s boogie-woogie pianist.
Someone Saved My Life Tonight is an incredible song.
Taupin writes the lyrics, Elton writes the music.
So much greatness in the Elton John catalog.
The opening is supposed to mimic a funeral dirge. There are classic songs and then there is Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. This is my favourite Elton song and also just happens to be my favourite song of all time - and that's saying a lot. Elton's music, especially his piano playing, is haunting and epic while Taupin's lyrics are evocative and heartbreaking. The arrangements and musicianship in this, particularly the wild, fast-paced last third are amazing. There is a bit of everything in this. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is an all-time double album. Davey Johnstone is such an underrated guitarist. Elton's best rocker is also on GYBR, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting.
Loved Justin’s facial expressions for each part of the many layers of this song… which is my favorite of Elton’s. To me, it was his most complex and progressive offering ever.
The '70s was the only time music that sounds anything like this ever happened.
That's so true!
One of the best intros to any album, ever.
It doesn't get much better than that!
You gotta try his
"All the young girls love Alice"
Bold for it's day
This whole double album is perfect, not a bad song on it.
I think the reason most people love watching reactions is because we love the idea of people experiencing what we experienced the first time we heard a brilliant song. We also want others to appreciate what we love. During this song there was a moment when you smiled and it all clicked: "EUREKA! This is genius!" moment. THAT'S why we watch your journey, Justin. There's so much joy in watching others get what you got. Elton John was the perfect vehicle between the pop and rock world. People who loved Zeppelin could love Elton John. People who loved The Carpenters could love Elton John. He was universal.
Next up on the Elton John journey: From this album: the title track, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Grey Seal, This Song Has No Title... Other songs that are immaculate: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (autobiographical brilliance), Someone Saved My Life Tonight, Curtains, Levon, Madman Across The Water, Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters, Daniel, Pinball Wizard (a cover from The Who's Tommy), Billy Bones and the White Bird, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting, the Bitch Is Back... This is a handy list to, so clip and save!! lol. Cheers!
I saw this tour in 73… opened with this…still get chills reminiscing about that night…🔥🔥
THIS is how you star an album. Sheer perfection!
Davey’s guitar work is amazing (love the multi-tracking), and Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson make a great rhythm section.
I’m with others in the ‘Captain Fantastic Fan Club’ here. Autobiographical, it was also the last album with this incarnation of the band.
Yeah, I was pretty bummed when 'Rock Of The Westies' came out and Davey was MIA.
@@Drummingvulture Davey was still there, but Dee and Nigel were replaced by Kenny Passarelli and Roger Pope. Caleb Quaye added another guitarist, and James Newton Howard was just getting his career started (and what a career it’s been!).
Rock of the Westies is a fun album. The Caribou Ranch has had so much good music created there.
In Toto, Let me sum up Elton John. Piano player, singer, songwriter advocate for human rights, flamboyant fashionista. Most of all first-rate father and employer! He has kept his entire band on his payroll since the early '70s. No matter what that is CLASS! Don't care for the poppier tunes but songs like this the sh*t! Peace.
He's also a well-known supporter of animal rights and the ecology. A quality human being.
Agree with most of that especially the part about his pop songs.
Not a fan of those.
Like many of the greatest albums, every song on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road has, at some point, been played as a staple on the radio. EVERY song. This qualifies as Sir Elton's Magnum Opus.
Superb double album! I still remember every single word to every song. It helped that the lyrics were on the inside cover. Both records are play worthy and not bad for the 70’s! 😁❤️
About 50 years later, still a great ride...
This song has always been exciting and sounds great live! They opened the show with it on the last Elton John show I saw (probably 8 years ago). He never wrote anything else like it. Elton and his band reproduced the song perfectly. Elton has a huge range of styles/genres/melodies. A lot of his songs are highly influenced by gospel music.
I’m glad you liked it so much!
Ty Cathy! Hope you're doing well up there!
If Justin smiles then Justin likes. Simple.
GYBR is a masterpiece, well worth an entire play-through.
Try the under-appreciated jem "I've Seen That Movie Too" - it ends with a sublime wailing guitar.
So many great songs on the album, a couple of my favourites are The Ballad of Danny Bailey and Harmony.
My tastes run Roy Rogers and Sweet Painted Lady…..but they are all good. Danny Bailey comes in a close third.
:)
This is a great album. Title track is amazing too, but I have a feeling you've heard that. But another underrated gem from this album is Grey Seal. Definitely check that one out.
Ballad of Danny Bailey is one of my favourite songs of his.
Grey seal is way too underrated
My very first lp! Massive fan. ✌
The engineer on this album was David Hentschel who also worked on Genesis' "A Trick of the Tail", "Wind and Wuthering", "And then there were three" and "Duke".
To call Elton a pop artist would be very unfair.
He evolved into a pop artist but his earlier music is mostly pure genius.
You made my day, Justin! This was 14-year-old me’s JAM. Edit: the look on your face when that guitar RIFF starts off was priceless!
Ty Sarah!!
Picture this... the first concert I ever went to was Elton John at the old Boston Garden in 1973. He was supporting the album this song came from "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". I had no idea what to expect and the wait for the show to start seemed to last forever. Finally the lights dim and the mist from fog machines start creeping across the stage and the churchyard bells and wind sounds from the beginning of this song start playing. The band starts playing "Funeral For a Friend" but we couldn't see them yet. As the intro hits the crescendo, a huge neon "ELTON" sign lights up and all of the spotlights come on to highlight the band members.
Elton was the guy who changed me from a teeny-bopper bubble gum music kid to someone who would put on my headphones and get lost in full album of rock.
Follow this up with Honky Cat for a completely different sound from Elton and the band.
I could have been the one writing this!!! Switch the words Boston Garden to The Olympia in Detroit and I have the same experience. As a 13 year old, this blew me away. My brother smuggled in a 35mm camera and we have black and white photos of the night. Too funny. Once the ARP started up and the smoke poured out? What a show.
Just keep going with this double album and you can’t go wrong.
Please do the whole album. It's easily one of the best albums of the seventies.
This is such a killer song from such a fantastic album!
This album was released just 2 months before PMc&W "Band on the Run! I was given both albums for Christmas that year, so I can't think of one without thinking of the other. Two of the most amazing and iconic Pop/rock albums ever, within such a short time!
Anyway - I am not surprised to see how much you enjoyed and appreciated this amazing suite! I really appreciated your take on the lyrics!
Of course, I have to mention that the entire album is fantastic!
;)
Santa brought you two amazing albums that year! 🤶
@@keithjones6023 Indeed!
I got the 'GYBR' 8-track for Christmas that year (1973), also. When I first plugged it into the player and this track came out of the speakers, I was convinced I was in Heaven.
I didn't buy 'Band On The Run' 'til spring of '74, but once I did, I was once again transfixed.
Geez, the music that came out around that time. Wow!
My goodness! What a great Christmas that must've been! Wow! The best of the best.
The most together early album and the one I would recommend for a full album listen because it is best heard in a single sitting is ‘Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt cowboy’ which is semi autobiographical about Elton and Bernie. One thing to clarify is that Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics but it was Elton himself that composed the music. Usually Bernie would send Elton poems in the post and Elton would set them to music.
There are a whole lot of great songs that illustrate that he was not just about pop records.
You might also enjoy -- Candle in the Wind -- A song written for Marilyn Monroe --- Elton sang and dedicated it to Princess Diana for her funeral --- Love that song too
His band really shines in this album.
Bernie Taupin writes the lyrics, Elton writes the music.
Elton John and his band, when they jam, are among the best. It's not just random noise, but everything in its place. Madman Across the Water is another song where the band lets loose.
I was hoping you would have done "Levon" and the title track from Madman Across The Water before you had moved on but this is fine. The first I can remember (atm) by EJ was "Your Song". I think by this point in time I was looking for stuff that was either heavier, proggier or folkier. I had been stuck with just an AM radio and no decent stereo or even FM radio for too long and couldn't suffer pop much more.
The opening feels like it has the same classical roots as many prog tunes though I don't feel it explores the music in the same manner as I would expect from a prog band. More like Procul Harum, he uses it as a platform instead of a trapeze.
I awoke this morning from a dream where I was the 5th person in a 4 man band. Aretha Franklin and her band and tour bus full of her musicians and techs kept popping up. Now my inner song keeps bouncing between "Fireweed" and Steely Dan's "Nineteen".
Great songs and review.
You could go through many of these older albums of his and find absolute gems that never saw any radio time. He has just a great band, with markedly amazing background vocals. Crazy that this album was recorded in like two weeks - his production during the first half of the 70s was prolific. I remember seeing an interview with the producer saying how they had a few more singles lined up but Elton had already finished the next album, and so they just moved on to that. That's David Hentschel of Genesis lore on the Arp btw - and that part live still just kind of pins you to your seat. You could easily go track by track on this double album. My favorite deep cuts are Roy Rogers, Harmony, Grey Seal and Ballad of Danny Bailey. I'm also hoping some Elton exposure slides you into some mid 70s-early 80s Billy Joel reactions.
These two songs have always been favorites of mine. I've always liked synthesizer based music and I really like the synths in this one. They did a great job combining the two songs together, they just flow together perfectly. I think the engineering on these songs is also incredible. You can hear each musician quite clearly, really nice balance. While the guitar work really sings, the bass and drums really fill things out. I definitely recommend almost everything else on this album. There are a couple of songs that aren't my favorites, but overall this is an excellent double album and I hope you do more from it.
Produced by the amazing Gus Dudgeon who also produced the amazing Space Oddity track!
1 of the best double albums brilliant album
I remember hearing this for the first time and thinking, this is how church should start! 🤣😇
EJ was my first concert ever. I was in 7th grade. Chicago! This man knows how to put on a show. Phenomenal performance!!🎹🎤
What a fantastic way to start my day I am going to enjoy this thank you so so much
When I was 13, David Hentschel's synth work on this song started my lifelong love of synths. I remember thinking "what is that?" - it wasn't any musical instrument I was familiar with, and I had already learned to play on a Hammond Organ. I was awestruck, and found a whole album of synthesized music - Kraftwerk's Autobahn.
I also had a friend who's father taught music at a local community college, who brought us a Putney VCS3 (of Dark Side of the Moon fame). Man was it fun to be able to create sound from electronics! (I wound up getting an Electrical Engineering degree.)
Of course this led me straight into my favorite band, YES, and Rick Wakeman's crafty and mind-blowing synth work. I am surrounded by synths, hardware and software, and play Funk, Rock and Reggae.
Thanks for diving into the depths of Elton's vast, vast career! You have much to look forward to in this album and the many other stupendous works of his band, who are some of the top players. Taupin's lyrics are so magnificent too! Most of Elton's songs started with a sheet of lyrics from Bernie, which Elton would create his amazing compositions from.
You rock, Justin! You always make me smile!
Elton John’s progressive rock song, Funeral for a Friend is a phenomenal lead in to Love Lies Bleeding. A couple of fantastic songs off a spectacular album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Please continue with this album, you will love it…
Bernie writes the lyrics only. He sends the lyrics to Elton who then sits at his piano and writes the music. Better said he builds the song. They been doing this for about 50 years.
early Elton is an absolute golldmine of wonder.There will never be another.in 6yrs he released 12 albums of which 2 were doubles.The combination of his voice,melodies,bernies lyrics,the band and their backing vocals meant it just worked lerfectly.Captain Fantastic was his peak i believe and its an autobiographical gorgeous album.A couple of songs that stand out from that period are Ticking and Talking Old Soldiers which are Elton on piano only.
Ticking has been my favourite Elton John song for years. In the early 70's Elton produced some of the best music of that time, unfortunately he didn't maintain that standard into the late 70's and 80's, only a couple of later albums stand out for me, Too Low for Zero and Songs from the West Coast, the latter album includes The Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes, that song l think had shades of the early Elton, it had a 'warmth' which was evident in some of his early tracks on albums like Madman, Tumbleweed etc.
@@keithjones6023 yes i agree. Sadly his voice was never the same. He had such a range. Capt Fantastic i think is his best. Being older i appreciate Blue Moves more as a double album. I think his last good album was Peachtree Road. These days an artist like Adele dont release an album for 5 yrs and compare that to Elton👍😎
@@RockChickFace Elton's albums released every five months! 😄 I have Peachtree album, I'm going to have another listen, see if I like it more when I've heard it again, I must admit that it's never been a favourite! 🤔.
@@keithjones6023 there is one track that has the same chords as Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Isn't it prog ?
On the negative side, using the Arp and other synths make the thing sound a little out of date. And the mix is sometime weird.
But what an album. A double album ! Musics (as often Elton John did at the time) all written within a week. Two weeks for Bernie Taupin to write the lyrics and two weeks to record it ! In the famous french studio of Chateau d'Hérouville by the way (where I lived not so far for few years a long time ago)...
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road may not be the best of Elton John album but it is probably one of my favorite !
Elton John live performance in Sydney (1987) with an orchestra is a must see/hear !
Thank you JP ! This was again great video, and a very good surprise to see Elton John entering your channel.
Masterpiece. The opening instrumental sounds like something that could have been on Wind And Wuthering.
The opening track to one of the very very greatest albums ever created.
Bass player was insane too
I swear everything in 1973/4 was the peak of mankind , and music proves it , brilliant album with a broad mixture of great tunes
Love Elton from the 70s. Excellent album. Great reaction, JP. These are definitely a pair of songs that go well together and gets this masterpiece of an album off to a great start. Glad you enjoyed it.
This is the song that got me into prog, and I'm thrilled to have had a chance to see you discover it as well. Regarding the lyrics, my interpretation is that the "rock and roll" bit is actually just an analogy. "I was playing rock and roll and you were just a fan / but my guitar couldn't hold you so I split the band" would then translate roughly to "You loved all these things about me, but then got bored with me, so I tried to change who I was to hold your interest, all to no avail." Just an interpretation, mind you! But that's how I hear it.
I was feeling a bit down, only 2 trick-or-treaters tonight, so I put on my favorite Elton album "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" since Elton and Bernie are both in costume. Cheered me right up, it's been a long while since I heard this, starting to forget the words. It moves me more than any other Elton album because it's so personal for them. Bernie wrote the lyrics about himself and Elton too who was engaged to a woman and attempted suicide to get out of it. Deep stuff. Just read the lyrics to 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight'."
There's a great video of him playing this live in Moscow. 'Love Lies Bleeding' is also the name of a plant.
Davey Johnstone great guitarist with Elton since the 70s. Check out Madman Across the Water. Amazing artist. My favorite
Epic! 🔥🔥🔥🔥 excellent breakdown of the song and speaking of Melotron have you listened to the Zombies song “Care of Cell 44”? ⚡️
Bernie Taupin wrote lyrics only. Elton writes all of his music. Glad you’re discovering Elton’s genius. Love your channel!
The perfect song for Halloween! This song used to scare the crap out of me when I was a little kid! Lol
One has to think that Wakeman's 'Six Wives' was at least some influence on the opening of 'Funeral'. I think this is EJ's best album - great tracks throughout.
These two songs, are like with Grand Funks two songs, "I'm Your Captain", and "Closer To Home." They are really part of one another. "Funeral For A Friend," and "Love Lies Bleeding," are like that too. You can't have one, without the other.
Thanks Justin
This is one of his best. He rocks the sh.t out of the vocals.
A completely different song by Elton is Blue Eyes 👀. A beautiful love song.
This (these) is (are) probably my favorite(s) of Elton John's work. Good choice!
See people! this's why you HAVE to comment, and honestly on the various artists. Elton 'flippin' John, back by popular demand 'apparently'. Checking comment numbers, on 'Dancer' against subscribers, only about 2.5% of people wanted more. Ergo, 97.5% didn't, likely shook their heads, rolled their eyes, tutted loudly, or changed channel. So take heed viewers, keep shtum and this's what it gets ya, MOR madness. You only have yourselves to blame :)
Yes!
but now that i've heard it, sorry, listened and understood it, it confirms what my instinct told me back when I was a Kid...namely a trifle Square... or Stiff... in it's approach..
Cold as Christmas was great , and Blue Eyes and um, Saturday Night's Alright For Fightin was energetic but again , coddish/cod-esque in it's rockishness . You probably had to be there?
This may be IMHO the best song of his abundantly successful career. I was lucky to see him in 1983 when I was 16. Loved it! Tremendous performance. This is EPIC live!
You may like the song Candle in the Wind written for Marilyn Monroe on this same album, he also rewrote the song as Candle in the Wind - Goodbye England's Rose - a tribute to the late Princess Diana Spencer in 1997 that he played at her funeral in Westminster Abbey, hard to say which version is better.
If you love this proggy/atmospheric version of Elton, Madman Across The Water is a must.
OMG, you don't even know what you've missed out on. But you can catch up. So there's that. Prolific would be an understatement.
Great album and wonderful lead off couple of songs. Not a bad song on this double album but my favourite couple would be 'All The Young Girls Love Alice' and 'Sweet Painted Lady'. Best Elton John song ever is 'Skyline Pigeon' on his first album 'Empty Sky'. There is, however, an embarrassment of riches to choose from.
Oh, how I love the harpsichord version of Skyline Pigeon. I cry every time I hear it.
@@sarahzentexas Absolutely. Beautiful song.
His masterpiece! That’s all that needs to be said…
I remember hearing Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding for the very first time. I didn't even know who it was, but thinking Wow! Who the hell is this?
FFF has that regal, "Britishy?", guitar that gets picked up some years later by Brain May.
I used to bar back at a new wave/rock n roll night club in a huge old theater. Every night, as they opened the doors and the guests would star filtering into the club, this would be playing - kind of kicking the dust out of the speakers.
You have a great taste of it here, but as you dig deeper into this album, pay attention to the elements of poetry throughout, including alliteration here, and here and on other tracks - interior rhyme, meter, etc. It's practically Shakespearean.
My cousin Frank and I grew up listening to Elton in the 70's... We parted musical ways when he became a Disco freak and I did not, but we always had Elton and Pink Floyd in common. We'd promised each other that we'd play this at the other's funeral, as I'm sure many have done. He must have told others because when I played it at his funeral in 2018, everyone had a big grin on their face! ;-]
Just to be clear on Bernie Taupin, he is essentially a poet, not a musician. His contributions were lyrics and friendship. Elton was the musician, composer, and arranger.
Thanks for the great review, Justin!
What a masterpiece is this song!!
Another masterpiece you should listen to is the song: TICKING, a very touching song,
It is a shame that this song is so unknown, it deserves to be heard a lot more!!
Saw the '....Yellow Brick Road' tour in '75 in Toronto, my home. Killer show, looong story short. It's a pretty potent combo, imho, EJ's broad musical palette, Bernie's smart, interesting lyrics, and a band that KICKS feckin' ASS!!
Btw, I wouldn't try to read too much, such as a real, true-life backstory to the lyrics. It could be a composite: one thinks of Elton's buddy John - something, lolol. Bernie's a poet, an artisan and dealer in the work of universalizing human experience and received wisdom. Or, y'know...wotevs.
Check out the premier episode of Elvis Costello's 'Spectacle' music magazine/songwriters' showcase from about a decade ago or close to it. Should still be on YT. EJ is the feature and gives my fave encounter and rabbit-hole dive of the series. Roots, man. ;>D
I just saw Elton and his band play this live in Washington, DC. I was blown away.
You should listen to the whole album. It's one of the greatest ever made. A bona fide classic! Part of his run, in the 70s, of 7 consecutive number 1 albums! He's actually the most successful solo artist in the history of the Billboard chart. In later years he diversified into film and stage musicals. He's done a lot of work for Disney, including The Lion King and has also written the score for musicals like Billy Elliot. He has had continued chart success over the years, including more number 1 albums, though his output has slowed considerably. He's also worked with numerous other music artists over the years. In recent decades he's spent almost as much time on his charitable work and foundations, as he has on his music. :)
Thanks for jumping back into Elton so quickly. And you can't go wrong with this one. I've seen him four times. First time was at the Hammersmith Apollo in West London, and he opened with this, with me looking down from the balcony about thirty feet above his head. Unforgettable.
If you don't listen to the whole album, please think about 'I've Seen That Movie Too'. Davey Johnstone is back on guitar and the way he makes it cry is extraordinary.
And please don't pay much mind to those who say he didn't write anything good after the mid 70s. I suspect this is where many people stopped listening regularly, as he was no longer top of the charts all the time. Of course, 1970-75 was a burst of amazing creativity, and no one can keep that up forever. But - well, chart success isn't always a guarantee of quality but he didn't actually score a UK solo Number One single until 1990 (the double-A side 'Sacrifice/Healing Hands': both excellent songs).
And I think two of his very best songs came out in 1992 ('The One') and 2000 ('This Train Don't Stop There Anymore').
By the way, he recently released a new album and had another #1 single, 'Cold Heart' - a remix of 'Sacrifice', 'Kiss the Bride' and 'Where's the Shoorah', with UK singer Dua Lipa singing 'Rocket Man'. He's still going strong and I love to see him experimenting.
Great reaction to a great song.
My dad used to have ‘yellow brick road’ on 8 track, this was early/mid 1970’s but learnt to love this Album because of him. I’ve always loved Grey Seal from this album which I recall dates back much further than the other songs.
Yeah, the early version on "Grey Seal" on the 'Rare Masters' album is kind of an eye opener.
If you are like me, I bet you still remember when the 8-track “ka-chunk” would happen, in your mind.
@@mikewoodrow5878 pressing the skip track button certainly made a clunk noise. 👍
Justin , Elton's rabbit hole runs deep my friend. This album in my opinion is his finest work. many hits songs from the record of my youth. Also Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy Just like GBYBR there are no bad songs and some big hits on there as well. enjoy this song He opened with this song in concert on a mirrored grand piano. 2 tombstones emerging from the stage on either side. a great show to be sure!.
No it has great songs and some mediocre no connected tunes. It was commercially a blockbuster though most older fans find Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across The Water find those as his most cohesive and finest albums!
I have only 2 Elton albums , this one and Capt Fantastic, I have heard a dozen more but they didn’t do it for me, I also acquired Tumbleweed Connection, Blue Moves and a single man which I all sold !
@@mikewest1542 You missed out or may have a hearing problem if you did not love almost all the albums before Yellow Brick road. From his first American release with Your Song Take Me to The Pilot And 60 years on to Madman with Levon, Tiny Dancer, The title track and Indian Sunset. As well as Tumbleweed Connection with Burn Down The Mission, Country Comfort, Where To Now St. Peter? With Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player album with Daniel, Crockadile Rock I have no idea what you either listened to or did not?
Good morning JP. You picked one of EJ's very best tracks. This one is really a stretch for him, stylistically. For something completely different, try "Honky Cat."
What a great way to put it: "...it sets you up..." "Benny and the Jets" I can take or leave. People just like repeating the hook. I find the song repetitious and don't care for the melody. But this song, or should I call "piece." It's got so many parts to it and it's something that Elton John does. He loves to really lay stuff out so you can see all the directions the song will take, then he goes into all the directions. Even with "Tiny Dancer," which I think is one of the best standard pop songs ever written, just the way he doesn't rush through it, building with more harmony each trip through the verse, adding lusher strings each time. Oh, and you get a bridge. How many songs don't even have a bridge?
Well this one you did today...I don't know if it has a bridge or if it's just a huge network of tunnels, bridges, roads, and whatever. It's just so much stratification, the calling back to a previously introduced melody or cue. It's one of the classic, epic songs written by him, and I'm glad you heard it, though it's a little eyebrow raising to continually listen to reaction channels run by people who've never heard some of the great music that came out of the 70's, 80's, and 90's. They used to use something called melody, and not this repeating up-and-down shrill singing over top of a drumbox I hear at the gym for three hours every time I go. Is that music? And is this what all the young reactors are listening to before they start their reaction channels? Well, I guess that's a rant, but you always listen well and have really well-thought-out comments. You would've fit very well into the music environment years ago. Enjoyed a lot! :)
Is there a better album opener? Everything is so perfectly produced, every sound is just naturally where it should be. And as much as i love the first part when Eltons voice comes in i'm always so happy and think "Go get 'em tiger!". Maybe Eltons best song but who wants to pick. Also the first part could also an album closer. Almost like black and white, death and life in one song combined... but maybe i'm talking out of my ass. :D Elton 4 Ever
Elton goes even much deeper than this in a different way!Tunes like Burn Down The Mission And Where To now St. Peter are great songs from Elton’s Tumbleweed Connection album.
My Father's Gun is one of my favorites from that album.
@@Shamris outstanding song just like every single song on that legendary album!
Where to now Saint Peter.
Tumbleweed Connection is a brilliant example of Bernie and Elton working together....
Talking Old Soldiers, Indian Sunset.... What more can I say?
@@Shamris i love Talking Old Soldiers. His voice and the dynamics of the piano. Plus Bernies lyrics. Really sad😎
A contender to best double album ever, the whole album is a masterpiece. This track is extraordinary, moving from the epic start (Sir Elton going prog) to the following infectuous rocker. The rest of the album keeps this stellar standard (with the arguable exception of... ehm... Bennie and the Jets, and that says all).
@@Katehowe3010Agreed. And I would also add Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life.
@@mariosandri4010 For me when it comes to double albums it's neither the one nor the other, but rather Quadrophenia by The Who, Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Mike Oldfield's Incantations and David Sylvian's Gone to Earth.
@@a.k.1740 Different people have different tastes, and that's what makes the world interesting. For me Quadrophenia and Tommy are close to the top, Lamb has fantastic music but negligible lyrics, while Incantantions (Oldfield in general) and Gone to Earth (my least favourite of the early solo period) never really grabbed me.
Yes…I actually think Bennie is my least favorite track on this album.
The ARP synth intro and on the track was played by Studio engineer David Hentschel who went on to work with Genesis from Trick of the Tail in 76 through to Duke in 1970
Can’t believe you never heard this before, it’s been playing for years on the air waves. Try Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboys next. A great song with country flare.
Justin you would love reacting to Take Me To The Pilot, Indian Sunset, And Levon.They are some of the finest pieces of music that Elton along with Bernie’s brilliant lyrics!