Genre Pop, Rock
Evaluation Once again, I am speechless that NO ONE has reviewed this album. Not only is it one of the greatest albums to come out in the 70’s but it is one of the greatest albums to come out of all time. If my memory serves me correctly almost every song from this album was played on the radio at one time or another here in the states. Of course Elton John was so big at the time it should come as no surprise, but what is surprising is that this was a double album and as most of you probably know double albums usually contain a lot of junk. Well, not this gem. I am not going to review every song (17 of them) just the ones that are truly the best of the best and try to limit it to 5. Now this should be fun.
1) Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding This song is about 11 minutes long. It seems more like 5. This song has a true split personality. The beginning (Funeral For A Friend) is very soft and eerie. The ending (Love Lies Bleeding) is a real rocker. One of Elton John’s greatest moments in music. If you’ve never heard this then you are in for a real treat.
2) Candle In The Wind You’re probably sick of hearing all the versions of this by now but this one is the original and still the best. If only Marilyn Monroe could have heard it. She’d be crying her eyes out.
3) Goodbye Yellow Brick Road This song was so requested at his concerts that Elton finally said he couldn’t do it anymore. This is songwriting at its best. I never got tired of this song. The arrangement is just perfect. This will probably go down in history as one of pops greatest tunes.
4) Saturday Night’s All Right For Fighting This is a real rocker. As a matter of fact it is probably Elton John’s hardest rock song ever. Not known for being a real rocker, this tune shows everyone beyond any doubt that he can do it all. This wasn’t a really big hit, probably because it was so different from what people were used to, but it is still one of his best.
5) Harmony There is little I could say about this song to do it justice. This is one of the most well thought out tunes Elton has ever done, all the way down to the end where he harmonizes the chorus with a number of chord changes. The song is pure perfection and one you won’t soon forget.
Bottom Line: Elton John and Bernie Taupin as songwriters are unequalled by no one, not even Lennon and McCartney. The truth is most of the Beatles best songs were written individually (sorry to destroy the myth). But these two were a real pair, as evidenced by when they broke up and Elton’s stuff was, well, junk. Enjoy them now people because some day they will be gone and the only thing we will have left of them is the great music they left behind.