Nobody asked for it -- and I expect it to be my least-well-received series ever. But in the wake of Joe Kelly's excellent Beatles series, combined with my utter lack of creativity this week, I now present...
The Top 40 Or So Elton John Songs From His "Classic" Period, Beginning With "Empty Sky" in 1969 and Concluding With "Blue Moves" From 1976.
No particular reason for this series, other than that I've been rediscovering some of my old Elton records lately -- spurred on by a recent purchase of "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" in SACD format that I picked up for something like 17 cents on the final day of Media Play's existence.
Sadly, I think at this point most everyone associates Elton with his output of the last 20 years, which has ranged from tolerable to...well...dull. In between songs for dead blondes and some lethargic Disney pap, Elton's rep has taken a beating.
But I'm here to tell you that for about half a decade in the early part of the seventies, Elton came as close to Beatle-esque as anybody else since. I'd put his best stuff up there with just about anybody's, and that includes those lovable Liverpudlians.
Problem is, the guy never quite managed to pull of a perfect album. Nearly every record has a few clinkers -- with one exception, as we'll see.
But hey, enough of my yakkin'. Let's boogie.
40: The Greatest Discovery
Elton John (1970)
During the next four days, we'll talk a lot about Elton's genius with melody (second only to McCartney's, in my humble opinion), as well as his vastly-underrated voice and his justifiably highly-regarded piano playing.
What we likely WON'T spend a lot of praise on is Bernie Taupin's lyrics.
It's not that they're bad. In many cases, they're quite good. But this was the seventies, after all, and a lot of the classic John/Taupin songs suffer from that decade's pretense and bloat.If you had asked me about this song 10 years ago, I likely would have dismissed it as trite. Now, age and parenthood have combined to -- well, make me a sappier person, I suppose. Anyway, this one's here on the strength of the lyrics alone. It's one of Elton's lesser melodies. Here are the lyrics, if you'd like to check it out.
39: Holiday Inn
Madman Across the Water
If the second side was as good as the first, Madman would be one of rock's monumental achievements. But it's not.I'd be amazed if I've listened to side two even half as many times as side one through the years. And that's a shame, because I'm missing out a short, unimposing little pleasure -- this one, a peppy little "life on the road" number. In his prime, Elton could toss off great little melodies like this one in his sleep.
38: Grimsby
CaribouCaribou is one of Elton's lesser works from the classic period. I've probably listened to it fewer times than any other, except maybe Empty Sky. Two big hits -- "The Bitch is Back" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" -- only one of which is going to show up on this countdown, and fairly low, too.
Grimsby is another song like "Holiday Inn," in that it's a catchy, easily-overlooked piece that's nestled in between a couple of stinkers, so that you're tempted to just skip the whole lot of 'em. This one rocks out a bit. I've heard a live version that had about 20 times the energy of this studio version, and that may be skewing my perception of it a bit. I doubt there are too many Elton fans out there who'd agree with me on this placement. Bonus points for working in the word "sluice."
37: Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
The first of Elton's big hits to land here. One of his hardest-rockin' songs ever, and a great melody....But I've always had a problem buying this one, frankly. I mean, let's face it -- Elton's a guy who never leaves home without a tiara (seriously), and who has performed concerts dressed as Donald Duck.
Not exactly a guy you'd expect to use a little muscle to get what he needs, who'd sink a little drink and shout out, "She's with me."But then, they're Taupin's lyrics, right?
Yeah, they are. Have you seen that little imp? Picturing him throwing down is like trying to conjure up the image of a badass Keebler elf. Ain't gonna happen.
Cool song nonetheless.
36: Cage the Songbird
Blue Moves
By 1976, Elton was a hurtin' pup. The combined strain of some pretty hard-core partying, coming out of the closet, and cranking out a boatload of records over the previous six years were taking their strain.Blue Moves was billed as a more "adult" Elton. I had hoped that my first listen to it in over 20 years would reveal a new appreciation for it.
No dice. This double album is lifeless. The one hit (Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word) did portend a more adult sound, I suppose. But mostly, it's just dull.
Cage the Songbird is an exception. A strong melody, and most importantly, backing vocals by Crosby and Nash raise this one above its album-mates.
35: I Need You To Turn To
Elton John
This one follows "Your Song" on what was to be Elton's debut album in the states. ("Empty Sky," the first album he recorded, wouldn't be released stateside for another five years.) The harpsichord is annoying, but a strong melody and straightforward Taupin lyrics make it worthwhile.34: Ticking
Caribou
The other overlooked gem from Caribou. Overly long, and melodramatic to the extreme, but still a significant accomplishment. A lesser artist wouldn't have been able to pull this one off.33: I Fell Like A Bullet (In The Gun of Robert Ford)
Rock of the Westies
Yeah, it probably shouldn't rank this high. I had to put SOMETHING from Rock of the Westies here, didn't I?Not a bad song, really. A minor hit. Interesting lyrics. Kind of a "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" vibe to it, but I think it's better than that song.
32: Tonight
Blue Moves
This is the last we're going to hear from Blue Moves. Talk about overwrought -- hoo, boy.Nonetheless, this one borders on greatness. Opens with a several-minute orchestral piece. I didn't care much for it as a kid, but came to appreciate it when it appeared on the 80's "Live in Australia" recording. Turn it up WAY loud and it'll blow your speakers apart.
31: Country Comfort
Tumbleweed Connection
Strange album. It's almost "Workingman's Dead"-like in it's frontier Americana, right down to the sepia-toned cover. Which is strange, considering that at the time of its release, I think Elton and Bernie had only been stateside once. Deacon's are preparing their sermons, rockin' chairs are a-creakin' -- and in spite of it all, it works.30: Levon
Madman Across the Water
Here's one where I'm forced to take points off for the lyrics. It's a great, classic Elton melody, to be sure -- but "he calls his child Jesus, because he likes the name" and the bit about blowing up balloons and watching them fly....yeesh.Still, though, some of the lyrics work. I always liked the way "He was born a pauper to a pawn on a Christmas day, when the New York Times said God is Dead and The War's Begun, Alvin Tostig Has a Son Today" sounds.
Great arrangement on this one. Elton and Bernie hooked up with an arranger named Paul Buckmaster very early in their careers, and it paid dividends here. Great use of strings on this one and the title track for this album.
UPDATE: I've added links to the Amazon entries for each album, so that if you want, you can go and at least hear some snippets of the songs in question.
Looking forward to seeing these...and getting a little Elton education. Don't know whether these are on iTunes...but the nice thing about that is if they are one could program a selection of Bob's Top 40 into the old Pod...or pick and choose unfamiliar ones. A lot of these are unfamiliar to me or neglected.
Posted by: Joe | February 21, 2006 at 07:21 AM
This must be the time and place for me to reveal my affection for Sir Elton.
You haven't gotten to my favorites yet -- I'm curious how our lists compare. I rate "Saturday Night's Alright" higher than you do, although I feel its irony every time I play it. I don't like "Levon" though. I agree the melody and arrangement are super, but those lyrics are way too affected. I try to give it a listen now and again and always find myself skipping ahead round about the second verse.
Incidentally, I bought all my Elton John music on iTunes. I didn't try to buy every album so I don't know if their coverage is complete, but they had a solid selection.
Set up a playlist of these on iTunes! I think you could link to it from here; maybe you could link here from there too.
Posted by: Cynthia Closkey | February 21, 2006 at 08:14 AM
Joe & Cynthia -- I'm not sure that the songs I'm citing here are exactly the ones I'd select for an Elton iPod primer. And they certainly aren't in the sequence I'd suggest. Perhaps I'll do an extra posting at the end and make some recommendations.
I know Elton's canon isn't as widely known and beloved as the Beatles -- but I'd love to see somebody take a stab at predicting the Top 10, or selecting their own.
Posted by: Bob | February 21, 2006 at 08:59 AM
Bob would first have to sit down to learn how to use the iPod. He shows no desire to learn. Maybe it's because I have infected it with some 80's songs that he would rather poke out his eardrums than listen to. Personally, nothing gets me through the gym work-out like the pod.
Posted by: Julie | February 21, 2006 at 10:13 AM
Wifey -- that's true. Every time I try to play the darn thing, I end up hearing nothing but George Michael tunes.
Plus, those ear buds drive me absolutely berserk. I think I must have smaller earholes than the average human, because I can't get them to stay in for the life of me.
Posted by: Bob | February 21, 2006 at 10:18 AM
Want to hear another weird, possibly disgusting thing about the ear buds?
When I work out my ear sweat gets into them and seems to clog up the sound from getting through.
Ear sweat. Yeah. That's gross.
I'll go away now.
Posted by: Joe | February 21, 2006 at 10:57 AM
My Elton exposure is somehow terribly limited, despite the fact that I'm sure there was a lot of it played when I was younger. As an adult, I just don't know anybody who has any albums on CD, and I hate taking a gamble on music without sampling first. Perhaps I will check out those clips.
In other news, I rocked "Rocketman" at karaoke on Saturday night.
Posted by: Deadlytoque | February 21, 2006 at 01:55 PM
'Toque, I sure hope you did the William Shatner version:
http://www.devilducky.com/media/21099/
Posted by: Tube City | February 21, 2006 at 03:04 PM
I've only ever bought the dozen or so various Greatest Hits albums, so a lot of these deeper cuts, I have mever heard of.
Posted by: yellojkt | February 21, 2006 at 08:15 PM
A group of us sang along with the chorus to "Levon" towards the end of a fantasy football draft.
I shit you not.
After many beers.
Is that weird?
Posted by: Woy | February 21, 2006 at 11:49 PM