ELTON JOHN – DUCKTAIL JIVER

“Ducktail Jiver” is one of the most obscure and intriguing recordings in the career of Elton John. The song was recorded in January 1974 during the sessions for the album Caribou, but it was ultimately left off the original release. For decades, it remained virtually unknown to the general public, mentioned mainly among collectors and researchers of Elton John’s work.

The track is classified as an outtake, meaning a studio recording that was completed but excluded from the final album tracklist for artistic or editorial reasons. In the case of “Ducktail Jiver,” it stands out for presenting a sound that differs from what most listeners associate with Elton John from that era. One of its most surprising aspects is that Elton does not play piano or keyboards on the recording, an extremely rare occurrence in his catalog, since the piano is central to his musical identity.

The lyrics reflect the highly visual and slightly surreal style typical of the songwriting partnership between Elton John and his longtime lyricist, Bernie Taupin. The imagery suggests eccentric characters, vivid scenes, and a road-like atmosphere infused with enigmatic humor, a hallmark of many compositions written by the duo throughout the 1970s.

For many years, “Ducktail Jiver” existed only as a reference in studio documentation, without an official, widely available release. This changed recently when the track was finally included in the 50th anniversary edition of Caribou, released specially for Record Store Day 2024. In this reissue, the song was recognized as the only true outtake from the Caribou sessions, significantly increasing its historical value.

Although it is not a well-known song and has never been performed live, “Ducktail Jiver” holds considerable documentary importance. It offers deeper insight into Elton John’s creative process during one of the most prolific periods of his career and demonstrates that even material left off the original albums could be rich, experimental, and worthy of rediscovery decades later.

Today, “Ducktail Jiver” is regarded as a hidden gem within Elton John’s catalog — a recording that broadens our understanding of the Caribou sessions and reinforces the idea that there are still unexplored layers within the body of work of one of the greatest figures in popular music history.

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