Mo' Elton -- Greatest Hits, 1976-1986 (for Greatest Hits, Vol. 3)

"Sad Songs" ultimately takes it. (Even though it doesn't say a lot, and isn't particularly sad.)

OTM

Their very obscurity makes those '78-81 singles refreshing to hear and enjoyable for their trendy genre-hopping. (Synthpop, Eurodisco, Sparks-prog...) Damn, I'm wishing I had a box-set right now

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word shits on them all from on high

what rogermexico said above about "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues"

as to the worst song: "Who Wears These Shoes?" for me. Until last year I though the Weird Al song "Don't Wear Those Shoes" wasn't a parody (Weird Al usually has a few originals on his records). Then I heard the Elton song finally. Weird Al's is better.

rubbish sleeve

That cricket bat is missed

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word shits on them all from on high

-- Bo Jackson Overdrive, Monday, December 17, 2007 9:07 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

bo jackson speaks truth.

A lot of OK songs here, "Don't Go Breakin'" rises to pretty good so I went w/ that. Man, have some of these been played to death on lite radio/grocery store soundsystems for 20 years +. Never owned it, but I bet I've heard "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" 500 times in my life just at work, either in grocery stores or the radio tuned to lite radio in a photocopy room.

I guess I was right in voting for "I Guess That Why...", but "Empty Garden" is a great song that strangely is among his lesser hits of the period.

"Song For Guy" really ought to be in there. It was his only major UK hit (i.e. top ten) in the six-year gap between "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and "Blue Eyes."

Also "Cold As Christmas (In The Middle Of The Year)" from Too Low For Zero is a seriously underrated song.

Ok I've heard all of these songs again and the best is "Empty Garden" - a decent lyric and a pretty harrowing vocal performance. He clearly missed his lost weekend buddy.

Worst is "Wrap Her Up" - sexist claptrap from the closet like "Livin' La Vida Loca." Only here it's worse because there are two closeted megastars, one echoing the other. Ugh. The pits! Really fuckin' ugly.

But the best song in this thread is "Passengers" which I'd never heard before. Sounds like Elton filtering mbaqanga through Malcolm McLaren.

You mean, Elton John was part of the lost weekend bunch? I thought that was Lennon, Nilsson and Keith Moon.

I thought he coked it up with Elton too, no?

Bowie?

Yeah, "Wrap Her Up" is vile shit. And I'm kind of surprised not many people are boosting "Empty Garden" -- it's by far the best sentimental tribute to John, superior to "All Those Years Ago" or that Paul Simon collab with Philip Glass.

No "Ego", no credibilityvote from me

I love "... Blues" and "Empty Garden" a whole lot, but I went with "I'm So Excited that I'm Still Standing."

"Ego"'s the one that kinda reminds me of Sparks in some way

I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

"Don'tchoo go breaking my heart!"
"I want go breaking your heart!!"

Lots of good songs. "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" best of all.

it's by far the best sentimental tribute to John, superior to "All Those Years Ago" or that Paul Simon collab with Philip Glass.

"Empty Garden" is ace, but not better than "Here Today" or "The Late Great Johnny Ace".

I love the mix on "I'm Still Standing." It has a certain energy to it.

"I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" is great, but it annoys me greatly that because there is nothing in the song that explains the etymology of the phrase "The Blues," the title refrain is completely nonsensical. Seriously, Mr. Taupin- wtf?

im still standing!!!!

I non-dislike a lot of these, surprisingly enough! The Kiki Dee duet might deservigly win, but I voted for "Sad Songs (Say So Much)," which is a song about sad songs without actually being one, a neat trick (if nobody already pointed that out up above.)

I strongly suspect "Mama Can't Buy You Love" ...might be worse

I agree with the other unmemorable nonentities that Michaelangelo named, but this was toward the tail end of Elton's Philly-disco-wannabe phase (from the Thom Bell Sessions EP, right? Which, now that I think of it, may or may not be up there with the Honeydrippers and David Lee Roth as one of the biggest-selling EPs ever.) And it's not so bad.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Lots of "Nikita" votes!

"I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" is great, but it annoys me greatly that because there is nothing in the song that explains the etymology of the phrase "The Blues," the title refrain is completely nonsensical. Seriously, Mr. Taupin- wtf?

OTM, thank you!

You mean, Elton John was part of the lost weekend bunch? I thought that was Lennon, Nilsson and Keith Moon.

no idea if elton was boozing/coking it up with john and harry, but all of elton and lennon's collaborations -- "whatever gets you through the night," "lucy in the sky," madison sq garden -- came during the lost weekend period. for whatever that's worth.

Lots of "Nikita" votes!

i've got a soft spot for that song, too (though it didn't get my vote).

i am only sad that "sorry seems to be the hardest word" didn't get more votes. though i am glad that "empty garden" only got 2 votes -- such sloppy treacle, since elton (and even bernie!) could do sadness and remorse so much better.

has anyone ever tried rifling through the mid period 80s elton stuff for his 'temorary secretary' or same? i mean of that era he's said 'it sounds like a dead man in there' but really that only adds to the unloved-tune-with-electro-dancefloor-potential! it's all on SPOTIFY which might make this easier.

UUUUUUUUUUUGH "Little Jeannie." I just heard you at Target a little while ago.

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" has some of the best anonymous studio musician drumming I've ever heard (the hi-hat kicks!). WHO IS THAT???

I'm pretty sure the drummer was Roger Pope, who was the regular sticksman in the Elton John Band at the time. Ah yes, here we go:

ROCKET ROKN 512 (UK: #1; 14 weeks)

A. Don't Go Breaking My Heart (with Kiki Dee) (4:23)
B. Snow Queen (with Kiki Dee) (5:54)

A-side writing credit is shown as Ann Orson & Carte Blanche, actually Elton John & Bernie Taupin.
Produced by Gus Dudgeon. Other musicians are: Davey Johnstone - guitar; Kenny Passarelli - bass guitar and Roger Pope - drums. A-side strings arranged by James Newton-Howard

whoa "Empty Garden" is pretty great! The electronic touches are nice and push the maudlin toward creepy, which I suspect was the intended effect.

Hai consensus -- "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" is fuckin' great.

I feel "I'm Still Standing" really got undue short shrift here.

Benny Hill cost it all of its UK votes i suspect

has anyone ever tried rifling through the mid period 80s elton stuff for his 'temorary secretary' or same? i mean of that era he's said 'it sounds like a dead man in there' but really that only adds to the unloved-tune-with-electro-dancefloor-potential! it's all on SPOTIFY which might make this easier.

"Too Low For Zero"?

"Passengers", as mentioned above..

yeah Crystal off Too Low For Zero is pretty much a buried electroclash treasure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSIkFqffgzo