Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

War nie wirklich ein Elton Fan, aber er macht schon geniale Musik.

The image of Sir Elton was distorted into parody long ago and I've had an aversion to his flamboyant whimsy and overblown fame since I was a kid, not to mention the ubiquitous radio/MTV presence that killed his context. I put off listening to this record extensively, expecting it would be unbearably trite, dated and worn out. Who's the asshole now? I had never given this record a fair chance and yet right away I was bewildered and intrigued; from the opening ELO-esque spacey opera and then sweeping into waves of undeniably hooky, uplifting and endearing ballads I understood where all the adoration came from.

Great start. Lost steam near the end though.

absolute favourite of mine!

Not as bad as expected

Alcuni classici di Elton

There are a lot of hits on the album. However there are other songs that aren't that good. Still overall a good album.

Jamaican Jerk Off was awful -1 star.

Classic Rock album!

Look at those motherfucking high heels.

You don't expect an Elton John album to open with a bunch of Wendy Carlos style electronica. Or the bleakness of Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. The next three tracks are all all time. Candle is my least favourite, probably because it was ruined by Greek Phil killing Ol' Jug Ears' ex missus. The original is still infinitely sadder and, ironically given his friendship with Di, more heartfelt. But Bennie and the Jets, and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road are all time classics and Taupin and John at there finest. Hard to even approach them with a critical mind. This Song Has No Title is still good, but suffers from its proximity to the aforementioned pile of genius. Grey Seal is fin too, and at the point it came in, the album required a change of pace. There is a bit of a lull from the cod reggae of Jamaica Jerk Off up to Danny Bailey, which picks up again (John shines when he's writing more biographically. Odd). About a minute longer than it needed to be though, with some extended piano camping at the end. It then hits a strong stretch of more rock n roll music from Alice to Saturday Night, which injects a lot more energy and life back into the album. This is sustained until the mediocre closer, Harmony. In conclusion, a lot of this album is brilliant. There are a couple of mediocre stretches it could do without, but definitely a great one.

The synth and bass work on some of the songs is outstanding :)

Pop, rock... Todo con un gusto impresionante. Tenía ganas de meterme con Elton y no ha defraudado. El que no haya de las que conozco me hizo relajarme y simplemente disfrutarlo. Trascendencia: 5. Entiendo que es muy buen disco, pero desde la ignorancia... Tan influyente ha sido? Género: 10. Pop/Rock de orfebre Personal: 8. Me encantó, si bien no he sentido la necesidad de volverlo a escuchar.

Didn’t have time to listen to much but some top songs from what I heard

this shit slaps

Classic Rock, calm sounds. Revisit

I definitely never listened to this front to back, and it’s quite good!

It has to be nearly forty years since I listened to the whole album. I remember the anticipation of its release in that it would be a double and whether it could hold the attention all the way through. Listening after such an interval it is striking how varied the music is given the way the two songwriters collaborate. There are some standout tracks, the opener is one of the finest of any album. The closer is pretty good too.

Epic opener and I never knew so many of these hits were on one record! I’ve definitely under appreciated Elton John

Great music. Like it a lot more than I thought I would.

Buen disco, el inicio es muy dramático y me gusta. Quizá un poco largo, pero igual tiene buen ritmo y no diría que aburre, sobre todo hay una variación de estilos y géneros. Me gusta también porque no conocía ningún álbum de Elton John hasta esta dinámica. Canciones preferidas: “Bennie and the Jets”, “I’ve Seen That Movie Too”, “Dirty Little Girl” “Saturday Night’s Alright”. 8.5/10

Pretty solid. Lots of good ones, but quite long.

Classic rock is classic.

Some of the most beautiful!

Isn't quite my favorite Elton John album, but really good.

This is rightly considered a classic.. early Elton was pretty prolific on banging out the tunes!

His early 70s stuff is amazing

I'm refusing to mark this down because of Candle in the Wind despite every desire to do so (a particular bugbear since Di Died on my 21st birthday). Can we accept that this is a great album? 4/5

Really beautiful album, a lot of memorable songs

So Bennie and the Jets is far and away the best song on this album. Side note: thanks to Diana’s “cute boots” story, I only hear electric boobs rather than electric boots and it makes me laugh every time. I hated the candle in the wind song that got popular following the death of Princess Diana (so many Diana references today!) and I had no idea at the time that it was a rewrite. The lyrics about Marilyn Monroe were way less sappy and more interesting. Not interesting enough for 5 stars but listening to this did make me want to go watch Rocketman so I will bump this up to 4 stars based the fact that my interest has been piqued.

I remember there was a time when you couldn’t listen to the radio for more than a few minutes without hearing Elton John. It's easy to see why it's his biggest selling album with it's 4 big hits. I think that Yellow Brick Road is autobiographical for Bernie Taupin, because of the line “I’m going back to my plough” and Bernie was a farmer, and still might be, in his retirement. The supporting tracks seem stronger than on Madman Across the Water. Funeral for a Friend is a good starter/song, some of the others less so, like Jamaican Jerk-off. Nice shoes.

this starts of with Elton's magnum opus - Funeral for a friend/love lies bleeding which in my opinion is one of his very best. The album also has some killer songs: Bennie, Candle in the wind and Saturday night. If he had released this as a single LP and left out some of the filler crap such as Jamaica jerk off and Roy Rogers this album would deserve serious consideration to be a 5 star album.

best so far, I guess. Elton John can sing, which I can't say for dylan

Now we’re talking

Ha gaaaaaaay

Funeral For A Friend and Goodbye Yellow Brick Toad are masterpieces. Candle In The Wind, Bennie And The Jets, and Saturdays Night's Alright are very solid songs too. The rest of the album is still pretty good.

A massive album with some massive songs. Maybe it shouldn't have been a double, though? Best track: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Baladas de Elton John. Animadas.

Very good

Some great singles on this abum

"She's got electric boobs, but no-one knew" - is this peak Elton? Could well be - an insane number of hits here. Absoutely cannot give it 5 stars due to fucking Candle in the bastard Wind though.

Lots of great tracks. Some bad ones too. Album is coherent and follows a piano-centered rock album which isn't something I typically like much due to its repetitive nature. And with a full double album length, it does feel a bit tiring fitting the best songs near the front. But there's some variety here and there. There's a reggae song (which I hate but at least it was different), a rockabilly song ("Your Sister Can't Twist"), something that sounds like it came out of a Rolling Stones album ("Saturday Night's Alright"), and much more. I applaud Elton John's hard piano sound that creates a very distinctive rock identity and is used to make some of the best songs of the decade. It sounds like a great transition for me to learn how to play pop rock songs.

3.5 Easy, will listen again.

Pretty excellent all together. As a double album some tracks tend to drag, but theirs a lot of heat on here from big hits like Benny &the jets and Saturday Night-to lesser stuff like Jamaican Jerk Off which still slaps. Easily can be considered Elton Johns magnum opus

Roy Rogers rides again. Very catchy, good singles, nothing outrageous.

Classic. It does drag a bit and feels a bit bloated, but when it’s good, it’s truly great.

Piano-centric pop consistently does it for me. Several memorable songs I would enjoy hearing again

This guy fucks. // Favs: Funeral For A Friend / Candle In The Wind (?) / Goodbye Yellow Brick Road / I've Seen That Movie Too / Your Sister Can't Twist Score: Strong 4

Legendary. Would've given a 5/5 if sir Elton trimmed the album a little shorter.

Ahhh Duh.. Amazing album.

Classic tunes and more and more appreciation for how good a song writer Elton was

A lot of hits. B-sides is great too. Very blues heavy. Love "All Girls Love Alice" and "Funeral for a Friend".

Such a great album. Had not heard some of those since the 80's. Elton and Bernie were just starting to peak and the songs were powerful. Will listen again

Ein tolles uns vielseitiges Album! Viel mehr als nur Klavier! Candle ins the Wind hammer Lied!

So macht man gute Popmusik! Ich liebe es, wie abweichungsreich die Stücke sind - schon allein das erste. Popt, rockt, grooved, funked daher das Album - gerne immer wieder.

Erst wollte ich 5 Sterne geben, aber dann wurden mir die Lieder doch zu ähnlich. Es kommen bestimmt noch bessere Alben von Elton dran.

Eltons rock opera

Good stuff Elts

And to think this guy would get the chance to back up Years and Years at the Brits in 2021. A brilliant album with some absolute classics and rarely a missed step

After his first three albums with arranger Paul Buckmaster (self-titled, Honky Tonk Chateau, and Madman Across the Water), Elton John had nothing left to prove, artistically speaking. But Elton wasn't satisfied, setting his sights for superstardom, starting with Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was Elton's swing for the fences attempt, and damned if he didn't succeed. Elton streamlined his style, jettisoning the cinematic orchestrations of Paul Buckmaster, de-emphasing roots music, and simplifying the structure of his tunes somewhat, all to great effect, commercially. Ironically, far and away the best song on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the eponymous cut, with it's complex, winding structure and soaring multipart choruses. For a change, Bennie Maupin's lyrics measure up to the music. Such is the magic of this collaboration is that these two men somehow managed to get most of America to emphasize with a gay protagonist who engages in survival sex in the big city, passed around among friends by a rich benefactor, in 1973 no less! And there are more treasures. Candle in the Wind, which has become identified with Princess Diana, but which was actually written about Marilynn Monroe, is as tuneful and emotional a ballad as you could want. Bennie and the Jets, aside from being laden with hooks, has some ingenious instrumental interplay in the fade out. Sweet Painted Lady is uncommonly rueful and adult for a pop song. And, while I don't personally much enjoy Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting, it's a wonder of pop construction. Most of it is fairly straightforward rock 'n roll, but the long sustained note before the chorus and the wordless vocalizing that ends the chorus are pure genius. The first delays and sets up the chorus so when it hits, it's ten times as powerful as it might have been. The latter skillfully demarcates the choruses the verses. Unfortunately, on the rest of the album, there is more perspiration than inspiration, more workmanship than passion. The bridge and verses on Gray Seal are clumsy and forced, as is the chorus on This Song Has No Title, and I could enumerate many other examples. The thing is, such is the consummate craftsmanship of Elton John that these moments pass by painlessly, even pleasantly. It is tempting to give Goodbye Yellow Brick Road a full five stars on the basis of a handful of superb songs and overall stellar craftsmanship, but I can't. There are just too many songs that just aren't all that good. But I'll err on the side of generosity, as usual.

4/5 good album from Elton!

.

@SHACK - who's your favourite Rocketman, Elton John or Kim Jong-un?

Great album that loses a star for the running time as I was waiting for it to finish by the end.

Enjoyed this. Encompassed sounds of the era with some absolute classics.

An exciting sensation

s éxitos del álbum ("Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" y "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting")

Our dad is a huge fan of Elton and we have grown up with him around in some capacity but I don't think I've ever sat down to listen to an album all the way through (unless it was when I was little). This is a really fun album, the kind of thing that you play pool side or during a cook out. Elton always knew how to have a good time and translate that into his music. Favs were Saturday's Alright for Fighting and Bennie and the Jets. Classic album cover as well.

I didn't listen too much to Elton John's songs because I identify his songs as something for Sir and classy people, but this album absolutely changes my mind. I didn't love every song, but almost all songs sound very good to me. I'm able to identify much classic rock in these songs and I like it!

un 4, casi 3.

Elton worked a cobbled, oily orgy of piano for every track. Pretty damn good

Great but kinda long

At first I was a bit reluctant but, man, is this album a classic or what? Brilliant songwriting!

Overall good, an interesting mix of sad songs and fun rock.

Sir Elton! Never listened to a full album, but of course I know the hits, several of which are indeed on this album. Dad's a big fan, I'm sure he's enjoying getting this on the list. This is a very strong album, some great variety of sounds and songwriting. I was caught off guard by the reggae/ska track, and then laughed out loud when I saw it was called "Jamaican Jerk-Off." What a cheeky bastard. It loses steam on the back half, and maybe a little too long overall, but still a great album. Somehow I leave this album with the opening lyrics of "Tiny Dancer" stuck in my head, and that's not even on here. Favorite tracks: Saturday Night's Alright, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Bennie and the Jets, Funeral for a Friend. Album art: I like this one, cool art style. Elton John definitely not hiding who he is, you love to see it. 4/5

not bad some good time rock n roll

It was really enjoyable, solid album.

good album overall. some real classics on here

Epic and indulgent, ya know--Elton.

Solid album all the way through

What's not to like? Some amazing hits on here.

🤠

classic

false

Surprisingly good

Good album, some stuff I loved but not all of it, maybe a 3.5 here

Pretty solid album. Some truly timeless songs in there.

opening track SLAPPED. Come on its Elton, of course its gonna be good

Great Album, hopeful and anti-anxiety. Great as an album to listen while working alone at home in 2021.

Some amazing songs and a good composition but some tracks seemed out of place

Überraschender Einsatz von Synthesizer usw.

Classic!

Fighissimo

Thought I knew this album pretty well already, but looking over the track list there are a number of songs I’ve never heard before. Checking it out now. Really great. Parts are a bit samey.

Banger. Solid 4. Never listened to an Elton John album. Knew some songs on it, there were some other good ones. Ran long, 17 tracks. Like an hour and then some. Towards the end I was a lil tired of it, but I get why he's super famous, writes good music

Elton John is a beast.

Mere festligt end man skulle tro. Lidt ballader udover Candle in the wind, men ellers primært godt popmusik. Lidt langt og lidt for meget fyld

An album from Elton’s golden period. Good listen with big hit singles. Definitely warrants a listen and deservedly included in the 1001.

Good consistent album with some great tracks on it 7.5/10

A classic. If it had been a single album it would get a 5.

Like a dope rock opera.

Very beautiful, heartbreaking songs, side by side with energetic, fun songs. Closer to a 4.5 (jamaica jerk-off kinda sucks though)

Seth - I was unaware Elton was more than just a pop singer/songwriter. His music blended a lot of elements: blues, classic rock, jazz and even country. Album is entirely too long with some songs going on and on for seemingly no ~good~ reason. Meh all around, amazing music but it just slogs on. Logan - Genre mixing was likable but overall it has an issue of songs sounding the same after awhile. Potentially due to the length of the album being too long. S - 3.4/5 L - 3.5/5

I like it

Some of this has aged exceptionally well — it could have been put out at any time in a 25-year period, maybe. And some of it is so distinctly from the 1972-74 period that it's spectacularly dated. That doesn't mean those tracks are _bad_, just that when I hear them I know precisely when they must have come out. Those tracks are the same jangly piano pop that Billy Joel was doing simultaneously. I'm really liking "Grey Seal" today.

Un comienzo espectacular que se desinfla desde la segunda canción. Luego, un empalagoso sonido completamente influenciado por la época; no encuentro nada sobresaliente, nada que me llame la atención más allá de los teclados. Rescato muy pocas canciones de un álbum que tiene ¡¡¡17!!! Mínimo la mitad debería gustarme sabiendo el estilo de música que hace Elton, que se asemeja más a mis gustos personales, pero no, por momentos me encuentro en un bache de melancolía muy setentosa que me dan ganas de vomitar. Le doy 3 estrellas por 2 cosas: 1.º, que se ve que Elton es un gran músico y se denota en sus canciones, pero no le encuentro algo característico ni sobresaliente de músicos de la época, y 2.º: porque no puedo poner 0,5, porque si no le daría un 2,5 estrellas. Decepcionante, por lo menos.

sorry I don't really like it

I'm not a big fan, could be worse, but not something I'd listen to.

Buenísima la música de Sir Elton. Del disco no resalto ninguna canción en especial, más que Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Muchas se me hicieron muy parecidas, pero a la vez pienso que es a propósito, como el hilo del disco. Me gustó.

Ma sooviksin anda talle hindeks 3,5 kui ma saaksin, sest seal albumis on nii palju ilusaid laule, aga samas ma ei kuula seda tüüpi muusikat oma vabast ajast. Nagu kogu minu kriitika on isikliku maitse põhine, kui stiil välja arvata, on vaieldamatult tegu imehea albumiga.

I liked it, some songs were too noisy or too disco for my liking. But great album.

Cool!

This was good. Not his best, a bit samey

There's only so much Elton John one can listen to before losing one's mind. Unfortunately a double record is too much.

I've never heard this end to end, but the hits are massive hits, and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - the song - is an all timer. So I went in excited. It's starts a bit rock opera. Not my thing, but that's OK. It's a big album, he's setting the scene. Then we go into a triple threat of bangers. Yeah, good stuff. Then This Song Has No Title hits and I'm losing the vibe a little, but that's OK. Then Grey Seal, not really sure where this album is going. Clearly not the concept album I thought it was. That's OK. Then Jamaica Jerk Off arrives and... 30 Rock did a better homage to Jimmy Buffet than John and Taupin manage here. It's TERRIBLE. Genuinely bad. I've Seen That Movie Too starts to get things back on track, but then we get a run of three more stinkers - Sweet Painted Lady (terrible), The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (slightly better but only slightly), culminating in Dirty Little Girl which was just as bad as Jamaica Jerk Off. So I look it up, because seriously, WTF are they doing here and apparently it's a satire! Well that makes it better! Oh wait, no it doesn't because now it's not just a shit song, it's a shit satire too. A little further down the track we get Sister Can't Swing, a lesser version of Crocodile Rock I guess. But heck, I can forgive it because... Oh wait... It just went into circus music. I take all that back. I can't forgive it. It's another stinker. Which almost makes me hate the next song but no, while I never thought Saturday Night's Alright was one of Eltons best I'm now discovering it's most definitely not one of his worst! What a mixed bag. The highs are high, but the lows are just awful. He could have made one of the greatest albums ever if it was a single, but instead he made it a double and I can only think people still call it a great because they forget all the garbage mixed in there.

Eh its Elton john. Its not amazing and its not bad. Its somewhere in the middle. Dude can write a song. I cant deny thay but are they songs that im looking to listen to? Not really alot of the times. There are some good songs here but I got 4 out of a double album and most of them I knew before. BENNY is probably my favorite cause of Stewie in highschool screaming thay randomly cause the spanish teacher hated Elton John. Its just the best overall song as well. All the girls love Alice was the standout of the songs I didnt know beforehand. It just ahs energy and I can get behind that. Bro can tickle the keys too. I'll give him that. Never in a razzle dazzle type way but its good for the part it plays. I dont dislike this record and I dont love it. Its just kinda fine. There are both much worse and much better records. About as in the middle as I can see a record being for me.

Fun and catchy album - nice way to start the week off. Has recognizable tracks, not my absolute favorite but a pleasant way to spend an hour or so. Definitely like the humor in the music.

im so young i didn't know what kind of style elton john had, and this being the first album i listen by him is amazing, i really like it!

Elton is hit or miss for me. This is an ok hit

has some of his classics and then there’s also Jamaica Jerk-Off? otw!

I'd never listened to this whole album, and it was a delightful surprise. I found it a bit long, but my experience with Sir Elton is that he can be a little overindulgent at times.

Some good tracks here, but a few duds too. This album is very long and there is not a great deal of variety. Overall, it’s not bad, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen again, I would just pick the good songs.

Yeah its good

solido 3, tiene buenas canciones pero no me sorprendieron todas

this is a bit out of what i would usually listen to but i think it's pretty nice.

What is going on during the "Jamaica Jerk-Off"?

John is a great musician. Great melodies. The well known ones are great. But album is far too long and lyrics in most songs aren't as catchy as some of his most famous songs. I'll score it a high 3

Washed over me a bit

Halfway through "Jamaica Jerk-off" I realized I probably never needed to do a full Elton John marathon of all the albums. A few greatest hits albums and I'm good.

Blir alltid litt overrasket over hvor mye kult Elton har. Kanskje er jeg en sucker for piano rock? Noe av dette er faktisk ordentlig bra, som tittelsporet. Heldigvis ikke så mye som er skikkelig, skikkelig dårlig, men Jamaican Jerk-Off er dessverre et spor som eksisterer. Også all i kor nå: burde vært en enkel-LP.

Morsom musikk, det er ikke min favorittmusikk, men det er noe sinnsyk kvalitet over musikken til Elton!

Crazy that this is his 7th album and I'm only listening to him now properly for the first time. Easy to see why he's so iconic. Some great tracks and good album overall, but probably a bit too long. 3.5 Top tracks: Bennie and the Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Saturday Night's Alright

Yeah pretty good. Some great highlights & solid instrumentals. ...But also some honestly pretty rough lyrics here and there, and the length doesn't feel super justified to me. But overall I enjoyed.

itsok

drags on a bit but the big hits are good

Good collection of tunes, but Elton's not really my jam.

So I didn’t actually listen to the whole thing… I liked the opening track instrumental but the rest wasn’t really my thing.

The hits hit, the rest is whatever

Kind of like a lot of records from that time, it starts off great and has good singles but by the end you're sort of looking at the counter thinking "How much more?"

Great album! Elton is so talented.

Καλό αλμπουμάκι, άνετα το έβαζα χαλαρά στο background. Είχε κάποια κομμάτια που με κούρασαν ελαφρώς και δεν με τρέλανε γενικότερα All The Girls Love Alice

There is just so much joy and whimsy on this album it's absolutely infectious, the piano here is just so good man. My biggest complaints really just come down to the more forgettable tunes. My favourite track had to be the opener but there were some real highlights with 'I've Seen That Movie Too' and 'All The Girls Love Alice.' The lowlights really 'Jamaica Jerk-Off', 'Dirty Little Girl', Roy Rogers' and 'Social Disease'. The back of this album is really saved by 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting' and the closer track, 'Harmony'. Ultimately, it's a well-produced album with a lot of fun and whimsy going in but I believe there's a number of songs that could've been cut to make it a much better experience. Also if they did more Prog like the opening track it would've been fantastic. To me this is a 3.5 but I can't give it half stars so it falls to being a 3 rather than a 4 for me.

I really like the moogy intro on funeral for a friend. Elton John sort of occupies a sort of 'songwriter twee' niche with artists like billy joel, I like a lot of their songs but I wouldn't really go out of my way to listen to them. I can appreciate the variety of songs on here even if it means getting jamaica jerk-off. Out of the songs I hadn't heard before I liked I've seen that movie too and Harmony. Agree with people saying the album is a little too long and frontloaded.

I enjoy Elton John, dig many of his tracks. I never say to myself, I really want to listen to Elton John right now. This was a damn fine album.

Buen álbum, muy variado, con estilo propio igual.

I like Elton John a lot, this album has a lot of great classics on it. Also definitely an incredible album for its time period. Overall, a lot of the songs are similar, which you can say is an excellent example of cohesion and style, and this is definitely a fantastic listen when you want the Elton vibe in the background of whatever you're doing. To me, it's not my favorite work of his or my go-to. But I was happy to give the whole album a listen

I don't dislike the music at all, he plays very well. I just don't enjoy his music outside of the occasional song in a movie. But I can't give this a bad rating because it is objectively good stuff, just not for me.

Désolé mais les double-albums avec les chansons de 7 minutes ça commence à m'irriter. J'ai été indulgent avec Stevie, mais là non. Je suis sûr qu'il y a des très bonnes chansons, et indépendamment ça passe bien, mais ça n'en fait pas un bon album pour autant. Et je me pose de sérieuses questions sur Jamaica Jerk-Off, tant sur le titre que le chant avec l'accent... Playlist pick : Saturday Night's Alright, facile

some classic 70s Elton songs on here, but a double album is just way too long

I had not heard this album since I bought it back in college. It has some great songs (candle in the wind, goodbye yellow brick road, benny and the jets), but being a double album there are some lesser songs. I can't say that there are all great songs on here. A number seem like filler to me. While they aren't bad they don't match the really good songs. I already own this, but I am not sure that I would buy it again. I am only giving it a 3 star rating. Perhaps a shorter album of the best songs might have earned a 4 star rating (or even a 5 star)

Não conhecia todo, grande viagem. Começou forte, depois perdeu se ali na jamaica e no rock n roll

First time listening This album was a fun listen (: I think there are some things about this record that I wasnt able to get on a first listen through. I think after another listen or two I would rate it higher, but currently my enjoyment rating is 7/10 for Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

One of those albums where I feel guilty for not rating it 5. I love Elton’s music in general, and a few songs from this I enjoyed a lot. That said, that positive feeling got watered down by the length of it. I guess I’m a very casual Elton fan then.

Elton’s hits speak for themselves and are awesome. This was my first Elton album experience and it was a little all over the map. A bit long. Opening track was literally electric and I loved it. Some of his hangers on here with yellow brick road, Saturday night, and candle in the wind. Vocals and piano are strong as always.

I like Elton John just fine, but I've never really been a big fan. I know the hits well enough, and enjoy most of them. I'm kind of looking forward to this record having never heard it in its entirety. I'm not sure the first song really needs to be 11 minutes, but I appreciate the prog rockiness of the opening. Not the biggest Candle In the Wind fan, Bennie and the Jets is alright, I like Goodbye Yellow Brick Road pretty good, and the rest is new to me (up until Saturday Night is Alright for Fighting)... The record is ok. I still would say I like Elton John alright, but I'm not any closer to being a super fan. Turns out, he does what he does really well, but it just doesn't do a whole lot for me. I'm happy if someone has his music on, but I'd never choose it for myself. This record solidifies that opinion for me, though his talent is pretty undeniable. Jamaica Jerk-Off might be my new favorite song of his, based exclusively on its ridiculousness. 7/10

es un buen disco, elton es la verdad muy bueno. se disfruta. ah

This album has a lot of things going for it that earn it points in my book, and its interesting, varied songs help it justify its length. But, for some reason, the songs largely fail to resonate with me. I'd be perfectly fine with hearing them if I was listening to a classic rock radio station, but they don't compel me to go and put them on myself. Can't please everyone, I guess!

A good album, I actually learned that there’s more to Elton John than just the hits. Not a daily listen, but I enjoyed the album.

EJ is so good but just maybe not for me? I'd kinda just experienced him as the punchline to jokes but he's really good.

멀 느끼지

A very good album with some absolute classic prog rock, just not my cup of tea really

some songs were different to the others but i really enjoyed listening to this album

This is a really good album. It deserves a place on this list on the merits of tracks like Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Bennie and the Jets and Saturday Night’s Alright. The problem is a lot of the best material is at the start of the album. The second half is still enjoyable, but there is slightly more filler.

Title track is a classic and probably my favourite from his catalogue. I can see why this is rated his most accomplished album but beyond the hits I find it thrown together. Particularly mystified by funeral for a friend. 11 mins long and just bits mashed together. It feels musically disjointed and unconnected especially when the vocals finally kick in .. then we get full verse/ chorus structure which felt like a different song but …. no … still going on track one. It’s like he tried to copy bohemian rhapsody .. poorly. Overall it’s Elton .. so you know what you’re gonna get. But I’m gonna stick to his greatest hits!

Few big bangers like Candle In The Wind and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, but not many others that stick in the mind

Some really good songs here and the production is great. But this album feels a bit too long and bloated for me personally. 7/10 Favourite: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Least Favourite:Jamaica Jerk-Off

was cocaine heavily involved in the making of this album? feels like it.

See my review for ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.’

Elton John is really good singer and pianists. But its not my style and my mood changer. Thas why i put a lower rating than it is actually. My favorite track was Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

A few bangers

Didn’t mind it

The album starts surprisingly proggy! After the 1st track it's quite the usual Elton John stuff, which is not a bad thing, but it doesn't really excite me too much. There are couple of other songs that stand out from the mass like 'Dirty little girl' and 'Saturday Night's Alright'. Probably the best Elton John album I've heard and I've never really noticed before how good guitarist Davey Johnstone is.

Some good ones but Elton just isn’t all it for me

Ok --

Good but lowkey drags

If you think about it, the fact that Elton John repurposed Candle in the Wind for Princess Di demonstrates his final ascension into the upper eschelon of the entertainment industry. He too was able to exploit Marilyn Monroe for his own enrichment then cast her aside when she'd served her purpose. This album has some great tunes, but I get really exhausted by all the Jerry Lee Lewis bullshit on the back half.

Элтон Джон это конечно достойно, но что-то альбом унесло из моей памяти, как Элли с Тотошкой из Канзаса

Obviously there's some all time great songs here, but a lot of it just feels kitschy and silly and weird.

It's not bad at all, but not anything I would purposely feel like listening to. I appreciate Mr. John's talent, but maybe this album dragged on a little too long, or maybe I just liked Madman better, I dunno, but I gotta give it a 3. That rating feels wrong. My heart says 3. But I think I've been conditioned for years and years to believe this is album is a masterpiece, so I feel guilty I don't love it more. I guess it's just like that sometimes.

I actually enjoyed this more than I expected to, didn't know Elton is kinda potty-mouth occasionally, so definitely a chill and valuable album 😅

A couple of songs that moved me, but the rest sort of blends in. I didn’t like the title track, it felt corny and insincere.

10/10 songs, but as an album, it is just too long.

All the songs were a bit too samey for me

Some absolute tunes on here but it doesn’t half go on and seems torn as to which direction it wants to travel in.

Honestly a great listen, though I've already listened to lin like 90% of it via the radio. But still, super solid

The first half of the album is really strong, but then the style shifts and I'm not too keen on the latter half of the album. But "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is my favorite Elton John song, so bonus for that.

Too many songs some of them are good

Even the best Elton John songs I find myself not caring that much about and I never need to listen to them again. Moderately high-highs, moderately low-lows, moderately creamy middles.

Not my cup of tea.

The beginning of this album had some real bangers. The opening is legitimately great prog, which is surprising to see from a mainstream artist. Most of the other songs here, although weren’t bad—they’re fine—were kind of disappointing. The album felt bloated for no good reason, and most songs were a bit repetitive and failed to stand out. I still liked it—the highs were very high—but could’ve been better. 7/10

For the start of the record there is a stream of brilliant songs Topped off with the title song. It veers off a bit towards the end. It is a bit self indulgent at times

Guess this isn't the Elton John hits I love

Not my thing

Still not my cup of tea, but it's OK.

'Tis a bit long and pompous innit? There are some decent offerings on here, which are enjoyable when experienced in isolation, but a double album of bombast and self-serious, overblown theatrics is perhaps a bit too much to bear in one sitting.

Plenty of hits to give this record a 3 or 4 based on those songs alone. Classic all-piano ballads and genuine rock bangers with a sprinkle of dub thrown in the mix. Not all of these work for me though and I got bored with some of them, but this is a double album so that's to be expected. Anjoy the hits and maybe a deep cut or two, but don't be surprised if you reach for the skip button as well.

RIP Princess Di you would have loved Jamaica jerk off x

Nice little white reggae number on 'Jamaica Jerk-Off', wasn't expecting that.

I've never done this whole album, and honestly it wasn't great. The song GYBR is one of my absolute favs and there are a few other enjoyable in the right circs ones in there for sure, and certainly Elton is a great and emotional player. But there's no need for a double album imo. The parade of 'having a go at various genre' tracks just don't quite work, the most awks being Jamaica Jerkoff (even if that's a vaguely amusing of its time pun). I'll stick to the hits in future.

Finally an album my 'rents owned has made it onto this list! Big into Bennie n The Jets, the rest of it not too much

Yet another 70s double album. I’m sure this list is being sent as a test for me. Following a run of surprisingly good double offerings, this holds form and is as meandering and mediocre as I’d expect. It’s not bad per se, but I’m not even a fan of the hits on this album I could never see a circumstance where I listened to it again.

3.5/5 carried by some classics

It's fine, I wouldn't crave this album or anything. I mostly came to write because what the ever loving hell was Jamaica Jerk-Off? It sounds exactly like what you would guess based off the name. The rest of the album is fine background music. What the hell was that?

Elton has always been a peripheral figure in my personal classic rock canon. A great voice and a decent pianist, with a few acknowledged bangers, but generally difficult to take seriously. This album came surprisingly close to altering that opinion. The opening feels almost like a prog album. A real surprise. Side one would be incredible, were it not for the fact that I became so sick of Candle in the Wind in the late 90s that I never want to hear it again, but still, I thought "Maybe there is something here that I've been missing all this time." It couldn't last though. I think this album unfortunately makes the same mistake as others I have reviewed recently. It just doesn't have enough A* material to justify its length. You could remove a lot of these tracks to make one solid LP and that would be great. As it is, it starts to drag around side three. By the time "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" rolled around I had already checked out. The song is fun but not strong enough to reclaim my attention. I didn't run out of Stamina, the album did.

3 out of 5. This is a grand album and I now know why it's so well regarded.

boot scoot

Probably deserves a four, but who I'm I kidding? I'm not going to seek this album out to listen again. Also deducting points for unnecessary length and middle school level album art.

A classic album for a reason, but boy did it remind me that I hate most of Elton’s stuff. There are only a few of his songs I will listen to and they are, well, the ones that I everyone listens to. No track by track today cause I’m sick, but overall I’ll give it a 3/5 ⭐️. Saturday night is a great track and most of the other tracks on this album are listenable. I just don’t really like Elton Johns music. I think he’s a very talented guy, just not for me. 57/1089

As far as I know Elton John has always been around, and I have always enjoyed him (Lion King & Road to El Dorado soundtracks), but have never been tempted to dive deeper. This is John's biggest album, so, naturally, the hits on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road are very pleasing ("Benny and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"), but then there were songs I wasn't expecting (the rousing "Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding", "Grey Seal", the hilariously titled "Jamaica Jerk-off" to name a few). Unfortunately, not every song stands out positively. There are a few that feel like filler, or just fail to strike the mark ("Sweet Pained Lady", etc.). It's hard not to enjoy Elton John, but I have to admit that I didn't love Goodbye Yellow Brick Road enough to make me a new fan. Pretty solid release though!

If you took every good song that Elton John released and stuck them together, it would be a 5/5, perfect, all-time great, fun and moving double-album. Instead we get a bunch of albums of mostly cheesy filler, each with a few stand out tracks.

Geltonu plytu kelias John eltoniskas

ok

I like some songs cause the piano sounds amazing, but it’s not an album that I wanna listen to again

Good strong singles, can’t argue with them. Too much fat. Could be cut in half.

It was going so well until Jamaica jerk off

Id liken it to Queen: A Night at The Opera, borh are set up as a journey/Production of an album Think i like this more. The Jamaica song is well out of place, and the album is too long Dont think can give it a 4, but a high 3, aye

Most of the songs are really great if you actually listen listen to them, but having them on in the background, a lot of the non bangers just sort of blur into the background. A lot of them feel like they have been playing for ages but when checking they are only like 4 minutes long. RYM reviews complain about Jamaica Jerk Off and Your Sister Can not Twist but did not think they were that bad. (3.5/5)

Decent

Pretty fun background music

Like Elton’s famous numbers. Great lyrics and music. Too many middle of road though in this. Could have gone 4, but didn’t.

Pretty good, some really good songs but not strong enough to be anything other than a 3

Heard it before. Some serious bangers on this thing but also some tracks that maybe could've been left out to make the album a bit shorter (the hell is Jamaica Jerk Off?) 3/5

Some real bangers on here, and feels pretty varied. A little long for me though.

Gostei em geral, mas não tanto.

Ahh back when Elton didn’t look like an overweight lesbian. I’ve never listened to many songs by him. Same with Rod Stewart. Like no one could tell they would evolve into soft rock sucky asses? Elton is another good example of why a person shouldn’t give up drugs. Just so much more creative. Looks like all of his big ones came from this album. That alone I can allow to be in this list. He has created himself a mini greatest hits without putting all of his eggs in one basket. Bravo or cheerio. Whatever the Brit’s say. Oi? Anyways But thennnnn we hit the brakes. The other songs on the album, the non hit ones? They just seem like filler. Jamaican jack off? What? Grey Seal? Ahhhh no I’ve seen that movie too is sort of back on track. The drums hit hard in that one. I like that. Stay on this track Elton. But then he doesn’t. Back to filler music. We all know where that puts this album in my books. Stuck in the middle . Booo Choice cut: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

a very coherent album with recurrring themes and instrumentals. a few lackluster songs but some really good and enjoyable ones aswell! 6/10

Some classic songs but not his best album for sure!

Not my thing but I can see the appeal

I didn’t really have the patience for this (it’s been a tough few days of listening for me), loved some of the rockier instrumental moments in love lies bleeding and parts of grey seal but didn’t enjoy every time he started singing. also it was very long!

One of my most sincerely held beliefs is that I hate Bernie Taupin and his dumb lyrics. The hit songs here are really good but there’s just too many other things that aren’t really good. Double albums are rarely worth it! They lack the appropriate editorial restraint!

Some good songs but was mostly okay

You gotta hand it to Reggie, when he makes a hit, it sounds like nobody else. I liked the hit songs on here, but the rest were not my thing.

There is a musical (as in im off to the theatre to watch a musical) quality about this album and i like it and hate it at the same time for that. There sre some banging hits on this album no doubt, Benny and the Jets, Goodbye Yellowbrick Road, saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting and the production is fine as hell - you can hear all equally well, the band are on time and no loose mistakes, they back elton but he doesnt stand out too much if you get what i mean. But i never wamt to aot and listen to an entire elton john album. Its a bit boring, too much vaudeville overtones, a concept album within each song? Maybe i dont like elton john as much as i’d like an elton john mix tape. And question, does he do all of the vocals on this? No backup singers?

Ondanks dat ik Ome John eerder in deze lijst al eens trof moet ik zeggen dat ik voor iemand met zo'n grote naam nog steeds niet heel bekend ben met z'n werk, dus ik vind het in dat opzicht geen ramp om deze dubbelaar voorgeschoteld te krijgen. Ik weet eigenlijk niet goed wat ik er van vind. Ik vind het verre van slecht maar na een liedje of 5 heb ik eigenlijk wel genoeg arpeggios gehoord voor de rest van de dag. Ik vind veel van zijn nummer ook wel wat op elkaar lijken (wat ik bij het andere album ook had) en dan is zo'n dubbelalbum toch al gauw lang. Het doet me ook een beetje denken aan de Beatles, maar dan solo en met meer piano. En dat vind ik dan weer totaal geen ramp. Richting het einde vond Elton het zelf ook wat saai worden en gaat ie nog een keer de cowboy tour op, of komt er een enkele keer een distortion gitaar aan te pas. Nou vooruit, jeuj. Ik vind het zeker niet slecht maar ik zie mezelf dit niet nog een keer aanzetten. Ik mis het niet als ik het nooit meer hoor. En daardoor kan ik niet hoger geven dan een saaie 3.

One of Elton’s run of great albums

Another oft-referenced classic I only have experienced through the hits, not as a full album. Only got as far as the first 3 or 4 sides before getting pulled away to do something else and did not feel the urge to come back and complete the listen. What I did hear was all over the map in tone and expression, though if not cohesive, each track was outstanding in its own rights. On the basis of the first half or so, 3/5.

Longer than expected and a bit disjointed.

Would never have thought I'd like anything by Elton John. As a punk/post-punk/indie kid (well adult), there's a decent amount to like on this. If nothing else, EJ had an ear for a tune and wrote a good lyric (with some help). Maybe a little on the long side for me but worth a listen

🚀 🎹 👓 🎸 ✨ ELTON ✨ 🎸 👓 🎹 🚀

The hits are good, the rest is very mid. Not going into my rota of classic rock, glad he helped the Culture.

Taký typický Elton...

I just can't manage to get on the Elton train. I appreciate his musical contribution and style.....I just REALLY REALLY REALLY have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it. Today wasn't one of those days.

Totally okay. I can see the appeal, but it's not for me.

As a piano playing, signer-songwriter I should love Elton - but he doesn't quite do it for me. A couple of tracks are catchy but they don't make up for the crime of (the re-release of) Candle in the Wind.

Let's start with the good stuff. Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is fantastic and is my favourite Elton song. It's the closest thing to prog he ever did. The rest, fine but there's a lot of bloat to cut through. If this were a single album, it would have been upper echelon. Instead, it's a decent outing that could have been so much more.

It's really, really long. But it has enough variation, and enough bangers, to get away with that. Nice.

Its a classic album so I can't vote it low i added one song also there was very interesting names of songs like what are we doing in Jamaica? Very interesting

No notes

Was okay. A little slow for working out

okei gøy! mamma elsker dette albumet // svinger godt gøy å kjenne igjen frank ocean i bennie and the jets goodbye yellow brick road er en av de beste låtene skrevet this song has no title er en ny favoritt! And each day I learn just a little bit more I don't know why but I do know what for If we're all going somewhere let's get there soon Oh this song's got no title just words and a tune høydepunkt: Bennie And The Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, I've Seen That Movie Too lowlights: Jamaica Jerk-Off PS. måtte høre goodbye yellow brick road en siste gang før jeg pusset tennene så jeg hørte på headset og sang med og da jeg skulle si natta til mamma sa hun "jeg hører du hører elton john.." også hadde vi en halvtimes prat om musikk.

esta weno pero no soy fan de sir elton john, me costo escucharlo todo

The highs on this album are so high, and then the rest is fairly middling. Great drum sound though

This is a classic album that I just didn't connect to that much. I was definitely glad to get an opportunity to listen to it, as I had never heard it from beginning to end. It's pretty dense and orchestral with elements of pop and glam throughout, so I feel like I need to run through it a few more times before I can really judge it. I love the synths and arrangements on the first track. "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding," and, of course, there are several undeniably classic tracks here as well. My favorite of the classics is probably "Bennie and the Jets," but I was surprised by how much I was touched by hearing "Candle in the Wind" in its proper context. I was always aware that the song was written about Marilyn Monroe, but I was most familiar with it from its use as a tribute to Princess Diana. "Jamaica Jerk-Off" is where I run into a bit of confusion about the album's tone. It's clearly the worst song on the album. It reminds me a little bit of "Smile Jamaica" by Bob Marley and the Wailers, which was actually written a few years later by people from the country, for the purpose of boosting tourism to the nation they loved. "Jamaica Jerk-Off" exists in this uncanny valley that makes me wonder if it is just bad or so bad it's good, or is it just flat out weird and kind of racist? I'm comfortable with ambiguity in art, but I think maybe this song just sucks. The high points on this record are very high; there are some middling songs, and one very low point. I'll spend some more time with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. For now, I'm going to leave it as an obvious classic of American pop music that I remain pretty ambivalent about. Three stars.

A couple good hits, but the rest didn’t really stand out to me maybe for most people. This is a banger, but for me, it fell to hit the mark.

Eh ok Bissl repititiv. Highlights: Benny and the Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Pretty solid, has gems, had a fun Elton John run early 2025

Very good, never listened to a full album of his before. -1 for some of the titles that didn't age well

6/10 classic album, banger opening track. vibe started to get a little repetitive.

Some bangers early, but a lot of dead weight in my opinion - drags

Good album, a few great songs

candle in the wind into bennie and the jets is literally crqzy i didnt know they were like right next to each other

To me, Elton has always been a singles guy and a showman. There are some cracking tunes here, but also a lot of filler and little cohesion.

too long but a ton of good songs wow - also i really like instrumental bridges and elton john does them better than a mfer - i will say though it’s kind of just not my thing but it’s objectively an incredibly good album

Een rijk en iconisch album dat ik met plezier heb verkend en waarvan ik de historische waarde goed voel. Veel mooie melodieën en duidelijke hoogtepunten, maar als geheel pakte het me niet genoeg om mijn aandacht vast te houden of om er in de toekomst vaak naar terug te keren. Fijn om te luisteren binnen dit project, zonder dat het een persoonlijke blijver wordt.

Starts amazing, first half is great. Second half is extremely mediocre for some reason.

has benny and the jets. has a bit of a marching vibe at times.

Easy listening … quand même un peu soupe en fait …

not bad

Some great tracks … but probably 4 or 5 tracks too long.

Another double album, sob. Starts cool but then you are reminded this is Elton John. Could easily be a single album, would be a lot better. So samey so Elton John. 3 Heard before? Some Owned: No: 39/151 (26%) Will I get?

1973. All the good musical weed in the 60s had gone up in smoke and now we must scrape the resin-crusted bowl that is 70s rock. Those first couple hits are Zeppelin and Floyd and Neil Young and then the last couple hits, the ones that taste like ass and make you dizzy, are everybody else.

Little long, 3.5 for the 4 or so classic tracks

Like all double albums ever released by any artist, if all the dud songs were pulled and just the great ones left, it would make a perfect album. Seeing as there are too many songs, the effect is a perfect album is now watered down and becomes average.

Good album. I was glad to see that some of my favorite songs from Elton were on this album (Bennie and the Jets and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road to name two).

Мне нравится звучание. Треки "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" и "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" особенно запомнились, ещё понравился "I've Seen That Movie Too". "Sweet Painted Lady" – controversial, как по мне. "Dirty Little Girl" — тоже. В целом кайф и приятное открытие на 7/10, хоть я не большая ценительница олдскульного такого рока и Элтона Джона, понимаю величие. Но не понимаю фиксации на 16-летках в текстах))) Понравилось, как в конце "Roy Rogers" скачет лошадка.

The opening track is a pretty crazy opening, starting like some eerie movie track into a rock pop amalgamation that sounds pretty epic. Candle in the wind... I'm familiar with this track. I fucking love this song. Something about the song writing speaks to me. I love the tempo and how all the instruments compliment each other. Its apparent that its about Marilyn Monroe, I don't know much about her, but this track confirms all the stuff I've heard about her being sexually abused basically her whole life. A very sad but great song. Bennie and the Jets. I really like this track, gets my head bobbing every time, and its the only Elton John song my Gen Z Girlfriend likes. Its overplayed for me because I hear it all the time out and about, and at work, so all I'll say Is it's an phenomenal piano song. The solo always tickled my brain when I first heard it. Good stuff. Good Bye Yellow Brick Road. A very good song about rejecting fame and fortune for a simpler life, written by Elton's song writing partner. I suggest you google more, its pretty interesting. Good song. The rest of the songs are varying but overall good. I was pretty disinterested in them honestly because I felt like the song writing got really boring and same-y but its worth a listen to see if you like anything. Amazing start to an album that gets boring as it gets to the end.

Astro!

Not my style

I liked this. It had quite a few songs that I know on it. My favorite Elton John song is Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. It was a long album though and I really only liked the songs I already knew.

Not my usual vibe but also not bad

i like a ton of songs on here, but there's definitely songs that are repetitive or just.. aren't good (jamacia jerk-off...)

A little long and all over the map. Island sounds, old timey, 70s rock, easy listening. It was ok but not very focused.

This album feels incredibly hard to rate because of it being a double record and the first half being just so much better than the second in my opinion. Side Note: I fucking love the piano When the first 5/6 songs were done playing I thought to myself this might get a pretty high rating if it keeps up. It didn't. My god there's a lot of songs I consider to be filler, just songs that kill all momentum when listening to the album. The final songs made me want to skip through them instead of listening to them. If the album was only the first record/first 7 songs then it could've been a very high 4 Unfortunately I am rating an album and not only the best songs of said album. The length of the album, and the amount of songs that drag the album needlessly to said length, made me go all the way down to a 3 sadly. (would give a 3.5 if possible)

Ovaj album zvuči kao da baš ima ogroman potencijal, but can't quite get there. Šteta, jer neki dijelovi zvuče jebeno. I dalje mi oke album, ali imam filing da je mogao biti blizu masterpieceu. 3/5, 5.5/10

7/10.

Elton is so recognisable, he just has such a sound that you know it’s his. And it’s in a good way too. Whilst this isn’t my favourite and I won’t claim it to be, it’s an album that I enjoyed even if it it’s over an hour long.

- What an intro! Giving rock opera. Broadway quality almost. No lyrics until almost 6 mins into the song- over halfway through! - Oh Bennie and th jets is on this album. A classic, but also kinda bad? - I’ve definitely heard goodbye yellow brick road as well. Not bad - I’m liking the piano in this song has no title - I’m liking how upbeat and fast paced grey seal is. I feel like this would be a good song to run to. - I like all the girls love Alice. Like actually saving to my playlist! - Saturday nights alright is also getting added to th playlist

Not a fan but I believe it is a classic to some.

I knew this was a rated album, and considered a classic. I’d never ventured into Elton John’s albums, only previously being exposed to his singles. I liked this. Interesting to hear Elton John not in the “singles” context. It got maybe a little too jolly for me towards the end, but this is a worthy addition to the list. Horrible cover art though.

"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is a lengthy album spanning many genres. It starts off particularly strong with a series of hits both energetic and reflective, including the 11-minute epic 'Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding'. Yet despite the varieties of sound present in the album, it is heavily top-loaded and feels overstuffed towards the end, and it is not unlikely that as a whole it would have been stronger without many of the later tracks. Further, the songs at the start while good feel more like a compilation of greatest hits, rather than a collective album. Although the musicality is great, it suffers from the sense of lethargy permeated its later tracks.

Listen again!

Epic

Jamaica Jerk-Off : un morceau incroyable de A à Z; de même pour Saturday Night's Alright; par contre je trouve que les autres morceaux se fondent un peu dans la masse de la production musicale de l'époque, peut-être dû au fait qu'on s'habitue rapidement à la voix d'Elton John quand elle passe légèrement en background. une très bonne prod, des titres que j'aurais aimé avoir choisis, mais l'album ne m'emballe pas plus que ça alors qu'il réunit pourtant pas mal des éléments qui me font en général apprécier un album. c'est aussi peut-être la longueur de l'album qui a joué (au-delà de 9 sons je trouve qu'on peut difficilement trouver des albums sans "filler tracks"), alors que s'il avait été un peu plus compact je pense qu'il aurait pour moi été plus impactant. un 3.5.

This was good, but I didn't like love listening to it.

Lot of shorter lesser known songs on this one. Dilutes the better ones. One hell of an opening track though

A classic but not my thing

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is like a cross between an 80s sci-fi death scene and Meatloaf. I bet Meatloaf loved Elton John. Eleven minutes is too long for an opening track. Candle In the Wind...the most famous song ever about a horny teenager. This song loses something when you know that later he'd remake the lyrics for Princess Diana. One a meditation on nostalgia and the images we carry with us from our youth....the other either a treacly attempt to express sorrow for a rich and powerful woman who never had a really hard day in her life or else a treacly cash crab and cynical injection of himself into a famous death. Bennie and The Jets is one of my least favorite Elton John songs but it was turned into the awesome Tribe Called Quest (featuring Busta Rhymes) song Solid Wall of Sound. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road on the other hand is one of my favorites. All of Elton's songs have a cinematic quality to them. Maybe that credit should go to Bernie Taupin. It's a double album! And all the hits were on the first side of the first disc.....it's going to be a long day. British musicians love Jamaican music. I've Seen That Movie Too is a good song. The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-1934) is like the lyrics to early Bob Dylan with the music of a carnival. I'm not sure if this is the spiritual center or the pop music floor of glam rock. Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting) would have been the theme song for college football coverage if it had been released in 1994. It's catchy and the best song since the hits from the first side. The chirping birds on Social Disease are really distracting. His hits are hits but everything else is just "Generic Elton John" song. I'm surprised he didn't write a musical, his music is like one step short of it already.

Good but too long

There are some bangers on this album. Unfortunately there were some cringe songs too. Elton John continues to be a mixed bag for me.

I was surprised by how many songs on here I knew.