Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - the POLL

Yeah, and at the same time I feel like the death of the mass-audience greatest-hits album is sort of a loss, in the sense that an artist could always toss on two or three songs that weren't actually big hits at all, or even just album cuts, and make them part of their canon by fiat. Millions of kids would grow up hearing these kind of minor songs right alongside giant blockbusters in the tracklist. It's like this last chance for the artist/record company to say "No, really, this was a good one, it deserved better!"

Well, then there's the case of Tom Petty's first comp, boasting songs we've all heard for years and not a single surprise but was and remains a massive seller.

Well, except "Mary Jane's Last Dance," but that's a whole different animal of the "new song thrown on the comp," a la Slip Slidin' Away.

Also, actually, looking at that Petty list some of it is definite non-hit canon stuff, but I don't know how many of them had become giant radio staples by the time the thing came out. I mean, "American Girl" never charted in the US but I assume it was a well-known song by 1993! "Listen To Her Heart" peaked at #59, tying "Here Comes My Girl," "Into The Great Wide Open" at #92, and "Even The Losers" was an album track.

I mean, we're now pretty far afield of Elton but - I bet that Steve Miller greatest hits would rack up a pretty similar range, those have all become beloved barbecue-and-road-trip classics on the strength of the, what, five or six actual hits that were on it? I could be totally wrong though.

It kinda blows my mind people not hearing Tiny Dancer a lot. Maybe I just heard it a disproportionate amount because my dad played Madman Across The Water a LOT.

Like some dude, I never really heard it too much until That Movie

thing about Candle in the Wind is I always preferred his solo live piano version where he riffs a bit vocally at the end than the full-band version on the original.

the Di version was an atrocity. The rhyme scheme and meter didn't fit at all.

"Tiny Dancer" peaked at 41 and was on the US charts for seven we

weeks in 1972

Yeah Elton had more than 10 a-sides prior to "Greatest Hits" getting released ..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John_discography

The 9 biggest hits were all included, and it looks like the 10th song could've been a toss up between Levon, Tiny Dancer or Friends which were all Top 40 (Top 41, whatever)... Levon charted the highest out of those 3.. It's possible Tiny Dancer wasn't included because of its length... Candle In The Wind didn't initially chart at all.

And IIRC that album actually has multiple tracklists since CiTW did chart in the UK. Greatest Hits are funky things.

Just saw "Friends" when I looked at the charts. Wouldn't be able to tell you how that went

I don't think "Friends" had much longevity chart-wise, but it was on "Freedom Rock."

It was also on this "deep cuts" comp that I used to listen to a lot... It had one of those "Nice Price" stickers on it.
http://991.com/NewGallery/Elton-John-Your-Songs-521516.jpg

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.

yep that one.

Drunk. Listening to "Funeral For a Friend" on really good speakers for like the first time ever. It may be the best thing ever recorded.

no wait i was wrong, it's "goodbye yellow brick road"

specifically the drums

one thing's for sure it's not the fuckin spotify ads, man do i need to get a new needle post-haste

Man, I miss those speakers.

yeah peak period Elton loud on great speakers while drunk.. a pleasure i've had many a time.

was there ever a proper EJ poll? i missed it if so.

It's in the cards over at the ballot poll order/timing coordination thread! S'what made me think of this thread actually.

Love Lies POLLing...

alvin tostig has a poll today.

POLL Me Closer, ILXor

i have little time for elton john, but i picked up the leon russel collab today in local charity shop ..
one listen through - i really enjoyed it.
a few more spins required to really feel the old school gospel'd up funk vibe
did anyone else listen to it ?

ahhh ..

A Thread For Elton John-Leon Russell's "The Union"

woah..

http://theseconddisc.com/2014/01/30/goodbye-yellow-brick-road-40/

''that didn't seem to have a dud on it''

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

Disc 2: Bonus material - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Revisited…and Beyond (previously unreleased)

Candle in the Wind – Ed Sheeran
Bennie and The Jets – Miguel
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Hunter Hayes
Grey Seal – The Band Perry
Sweet Painted Lady – John Grant
All the Girls Love Alice – Emili Sande
Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock ‘N Roll) – Imelda May
Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting – Fall Out Boy
Harmony – 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.

Miguel could redeem "In Neon."

"Candle in the Wind – Ed Sheeran"

can this prevented? court injunction, something?

Miguel could redeem "In Neon."

they should have let him do that, then, and saved "bennie and the jets" for biz markie.

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.

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding has nary a note out of place. Johnstone's guitar fills compliment the piano so so well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_HJAWe8z9I

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.

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.

"To shave in someone else's mirror
Is one desire I haven't dreamed of yet"

Pretty easy to find opportunities to say "this boys too young to be singing the blues" as well

That lyric is "advanced" for this game Alfred. It usually would seem forced

Oh this album. Who writes songs like Goodbye Yellow Brick Road now? Honestly...what is comparable in 2016?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS84BMFszW0

very Elton. IMO.

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.

"Social Disease" is the jam imo

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...

http://vinylsamongotherthings.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/105_5184.jpg