sorry but I have to do this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ecakrMaxkY
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:08 (ten years ago) link
haha
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:09 (ten years ago) link
I screened Fandango the other night, and thought of this poll when the opening credits came up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9D5mdq07uc
― A Made Man In The Mellow Mafia (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:15 (ten years ago) link
That was totally my introduction to that song, lol. Shockingly low imo.
― some dude, Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:15 (ten years ago) link
Xpost
Madman is my first really traumatic Taupin experience. dug the song before I started paying attention
Philadelphia Freedom and Saturday Night are great obviously. too low, both of them
― g simmel, Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:18 (ten years ago) link
It's got a fantastic guitar riff, good energy. Elton should've tried more uptempo glam/rock stuff when he had the opportunity.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:19 (ten years ago) link
Here's another link for the Spotify playlist - http://spoti.fi/1576dgG - so catch up and get ready for the top 10. I'll brb.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:24 (ten years ago) link
11 Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting 1 16 36312 Madman Across The Water 1 14 34513 Philadelphia Freedom 1 13 32514 Grey Seal 14 30615 Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters 2 12 30216 The Bitch Is Back 15 29317 Take Me To The Pilot 14 28618 Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word 1 12 26119 Don't Go Breaking My Heart 12 26120 Honky Cat 13 25421 Burn Down The Mission 1 9 24422 Daniel 11 21923 Elderberry Wine 1 9 21424 Candle In The Wind 11 20125 Sacrifice 9 18326 Amoreena 1 8 17327 Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me 7 14728 Tower Of Babel 6 13929 Harmony 5 13830 Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy 6 13131 All The Girls Love Alice 7 12932 The Ballad Of Danny Bailey 5 12433 I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That 7 12334 Mellow 7 11535 Crocodile Rock 5 11336 My Father's Gun 5 11137 High Flying Bird 4 10838 I've Seen That Movie Too 5 9539 Razor Face 4 9340 I Feel Like A Bullet (In The Gun Of Robert Ford) 5 9041 The Last Song 4 8942 We All Fall In Love Sometimes 1 3 8743 Where To Now St. Peter? 4 8544 Island Girl 5 8445 Are You Ready For Love? 4 8345 Holiday Inn 4 8347 Blue Eyes 3 8348 Border Song 5 8249 Too Low For Zero 4 8150 Little Jeannie 4 73
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:25 (ten years ago) link
Baaaaaaffled by ''Madman'' placing this high! Okay album track, great title, but I can't even remember how half of it goes.
It's funny - I don't really remember hearing ''Philadelphia Freedom'' or ''Bitch is Back'' until I was an adult, though both were hits. I suspect southern classic rock radio has little use for these two glammiest, showiest, campiest, vampiest out-n-proudest (but not) Elton numbers. I can easily foresee me only getting more in love with both.
Sadly, I have found myself unable to un-hear ''As I live and breathe, it's Philadelphia Cream Cheese!'' from the day that it first occurred to me.
― Doctor Casino, Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:34 (ten years ago) link
"Philadelphia Freedom"so much better at this bubblegum disco stuff than the overwrought theatrical ballads. still can't get past Taupin's tendency to use signifiers he seemingly has no understanding or grasp of, but it's a little more forgivable on pop fluff like this. this has kind of a disco-version of Proud Mary feel to it, as much because for the vocal mannerisms as the music and lyrical sentiments. 5 1/2 minutes of this is too much tho.
"Madman Across The Water"more cowbell.
"Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)"heard this one before. it's okay but another one that just sounds like a Bowie rip (Suffragete City maybe?) to me. lol @ Elton pretending to be a street fightin man. wtf is this 8 minute version, this song should be 2 1/2 minutes tops.
― what's up ugly girls? (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:35 (ten years ago) link
what mix are you listening to?
btw glam Bowie only got as good as Elton did with "Saturday Night" in "Watch That Man."
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:41 (ten years ago) link
it's a GOOD bowie rip!
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:41 (ten years ago) link
"mona lisas and mad hatters" was my #1, and i'm surprised it didn't make the top 10. it's all about that two-part harmony on the chorus. it's a really beautiful ballad melody throughout, and a great vocal performance. i've never had a clue what it was about, and i never cared.
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:45 (ten years ago) link
Baaaaaaffled by ''Madman'' placing this high!
tbh i'm more baffled that "Levon" is slated to place Top 10.
― sup (billstevejim), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:46 (ten years ago) link
"sorry seems" was high for me too. there's a live solo performance on the voting thread, from carson's "tonight show" I think, that completely melted me and kicked it up several spots.
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:48 (ten years ago) link
xpost ILX wears war wounds like crowns.
― A Made Man In The Mellow Mafia (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:48 (ten years ago) link
alvin tostig had a poll today...
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:49 (ten years ago) link
"Madman" now and forever
― sup (billstevejim), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:50 (ten years ago) link
this one?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppKem3YLvFo
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:50 (ten years ago) link
The ILX Times said 'Geir Is Dead'.
― A Made Man In The Mellow Mafia (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:50 (ten years ago) link
xp yes that one!
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:52 (ten years ago) link
shakie mo's "lack of depth" hetero-rockist criticisms itt have less substance and are becoming more grating than any elton schmaltz represented herein
― maven maven (Matt P), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:53 (ten years ago) link
I'm just goin off the youtubes in the thread
hetero-rockist?
― what's up ugly girls? (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:53 (ten years ago) link
being gay /= being shallow
― what's up ugly girls? (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:54 (ten years ago) link
Wasn't Elton hetero during most of these tunes? Not rockist I'll grant you.
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:55 (ten years ago) link
"shallow" as a criticism is meaningless and is usually a cover-up for "female" or "gay"
― maven maven (Matt P), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:56 (ten years ago) link
xp Never realized those hits in "Madman" were cowbell. That might just be from the live version posted here (which f'in owns btw).
― sup (billstevejim), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:57 (ten years ago) link
I don't mind Shakey playing Waldorf, and glad he offers at times musicological reasons for disagreeing, but the way you harp on about lyrics -- on an Elton John thread where every contributor has made peace with Taupin's often stupid words -- annoys me, yes.
Also, you're giving Bowie too much credit for depth.
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:58 (ten years ago) link
or, rather, by comparing the two implying that Elton John is the shallow one.
i.e. elton john just doesn't get american song tradition blah blah. well he gets it a lot more than you apparently do if you're calling the opening lick in honky cat "chinese," wtf
― maven maven (Matt P), Thursday, 22 August 2013 18:59 (ten years ago) link
I didn't hear "The Bitch Is Back" much growing up but now it seems like one of his mosy played songs on at least my local classic rock station
― some dude, Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:00 (ten years ago) link
my boss told me that "The Bitch is Back" and "Rich Girl" were favorites when he was in high school because he got to say "bitch" sitting in the back seat while one of those songs played.
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:01 (ten years ago) link
10. "Your Song" (1970) [365 points, 13 votes, 2 first place votes]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTa8U0Wa0q8
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:02 (ten years ago) link
xp he said faux chinese, and i've always heard it that way too.
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:03 (ten years ago) link
thought I was being pretty clear that I was referring to Taupin's tendency to throw around referents, symbols, and cliches without any apparent grasp of what they actually mean or refer to (see pretty much any reference to American geography or history), and to his tendency to write characters who have one trait or emotional state and that's it. there's no "twists" in any of these characters or stories, nothing that has any mystery or ambiguity or requires a little thought to tease out what's really being gotten at. there's plenty of random imagery thrown around but its all a bunch of noise obscuring the fact that Taupin can't write a narrative that contains anything other than the most basic elements (tragic protagonist is tragic! jilted lover feels jilted!) I can rattle off scores of GAY and FEMALE songwriters, from this era as well, who do this shit better (Lou Reed and Joni Mitchell spring to mind) and am kind of offended at the implication that I'm attempting to disguise some bias here.
xp
― what's up ugly girls? (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:04 (ten years ago) link
i think there's something distinct and weird about the way ej inhabits these traditions that's very of its time, all shakey seems to hear is violations of authenticity + wishing e.j. was something else altogether. xp
come on, that's ragtime
― maven maven (Matt P), Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:05 (ten years ago) link
but then again, NO PLEASE NOT THAT ONE
― Euler, Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:06 (ten years ago) link
as for bernie and the lyrics, not everyone cares as much about Creative Writing rules as you do
― maven maven (Matt P), Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:07 (ten years ago) link
the faux chinese riff is thishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrEOZk23FzA
and its totally in there and it was stupid and (even more) racist when Bowie did it too
― what's up ugly girls? (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:07 (ten years ago) link
Elton reverses the last couple notes of the phrase, Bowie just did it outright
― what's up ugly girls? (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:10 (ten years ago) link
"your song" was the first real song i learned on piano, and it holds a special place in my heart because of that. but it's rather a slight melody as elton goes and i find it a bit hard to sit through these days.
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:10 (ten years ago) link
prefer Rod Stewart's version.
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:11 (ten years ago) link
we should poll Rod Stewart
― Euler, Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:11 (ten years ago) link
"Yer lyricist can't do twists, but he can rock and roll"
Now that both Daniel and Your Song are out of the way (#10 is exactly right for Your Song I think), it's time to post this:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z61jJDMoHg8
― Jeff W, Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:13 (ten years ago) link
you're giving Bowie too much credit for depth
it's funny that Elton sort of followed Bowie through the glam to philly soul to new wave transition, I have a hard time believing that Elton wasn't taking notes. but that doesn't mean I think Bowie has all that much more depth. I don't have a hard time at all believing that Bowie is more well read, or admitting that I'm just more biased towards his sources (Burroughs etc.) and that makes a lot of his songs more interesting to me. Kind of a toss-up between who's a better piano player - Elton's better at the Jerry Lee Lewis/American school of piano playing, but I haven't heard anything in this thread that reaches the compositional heights of "Life on Mars", for example.
― what's up ugly girls? (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:16 (ten years ago) link
Bowie barely plays piano; it's Mick Ronson or Mike Garson on the glam stuff.
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:17 (ten years ago) link
btw when I meant depth I didn't have their biographies or reading lists.
09. "I'm Still Standing" (1983) [371 points, 15 votes]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHwVBirqD2s
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:19 (ten years ago) link
This is a good 'un
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 22 August 2013 19:20 (ten years ago) link