A reminder to visit and comment here: Mama Can't Buy You Love: The Official ILM Track-By-Track ELTON JOHN 1978-1988 Listening Thread
― Bryan Fairy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 31 January 2014 00:50 (ten years ago) link
Disc 2: Bonus material - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Revisited…and Beyond (previously unreleased)
Candle in the Wind – Ed SheeranBennie and The Jets – MiguelGoodbye Yellow Brick Road – Hunter HayesGrey Seal – The Band PerrySweet Painted Lady – John GrantAll the Girls Love Alice – Emili SandeYour Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock ‘N Roll) – Imelda MaySaturday Night’s Alright for Fighting – Fall Out BoyHarmony – Zac Brown Band
Curious to hear whether Miguel can redeem one of my least favourite songs ever. Not the least bit curious to hear anything else here.
― Inside Lewellyn Sinclair (cryptosicko), Friday, 28 February 2014 17:19 (ten years ago) link
Miguel could redeem "In Neon."
― Bryan Fairy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 28 February 2014 17:22 (ten years ago) link
"Candle in the Wind – Ed Sheeran"
can this prevented? court injunction, something?
― col, Friday, 28 February 2014 17:26 (ten years ago) link
they should have let him do that, then, and saved "bennie and the jets" for biz markie.
― fact checking cuz, Friday, 28 February 2014 17:29 (ten years ago) link
Miguel and Band Perry the only ones there I'm kinda interested in. Gotta say I wish Miguel was on more of a song but I can sorta picture him making 'Bennie' work with the psychedelic angle.
― Doctor Casino, Friday, 28 February 2014 18:01 (ten years ago) link
Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding has nary a note out of place. Johnstone's guitar fills compliment the piano so so well.
― Neanderthal, Saturday, 29 March 2014 15:04 (ten years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_HJAWe8z9I
― an office job is as secure as a Weetabix padlock (snoball), Saturday, 29 March 2014 15:19 (ten years ago) link
Elton John on 'liberating' recording of 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'
I would get up in the morning, Bernie would be typing away at a typewriter. He would give me a lyric. I would have my breakfast. I'd go to the electric piano. I'd start writing the song. Dee, Nigel and Davey would come down for breakfast and join in. We'd learn the song after breakfast and go over and record it. It was really, really a wonderful way to write and record. We did four tracks a day, probably.
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 10 April 2014 00:54 (ten years ago) link
Anyone else throw Elton John lyrics into conversations as naturally as possible to see if people catch them? My favorite is "well it seems to me she lived her lofe like a candle in the wind" but "I'm not a present for your friends to open" can work too during really bitter fights with a s.o.
― très hip (Treeship), Thursday, 10 April 2014 01:16 (ten years ago) link
"To shave in someone else's mirrorIs one desire I haven't dreamed of yet"
― Bryan Fairy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 10 April 2014 01:17 (ten years ago) link
Pretty easy to find opportunities to say "this boys too young to be singing the blues" as well
― très hip (Treeship), Thursday, 10 April 2014 01:18 (ten years ago) link
That lyric is "advanced" for this game Alfred. It usually would seem forced
― très hip (Treeship), Thursday, 10 April 2014 01:20 (ten years ago) link
Oh this album. Who writes songs like Goodbye Yellow Brick Road now? Honestly...what is comparable in 2016?
― It certainly is punk of the Church of England to think that way (tangenttangent), Thursday, 30 June 2016 23:43 (seven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS84BMFszW0
― piscesx, Thursday, 30 June 2016 23:56 (seven years ago) link
very Elton. IMO.
― piscesx, Thursday, 30 June 2016 23:57 (seven years ago) link
I hear that. Probably also accounts for why I like FJM as much as I do. All the aching ooohs and ohs are very Elton, specifically, as in "Curtains," etc.
― Harvey Manfrenjensenden (Doctor Casino), Friday, 1 July 2016 18:55 (seven years ago) link
"Social Disease" is the jam imo
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 4 July 2017 11:51 (six years ago) link
This album had my super cool gatefold art, a different illustration for each song with the lyrics. Social Disease was a good one. I wonder if it's online somewhere...
― kornrulez6969, Tuesday, 4 July 2017 15:22 (six years ago) link
http://vinylsamongotherthings.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/105_5184.jpg
― kornrulez6969, Tuesday, 4 July 2017 15:24 (six years ago) link
One thing I love about Elton John is that he completely, single-handedly debunked the myth that shovelling shitloads of drugs up your nose automatically leads to genius. This album is great, but by god did his material take a nosedive (no pun intended) when the coke addiction took hold.
― The Anti-Climax Blues Band (Turrican), Tuesday, 4 July 2017 21:50 (six years ago) link
coke gives you tons of energy but it makes you scattered, self critical/confident/doubtful in equal measure. I don't think it can account for bad ideas.
Which albums do you think were lacklustre?
― Unchanging Window (Ross), Tuesday, 4 July 2017 21:56 (six years ago) link
Pretty much everything from Blue Moves onwards.
― The Anti-Climax Blues Band (Turrican), Tuesday, 4 July 2017 22:02 (six years ago) link
Grey Seal has grown to be my favorite, I love the way the drums sound on it - that last round of tom fills at the end that are mic'd really hot.
Just discovered the early B-side version recently, that one's great too.
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 4 July 2017 22:45 (six years ago) link
"gray seal" is great for real but "funeral for a friend / love lies bleeding" is just so completely unbelievable, one of the major resplendent '70s prog epics that's way too intense and awesome to imagine new on the radio anytime after 1977, rivaling how synthtastic even "blinded by the light" is
― reggie (qualmsley), Wednesday, 5 July 2017 02:34 (six years ago) link
Yeah, it rules.
For no real reason I looked it up and it finished bafflingly low in the classic rock tracks poll, at #312 (tying with My Sweet Lord and Rock & Roll All Nite!). To be fair, in general artists big enough to have their own polls kind of underperformed there (which is understandable) - but resplendent prog epics, save "Roundabout" (#24) also seemed to do poorly, with "Come Sail Away" stuck at #261. That still blows my mind and I'm convinced it Means Something in terms of the ILM hivemind. "Blinded By The Light," which probably gets played the most of any of them on actual classic rock radio, tied "Riders on the Storm" for #108.
― ﴿→ ☺ (Doctor Casino), Wednesday, 5 July 2017 03:00 (six years ago) link
it finished bafflingly low in the classic rock tracks poll, at #312
"funeral/love" my #52 (sandwiched between the epic "don't stop believin'" and the resplendent "killer queen"). never thought of "blinded by the light" as a resplendent prog epic and didn't vote for it.
and oh lord "grey seal" yes.
― fact checking cuz, Wednesday, 5 July 2017 05:46 (six years ago) link
This is a full hi res scan of the working drawing for my Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album cover from 1973 recently rediscovered pic.twitter.com/A3zgKXVmU6— Ian Beck (@ianarchiebeck) July 10, 2017
― 𝔠𝔞𝔢𝔨 (caek), Monday, 10 July 2017 15:59 (six years ago) link
cooooooool
― ﴿→ ☺ (Doctor Casino), Monday, 10 July 2017 16:48 (six years ago) link
The only version of "Candle in the Wind" I can listen to is the one most of us knew growing up: the Live in Australia one that became a top ten hit in late '87 or early '88.
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, March 16, 2012 9:40 PM bookmarkflaglink
the funny thing when I first bought and listened to GYBR is that I realized I hadn't even fucking heard this version, because the version I thought was the original for years as a kid was the infamous Live in Australia one, which works a lot better. album version is very stiff, plodding, a bit lifeless in comparison, version with just a piano and some actual vocal riffing from Elton, with his huskier 80s voice, really made it a better tune for me.
I feel like there's quite a few of these tunes where a remix or a live version of the song is the version I grew up knowing of a song with a completely different genesis. though I don't think "I Want You to Want ME" counts cos I think everybody knows that's a live version.
― cancel culture club (Neanderthal), Saturday, 12 June 2021 18:07 (two years ago) link
Listening to this on vinyl right now and thinking, during the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"/"This Song Has No Title"/"Grey Seal" stretch, that Side Two of this album might represent the absolute peak of Elton's career, and then boom--"Jamaica Jerk Off" happens.
― Les hommes de bonbons (cryptosicko), Wednesday, 15 February 2023 20:59 (one year ago) link
It's as excessive as anything, certainly a bit bloated - - - does anyone do White Album style single-disc scenarios for this?
I did. I tried to make it a single LP but it was tough. IIRC it was:
1. Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding2. Candle In The Wind3. Bennie & The Jets4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road5. Grey Seal6. I’ve Seen That Movie Too7. All The Girls Love Alice8. Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock ‘n Roll)9. Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting10. Harmony
That's probably 50 minutes so still on the long side.
― birdistheword, Wednesday, 15 February 2023 22:17 (one year ago) link
(I guess I'm the only one who wants "Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock ‘n Roll)" leading into "Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting." Or who feels "Candle" should remain since it's a hit.)
― birdistheword, Wednesday, 15 February 2023 22:20 (one year ago) link
pretty much my keepers but I won't be as perverse as to pare this album.
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 15 February 2023 22:34 (one year ago) link
How I ranked the songs three years ago:
he Hague
Jamaican Jerk-Off
Meh
Candle in the WindThis Song Has No TitleSweet Painted Lady
Sound, Solid
Roy RogersAll the Girls Love AliceThe Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909–34)Dirty Little GirlYour Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock ‘n Roll)
Good to Great
HarmonySaturday Night’s Alright for FightingBennie and the JetsGoodbye Yellow Brick RoadFuneral for a Friend/Love Lies BleedingI’ve Seen That Movie TooGrey SealSocial Disease
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 15 February 2023 22:43 (one year ago) link
I like more songs on Blue Moves than I really enjoy on this, though I had to listen to the former a lot to get into it.
― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 16 February 2023 01:21 (one year ago) link
It doesn't help the case for Blue Moves that side one is the weakest, though.
― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 16 February 2023 01:22 (one year ago) link
wow
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 16 February 2023 02:48 (one year ago) link
Funeral for a Friend into Love Lies Bleeding is perhaps one of the greatest openings to a rock n roll album in history.
― waiting for a czar to fall (Neanderthal), Thursday, 16 February 2023 02:54 (one year ago) link
Candle in the Wind's only good version is the live one from 88
― waiting for a czar to fall (Neanderthal), Thursday, 16 February 2023 02:55 (one year ago) link
Grey Seal rules
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 16 February 2023 03:06 (one year ago) link
otm xpost
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 16 February 2023 03:06 (one year ago) link
yeah Grey Seal is great.
― waiting for a czar to fall (Neanderthal), Thursday, 16 February 2023 03:39 (one year ago) link
Title track is the basic choice but I don’t care, I’m basic.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 16 February 2023 04:12 (one year ago) link
My mother has an unhealthy obsession with Princess Diana and I heard Candle in the Wind every day for a year straight after her death. It would be a good candidate song for torturing prisoners.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 16 February 2023 04:14 (one year ago) link
I guess this is widely considered his magnum opus but I’m more of a Honky Chateau kind of person.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 16 February 2023 04:16 (one year ago) link
Too much boring, decadent clutter in Madman and Yellow Brick Road for me
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 16 February 2023 04:18 (one year ago) link
Sorry for the multi-messages, time to go listen to Mona Lisa and the Mad Hatters and go to sleep.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 16 February 2023 04:23 (one year ago) link
Yeah, Honky Chateau is easily my favorite too. Excellent start-to-finish and very cohesive. Yellow Brick Road and Rock of the Westies are the only others I listen to. Outside of that, compilations feel like the best way to explore the rest.
― birdistheword, Thursday, 16 February 2023 04:35 (one year ago) link
No love for Tumbleweed Connection? Sure it's ersatz Americana but the songs are terrific (and none have been overplayed to the same extent as Bennie, Rocket Man or Candle.) Easily my top choice of EJ albums.
Bird, I'm generally onboard with your tastes but your ranking Rock of the Westies loses me.
― doug watson, Thursday, 16 February 2023 10:16 (one year ago) link