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All rights reserved.Greatest Hits - John, Elton (CD 1990)
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| Track Listing 1. Your Song 2. Daniel 3. Honky Cat 4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 5. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting 6. Rocket Man 7. Bennie and the Jets 8. Candle in the Wind 9. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me 10. Border Song 11. Crocodile Rock
Album Notes Personnel includes: Elton John (vocals, piano, electric piano, organ, Mellotron); Davey Johnstone (acoustic & electric guitars, banjo, background vocals); Frank Clark (acoustic guitar); Clive Hicks (guitar, 12-string guitar); Colin Green (guitar); Jean-Louis Chautemps, Alain Hatot (saxophone); Ivan Jullien (trumpet); Jacques Bolognesi (trombone); Brian Dee (organ); Ken Scott, David Hentschel (ARP synthesizer); Dee Murray (bass, background vocals); Dave Richmond (bass); Nigel Olsson (drums, maracas, background vocals); Barry Morgan (drums); Ray Cooper (tambourine, bells); Carl Wilson, Toni Tenille, Bruce Johnston (background vocals). Engineers include: Robin Geoffrey Cable, Ken Scott, David Hentschel. Recorded at Trident Studios, London, England; Strawberry Studios, France; Caribou Ranch, Colorado between 1970 and 1974. Personnel includes: Elton John (vocals, piano, electric piano, organ, Mellotron); Frank Clark (acoustic guitar); Davey Johnstone (acoustic & electric guitars, banjo, background vocals); Clive Hicks (guitar, 12-string guitar); Colin Green (guitar); Jean-Louis Chautemps, Alain Hatot (saxophone); Ivan Jullien (trumpet); Jacques Bolognesi (trombone); Brian Dee (organ); Ken Scott, David Hentschel (ARP synthesizer); Dave Richmond (bass); Dee Murray (bass, background vocals); Nigel Olsson (drums, maracas, background vocals); Barry Morgan (drums); Ray Cooper (tambourine, bells); Carl Wilson, Bruce Johnston, Toni Tenille (background vocals). Engineers: Robin Geoffrey Cable (tracks 1, 9); Ken Scott (tracks 2-3, 6, 10); David Hentschel (tracks 4-5, 7, 11); Clive Franks (track 8). Recorded at Trident Studios, London, England; Strawberry Studios, France; Caribou Ranch, Colorado between 1970 and 1974. All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. This Gold Disc includes one track, "Candle In The Wind," that isn't on the standard CD release. After Elton released 9 records in a four year span and undertook massive tours as well, GREATEST HITS was the second album he put out in 1974. The unprecedented success John had with lyricist Bernie Taupin resulted in a compilation of ten songs of which nine easily landed in Billboard's Top 20 at one point. John's enormous talents enabled him to shift gears from tender balladry ("Your Song") to raucous rock'n'roll ("Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting"), all the while pumping each song with abundant enthusiasm. Such was the widespread appeal of these compositions that when "Bennie And The Jets" was initially released, many black radio stations added it to their playlists, assuming that the singer was black. Seeing as the former Reginald Dwight had long been enamored of rhythm & blues, this was an easily made mistake. If "Crocodile Rock" gave EJ an outlet for expressing his love of early rock music, then "Border Song" allowed him to display gospel's influence on his music-making, right down to the choir he chose to back him on this song. After Elton released 9 records in a four year span and undertook massive tours as well, GREATEST HITS was the second album he put out in 1974. The unprecedented success John had with lyricist Bernie Taupin resulted in a compilation of ten songs of which nine easily landed in Billboard's Top 20 at one point. John's enormous talents enabled him to shift gears from tender balladry ("Your Song") to raucous rock'n'roll ("Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting"), all the while pumping each song with abundant enthusiasm. Such was the widespread appeal of these compositions that when "Bennie And The Jets" was initially released, many black radio stations added it to their playlists, assuming that the singer was black. Seeing as the former Reginald Dwight had long been enamored of rhythm & blues, this was an easily made mistake. If "Crocodile Rock" gave EJ an outlet for expressing his love of early rock music, then "Border Song" allowed him to display gospel's influence on his music-making, right down to the choir he chose to back him on this song. Editorial Reviews Rolling Stone (12/11/2003) | Find errors in the product description? Submit a catalog update request now. | ||||||||||||||||
  The Songs that Made Him a SuperstarReview created: 08/25/00 by: bobbo428 -- a member of Epinions  Pros: Has all of his top-20 hits from 1970 to Summer 1974 Cons: Omits several early-'70s hits, like "Friends" and "Tiny Dancer" The Songs that Made Him a Superstar This summer marks the 30th anniversary of Elton John's first chart appearance, with "Border Song." When I was a kid, I thought a "border song" was a hit that was released too late in the year to make the top 100 of that year--and too early to make the following year's top 100. Elton's first major hit was with "Your Song," a sincere recording in the singer-songwriter mold of the '70s (i.e. James Taylor, Carole King). This was my personal favorite, and it was strong on both melody and lyrics. His second top 10 hit came in the summer of 1972, with "Rocket Man." Since I was a melancholy kid, I enjoyed songs like this. For a while I thought this hit was titled, "I Think It's Gonna Be a long long Time." "Honky Cat" picked up the tempo a bit; this song elicits a lively, smoke-filled tavern at 11 o'clock on a Saturday night. When I was young, I wasn't sure if Elton meant "Get that honky cat" or "Get that, honky cat." "Crocodile Rock" was Elton's first #1 hit, in February 1973. This was one of those songs that inspired people to get up and dance. "Daniel" was an anti-war ballad with a sedate yet mournful melody. It talked of a brother who was departing to fight in a war--a brother who was missed. It was one of those rare songs that told of the bonds between siblings. "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" saw him kick out the jams. This was a summer-barbecue sort of hit, and it blasted from many radios in August 1973. The guitar breaks were slamming, and he was having a heck of a good time. The next single, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" saw Elton in a reflective mood once again. The song discussed how fame and fortune can be a double edged sword: One's life becomes a lot more complicated. The narrator longs for the simple, agrarian life that he left behind. "Bennie and the Jets" was Elton's first success on the R&B chart. This showed a hipper Elton who discussed various glitter-rock trends of the era. The hook was irresistible in this track, Elton's second #1 pop hit. "Candle in the Wind" was originally a cut from his "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album. This was the original version, an ode to Marilyn Monroe, who ironically died at age 36, the same age Princess Diana was when she passed away. "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" was a big hit in the summer of 1974. It spoke of desperation and depression--and the need for emotional support. Elton John had a variety of moods, and all were explored well during the early years of his career. This disc is a good introduction to his early work, though some good songs, like 1971's "Friends" and 1972's "Tiny Dancer" are missing. Review ID: 10000000000222806 Epinions.com ratings are not included in the item's average rating. Links in this review may have been removed. |
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