Reviews (page 3 of 15)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, huh: Funeral for a friend/ Love Lies Bleeding - Crazy move to start off the album with an 11 minute song BUT it absolutely rocks. Some nice prog rock to start off the album hit a real sweet spot. The 4-5:30 min part was on top.
One of the best things about this list is finding prog and jam epics by artists that I only knew as pop acts. This is sweet Mr. John, the second half is a little more musical than the first but it's all well made and has a cool musical aesthetic.
Elton John I owe you an apology. I wasn't really familiar with your game.
Pretty rock and roll. I was familiar with most of this album. The b sides were pretty awesome too. How about that opening track. Really comes right out and slaps you in the face
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.
forgot how good Elton John is
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 John's best album so far for me and I don't think it will be matched. The stack of hits that opens side 1, not to mention a prog epic as the 1st song means you are in for a treat. It slows down afterwards, but still contains amazing album tracks like "Gray Seal", "I've Seen That Movie Too" and "Dirty Little Girl" to just name 3. Being a double album when you get to side 3, the album goes from pretty piano ballads to glam rock perfectly. Then on side 4 it all erupts with "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" Elton's best glam/hard rock song. Then it slows down along, but ending with the amazing ending track "Harmony". Also I didn't even mention the outstanding work by the band, most specificially the guitar. This is the blueprint to making a double album. You stack the hits on the 1st side, then take the listener through this creative musical journey, showing all the genres you excel in. Finally you end with a kickass hit, and leave the listener satisified yet wanting more. This album gets better and better the mroe you listen to it! 10/10
Starts very strong with Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Candle in the Wind, Bennie and the Jets and the title track, confirming that Elton John and Bernie Taupin were a hit-making machine. The middle part of the album is OK, and then Saturday Night's Alright is a nice surprise toward the end.
I think this may be my first Elton John album surprisingly enough, but a great one to start out with! Bennie and the Jetts and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road are both phenomenal. Barely any misses in this one
Supers strong album - probably a 9/10 for me. Love the first half with the long intro. Wonderful instrumentation too. Didn't like some of the songs in the second half of the album as much, that's what I'm giving strong 4 stars for this amazing record.
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!
This was nice, I didn't know some songs I liked to listen in passing were Elton John songs (the Saturday song, Yellow Brick Road song). Nice.
Is it controversial to say that I like Elton's voice as an older man than I do here? Still love this, 4.5
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.
I've always found this album fairly intimidating due to its length, but I do appreciate the degree of bombast. Tbh I'm docking points because I don't like "Bennie and the Jets" more than anything
I was at the Jamaica Jerk-Off and nobody knew you…
I was expecting to not enjoy this. In general, I quite like EJ but a full album felt like it might be a slog. This was not a slog. Far from it. Really wonderful production throughout. I could live with fewer ballads but fair fucks to Elton, it’s a 4.
There's no denying the excellence of this album. Some of Elton John's greatest tracks are here: "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Candle In The Wind," "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting". Others might add "Bennie & The Jets," though I've always found that song irritating. Yes, there are some tracks that don't hold up well (I'm looking at you, "Jamaica Jerk-Off"), but regardless, this truly is a showcase of what made Elton John and Bernie Taupin one of the greatest songwriting duos of their generation. Now that my praise is out of the way, one somewhat unflattering observation. Years ago, there was a video floating around the internet of Elton John writing music on the spot set to "lyrics" that were actually the manual for a toaster oven. It's an amusing video, light fun, and at the time, I found it impressive—but over the years, I've noticed that the reason Elton John was able to write that "song" so rapidly was because he was relying on certain musical tropes that he's used countless times throughout his songbook. You hear them constantly on this album, and frankly, nothing he writes sounds new or innovative, even if it's great. I can't help but feel that he wasn't much of a crafter, but a gifted musician steeped in songwriting tradition. This does not discount his skill or talent, but I think it does make him less crucial to pop history compared to some of his contemporaries.
This is Elton John in his element, sparkling and thrumming and glittery and mopey. There's a similar lyrical nature to Don McLean, with the almost operatic glam rock verve seen on Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds. This whole album feels like a spaceship either taking off, landing, or entering hyperspace. Unfortunately, there is a wet dog on board the ship - Jamaica Jerk-Off is downright stupid. Aside from that, this album being on this list makes total sense.
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
I did not like this.
Simply amazing Elton John create a world in this album and it’s great to be a part of it
An absolute classic. It could be pared down a bit in the center I guess, but what do I know? All I DO know is that Saturday night’s alright, alright, alright!
Hated it I didn't even listen till the end honestly
solido 3, tiene buenas canciones pero no me sorprendieron todas
Absolutely astonishing number of classics in this record. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to hear on first release. Totally helps explain the rabid fanaticism that this helped secure.
Elton Johnin tuplalevy kärsii ylipituudesta ja pöhöttyneisyydestä, mutta on kuitenkin laadukas kokonaisuus. Löytyyhän levyltä nimikappaleen ja Candle in the Windin veroisia klassikoita.
okay. its a good album but is sooo boring bc some musics sounds the same. fav track: bennie and the jets
Very close to a five. Just a few songs too long. Otherwise, lives up to the hype.
Incredibly consistently great songwriting
So much great material here. It can get a little overwhelming. The first half of the album is an absolute banger-fest. Unstoppably so. We start with the spectacular multi-part Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding. Each of the individual sections would make for a decent track by itself, but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Elton knows how to do his prog, and how to make it sounds poppy, rocky, exhilarating. Then we have Candle In The Wind, which would normally be a very strong ballad but is made much more powerful knowing that it was written for Marilyn Monroe, who died 11 years earlier. The 1997 version, rewritten for Princess Diana, is also pretty breathtaking, and increased the size of the song's cultural footprint. Then Bennie And The Jets, an infectiously catchy take on the "faux-live" performance. Maybe Elton's falsetto gets a little old towards the end, but it's still goofy and lighthearted. And of course the piano and other instruments are top-notch. That title track... breathtaking. The closest Elton John comes to musical perfection, I think. A great chord progression can do wonders. And he chose to add some strings, so you know it's a banger. That's how it works, right? A couple songs later, we encounter the Grey Seal, clearly one of the more underrated tracks (judging by streaming numbers). A swift, breezy, energetic percussion/piano combo can do wonders. The greatness of this song mostly lies in the intro and chorus, where we hear those nifty descending harmonies. Speaking of which: these songs have some gorgeous vocal harmonisations. This Song Has No Title (yes it does, idiot), Roy Rogers, and the title track are some of the best examples. Well, and Harmony, of course. Jamaica Jerk-Off is pretty stupid. A half-hearted attempt at a sort of Caribbean-flavoured reggae, imitating who-knows-who. Reminiscent of Billy Joel's All You Want To Do Is Dance, by far the worst song on the otherwise near-flawless 1976 album Turnstiles. And later, though not necessarily a bad song, Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock'n' Roll) contains that circus-music interlude – you know the one – that feels completely out of left field. At least we get a cool song transition to Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting), which gets bonus points for being one of the few rock songs ever to contain Saturday in its title. You have no idea how tough of a first-world problem it is to search for good alarm ringtones for each day of the week. (But I do.) Also, it's a genuinely good song. Harmony is also a very good side-4 song; the only thing it's missing is a convincing hook. Great Rolling Stones-esque riff in All The Girls Love Alice, and a bold lyrical theme for its time. I'm reminded a bit of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, by which I'm sure Elton was inspired. 5/5 Key tracks: Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding, Candle In The Wind, Bennie And The Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Grey Seal, Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
this is a bit out of what i would usually listen to but i think it's pretty nice.
I'm learning I have alot of stereotypes of artists in my head based on little knowledge of them, this surprised me, the variety on the album is great
nä inte min grej.
It's mother-f'n Elton John doing what only Elton can do. Huge melodies. "Bennie and the Jets" is an absolute classic, and "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" opens the album with a level of class and ambition that still sounds incredible decades later. Nearly every track feels iconic. One of the greatest albums of the 1970s and a must-hear for any music fan.
76 minutes flew by on this one. Just a masterpiece that I've never listened to before. I recognized so much of this album just from the radio and the singles, but that's almost the entire album. Just phenomenal.
What is going on during the "Jamaica Jerk-Off"?
Þetta er frábært plata hjá þeim bræðrum. Byrjar með látum og er kósý og flott. Þetta er klassíker og ég er big fan big fan.
Hef aldrei verið mikill Elton John maður en þetta kom mér skemmtilega á óvart. Óvænt byrjun, svo hugsaði maður til Díönu og svo bara stuð og skemmtilegheit. Píanóleikurinn geggjaður hjá honum.
Masterpiece.
Just and undeniable classic. Elton makes such effective songs that speak to the soul but still get you grooving. Truly a generational talent. Even the lows here are still fun. 9/10
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
God this is just too much fun. I mean there’s one track on it that I don’t really want to talk about but, you know, I don’t really want to talk about it. Other than that? No notes
He’s the wizard.
Washed over me a bit
As a British person I feel obliged to enjoy a national treasure, he's an icon for so many reason. But his albums are not good, like a bad musical without the actual show. Bennie and the Jets is a 10/10 though
If this double album was half as long, it would easily be a five. I honestly was struggling to give it a four, if half stars were allowed, this would be a solid, three and a half. It's unfortunate that there's so much filler on this.
Right artist; wrong album
The compositions are fantastic. Having only ever heard any of these songs on the radio, they are not done justice. Get some headphones. Never figured Elton John for headphone music but there are elements that you'd miss coming out of speakers (especially car speakers). I think my respect for John has just increased several levels. Which isn't to say I didn't know he was good to begin with, it's just not the style of music I've ever given much attention to. One play through and I'm giving this a 4. It might be a 5 but I'm not giving it more than one play today. I poked my eardrum with a q-tip yesterday and need to let it rest (this is why they say not to put those things in your ear canal. What can I say, I'm a rebel).
it sounded good
Bennie And The Jets started playing just as I stepped out into the sunlight for a walk around the park. My experience with the music of Elton John was somewhat of a unique one. While I had certainly heard countless songs of his in my childhood, I could only actually place one or two as being his songs (Pinball Wizard and Saturday Night s Alright (For Fighting)). Rather, I first truly realized just how strong of a catalogue Elton John had when I sat down to watch what is now one of my favorite movies, Rocketman. I fell in love with this film almost immediately despite going in with only a passing familiarity with Elton, and one of the results of such an introduction was that I spent the next few years primarily listening to the Taron Egerton covers rather than the original recordings, even continuing to prefer those versions once I had finally heard Elton's. But this Rocketman favoritism could only hold so long, because it's Elton fucking John. By the time I listened to this album, I was fully bought into Elton's original sound, and I can never imagine a world in which I didn't appreciate him for the talent he is. There's a reason Elton is considered one of the all-time great songwriters alongside Bernie Taupin; they simply complement each other so well,w with Elton's musical skill perfectly capturing the tone of these lyrics. This album is just an incredible example of piano-driven glam rock, a genre of which Elton is practically the patron saint. Even the songs which have aged a little strangely are still solid tunes at their cores. Whether Elton is dealing with real issues and societal emotions or playing with high-energy whimsy, each song manages to keep up the momentum of the album even as it shifts between different tones and topics. A sprawling journey of camp and sincerity, this album is a perfect summation of what makes Elton John such a captivating musician. Highlights: Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding, Candle In The Wind, Bennie And The Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, This Song Has No Title, Sweet Painted Lady, The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-1934), All The Girls Love Alice, Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock'n' Roll), Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting), Roy Rogers, Social Disease, Harmony
B- B- Bennie and the jeeets
Easily five stars had it been a single album.
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.
Jeg stemmer i: burde vært et enkeltalbum. Så hadde vi sluppet "Jamaica Jerk-Off" som langt på vei må være Elton Johns "Wild Honey Pie". Ellers mye sterk epokedefinerende 70-tallsrock. "All the Girls Love Alice" er nok favoritten, men "Saturday Night's Allright (For Fighting)" er en klassiker. Til tross for den litt krampaktige linjen "want to get a belly full of beer", men kanskje jeg ikke tar ironien? Uansett, som enkeltalbum hadde det vært lett toppscore. #releasethesinglealbumcut
Was expecting to like this album, but not THIS much!! An excellent album by Mr. John!
Has very high highs, shows what Elton is good at - unfortunately as a double it also has some pastiches and some of these (the reggae track lol) are quite low. I think it's still a 4 but a 7/10 album overall
Morsom musikk, det er ikke min favorittmusikk, men det er noe sinnsyk kvalitet over musikken til Elton!
I usually forget how great Elton John really was! At times I'm reminded of Bowie. Never considered that before, but upon listening to this a few times over the last few days, there's def some similarity, even if only as a sign of the times. It saddens me that a lot of artists trend towards more pop music sounds as they get older. And Elton totally fell in. Pretty sure most people think of him as this sappy popstar because that's what he did for the last 20 years. But the previous 20?? Man could rock! Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding is fantastic! Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Bennie And The Jets, and Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting) are classic... great rock songs. A few of the middle tracks are weak enough that I'd probably never choose one. But I wasn't flat annoyed them either. Apparently, his worst is better than most pop yowler's best. Giving it a 4 because at least half is fantastic, while the other bits are just a bit boring.
Lot of hits and also had what I think of as a classic rock kind of sound.
I love it, I love Elthon john. My favourite song is Bennie and The Jets
Fun!
:D
What a brilliant album. A lot of pop sensibility here, it's all very catchy but still beautiful and holds artistic merit. A double album with a ton of long songs that doesn't overstay its welcome. Every time I listen to it I wonder why I don't really listen to more Elton John.
Me encantan las vibras un poco psicodélicas que tiene este álbum, muy al estilo de Elton John, pero definitivamente diferente a Your Song o I'm Still Standing!
This album is phenomenal. There are the hits, but the tracks that aren’t hits should be.
eu gosto muito da voz do Elton John, o instrumental focado em piano e violao me pega bastante tambem, tem musicas iconicas demais nesse album, curti muito
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
Despite knowing lots of his music, I've never listened to a full album of his before. He has a knack for catchy melodies and reminds me a lot of Billy Joel if he were British. It also has a lot for the glitz and glam of the early 70s, alternating between ballads and back-to-basic rock. It's a bit too long though so it gets almost 4 stars (3.5-4).
This is Elton John’s “Born to Run” magnum opus. Sprawling and eminently musical w all kinds of storytelling, its quality remains consistent throughout its long length. I’d take this to a desert island.
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.
How the hell are there this many all-timers in a single album? What the? Huh??? God damn!
I feel bad rating this a 4, because it starts so strong, but it's so damn long it lost me by the end. In addition to the iconic songs everybody knows, I really enjoyed the ballad of Danny Bailey and your sister can't twist.
itsok
драйвово, свежо, круто буду переслушивать
Esse é daquele alguns impossíveis de não dar as 5 estrelas. É fenomenal. Vocais, arranjos e muita emoção. QoA Cloudscape.
drags on a bit but the big hits are good
Good collection of tunes, but Elton's not really my jam.
This should belong on a list of 1000 albums to hear before you die. Jamaica Jerk-Off is a cringe moment in an otherwise stellar record.
It's a little long, but my goodness it's good.
Its alright my fav was defo good bye yello brick ill rate it a 6\10 or 2 and a half stars
Best Track - "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)"
Its a great album to just chill and unwind to. Very smooth piano and guitar and other intrusments working together to make great music.
So I didn’t actually listen to the whole thing… I liked the opening track instrumental but the rest wasn’t really my thing.
Excellent
Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding Bennie and the Jets Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Grey Seal Your Sister Can’t Twist Saturday Night’s Alright (for Fighting)
Benny and the Jets Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Grey Seal Sweet Painted Lady All the Girls Love Alice Saturday’s All Right for Fighting Social Disease
Sto facendo una fatica a finire questo album
Candle in the Wind -> Bennie and the Jets -> Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is such a great sequence of songs. I'd argue there are a couple tracks you could drop to get this to a standard length album (Jamaica Jerk-Off for instance) but this is just an amazing album. I need to spend more time with it later but a couple listens today were plenty to convince me this is an easy 5-star.
contains the second best performance of Bennie and the Jets
The hits hit, the rest is whatever
I want to love this bc the songs that are great are perfect (the intro, the title song, Saturday night etc) but it kind of dragged for me in the middle and I felt it was overall too long. Still exceptional bc it’s Elton but I wasn’t left loving it
So much of this feels like a big swing to me. The least I can say is that the thing stays interesting start to finish An 11 minute prog opener is one such big swing, carried for me by that piano and the bite on that bass part. Bonus points for the synth droplets The title track is a banger, fair play to him. Its hard to feel anything but positively about it Their bassist is really going for it, which obviously does things for me. I think as far as the album's we've had so far go this one has most surpassed my expectations
A real masterclass in song writing. One of the albums I used to study alot with my guitar teacher. Given the fact its piano, and still worth looking at while learning guitar is really something. That first run of 4 songs is really something else. The back half of the album isn't as strong except Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting), which is one of the best songs on the album and extrememly fun to play. My personal favourite is Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. Banger of a song. Add on the 3 songs after that, and Saturday Night's Alright, and you get my top 5 from this album. I've Seen That Movie Too was great aswell. Bonus points for the guitarist being from Edinburgh. Another fun fact is that the film composer James Newton Howard was in Elton John's band in the late 70s. It's a real shame Eltons other music is nowhere near as good as this album.
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?"
I really liked most of the songs I hadn’t heard before. Bangers all around!
love love love
Great album with a huge blend of styles. But, in the commercial sense, was Elton John thinking when he started the album with the 11-minute prog rock "Funeral for a Friend?"
saw him love i love john
Great album! Elton is so talented.
Wow! Never listened to an Elton album from start to finish, I tend to skip to the ‘hits’ Well what a revelation! This is awesome, OK there are plenty of the famous tunes on here but the rest are good too, well maybe not Jamaican Jerk Off, but very listenable. I was too young to be aware of Elton in his prime and only really noticed him when he mad his “come back” with all the annoying shit. You can hear why he was such a mega star.
Day859 - there’s six really good songs on this album and grey seal is my favorite
Kinda like 'Up'. Fantastic opening, great start to the story, and then the rest is okay, but doesn't live up to it's promising start. Justice for Dug
Хориший альбом, мені лише не вистачило якогось більш чарівного звучання до 5. Проте перша пісня була якраз чудовою
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
Great album, the early years of Elton were the best.
When I saw this was over 70 minutes long, I have to admit, I wasn’t keen! But that was 76 minutes ago, and I’m a new, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road loving man! Genuinely great album. Favourite track: I’ve seen that movie too
Great album, but whoever told Elton John and Bernie Taupin that making a reggae song was a good idea should probably be put in a cell for the rest of their life.
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 thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this album, especially funeral for a friend. i think everything starts to fall off a bit after the ballad of danny bailey and while the whole thing was always a little country, it became way too country for my liking. really picked up at the end with harmony though, loved that one. overall still great, the rough middle wasn’t so bad it ruined the album
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.
Really enjoyed this. Sounds like 17 or so Elton John songs. This is one of those albums I've always wanted to listen to, and just like everyone, I should have just done it. Its great!
So many great musical and lyrical stories on this one, delivering the variation that makes a good album.
Among the greatest double albums of the 70s (and id say ever). Which comes with pros and cons. The pros? Well, that first side for starters. We can certainly go on about the full on camp of Bennie and the Jets (with that stomping piano and glitchy, sizzly outro guitar), or the weirdly earnest idol worship balladry of Candle in the Wind, neither of which should have truly worked but do beautifully in the hands of Peak Reg. But then there is Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, the sort of bold, big, sprawling affair that you would expect from anyone but Elton, and yet he slays it. And that's all before Jerry Lee Lewising through Saturday Night or the wistful haze of the title track. Throw on any two other songs to the end and almost any combination would make this a 5 star album. But it is a double LP. And if Elton was known for anything in this era, it was flamboyance and doing too much. I mean, I remember seeing a video for Candle in the Wind regularly as a kid, and Elton was sitting there, singing this serious tribute elegy in a full old-time wig and faux veruca. He couldn't really help himself. But therein lies the downfall… for every brilliant pop song there is something bloated. Like, as good as the best of this album is, that's how bad Jamaica Jerk Off is. JJO might be the biggest best-to-worst gap on any album. It's audio cancer. And while it's singular in its suck, it's not alone. Dirty Little Girl is similarly overlong, similarly cringe, but at least brings a vibe of failed Bowie and/or Stones. Your Sister cant twist is absolute Fodder. And while the music for All the Girls Love Alice is actually real great, the lyrics are… let's say conflicting. But overall, this hits a lot of stylistic notes, mostly successfully. It's, once again, gloriously camp. The sort of Vieux Carré vibe of so much of the filler, airy and pleasant and a little seedy. The proto-disco shimmer of Grey Seal, which purports to suggest that there is some entity to beseech for answers that goes by the name Grey Seal. The ability to make a song called This Song Has No Title not be absolutely pointless. The less remembered but also solid film idol nostalgia of Roy Rogers. You don't -need- to trim that much off to get to a 5 star album. But the fat that isn't trimmed keeps it at a 4*
Lo definiría como un álbum colorido. Me gustaron varias canciones, no sé si son mis favoritas, pero fueron bastante disfrutables. En cuanto a la cuestión instrumental y la voz de Elton John no sé si hay algo más que pueda aportar de lo que se sabe, genialidad.
An Elton John fan and I’m familiar with this album. Think it will hold up on relisten. First half of this album is strong. It’s really just great song after great song. That Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding opener is awesome. Bennie and the Jets and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road are classics that feel fresh and new everytime you listen to them. Great songs. As a whole, there’s a real variety of sound and I think it mostly works. Back two sides have way more rock and roll songs after more ballad heavy front side. It’s all some of Elton John’s best. Not sure the back half ever meets the highs for the front half though. It’s really good. Debating a 5, but might be a 4 for me.
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.
I haven't listened to this album in 20 years and I'm rendered to tears. What more can be said?
Normally my opinions for Elton John were that he was overly cheesy and quite schmaltzy. To my surprise, I find this album quite tasteful. This album hit a prog/pop/rock nerve that I didn't know my life was missing. I can see why this is regarded as his magnum opus. There are parts that I considered as filler which takes off a point for me. As well as a weak second half to the album which makes it drag. I give this one a strong 8/10.
Buen álbum, muy variado, con estilo propio igual.
Day 32 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John What can I even say? The melodies on this album are unbelievable. It’s theatrical at times, but never in an annoying way. Just huge songs, huge hooks, and so many bangers. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” is honestly one of my favourite songs ever, and the whole album carries that same emotional, grand kind of vibe. My only criticism is that the album can sometimes feel a bit too consistent. Maybe it lacks a bit more contrast or variation between songs at times. But honestly, this was my first proper listen, and I can already tell this is the kind of album that grows even more with time. It’s an easy 4 for me right now. Wine pairing? Champagne or a really good sparkling wine. Something glamorous and celebratory fits perfectly. Food pairing? Duck confit or something slightly fancy but comforting. This feels like rich dinner music. Vinyl? Yeah, absolutely want this one. Favourite song? “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”. First listen? Yes. Overall 4 out of 5.
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
This must be a contender for the most consistent double album ever put out - no filler, no flab and a real compendium of song writing approaches. There's prog, ballads, RnB, ska/reggae, rock n roll, glam, hard rock and country. It followed on from the Rocket man single and the 'Don't shoot me I'm the Piano player' album as Elton became the world's biggest act until 1976. Its title track is one of the great songs of all in my view and the other three big hits on the album are all stone wall live staple classics. It was a remarkably prolific period and a sense that stardom had its drawbacks.
From front to back, this album is full of hits that will be familiar to any casual fan of classic rock. The 76-minutes has a good flow: starting out with hard-hitting and catchy tunes and settling in as the album progresses.
el buen Elton nunca falla, tiene buenas, pero no siento que sea un graaaan album
It's Elton!
Rate: 8/10
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.
Beaucoup aimé funeral for a friend Pourquoi your sister can twist contient du plastic Bertrand en elle ?(Je suis conscient que c'est sûrement l'inverse) Honnêtement je vois mieux pourquoi c'est considéré comme une bête d'album Un classique, qui n'a pas trop vieilli sauf pour 1 ou deux chansons quand même
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
Way better than expected, second half is exceptional
Quintessential singer-songwriter pop. Catchy energetic tunes while also having the kind of sentimental vocals that all good singer-songwriter albums have. Good vocals and well crafted compositions especially the intro track "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding". My favorite track was "I've Seen That Movie Too". 3.5 stars.
Elton John is so shit and so boring. Just from the way it sounds I can tell he's gay.
some classic 70s Elton songs on here, but a double album is just way too long
Apart from the recurrently famous songs like yellow brick road and bennie and the jets, i really ended up liking Grey Seal. It´s a very "cool sound" album and makes me think how such thing was written and sung more than 50 years ago.
There's an inherent flaw in being a big music fan. We're ever searching, looking for a new melody, a new riff, a new sample. During that search you pass over certain artists. I mean, you can't like EVERYTHING. Can you? No. That's where Elton John fits in. He has singles here and there that are really good. (This album in particular has an all timer in Benny and The Jets) But most of it just does nothing for me. (Pretty much the rest of the album)
Listened to this one on the record player. Such a great album, front to back.
I’m not the biggest Elton John fan. But his first 3-4 albums are undeniable, capped off by this one. So many hits and a lot of the album cuts are strong too.
Siin plaadil on mitu Elton Johni suurimat hitti (nt "Candle in the Wind", "Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"). Isegi need filler lood on head, aga ma selles mõttes suurt albumi seotust ei tundnud. Eks mul tekkis Eltonist, ta loomingust ja ta häälest parem pilt ette ning albumit soovitan kuulata küll. Aga ta ei ole 100% masterpiece. 4/5
Got some classics on it and overall some great musicianship. Suffers at times from being a shade 70's but mostly a great album. heh - Jamaica Jerk Off.
The influence of this album got to me before the original. I'd heard 'Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding' by Dream Theater before I'd heard the original (both great). Elton John is rock & roll with all the bombast of musical theatre. Somehow, it still never loses the rock edge -- Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson get a lot of credit for the guitar, bass and drums, respectively. It's long, though. The more albums I listen to, the more angry I get at double albums -- even good ones. 4/5 for longwindedness. Still essential listening.
Shocking 4.
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)
I've always been obsessed with the titular track, but can take or leave the rest (even Bennie and the Jets and Candle in the Wind [sorry Princess Diana]). At least the songs I like best are front-loaded on the album (and as a sidebar: shout out to Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting for giving title inspo to one of the best episodes of Gilmore Girls)
This one is a favourite. I can spin it on repeat.
One of my favs from Sir Elton …long time memories of this one.
Não conhecia todo, grande viagem. Começou forte, depois perdeu se ali na jamaica e no rock n roll
Não havia necessidade de ser double album, primeira metade era suficiente e levava 5
Tenho de lhe dar mais atenção/outra volta, mas gostei do que ouvi e merece destacar da maré de 3s
Pretty great effort if overlong. It loses momentum in the middle until Elton picks up the rock theme again. A few less songs and a bit better sequencing and this would be a can't miss masterpiece.
I stayed with this album for about a week! The first half is soooo re-listenable. I especially love the opening sequence (massive track!).Love him or hate him, he has written some beautiful songs, the words (hats off to Bernie Taubman) and sublime melodies. The difficulty I have is picking just one track for the challenge playlist! I love this album!
This is a bit too much Elton for me! BUT I enjoyed this album much more than I thought I would! There's some great tracks on here (and a few fillers!) I'm giving it a 4, but I hope my challenge mate gives it a 5 so we can have an Elton track on the best of the best playlist - hint hint!
If I asked you to name a postmodern rock concept album, I bet it would take you a lot of tries before you ever got to this one; in fact, I bet it wouldn't even be the first one you'd name by a British solo artist in 1973 given that Bowie's *Aladdin Sane* came out that same year. And yet there are enough layers, enough fractures of (un)reality here to make Baudrillard blush - an album full of Little Richard throwback tunes, presented primarily for White audiences, about the experience of being (not really) seen as a capital-R Rock Star, with lyrics about heterosexual relationships that probably didn't happen, written by a Cyrano figure who does no actual performing, sung and played by a closeted man who may or may not bear any resemblance to the Rock Star in question. No wonder so many of the songs are about media itself - about Hollywood starlets and TV cowboys and the fine line between prostitution and performance, the ways in which the logic of perpetual audience-focused living eventually immiserates the people doing it. In their own way John and Taupin have made a deconstructed glam-rock album here; it's not *quite* as good as the best glam but it's a lot of fun to listen to and think about.
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.
A great, feel-good and uplifting album, with a couple classics.
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.
nostamal, muy movido, musical, variado, no es mi estilo pero se deja escuchar, 2 o 3 de 5
Interesting. Nice music. Great voice. There were several songs with rock and blues that I liked. 3,5/5.
Pretty iconic stuff- the Elton John & Bernie Taupin combo produced some crackerjack hits over the years.
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
I dont live under a rock so I am fully aware of this album. The hits are very strong, but the back half of this album doesn't hit as hard. Strong 4.
Camp in it's highest form.
I love this album
It's a lot, but the peaks are pretty high.
es un buen disco, elton es la verdad muy bueno. se disfruta. ah
Exceptional album. I think one of his best!
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.
Well know the hits; Benny, candle, Saturday night.
Awful. West-End mawkishness
Not many double albums are worth it. This one is in my opinion.
Several all-timers on here, and a ton of filler Best Song: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Rating: 7/10 Stars: 4
This is a great album with some all-time tracks; “Candle in the Wind,” “Bennie and the Jets,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” and “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting).” Even “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” rocks. That said, it’s definitely too long, with a handful of weaker tracks dragging it down. Trim it back, starting with “Jamaica Jerk-Off," and this would be an easy 5.
very likable album fav song: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Best Elton album in my opinion, but he’s a cool cat all the way around. It’s long, but doesn’t overstay its welcome. Title track is simply amazing and the best song on the record.
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
A lot of great songs on here. A few that aren’t so great. Definitely a great album overall though!
some songs were different to the others but i really enjoyed listening to this album
Favorite Song: Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
solid classic
Full of hits. Didn’t realize it was a double album. Fun!
I like Elton John and this album has a great production value. I vibed well.
Not really my cup of tea but a really good album regardless. I like Elton John a normal amount, I think. I didn't really grow up with him, so for me this is all very fresh and new. Some very iconic songs in the mix as well. Good album.
This album is like being in a wonderful dream until Jamaican Jerk-Off rips you out of that dream and then you have to spend the next 10 mins trying to fall back asleep
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.
ame me recordó a una película que me en encanta
It’s ironic that the original lyrics to Candle in the Wind really do apply to Diana as well (“they set you on a treadmill,” “loneliness was tough, the toughest role you ever played,” “all the newspapers had to say…”/“Di goes sex mad!”). But obviously that wouldn’t fit for a song played at her funeral. Oh well!
Iconic
Enjoyed this enough, but wouldn't have it on repeat. This one is 3.5 rounded up.
Elton John is one artist that I really wanted to listen more in depth to but just never got around to. This album was great, especially the first half of the album. There are obviously many of his hits on this album, but some of the deeper cuts, especially in the middle, were really enjoyable. Even Jamaican Jerk-Off was alright, even if it was a little cringy. Overall a very good album.
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!
It was a good album 🙂👍! My favorites were Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Candle in the Wind, Bennie and the Jets, This Song has no title, and Harmony. Overall, I’d give it a 4/5!
rah rah ar maxsovs 3.5 tu 4
3,5 D’excellents classiques au début… mais…
Brilliant. One of best albuns of all time. Beautiful songs and lyrics. Perfect vocals. Dynamic. Instrumentals. Arrangements. Mixong. Layers. If it were possible I’d give it 10 stars.
4/5
Top albums de la historia, la cantidad de temazos que hay aca adentro. Un cra el Elton
Few big bangers like Candle In The Wind and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, but not many others that stick in the mind
Geiles Cover! Lieb seine Stimme ja eh. Aber mit so einem langen instrumental Song einsteigen war schon Special…
This is one of the greatest albums ever made and the best album by Elton John that I've listened to (haven't heard everything yet). A seamless double album that doesn't feel that way at all, with incredible songs, singing and instrumentation. 5/5
Me gustó bastante
There is so much that can be said about Elton John in general, and equally as much that can be said about his (arguably) best album. This album reminds me of when I was a kid, and my mom would decide to play me "her" music. I feel for it deeply like a cousin you don't see very often but love. The standout star for me here is Roy Rodgers. This might be the only song I've ever heard, and I thought it was awesome.
Some big dawg bangers, but a lot of forgettable fillers as well.
Täysi ammattilainenhan Elton John on eikä sieltä huonoa säveltä lähde
01) Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding - 7,0 02) Candle in the Wind - 10,0 03) Bennie and the Jets - 10,0 04) Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - 10,0 05) This Song Has No Title - 7,5 06) Grey Seal - 8,0 07) Jamaica Jerk-Off - 7,0 08) I've Seen That Movie Too - 8,5 09) Sweet Painted Lady - 8,0 10) The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909–34) - 8,0 11) Dirty Little Girl - 8,0 12) All the Girls Love Alice - 7,5 13) Your Sister Can't Twist (but She Can Rock 'n Roll) - 7,0 14) Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting - 8,0 15) Roy Rogers - 8,0 16) Social Disease - 8,0 17) Harmony - 8,5 TOTAL: 8,18 (82/100) Current ranking: 208/885
Really good songs but not quite top tier Elton.
AWESOME ALBUM! I actually really enjoyed it.
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
Elon's best album overall. It may be a bit bloated, especially the later songs being somewhat subpar or forgettable songs ("Jamaica Jerk Off", anyone?). But the highlights and some of the best of his career: The proggy opener "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding", the title track, and "Candle in the Wind", to name a few. Key tracks: Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding Candle in the Wind Bennie and the Jets Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
пис оф щит совершенно не зашло
The first track on this album is unbelievably good. It’s one of those songs that gets added to a playlist and I listened to it over and over again during the day. Benny and the Jets obviously an absolute heater too. And anyone who says cocaine was not good for music needs to watch Elton John play Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting for half 1 million people in 1980 at Central Park. This album is great, but I can’t help but feel it would be even better if there had been some fat trimmed. It’s the reason I prefer Madman Across The Water to this record. I can go my entire life without hearing Jamaican Jerk-Off or Roy Roger again. Great record, might’ve been a 5 if it was 45 minutes long.
was cocaine heavily involved in the making of this album? feels like it.
See my review for ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.’
I loooved this album. 70s musis just was made different, with more soul, I love Elthon's voice and the whole concept of the albums, the instruments, I could listen to it all day
Nicerr
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.
Lots of interesting ideas in the album.
If Weird Al thinks it's a good album, you know it's a good one. I enjoyed every minute, Elton John has such good sound even on some of his off-kilter songs. It's at least an 8/10 for me. Great album.
A few bangers
Very good album, probably a 4.5 but its not quite a 5. Well worth
This is one of my favorite albums ever, no brainer.
First song started super strong. Goodbye yellow brick road was my favorite. The rest was nice too, but they started blending into each other quickly. Then there was reggae? Nice nonetheless.
Liked, but others albums are better sorry
Pretty good
love!
Didn’t mind it
Peak
Great album, never been a big fan/haven't listened to many Elton John but even though it has "too many" songs for what normally people expect for an album, I would say it resonates a lot with my likings and most of them are a 5 out of five for me. Although there are like 2 or 3 songs that if they were not released, I would not have missed on anything big (it is the only reason for me giving 4 instead of 5 stars), the album in general is good enough to listen to it again.
Loved 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.
This album contains really high points and also lows that reminds me of my main view of Sir Elton. Regardless of lows this was real surprise!
#369 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ I'm now starting to realise that the "eurovision sound" was out there way earlier and much more wider that I had anticipated. Not that all of this is that, but there is enough to make me notice. His other music on this record is kind of meh for me and kind of all over the place, from all pop artists playing the piano give me Tori Amos any time and even then it's not that amazing. Also, I hate Eurovision. Barely 2/5
Wow. So enjoyable.
...and that is why he is one of the best selling artists of all time.
Amazing amount of talent from these two (Taupin and John).
Amazing album.
Some good ones but Elton just isn’t all it for me
Son fan de algunas de sus canciones, el álbum es bueno, solo que no es mi total gusto
Ok --
good album
Good but lowkey drags
This could've been well higher it's too damn long!
Had no idea but this must have been a massive influence on Billy Joel’s Turnstiles album just 3 years later. This album is absolutely massive
Second double-album in a row. Love Lies Bleeding: like the interplay of the piano with the lyrics. Reference to stigmata? Candle in the Wind: Poor Marilyn. But not really feeling the electric guitar. Bennie and the Jets: Great song. I love the production. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: Amazing songwriting. I need to listen closer to lyrics. I've Seen that Movie, Too: Great metaphor of a breakup to cinema. Sweet Painted Lady: I see where "Roxanne" came from... The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-1934): Need more fictional biographical songs about gangsters. Dirty Little Girl: This is a Stones song. All the Girls Love Alice: /Eyes opening/ Oh. Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock & Roll): Great rock vibes. Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting): Just a banger. Harmony: That's how you end a double album. Just an awesome album. Most double albums have some filler tracks. This is just great song after great song. Especially the second album. Most of the time the second seems to be just experimental stuff, but this has a ton of great tracks.
lwk ass
Too many hits to not rate highly
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.
Decent album - hits strong, but enjoyed more generally
Great ballads
Aside from Jamaica Jerk-Off this is an outstanding album. Huge variety, great tunes throughout
Элтон Джон это конечно достойно, но что-то альбом унесло из моей памяти, как Элли с Тотошкой из Канзаса
Приятная музыка под пианинку, что тут еще скажешь
За одни только каблы на обложке ставлю 10. Было долго, но все равно круто. Человек никогда не разочарует.
Элтон на мой вкус один из тех исполнителей, которых приятнее всего слушать сборником лучших хитов, потому что на альбомах у них достаточно много проходного материала. На GYBR такая проблема тоже присутствует, без песен типа Jamaica Jerk-Off можно спокойно было обойтись. Однако за Bennie And The Jets и Saturday Night's Alright готов простить наличие любых сомнительных треков на альбоме.
Лучшая песня: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Худшая: Social Disease Отлично
bennie and the jets - одна из любимейших песен ever, альбом тоже замечательный, крепкие 4.5
До чего же замечательный альбом. Даже жаль, что в детстве застала Элтона уже кругленьким мужичком эдаким и как-то слушать его было неинтересно. От альбома осталось ощущение позитивного Ника Кейва, шикарные богатые аранжировки и вайб. Страшновато, что у Элтона под 30 выпущенных лпшек и записей, но конкретно этот альбом точно хочу себе в коллекцию винила
Obviously there's some all time great songs here, but a lot of it just feels kitschy and silly and weird.
I remember listening to this album the first time with my dad, when he dug out his old vinyl collection. I remember being so excited about how much art vinyl albums had compared to CDs and cassettes -- the fact it was a double album gave it that much space to be fun and creative. I would read along the lyrics as the album played. Love the whole thing, and I'm aware I'm super biased from nostalgia. I like to think even if I weren't this would be an easy 4 or 5.
The pure sounds of 1970s cocaine. Manic, overstuffed, overwritten, overproduced, exhausting. 10/10, no notes.
Great album throughout, didn't know much about Elton John or his music and i was really surprised I didn't feel like skip any of the songs.
If you only own one Elton record… As with most double LP’s, there’s a little bit of filler (reggae tinges?!), but there are at least 5 or 6 all-timers. A lot of piano pop, a little glam, a little schmaltz, but always hooky and memorable. 4.5 stars
Some absolute bangers, a few fillers along the way, but great lyrics and metaphors, some lovely piano too. It's not dated too bad either, the remix holds well.
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 rolled my eyes when this album got recommended, and I gasped when I discovered that this is 1 hour and 15 minutes in length. I do not have any problems at all with Elton John as a person. My problem is with piano rock. This style to me has probably some of the corniest music to ever exist. I'll admit that this album had me quite optimistic with its first song, an progressive rock epic of 11 minutes with a nice energy and some glam rock influences. But from here, almost the rest of the track list is just piano rock that I dislike so much, and it can get incredibly tedious. There are a handful of moments l liked, like the very energetic "Grey Seal", the fun rockabilly inspired "Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'N Roll)", the playful "Saturday's Nights Alright for Fighting" and I even prefer the weird "Jamaica Jerk-Off" over some of the slowest cuts. The rest I think is decent at best. After listening to this about 4 times, I think I only disliked it more and more with each listen. Piano rock is absolutely not for me.
Cooooool
I will keep banging on and on about how a good opener can make or break your entire album and opening with Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is such a powerful statement and I think it lands it. Rest of the album is a good mix of classics and I really liked the deep cuts too.
3.5
great! metal type shit
There's a few songs I don't care about but jezz. You got me good.
Épico e o ápice do maximalismo no Rock da década de 70. O álbum se inicia com uma canção progressiva de 11 minutos! Elton John não brinca em serviço. Mas é aquilo, maximalismo é uma faca de dois gumes. Você acaba sendo transportado e influenciado pelos sons magnânimos aqui expostos, além das melodias infectantes e pelo incrível alcance vocal de John. Mas simultaneamente, é difícil aguentar tanta coisa assim por mais de 1 hora seguida, é uma escuta laboriosa, desafiadora. Têm muito o que amar aqui, e eu amo muita coisa deste disco. Achei um acompanhante bem lindo pelo tempo que durou. Mas dava pra ser melhor. Não acho controverso dizer que o álbum poderia ser mais curto, há aqui faixas inconsequentes e algumas até mesmo irritantes (Jamaica Jerk-Off). Um foco maior para as baladas incríveis ajudaria o disco a se tornar realmente perfeito. Sua inflação é um grande defeito, é claro, mas não é o suficiente para eclipsar tudo de bom que este disco traz. Muitas canções memoráveis, icônicas, lindas e influentes. Liricismo brilhante, cheio de ironia e autoconhecimento, acompanhado de uma das vozes mais lindas da história do Rock. É um disco ótimo, que deve ser ouvido por todos independente do seu extremo e pomposo som. 4/5
Only got through about half of it; an ablum you can tell how much was poured into it. So many strong emotions behind it from the meaning and performance and I imagine strongly influenced the next decade of music
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 😅
Absolute classic - no debating. Elton John forged the archetype of flamboyant, larger than life male pop singer with this record, an image so so many (Harry styles, benson boone, etc) continue to imitate
Another 80 minute block of non-stop pop! I didn't even commemorate the 400th album yesterday with a comment. I could've at least provided a decent review, but that would really be against my values. Quality work is simply a bridge too far and probably beyond my capability. Speaking of beyond my capability, I am at the brink with long ass pop records. I am not anticipating an enjoyable revisit to a bunch of songs I already know. And having listened, I remain bemused and actually, a little angry. "Jamaican Jerk-Off" is funnier than anything I've ever said about white people aping reggae and it might have to become a new term for these people. I'm sure it'll be used again as there seems to be a fucking reggae track on every single record ever released. Elton certainly makes a Jamaican jerk-off of himself during that diddy. The rest of this is so mid to me. The songs are agreeable, sweet and mostly inoffensive, but this ain't for me dawg. Elton, sorry I'm 53 years late, but do you think you could redo this one for me? Cheers pal, nice one mate. 1 HIGHLIGHTS: Oh no the wealthy royal lady died I should release a song to poor people and also have several songs about girls needing a bath and mention that my sister looks cute
I have been sleeping on this. Really liked taking the time to appreciate the classics on this one but also experience this as a whole. Middle section wasn’t that interesting to me, too many similar tracks rhythmically, but from Saturday Night to the end it was really enjoyable.
I guess when you give coke to a theatre kid you get something close to a masterpiece. This album held my attention through its long runtime. I loved how many different directions he took it in and yet nothing really sounded out of place, except maybe for Jamaican Jerk Off.
There’s some all time goat tracks on here but also some more forgettable ones. The highs are extremely high tho
Good record. Probably a top 3 Elton John record.
benny and the jets to me is one of the best and most iconic songs of all time. top 20 for sure. also, “opportunity awaits me like a rat in a drain” ??? why have i not been talking about elton john more??????? why am i not an eltonite???? this is amazing stuff.. and we’ll just ignore the lesbo song
Favorite: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Least favorite: Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock'N Roll)
Me pareció un álbum inesperado, sobre todo el intro de la primera canción que me encantó y sobre todo los ritmos que tiene cada canción
I debated about whether to give this a 3 or 4 - I absolutely loved the hits, those are the songs of my childhood. But some of the others felt a little unfocused. I decided on 4 ultimately because I could listen to this album again, and I really love the ones I do love.
I truly adore this album. Elton John is absolutely a favorite of mine and has been since I was four years old and mumma put on crocodile rock in the car car out in Evansburg 🥰
real banger!
Jedinica iz principa. // Bila bi dvica jer iako sam se prepala da će mi se dopasti nešto od njega u toku prvih par minuta to je, srećom, samo bio dobar uvod u loš album, čim zine nestaje sav potencijal da ovdje bude nešto. Ne znam zašto Jamajka kao država nije pokrenula atentat protiv Eltona.
I really like it, it has lots of varieties and I love the rock and roll of it. Very groovy very fun. It did run long and it overstayed its welcome
I dig a white boy on a piano but the album ran a bit too long… great highlights though!
I feel like I say it over and over, but double albums are generally a Thing That Should Not Be, and almost all of the best ones* are one-and-a-half album's worth of good material. That's true here. The hits, obviously, are all great. Many of the deep tracks are too, though there are a few big misses (ESPECIALLY "Jamaica Jerk-Off"). And a big thumbs up for "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding." Great, great song. Epic, rocking, moving. I'll probably put this back on again, but it'll have some skips next time. (* Exceptions include All Things Must Pass, London Calling, and Exile on Main Street. I will not be taking questions at this time.)
Great album
Es una maravilla de album. Siempre pense que estaba sobrevalorado pero estaba equivocada, es de lo mejor que he escuchado, realmente me sorprendio, cada canción es un temazo, ame todo. Te amo Elton John
para mi elton es el mejor, lo amo ojalá algún día venga a argentina, el álbum me gusta, ya lo conocía pero no lo había escuchado entero, fiel a su estilo es un 10/10. mi preferida es ooooobvio que goodbye yellow brick road, es un graaaaaan clásico es un 11, otra que me gusto que no conocía es i've seen that movie too, demasiado bien ese comienzo. para mi todo lo que venga de él es un sólido 10. (capaz la pifio un poco en jamaica jerk off, es un intento de reggae que no va con el álbum, pero como lo amo no me interesa). si quieren adentese al mundo elton este es un gran álbum porq tiene de todo puntaje: 11
Now THIS is worthy of being on the top 1001 albums of all time.