My Top 20 Elton John Albums - a primer for new fans (PART ONE)
http://www.examiner.com/elton-john-in-national/my-top-20-elton-john-albums-a-primer-for-new-fans-part-one
Pat Ryder
Want to get a glimpse of Elton John's genius throughout the years? Check out our Top 20 EJ Albums List.
Photo: 2010, Kevin Winter/Getty Images (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Slideshow: Elton John Examiner Top 20 Albums 1-10
(Though, I will admit I have all of these in vinyl and there's nothing like listening to an LP on a turntable.)
In coming weeks and months I will provide detailed reviews of Elton's albums, DVDs, and other projects, but for now, check out PART ONE of my list (starting with the Top 10) with a short snippet of why I recommend them. Remember, these are my favorites, and you are welcome to disagree!
Part One, Albums #1-10 - the Elton John Examiner's Top 20 EJ Albums
- Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975) Elton and Bernie's musical autobiography. My all-time favorite album. No really, I mean by anyone. Spring for the Deluxe Edition CD, if you can find it, to hear the entire album played live at Wembley in 1975. I love every cut: from the arrangements to the flow to the instrumentation; and EJ's vocals are knowing and world-weary, yet haunted and passionate.
- Empty Sky (1969)
I'm continually amazed at how good EJ's debut album was. Shame it didn't get released in the US until 1975. Naive, complex and somewhat odd, it's a great first effort and one I never tire of.
- Elton John (1970)
The first record album I ever owned as a kid. It still gives me chills. Rock and classical merge to give this a "victorian" feel, and his piano chops are well showcased.
- Blue Moves (1976) Although critics panned it, this is a very daring departure from Elton's comfort zone - and remarkably well done. He'd always experimented with styles, but listen to "Tonight" for an epic classical piece and "Idol" for one of his few forays into smokey jazz piano. Those two songs alone are worth the price of admission.
- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) Most often considered his "masterpiece." Definitely an amazing album. I prefer the intimacy of the four above it, but there's no denying the quality that spans both discs. An accomplishment that stands the test of time, and is consistently featured on every "Top 100 albums of all time" list.
- Madman Across the Water (1971) I like this one a lot, though many critics felt it contained too many throw-away songs. But with "Tiny Dancer," "Levon," the title cut, "Indian Sunset," "Holiday Inn," and "All the Nasties," I don't see how this can be considered anything other than a stellar achievement.
- Tumbleweed Connection (1971) EJ's third effort, a country-flavored rocker that showed his versatile vocal style. He expands on his unique phrasing, eventually becoming adept at wrenching multi-syllabic mouthfuls out of the smallest words. The show stopping "Burn Down the Mission" is on here, along with Leslie Duncan's gorgeous "Love Song."
- Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973) This album was released in early 1973, just prior to "Yellow Brick Road." Hard to pick a favorite, though I'm partial to "Elderberry Wine," "High Flying Bird" and "Have Mercy on the Criminal." It's another solid effort in Elton's canon that further propelled his star.
- Honky Château (1972) When you listen to his albums in chronological order, it's easy to spot that he had matured as a songwriter and vocalist by the time this was released. "Rocket Man" may be the most famous of the album cuts, but there's not a mediocre song on it.
- Caribou (1974) A feel-good album, though when compared to what came before it, a bit of a let-down. We all know "The Bitch is Back" and "Don't Let the Sun..." but have a listen to "Ticking" for the best track. And who doesn't love the fuzzy tiger shirt?
Elton John to play concert in Moscow
Moscow, Dec 10 (IANS/RIA Novosti) British pop and rock singer Elton John will play a concert in Moscow’s Crocus City Hall Dec 12, the official website of the musician said.
‘Elton John is coming with a new show, where he will play together with famous drummer Ray Cooper. They will play Elton’s old and new songs but with an accent on the drums,’ Yelena Maslova from Russia’s Melnitsa company, which is organising the concert, said, adding that the show will last for two-and-a-half-hours.
How fast did the Elton John tickets sell out? Too fast, some disgruntled fans say
timescolonist.com December 10, 2010 Comments (32)
Elton John has two concert dates in Victoria: Feb. 14 and 15.
Photograph by: Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Tickets for two Elton John concerts at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in February sold out quickly Friday morning. Too quickly, according to some disgruntled fans.
The highly anticipated concerts officially reached their capacity within 30 minutes of going on sale at 10 a.m., which did not come as a surprise. John, who has never performed in Victoria in his four-decade career, remains a hugely popular artist on the touring circuit.
"These concerts mark the absolute high point of entertainment in Victoria and people have responded with unprecedented fervour and desire to see rock and roll royalty," Dave Dakers, president of RG Properties, which operates the Blanshard Street arena, said in a news release.
Those who were left out in the cold did not feel the same fervour, however.
Tickets could be purchased online or by phone through Select Your Tickets, the arena's box office. A limited number of tickets were also available through the fan club at eltonjohn.com, which gave members advance access to eight rows of tickets at each show.
Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/fast+Elton+John+tickets+sell+fast+some+disgruntled+fans/3959314/story.html#ixzz17wiav9LWHowever, some fans reported seeing tickets for sale on other ticket-selling websites, such as gotthetix.com, well before the official 10 a.m. start time — at double and triple the original cost of $89.50 and $149.50.
André Masters said he saw three or four pairs of tickets prior to the John on-sale, but thought little of it until he came up empty for tickets. Masters then took a closer look at the Connecticut-based company, which advertises itself as an intermediary between buyers and ticket sellers.
"I haven't a clue how they do it," Masters said. "But for the average person trying to get through, within one minute of 10 a.m., and [to] get nowhere — that's crazy."
Larry Doughty had a similar issue with gotthetix.com's apparent access to tickets. Seconds after he was told tickets were sold out, he noticed dozens of seats available at the secondary ticket site.
"In my mind there's no way they could have organized that without knowing what their inventory was before the sale. The speed with which this scalper site was up and running ... they didn't pick them up a few seconds ago."
Arena officials and the Vancouver branch of the concert's promoter, Live Nation Entertainment, declined to comment further on the issue.
Demand for tickets to events at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre has been an ongoing hot topic. In 2007, an intra-squad game between Vancouver Canucks players sold out in just four minutes.
Cher's first local appearance in 2005, one of the venue's first high-profile concerts, sold out in less time.
More than 12,000 total seats were available for John's Feb. 14 and 15 performances at the arena. Selectyourtickets.com, which can reportedly handle between 2,500 to 3,000 requests at one time, was extremely busy Friday morning but did not report any problems.
mdevlin@timescolonist.com
The highly anticipated concerts officially reached their capacity within 30 minutes of going on sale at 10 a.m., which did not come as a surprise. John, who has never performed in Victoria in his four-decade career, remains a hugely popular artist on the touring circuit.
"These concerts mark the absolute high point of entertainment in Victoria and people have responded with unprecedented fervour and desire to see rock and roll royalty," Dave Dakers, president of RG Properties, which operates the Blanshard Street arena, said in a news release.
Those who were left out in the cold did not feel the same fervour, however.
Tickets could be purchased online or by phone through Select Your Tickets, the arena's box office. A limited number of tickets were also available through the fan club at eltonjohn.com, which gave members advance access to eight rows of tickets at each show.
Britain's Elton John (right) shares a light moment with Evgeny Lebedev, chairman of The Independent newspaper, at their editorial offices in London, England on Nov. 30. John was the guest editor of the special World Aids Day edition of the British daily paper.
Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/fast+Elton+John+tickets+sell+fast+some+disgruntled+fans/3959314/story.html#ixzz17wiav9LW
André Masters said he saw three or four pairs of tickets prior to the John on-sale, but thought little of it until he came up empty for tickets. Masters then took a closer look at the Connecticut-based company, which advertises itself as an intermediary between buyers and ticket sellers.
"I haven't a clue how they do it," Masters said. "But for the average person trying to get through, within one minute of 10 a.m., and [to] get nowhere — that's crazy."
Larry Doughty had a similar issue with gotthetix.com's apparent access to tickets. Seconds after he was told tickets were sold out, he noticed dozens of seats available at the secondary ticket site.
"In my mind there's no way they could have organized that without knowing what their inventory was before the sale. The speed with which this scalper site was up and running ... they didn't pick them up a few seconds ago."
Arena officials and the Vancouver branch of the concert's promoter, Live Nation Entertainment, declined to comment further on the issue.
Demand for tickets to events at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre has been an ongoing hot topic. In 2007, an intra-squad game between Vancouver Canucks players sold out in just four minutes.
Cher's first local appearance in 2005, one of the venue's first high-profile concerts, sold out in less time.
More than 12,000 total seats were available for John's Feb. 14 and 15 performances at the arena. Selectyourtickets.com, which can reportedly handle between 2,500 to 3,000 requests at one time, was extremely busy Friday morning but did not report any problems.
mdevlin@timescolonist.com
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
Elton John and Leon Russell on Rolling Stone 2010 Top Albums with 'The Union'
(CLICK FOR FULL VIEW) The Elton John - Leon Russell collaboration 'The Union' is the #3 album of 2010 according to Rolling Stone
Photo: Decca The Union, which was released on October 19, 2010, was at once a departure and a homecoming for John. The British singer-songwriter's recent compositions have been heavy on theater-stylings for Broadway successes like "Billy Elliot." But when examining John's early work (like Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water), some of his most interesting songs were written in the blues/gospel/country flavor that dominates The Union.
Leon Russell, 68, was an idol of Elton John's when John first came to the United States in 1970. Although the two musicians met during that trip to the States, there was mutual admiration and some session work but never a real opportunity to collaborate.
Until The Union, that is. The duo started working on the album in 2009, with Russell contributing songs and co-writing others with John (and John's long-time songwriting partner Bernie Taupin). Produced by T Bone Burnett, the colorful album provides an old-time feel complete with brass and gospel choirs.
The Union has been receiving very positive reviews, and the album's first single, "If It Wasn't For Bad," has been nominated for a 2010 GRAMMY® award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.
Elton John's last album, The Captain and the Kid, was released in 2006.
Elton John to sing against California's Proposition 8
http://news.pinkpaper.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=4439Elton John will perform a private concert in Beverly Hills, California on 19 January to raise money for the ongoing federal lawsuit against Proposition 8.
Rex Wockner
Monday, 13 December 2010
6 December 2010
Elton John will perform a private concert in Beverly Hills, California on 19 January to raise money for the ongoing federal lawsuit against Proposition 8.The concert, to benefit the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which hired the gay side's superstar attorneys, Ted Olson and David Boies, will take place at the Green Acres estate of billionaire political fundraiser Ron Burkle.
"We are deeply honored to have the support of Sir Elton John," said AFER Board President Chad Griffin. "The American Foundation for Equal Rights stands for the enduring principle that all Americans are created equal, and believes that ending state-sanctioned discrimination is a critical step we must take toward ending the hate crimes and suicides that continue to claim the lives of young Americans."
John has not always been a supporter of same-sex marriage.
On 12 November, 2008, eight days after voters passed Prop 8, he told USA Today: "What is wrong with Proposition 8 is that they went for marriage. Marriage is going to put a lot of people off, the word 'marriage'. ... I don't want to be married. I'm very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership. ... Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships."
Prop 8 was struck down as unconstitutional at the federal district court level. The ruling is currently on appeal at the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which heard oral arguments on 6 December.
Plain song
Terence Dackombe examines
the art of the instrumental.
http://www.therockingvicar.webeden.co.uk/#/instrumentals/4546440223
Instrumentals. I don’t like them.
It’s simply laziness on the part of the composer. Sitting at the piano or hunched over the guitar and constructing a tune, it’s the easy route to loll back in the chair and say, “That’s it! My day’s work is done. My opus is complete.”
I’m telling these idle songsters that they need to (as we tune observers like to say) walk the extra mile and add some words to their little melody. What sort of career would Elton have enjoyed if he hadn’t realised the limit of his capabilities and subsequently handed over his albeit catchy compositions to the care of Bernie Taupin. A very limited career is the answer.
What joy Bernie has brought with his well considered lyrics – well, like those for ‘Island Girl’ for example:
I see your teeth flash, Jamaican honey so sweet; Down where Lexington cross 47th Street; She's a big girl, she's standing six foot three; Turning tricks for the dudes in the big city.
Island girl; What you wantin' wid de white man's world; Island girl; Black boy want you in his island world; He want to take you from the racket boss; He want to save you but the cause is lost; Island girl, island girl, island girl; Tell me what you wantin' wid de white man's world
She's black as coal but she burn like a fire; And she wrap herself around you like a well worn tire; You feel her nail scratch your back just like a rake; He one more gone, he one more John who make a mistake.
Oh... no, wait a minute. That’s racist, sexist, and several other ists too, I imagine.
Yet the point is still valid; Elton’s instrumentals are usually doomy affairs, aimed at the dead or dying.
Instrumentals rarely bother the compilers of the charts, because they generally follow the Elton Rule in that you may hear them once or twice, say ‘meh’ and move on to something you can sing along to. Successful instrumentals are usually associated with a visual ‘pick-me-up’ which helps them sell a few copies by association as they form the aural backdrop to television shows or movies.
A list of instrumental hits that have edged into the top twenty in the Billboard Charts shows an almost exclusive adherence to that movie association. In my extensive research (OK, a quick look at Wikipedia) I found that no instrumental has troubled the Billboard Top Twenty since 1996.
We have fallen completely out of love with instrumentals. We’ve had to tell them that it isn’t them, it’s us. We just don’t feel the same and we need to start hearing new tunes. Ones with words.
Yes, I can hear you at the back, shouting out with your Booker T and the MGs, and your Classical Gas. The former’s canon is made up of tunes that are only heard as add-ons to TV shows, and the latter (and its ilk) are just showing off pieces that we listen to with respect; then we say ‘meh’ again, and play Abbey Road.
The most vital deficiency of the instrumental is that the writer can only prompt you in an abstract way. They can only paint a possibility of engagement. They might be able to lift your mood, or lead you to reflection, but they aren’t letting you in.
Words are our most powerful tool. Words stop wars; they break hearts and have the power to repair them.
A tune without words is a monochrome landscape, a dreamless sleep, a straight line that leads us nowhere. Composers of melodies – bring us your words, your thoughts, your dreams, your curved lines, and colour in our panorama.
But maybe don’t give the lyric writing gig to Bernie Taupin.
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