Reviews (page 5 of 14)
This album came out when I was 8 years old, and one of my older brothers owned it. My two earliest music memories are listening, re-listening, and examining every inch of the album packaging of both this album and the Beatles white album. This isn't perfect by any means. There are quite a few throwaway songs, but when you look at the whole collection of songs and the packaging it really is an amazing accomplishment. Highlights for me are Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Candle in the Wind, Grey Seal, and All the Girls Love Alice. 4.5 stars, rounding up to 5.
Did not know the extent of Elton Johns talents
Rockin album. It goes in different directions from track to track. Very funky at times, then jazz, dance hall, then rock. Good stuff.
Elton John is a legend and I really vibe with this album.
There are a few albums that are so good, and so ubiquitous, that they almost transcend "music" and become just a part of life. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is one of those albums. Absolutely fantastic!
Sublime
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a strange title for an album, given that it's not only a symbol for the promised land but the pinnacle of Elton John's creative and commercial streak in the 70s. It had to be huge, it had to be bombastic, it had to be yearning for the plights of those who didn't have things easy. Sure, he would go on to achieve a few more smashes before things started to go haywire but Goodbye Yellow Brick Road served as the moment where Elton can firmly place his name in the hat amongst those who came before him and establish himself as a legend in the process.
Even before turning this album on, I'm already inclined to give it five stars solely for Bennie & the Jets. After listening, I'm reminded of just how great of a song Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is, which makes me even more inclined to give this record five stars. And then you have tracks like Sweet Painted Lady, I've Seen that Movie Too, Dirty Little Girl, Roy Rogers, Social Disease, and yes, even Jamaica Jerk-off. Has it become obvious that I'm just gushing over every song on this album? Because that's exactly what I'm doing. Elton John can sure turn a piano ballad and a piano rock song into gold.
Really dynamic, so much energy !
One of his best albums.
Incredible album with fantastic singing and catchy tunes. Lots of big hits on this one, "Saturday Night's Alright", "Bennie and the Jets", and has an incredible start with the long opener in "Funeral for a Friend". 9/10.
album opens incredibly strong! Started to blend together as it went, but since I like what it’s up to, everything’s good!
Fantastic album, Elton’s Melodie’s, singing and piano arrangements are fantastic
Pretty familiar with most of this album but it was really great. Saturday night's alright is one of the greatest songs ever. Nuff said
Love this album. Funeral for a friend is one of the best songs of all time.
70s Elton John was banging. Love lies Bleeding is a standout track amongst others.
Classic
Comes from a time in my life when Reg released one memorable album after another, in this case a double album. A superb opening side - the instrumental Funeral For A Friend segues into 3 great tracks, ending with Bennie And The Jets, a hugely successful singles & John’s first song to make the R&B charts in the U.S. There’s some great stuff on Sides 2&3, notably the title track, Jamaica Jerk-Off,Sweet Painted Lady, etc. and he brings it home with Side 4, beginning with 2 absolute belters then easing out with the beautiful Roy Rogers, the country-inspired Social Disease & the mellow Harmony. Still does it for me.
Excellent! Good songs, variety. Rock, piano-led rock, boogie and bits of country-rock. Ballads and thoughtful songs are well done. A well deserved critically popular album. And it does not outstay it’s double length either. Very enjoyable. Could be a 5* album, but I’m not yet familiar with it apart from the hit singles. Oh ok, it does have Bennie & the Jets and Saturday Night’s Alright. Worth a 5😉
A classic, banger after banger album. Peak Elton John that has almost every single hit he ever made. It has party songs, slow songs, funeral songs, and anything else you could ever want from Elton John. Everyone knows which songs are the standouts but even the lesser known ones are still good. It was cool that he used the “I’m only sleeping” reverse guitar on one song
amazing
A great album and an old favorite of mine. There were a few duds (Jamaica Jerk-Off, Your Sister Can't Twist, Dirty Little Girl), but the rest of the tracks more than make up for the bad ones.
Elton at his best, great album that is definitely in my top 20! "Benny and The Jets" "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" & "Candle In The Wind" to name just three of the classics on this album. Love it and rightfully on this list in my opinion.
This is a flat out amazing album. Bernie Taupin and Elton John make up one of the most prolific songwriting teams of a generation. If you are interested in the songwriting, apparently Taupin wrote all the lyrics for this double album in 2 1/2 weeks and John wrote most of the melodies in 3 days! My wife and I had the pleasure of seeing Elton John on his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road tour, and, as you can imagine, a number songs from this album were performed. John and Taupin run the gamut of musical and lyrical styles in this production. This is one of the best on this list thus far.
This is chocked full of hits- Elton really is a musical chameleon and this is pretty Rock-y in places. Great song writing and very well produced although it can sound a bit dated in places- very 70s. Still, it's easy to listen to but has edginess too. I like it.
That was a whole different sound than I expected, and I liked it a lot! A lot more rocky and atmospheric l, definitely listen again
5 stars. Everything up to Jamaica Jerk-Off is great, great, great. JJO feels cheap to me. Not a terrible tune, just sounds thin and unnecessary. After that, it kind of lurches around. 'Seen That Movie Too', 'All The Girls Love Alice', 'Saturday's Alright For Fighting', and 'Social Disease' are all pretty solid. 'Harmony' is a pretty good closer. Even with the filler, though, I still do love putting this album on every time.
Un dels grans magnum opus dels '70. El seu començament, amb 'Funeral for a Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding' és demolidor i una bona mostra del camí que ens queda per davant. No tot està a la mateixa alçada, impossible estar-ho a la de 'Candle in the Wind', 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' o 'Grey Seal', però res és menor, i en conjunt, una de les obres mestra de la década
Cmon it’s Elton
Great album with an amazing intro. Candle in the wind does not fit too well on this album - rest is amazing though
Love! First track is a standout. All the Girls Love Alice is a hidden fave.
disco peluca full
Classic 70's Elton John, one of his best with "Benny and The Jets" "Candle In the Wind" "Funeral For A Friend" "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" are all classics from this classic. Deffo in my top 20 Albums of all times. Gotta love Reg haven't you!
A masterpiece of rock pop that is timeless. Elton John’s best album by far. A great collection of fun hits, ballads, and poppy tunes. The fantastic piano bits on several songs is where the talent makes some songs so easy to listen to over and over again. Candle in the wind is a classic. Bennie and the jets. Classic. So much of this album is Elton just being at his best in every category that is Elton John. 9.0/10
Brilliant
Rani elton je najjači
Man, Elton John is one of those artists that will never be overrated
Whoever this Elton guy is he knows how to write a tune. This is a powerhouse of an album, filled with bangers, charisma, and the best song the muppets have ever bopped to. He has such a fun swagger that even the slow songs are great. My only criticism is that it starts to repeat itself towards the end a bit, but overall I loved this album.
Dudes rock
Absolutely mega album, an all time classic and quite solidly the best of Elton's career (Lion King soundtrack not included)
OK, I've never really seen why Elton John got as big as he did before, but this album really opened my eyes. It properly slaps. I'm not even going to deduct a star for "Candle in the Wind", despite having a certain amount of loathing for that tune due to working in a factory during the summer of '97 and being forced to listen to it at least once per hour every day for weeks on end... Fave track - "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" maybe - that's one hell of an album opener. The title track is amazing too, of course...
Antes de ponerle play al disco dudaba si iba a ser de cinco estrellas, pero la neta es que tan solo con contar las famosas basta para darle las 5. Obviamente está la que le da título, que es un rolón en muchos sentidos: letra, música, arreglos. Pero también está Benni & The Jets, Candle in the Wind, Saturday Night y Funeral for a Friend. Y las que no fueron tan famosas también son muy buenas y la mitad del mérito de este disco va a Bernie Taupin y sus letras. Si bien, lo único que me hizo dudar si bajarle a 4 es que al final es un disco largo (doble) y podrían quitarse dos o tres rolas, que no son malas, pero creo que podría ajustarse a 1 hora.
Just a huge album stacked with huge songs. Were they all crushers? No. But the songs that do slap, slap hard enough to make up for the rest.
Incredible run of songs throughout, *almost* as good as Tumbleweed Connection
This is an obvious 5 stars!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Elton John. What an incredible song writer and performer. So interested about his life as well and everything he went through, I find him such an inspiration when I see a lot of what he's been through and yet he's found happiness and contentment. So an album full of his best tunes and telling the story of his life effectively is right up my street. What a winner.
STONE COLD CLASSIC Harmony is just a beautiful, perfect song. So much pop culture imagery and perhaps Elton's most diverse and interesting piece of work.
This is the BEST! Benny and the Jets may be my all time favorite Elton John song. What an entertainer this guy is.
Loved it.
A forgotten album that is defined by on mediocre song rather than the 16 other better ones. Not my preferred style but I'm happy to recognise it pretty good regardless. Original better than the remix
Elton John’s masterpiece. You could argue there is a couple of duds on this album, Jamaica jerk of and Roy Rodgers specifically plus the album is a little on the long side. But these issues can easily be forgotten given how good the rest of the album is, the hits are brilliant and the other less well know. songs are also great. 5 stars.
- first track is an absolute banger, very long but it continuously changes up. style reminds me of david bowie in a good way - very upbeat and catchy, has a great vibe to it. i didn't know elton john is as popular as he is lol - this is one of those albums where every single song could be the lead single, deserves being in the list of the top 30-or-so selling albums of all time - wtf i am close to the end of the album and it just doesn't become bad. how is this even possible? i normally get bored getting into albums as long as this, but this one just stays consistently refreshing even at first listen. i would argue this is even better than ziggy stardust, gotta give it a 9 to 10 tbh - yup its probably a 9. not necessarily innovative but just genuinely perfect
Fantastic lyrics and a huge opener. Jam packed with familiar songs, and maybe the only issue being slight bloat.
The 1970s was the pinnacle of big band music in my opinion, not like big band swing but like a full group of musicians coming together and making one piece of music. I know Elton John gets the credit for his albums, like many of the solo musicians did, but if you look at the backing musicians they are always mega players themselves and they're hidden on these albums. I love Elton John and what he brought to the table, but these albums are great because there are so many hours of practice and studio time collectively among all the musicians involved that it almost couldn't fail. When you go back and listen to albums from this time, look at the other musicians who played and look into what else they were involved in, those are my favorites, the blue collar musicians that really made the hits. This album has a mix of big beautiful orchestral parts but also some honkytonk and everything in between, great album.
I am so happy to hear so much more than I knew about Elton John at this time! I loved it!
Oh yeah, you betcha, I love the music of Elton John. This is a great album with some beloved singles and a number of other great tracks...although there are a couple that I don't love.
This has everything I could want from an Elton John album. Great pop singles that I've known forever and, even better, deeper cuts that are new to me and that range from sweet pop ballads to country-tinged character studies to rollicking rock and roll anthems. In addition to long-time favorites Saturday Night's Alright... and Yellow Brick Road, I absolutely love Love Lies Bleeding, This Song Has No Title, Sweet Painted Lady, The Ballad of Danny Bailey, Dirty Little Girl, All the Girls Love Alice, Social Disease, and this amped up version of Grey Seal. Albums like this are the reason Sir Elton is the holiest of holy prophets in my own personal church.
I listened to this a lot as a kid, but after leaving home and losing access to my older sister’s and parents’ record collections I let this slip away. When building my own music collection it seemed more efficient to focus on greatest hits collections and boxed sets for artists with a huge musical history given the limited funds of young adulthood. Today I realized how much I have deprived myself of for the last 35 years. In the last decade the embarrassment of riches provided by digital music has provided the perfect opportunity to correct that musical deprivation. But instead I adapted my musical shorthand: cherry-picking singles, shuffle playing songs and focusing on custom playlists. That too can be great but this project has reminded me that there is something special when you listen to a great album from beginning to end. The journey is often even more lovely than any particular song. No where is this more obvious to me than on GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD. The singles I love on this album are all the more spectacular now that I’ve re-experienced them in their original context. I even feel a renewed sense of possibility and inspiration having been reunited with this masterpiece from one of the greatest artists of our time.
Um clássico. Candle in the wind é linda.
The only bad thing about this album is its runtime, and even then I never felt like skipping or rushing through any of the songs. This is the quintessential and definitive Elton John. Legendary voice and piano playing, big songs, great production, dynamics, all really well done. I appreciate the American sounds incorporating with the country and bluegrass, as well progressive rock pieces. I had a bad perception of Elton’s legacy, this all changed it.
The roses in the window box Have tilted to one side - funeral for a friend
this was a really cool album I was expecting it to drag considering how long it was but it really felt fresh and engaging the whole time no complaints, just a great album 10/10
I'd heard plenty of Elton John's hits, but I'd never actually listened through an entire record before. I feel like this album awoke something inside of me, I don't know how to describe it. But I'm certainly going to dive deeper into Elton's discography. Front to back I was genuinely jamming out and loving nearly every track, I never found that momentum was lost at any point. Great listen, will absolutely be revisiting this record.
A fantastic album from one of the best musical artists of all time. Elton John has made a ton of music over the years (31 studio albums according to Wikipedia), and while I haven't heard many of his albums all the way through, it is hard to imagine anything beating this one. His vocals, songwriting, and piano playing are all top notch here, and there's a certain energy to his earlier work that made him the legend we know today. This record features some of the his biggest and best hits (Candle in the Wind, Bennie and the Jets, GYBR, SNAFF), but I was most impressed with how diverse and memorable the tracks outside of these were. Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding is a very interesting way to start off an album with its dark overtones in the first half shifting over to a more upbeat and light second half. This track is representative of the album as a whole as it constantly switches between slower/darker songs and fun/light ones. While this can be detrimental to some records, nothing stands out as being out of place here which is crazy impressive. Out of the songs I have never heard before, This Song Has No Title, Grey Seal, All the Girls Love Alice, and Social Disease stood out to me the most (the fact that I can remember so many of these songs after hearing them once is not something that happens very often on this list). The only negative thing I have to say is that it might be a *tad* too long at 1 hour and 15 minutes. While I thought this went by relatively fast, there are a couple of songs that could have been cut to make this an absolutely perfect album; however, this is still nearly perfect and an album I will definitely listen to again in the future. Truly iconic. 4.5/5.
Goodbye yellow brick ROOOOOOOOOOAAADDD AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH
Greatest hits, not quite Jamaican Jerk-off a gem you won't find elsewhere.
An extraordinarily enthralling pop rock record; possibly Elton John's best critically speaking. 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' (album) utilizes the pure charisma and cheerful energy of John, which in tandem with an exquisitely produced and arranged album, sparks a masterpiece. From start to finish, the album is tremendously upbeat and is paced in such a way that it never loses touch of balancing pure musicality with showmanship all through sound.
A classic
I don't remember the huge extended musical intro to this album, though its got that early 70s grit. This album is so grand in vision scope and sound. It goes everywhere. Its incredible.
It doesn't need me saying it, does it, but Elton has a genius for writing songs that goes beyond mere pop-artistry. His truest expression of himself is in the arrangement of chords in a satisfying sequence - which is why it's never mattered that he doesn't tend to write his own lyrics. They're part of the whole, but the whole is the song. Each one is a journey in its own right - John taking you down the Yellow Brick Road, showing you the sights - a laser display here, a drag queen there, all musically, mind - before dropping you back home, safe and sound. You've had such a journey you don't really want to say goodbye.
Elton grote meneer. veel nummers die weinig listens hebben die ik ook echt goed vond
This album was so fun front to back. Aside from the obvious singles, I went into this one blind. I don't know what I expected, but it had way more classic rock guitar licks to accompany Elton's fun piano playing than I anticipated. I can't say there's a skip on here. 5 stars all day. Don't be intimidated by the 1:16 runtime... I've listened to 30-minute albums on here that felt like they dragged on for hours. This really is the perfect Elton John album.
Elton sure dialed it up right now. Flawless execution, a perfect blend of prog with that incredible 11 minute opener and great tunes to hum along to.
What a brilliant album and brilliant song writer. Just blows me away every time I hear the title track.
We have an Elton John box set from 1990. I was surprised how many tracks are from this album, how many tracks I know so well. But then again, I shouldn't be; this is probably his best album, by far. So many of his other albums have great stuff on it too, though. Driving into work, there was at least two or three songs that had that 70s reverb and drum sound. You don't hear that on many albums and think that it doesn't sound dated. It fits in well with the music, and does NOT sound permanently lodged in the 70s. Not, almost FIFTY years later, we can listen to it and marvel in it. Perhaps if it was recorded now some of the songs would have a slightly different tinge or quality to it, but I doubt by much.
I know lots of Elton John singles but not by albums. This album reminded me how much I adore Elton's piano playing. Funeral for a Friend almost reminded me a bit of the earlier Genesis album (quasi-prog rock feel), including when put together with Love Lies Bleeding (now you have a sweeping rock song with twists, piano and synth, and guitars). The former is touching, the latter about as good as his other high-tempo hits. The first few notes of Yellow Brick Road give me chills - again, just something about his piano playing. I find it amazing how Bernie Taupin can write the lyrics to these songs and then Elton dreams up the music to go with it. Elton is an incredible composer and as a pair they are pretty amazing. I still have something against Bennie and the Jets (never liked it as much as others) but if that's his worst, that's pretty darn good. To be honest, the back half of the first album took a bit of a dip for me but it closed well with I've Seen that Movie Too. The second album really picked up steam about halfway through the Ballad of Danny Bailey - lots of higher tempo rock that sucks you in. From Dirty Little Girl through to Saturday Night's Alright is a great sequence. I also liked the different pacing in Roy Rogers and Harmony. Either album on its own is good but as a package it's gold.
9/10. Really great songwriting ,
What an album. 10
This would have been one of the most insane single albums ever if it was edited down more. It's a really good double album and even the less memorable songs were good, but I can't give it a perfect score. 9/10
Heard this one a million times... Great, start to finish. 5/5
Not heard before. Only knew the big singles, but this is great from start to finish.
great album
4.5 cause it's a 4.7, but I'll round the fuck up
Love it! made me feel warm and slightly nostalgic
One of my absolute favorites!
Winner winner
Great listen.
Five stars. Easy. Next.
when _am_ I gonna come down?
Elton John lo hace todo bien . guay :)
Very nice. Wanted to listen to it again as soon as it was over.
Classic Elton in his prime. Classic and timeless.
Nothing unlistenable but the number of must listen songs makes this a classic.
First time listening: 17/17 songs liked Yep. This album was lit. I didn't know that most of my elton discography came from this album alone! That intro song is insanely long but felt so cohesive and short. I think his melody writing with the poppy piano rhythm hits my heartstrings. 5 songs added.
Bangers galore. What a journey. Man knows how to shred a piano.
Loved it. Elton John is magical and this album shows his range and variety.
In my top 20 all time. The sheer quality of tunes in a short period of time that John & Taupin produced is unparalleled. Rivalled only perhaps by the Beatles.
Der hat seinen Adelstitel schon zurecht bekommen.
Wow warum habe ich dieses tolle Album bisher noch nie durchgehört? Ein perfektes Popalbum, das fast 50 Jahre nach dem Erscheinen immer noch mitreißt und berührt. Fast jedes Lied ein Hit! Das Albumcover ist auch toll. Kommt definitiv in meine Playlist, Wiederentdeckung des Jahres!
Absoluter Hit!
One of my all time favorites.... listening to this in my teenage years seemed like every song on this album was enjoyable including the bonus number one hits Yellowbrick Road, Benny and the Jets $ Saturday nights alright for fighting; then the tribute to Marilyn Monroe-Candle in the Wind.....Back then I bought double album and also double 8-tracks for listening in my 1970 Chevelle..... Awesome album !!!
Never really listened to Elton before although I’ve heard most of these songs and loved them
Delightful.
Listened while working, very nice sound and emotion.
Bennie! Bennie! Bennie! Quite a long album but it doesn’t really matter when it’s got this many classics on it. I know the album quite well and was prepared to give it a 4 but after listening last night it would feel wrong to give it anything less than a 5. A classic and probably Elton’s best.
From 1st to last Elton made a point of sharing his feelings and surprised us with his talent. He is the most amazing pianist with a voice to back up those keys. Favorite tracks: Funeral for a friend, Candle 🕯 in the Wind, Benny & the Jets and Harmony. But 🎧 to this album twice and your list will double. Well done Sir John, Good Knight! First 5 rating
Elton se ganó el cielo con este disco. Me encanta
Fun
Que buenos compositores son los británicos gays.
The story telling with Elton is top notch
Bbbbbenny and the jets!! I dont think there is a bad Elton album
Fantastic
Iconic Elton John touches base everywhere 5
Grew up with this album on all the time. Tons of solid tracks
Fantastic album, great variety and timeless songs
Nothing but hits and classics
Classic album with amazing songs.
Fav Song: Benny and the Jets
Loved this! Lively, fun, 70s pop. Good ol Elton.
Classics all, and took all day to get through the album!
Peppy pop music, there are so many solid hits on this one.
Has many of Elton John's Greats! Definitely a 5.
This album slaps. Sir Elton don't miss!
Fantastic album from start to finish.
One of my first deeper dives into classic rock as a teenager.
I can’t lie. I love ole Reginald. Incredible pianist and song writer. Full marks
great album
Some classics on here, but a couple of simply terrible songs. Jamaican jerk off especially
Very Elton sounding
Tough one to rate because Funeral for a Friend is an easy ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ and there some heaters to follow. The album tracks aren’t all up to snuff. What was the deal with Jamaica Jerk Off? I’ve heard the album before but maybe blocked that one out of my memory. Overall it’s an important and ambitious album, but feels like too much was crammed in to fit as a double album.
Nice music - could have been shorter
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road opens like somebody raising the curtain on a musical. “Funeral for a Friend” works less like prog sprawl than a musical-theatre overture: themes are announced, scale established, the audience told that this is going to be an event. What follows has almost no narrative coherence whatsoever, but that scarcely matters. Marilyn Monroe, futuristic pop stars, broken relationships, sailors, prostitutes, gangsters, Saturday-night fighting and childhood cowboys all wander through. The unity is theatrical rather than thematic. These are scenes. You can hear why Elton’s songs folded into Rocketman so naturally decades later. The theatrical impulse was already present. “Bennie and the Jets” is futuristic spectacle, all wild syncopation and the sense that the future hasn’t been predicted so much as already arrived. “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” is practically a comic strip set to music: broad outlines, movement, mischief and violence, with a chorus designed to have bodies moving before anyone has considered the sociology of pub fighting. Elton is frighteningly good throughout. Hooks seem to occur to him in multiples. His band is absurdly tight: “Grey Seal” drives forward with the piano flying around inside the rhythm section, then the backing vocals join him through the third verse with such precision that the whole vocal line suddenly feels enlarged rather than decorated. Gus Dudgeon’s production is immaculate without becoming airless. Bernie Taupin is much more uneven, and that is where the album becomes interesting. At his best he can be empathetic, cinematic and wonderfully human. “Love Lies Bleeding” has a vernacular directness that never becomes gauche. “Candle in the Wind” works because Taupin approaches Norma Jean almost as an equal, reducing the distance between icon and person instead of adding another layer of myth. “I’ve Seen That Movie Too” has a weary sophistication, its backwards guitar sounding like the scene itself being rewound so everyone can endure it again. “Sweet Painted Lady” takes another version of that here-we-go-again feeling and makes it sentimental rather than exhausted. At his worst, Taupin can be dreadfully small-town and parochial. “Dirty Little Girl” swaggeringly looks down on its subject. Imagine that character in Lou Reed’s hands: she might still be grubby, damaged and difficult, but Reed would probably have found some empathy for her. Taupin mostly sneers. “All the Girls Love Alice” reaches for tragedy but doesn’t really understand the territory it has entered. Lesbianism is tangled up with youthful aberration, exploitation and death until the song becomes more lurid than insightful. The problem isn’t simply that these songs are dated. They feel like lyrics discussing things they aren’t equipped to discuss. It’s tempting to say that Sleaford never quite left Taupin. Sometimes that was his greatest strength. His background gave him somewhere real to look out from. “Roy Rogers” became the emotional centre of the album for me because I know Sleaford and I knew the old Picturedrome there, a huge cinema where I watched films myself. I found myself imagining Taupin as a boy in the balcony, red velvety seats around him, the American West filling the screen while flat Lincolnshire waited outside. Suddenly “Roy Rogers” became much bigger than nostalgia for a cowboy star. It became nostalgia for believing that escape was available simply by sitting down in the dark. That same provincial inheritance could also narrow Taupin’s gaze. Sleaford was both launchpad and limitation: it gave him the hunger to imagine elsewhere, while some of its assumptions still travelled with him. His imagination at this point seems to be expanding faster than his worldview. The album itself has the same uneven generosity. “Jamaica Jerk-Off” is period-piece silliness that would be charming as a track discovered in a vault forty years later. “Your Sister Can’t Twist” is much better knowing kitsch: Little Richard in the attack, Chuck Berry in the storytelling, with the instrumental break laying the joke on with a trowel. “Social Disease” is slight, but the band are clearly having fun inside the costume. Then “Harmony” ends everything quietly, yearning for an idealised state of equilibrium after all the fame, movement, colour and noise. I admire Goodbye Yellow Brick Road more than it moves me. But there is an enormous amount here to admire: melodic abundance, immaculate production, a superb band, theatrical imagination and enough inconsistency to make the album feel human rather than monumental.
Elton had the absolute sauce for those first 4/5 tracks damn
This is an album that is an *album* rather than a collection of songs. Obviously there's no concept album in sight, but there is an undeniable cohesion between the tracks that establishes such a fun tone across the album itself. The run of the first four tracks is so excellent, only slightly marred by This Song Has No Title which isn't quite grandiose enough to keep up the streak. We would be looking at an easy five star if it wasn't for some of the half dud tracks like 'Jamaica Jerk-Off' which is fun but doesn't quite break out of novelty song. Still, the album needed some levity.
I wonder how an album like this would fade today. Kind of a rock pop album that feels fresh because the songs are great but because it’s piano led it has a vintage feel to it. Regardless Benny and the Jets and Candle in the Wind anchor an impressive display of songs. And I really liked some of the swampier songs in the middle like Dirty Little Girl and All the Girls Love Alice. My only gripe here was the album was a bit too long and got samey by the end. Elton could have easily trimmed 4 songs off this thing but it was brilliant nonetheless.
Wish You Were Queer.
Liked most of the songs I already knew, and even the non-hit ones. But it was a little long for me, so I don't feel like I enjoyed it enough to give it a bigger score.
Enjoiyed!
I’ve seen that movie too foi minha preferida!!
very fun album, hadn't heard many on the back half and found myself enjoying them a lot! bennie and the jets my fav
Pretty excellent. It will come as a surprise to no one that "Jamaica Jerk-Off" is indeed the worst song on this double-album (and boy is it a stinker), but otherwise...I mean this thing is freaking solid. Elton John and Bernie Taupin were truly in another league. It's just song after song after song of catchy, deceptively complex, prog-pop-rock. Who else could accomplish that? This is still not my favorite music ever, but I would be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't love (and I mean love) at least one song on this thing. That's saying something.
Tres fort
So today I found out that Spotify suppress the lyrics if the passage of time has deemed them to be offensive. e.g. Dirty Little Girl
I personally enjoyed the album while it was pretty well paced it tended to drag on a little bit toward the end overall good listen
I hurt my back singing goodbye to the red brick road in my backyard. There is a 5+ star 45 minute album in this 1 hour and 16 minutes.
Wowza what a great listening experience all songs have great character added loads some I knew some I didn’t
If you dropped some of the more ballady stuff this would be an easy 5. Elton John can rock on a piano harder than most people can rock on an electric guitar, which I think is extremely remarkable. Saturday Night is an all-timer.
Loved it. Love the creativity of Elton mixed with the constant of the piano.
Inget ont att säga om detta. Klockren fyra.
Den har allt man gillar: Prog, sväng, soul, rock n roll. Toppenskiva som bara är ett par svaga spår ifrån full pott! 4,8/5
Pretty excellent album. Some that aren't my fav, but some absolute bops. Highs: Candle in the Wind, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting, Social Disease, Harmony Lows: Maybe like Sweet Painted Lady? Funeral for a Friend? Overall, the sound is awesome, there aren't many lows, some serious highs, and is overall a pretty enjoyable listen. This is the closest to a 5 I've had so far.
I got a very U shaped enjoyment curve out of this album as it went on; strong start and strong end, with a dip in the middle. Don't get me wrong, I love the era of Elton John this album started with him adopting a more rock 'n' roll sound and definitely do consider this album mandatory listening on this list, but this is the impression that I got.
Hatten wir den nicht gerade erst? Naja, dieses Album ist besser als der Madman!
Echt lang, aber auch echt vielseitig. Muss ich mich nochmal mehr mit beschäftigen, Stand jetzt so zwischen 3 und 4 Sternen. Bin da aber optimistisch.
it's a good album. lots of hits on this album. even the others are worth listening to. i enjoyed it.
The singles are of course very good. I really liked Grey Seal. I can’t say I liked every song but it’s overall quite good.
Listened
Elton John being Elton John. We love to see it.
Listened before?: yes, one time before using this site to track my 1001 albums progress Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding - 5/5 Candle in the Wind - 4/5 Bennie and The Jets - 5/5 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - 5/5 This Song Has No Title - 3/5 Grey Seal - 4/5 Jamaica Jerk-Off - 2/5 I've Seen That Movie Too - 4/5 Sweet Painted Lady - 4/5 The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-34) - 4/5 Dirty Little Girl - 3/5 All the Girls Love Alice - 4/5 Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n' Roll) - 2/5 Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting - 5/5 Roy Rogers - 2/5 Social Disease - 3/5 Harmony - 4/5 Average score: 3.7/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ it's a solid album, especially toward the beginning. only complaint i can think of is that the album is about 15-20 minutes too long (for my personal liking). there were also some tracks i felt were either redundant (Dirty Little Girl) or simply didn't fit on an album like this (Jamaican Jerk-Off especially). fortunately, that did little to kill my enjoyment overall. for that reason, i feel okay giving it 4 stars here, though it'd likely receive 3.5 stars in reality
What an album to put out in 1973, this is ahead of the curve of at least 5 years I'd never properly listened to Elton John before and this did not disappoint, although my attention did falter a few times
A really strong album, laced with classics including Candle in the Wind, Bennie and the Jets, the title track, and Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting. Some of them could certainly come under the category of ‘played out’, but it’s hard to deny that they’re all incredibly memorable songs. I think there’s enough quality throughout the rest to make John more than just a singles artist, especially the songs that join the classics in a generally pacey opening half. It’s denied 5 by being overly long- a more condensed version probably would have had a good shot at full marks.
Unusually among big 70s artists, Elton John is one I’m largely unfamiliar with, aside from the hits, so I was quite interested to hear a full album. I wasn’t disappointed. Impressively for a double album, there are very few weaker tracks here, and only one egregious dud (‘Jamaica Jerk-Off’). Aside from that, it’s stacked with great tracks: the dramatic, multi-part opener, ‘Candle in the Wind’, ‘Bennie and the Jets’, the title track, ‘Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting’, and many more besides. It’s a strong 4 for now, possibly rising to a 5 with greater familiarity. A true glam rock classic.
Iconic
cool cool cool
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John is definitely a pretty good album, and I can see why it’s so highly regarded. I feel that the most memorable parts of the album live in the first half of the record, but that’s not to say that the other half is subpar. While there are definitely some stronger tracks, I wouldn't skip any one of them when listening back because they are all good songs. The intro was captivating, and I really liked the synths; it reminds me of 2025 Turnstile. Track 8 “I’ve Seen That Movie Too” has one of the best guitar solos I’ve heard in a while. The closing track was also perfect for the record.
This album is an absolute gem.
I was expecting to give this like a 2 but I have been charmed by Elton John. 3.5/5
There’s always going to be some unevenness in an album that’s 77 mins long, but I’m not sure we needed a guest appearance from Jive Bunny and the Master-Mixers in ‘hYour Sister Can’t Twist’. Having said that, it’s still a great album, if quite heavily front-end loaded.
Great album! With some classic songs!
Minus 1 for the reggae song
wonderful and delightful
8 - GOOD
some hits, some misses. the overture was really cool and I liked the first half more
A few of the songs are uninteresting at worst, but overall a great album. I was already an Elton John fan, and getting to relisten to this album is always a treat. 4/5.
Me gustó mucho principalmente porque el álbum se siente como álbum y no como puros hits juntos.
This is great. He's such a great songwriter and able to do so many different styles.
It’s a fun piece. Definitely felt front loaded as some of the later tracks start falling off a bit. I feel like I’m getting pickier about double albums
lovely
Not every song is great, but there are some top tier songs on here.
Some really great songs here, but it’s too bloated with filler to get 5 stars.
Friday, 14 August, 2026 Great album. Several all time songs on the record. A little long (not quite worthy of double LP), but most of it is great.
bennie and the jets alone might carry the 4 for this album but some good tunes and almost felt like a musical/play with some of the numbers. in a good way
Really fun prolonged intro to the first song, the guitar, bass, piano, and orchestra all work together nicely. Candle in the Wind is a classic, but overplayed a bit. The intro to Bennie and Jets in particular is just iconic and a perfect blend of slow, rhythm that uses restraint for its advantage. Great piano, guitar, and sound effects throughout. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is also another classic on an album full of them, but for good reason. The message, songwriting, and harmonies are all top notch. I really enjoyed the lyrics of "This Song Has No Title", very philosophical but also meta and self-aware. Jamaica is the first "miss" and is skippable. The next 4 are standard Elton John and just okay to me. Next 2 are better. Saturday Night's Alright is a classic, always loved it. Roy Rogers is okay. Social Disease starts weird, but is a fun song, love the banjo. Harmony was a good ender. Overall, this album starts so freaking strong, and then has a couple really good songs in the middle. Overall, I like it but I don't love it. Its like a 7/10 for me, but I'll bump it up to 4/5. Favorite Tracks: Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Bennie and the Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, This Song Has No Title, Saturday Night's Alright Least Favorite Tracks: Jamaica Jerk-Off, Dirty Little Girl,
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! It has some bangers like “Bennie and the Jets,” “Goodbye Yellow Road,” and “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)”. And the rest of the tracks sounded good enough. I like the instrumental sections. (Though “Candle in the Wind” is too overplayed and maudlin for me.) I remember trying to listen to this when I was younger and not liking it. So either my tastes have softened or Elton’s continual presence through TV performances and films and guest appearances has inured me to him. I’d listen to this again.
goat of piano rock. i only ever want to hear piano rock from him. wtf was he thinking when he made jamaica jerk off tho
3,6 Highlights: Candle in the Wind, Grey Seal
Look, Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is bloody marvellous. The rest of the album is largely fun, but like Elvis Costello (who I listened to just before this one) I could like Elton more than I do. It's the voice and the style I don't quite love. But Candle in the Wind is a great song. I even didn't hate Bennie and the Jets even though it's a bit annoying and lounge rock and I thought I hated it before. Grey Seal was a discovery even though I've heard it before. I think with editing this could have been a 5 for me.
absolutely unhinged to start with a 10 minute song that’s instrumental for most part. i love it. this is brilliant. it’s also 20 minutes too long. other than that outstanding.
This is pretty good, the big tracks are excellent and Elton is good enough that most of the others are decent enough. My only real problem is that it's sooooo loooooong. Silly double albums. Imagine this without the album tracks and once again we'd have an absolute killer album. Instead this is just good.
De lo mejor de Elton
One of the best opening track sequences I've ever heard, the first side of the first disc and the title track are much more than a huge collection of timeless hits; they are a statement of intent about what can be done with different influences without losing the essence, with the overflowing personality of the music being what holds everything together. Taupin's lyrics, full of metaphors and narratives of scenes with very different characters, use very concrete images to deal with much more abstract emotions in a direct way and without the need for explanations, and they fit perfectly with Elton's ability to interpret melodies that feel almost inevitable and that turn the extravagance of the lyrics into songs with the potential for success and that are truly accessible.
Know it, love the first half, don't really care for the second half (save for "Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting"). "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" is a favorite. The hits are all well-deserved. Could do without "All the Girls Love Alice," "Roy Rogers," and "Social Disease." It's not my favorite Elton John album (that's "Captain Fantastic") but still a good listen. (4/5)
One of the best artists ever, but not every song on this album is memorable.
A brilliant collection of songs. The opening track is very impressive and sets up a pretty great run of songs up to the bizarre Jamaican Jerk-Off, which seems so out of place and stops the album in its tracks. Fortunately, it picks straight back up and ends beautifully with Harmony. I loved the mix of genres on this album (with the exception of reggae) - the rock and roll, country and slow ballads are all fantastic.
tykkäsin kovasti! hitit oli tutut mutta muuten ei. jotenki uskomattoman modernin kuulosta ja ajatonta vaikka 70-lukua. varmaan jos ois jotenki lapsuudesta tuttu tms niin vois olla tärkeä levy itelle mutta ei kyllä sitä oo. mutta passeli ja hyvä!
Tää ei lähteny teininä mulla, mut nyt lähtee vidusti! Harkitsin jopa vitosta, mut niukasti jää neloseksi!
Odotukset oli kovat, mut ekalla kuuntelulla autossa jäi vähän taustamusaks ja oli pienoinen pettymys. Kovia hetkiä, mutta kokonaisuutena jäi jotenkin pliisuks. Illalla ilta-auringossa kaupunkipyörällä kruisaillessa sain korvanappiin tiedon et onhan tää nyt kova lätty! ⭐️
Super album.
Overall, multiple exceptional songs on this album, but there were a few weak ones. I wish he just left them off and the album would have still been plenty long but also perfect.
Fuck yeah this is great. Its so fun, its so catchy and thats enough for me to slap a big fat 4/5 on this thing. Its not a five because the album loose a lot of its steam in the second half.
A Damned Good Album. Yes, it has a couple of his mega hits, and it arguably should have been edited down to a single LP rather than a double, but I'm nitpicking Elton H John produced an excellent album here. (Tho' my preference is Tumbleweed Collection.)
This record was a big hit for a reason... it's a solid album from a bonafide legend. It is critically acclaimed and widely loved. Though not one of my go-to records, I see the value and (dare I say it?) "importance" of this record. It does have a bit of filler and probably could have been trimmed down to a single record without impacting much... but it's been 50+ years, so no sense in debating that.
Een 4. Toppers als de title track en Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting zijn echt verschrikkelijk goed, maar dan heb je ook opeens zo'n giga stinker als Jamaican Jerk-Off
Groots en gezellig, eigenlijk net als Guus Meeuwis, maar dan proggy, gay en vooral heel erg goed.
Great album by a fantastic musician, and it kicks off with two legendary tracks. Between Bennie and the Jets, Candle in the Wind, and Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting, this album feels stacked. That said... I gotta admit, I kinda stopped caring after Saturday Night. That would have been a perfect closer, but there's three songs after it. Still, great album.
I wanna give it 5 stars so bad I listened to it twice and it moved me to tears, why the FUCK is Jamaican Jerk off on this masterpiece of an album that song sucks take it off
What an opening 4 songs! Shame about the cod reggae song. Good listen overall.
Well I just finished Elton John- Goodbye yellow brick road...I forgot just how great side 1 and 2 of the first album was. The 2nd album was a loss for the most part.
4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/elton-john/goodbye-yellow-brick-road/ Now I just cannot hate on this, can I? Sure, it has some weak songs (Jamaica Jerk-Off looking at you), but all the rest is just so fun.
I can safety say that this is my first Elton John album. I’ve obviously heard his music but never listened to an album. This was great. I little long for me but I’ve discovered a new side on Elton’s music which is the rock songs. Funeral For A Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding is a BANGER of a start. Dirty Little Girl and All the Girls Love Alice were pleasant surprises too. Some “filler” songs stop this from getting a 5 though
They're not all Bennie and the Jets
After listening to this I finally understand what the fuss is about with Elton John. Really solid piano pop ballads with excellent production and songwriting. A lot like Bowie, if a bit more one dimensional. Just really good music
Liked: 1,2,3,4,6,8,9,10,12,13,14,15,16,17 Disliked: 5,7,11 Total Songs: 17 Ratio: 14/17 Converted Score: 4.12/5 Top 3 1. Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding 2. Candle In the Wind 3. Saturday Nights Alright For Fighting
First time listening to this album all the way through. I now understand where Scissor Sisters get a lot of their influences from. Definitely worth the listen.
Sir Elton
Love Elton, but he loses a star for Jamaica Jerkoff
Some hit some miss
Comme avec Bowie, j'ai un peu de misère à cerner Sir John. Quand même d'excellents tubes là-dessus, mais c'est weird quand ça vire sur le prog, ou le hard rock. Je n'avais jamais réalisé à quel point il avait des atomes crochus avec les Stones à cette époque.
Les singles sont assez incroyables!
You already know the hits on this album, but everything else is great as well. Opening your pop-rock album with an 11 minute prog masterpiece is a wonderful subversion that I did not expect from Elton John. There are so many hidden masterpieces on this album too. This song has no title and I've seen that movie too are gems I hadn't heard before. His ability of songwriting is something to be marveled at. Such a great album all around.
Some early 70's production choices didn't age well. "Jamaican Jerk Off" is going up high in my list of least favorite songs ever. A lot of the rest of this album is strong, however. Because it's a double album that didn't overstay its welcome too badly, I'll give it 4 stars.
This release has its ups and downs. The opening six tracks are very strong. Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding - fantastic. Then we get to Jamaica Jerk-Off and you lose me. From there, some good, some not so good. For the strength of the strong tracks, this one is going to be a 4 star album.
4.5
This album has some amazing tracks, but it is very long, and honestly the quality of the material does decline quite a bit after the halfway mark.
4/5
Started of suprrisingly strong with Funeral for a friend, candle in the wind and even Bennie and the Jets. But after that it very much fell into the standard Elton John stuff, which sadly very much overstayed its welcome with a total of 1:17hr of Elton John. I can imagine that if you're fan of him this'd be an amazing album, however I just am not a fan of his music. However, I cannot deny that it is a good album overall.
It starts out with an all-time great quality, but just drags on a bit too much for my liking. 4/5
It's good, about on par with what I expected.
Classic Album. 4.5 stars
Good album
I could listen to this album again today. Has some really good songs.
The highs are very high but it's a bit long
Given how incredibly prolific Elton John has been across the decades, it's a total mystery why there are only two of his albums in this collection, both from the early 70s (and hopefully only coincidentally from before John officially came out). At least this one (unlike "Madman Across the Water") is one of his best albums--both commercially and critically, it seems--and has an impressive number of enduring singles on it too, not to mention an amazing run with the first four tracks as huge fan favorites. And while a lot of the songs definitely herald from the 70s, they don't sound nearly as dated as a number of other albums in this collection; I also really enjoyed watching the much (much much) later video for "Bennie and the Jets", the winner of a 50th-anniversary Taupin/John competition that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. It's definitely not a perfect album, and the non-hits are kind of all over the map, but it's still an impressive--and impressively rocking--album overall.
Classic. Full of lots of bops
1973 indulgent, listened at harpefLove lies bleeding Candle in the wind Good bye yellow brick road
This was my first time really listening to Elton John, and I have to say, that this is an excellent album.
Great album with some absolute classics in it. It does overstay its welcome with some songs getting pretty weird later on, but it's still good overall. The title tracks, Bennie and the jets, and Saturday nights alright for fighting are all time classics, and when elton is at his best his music is tough to beat.
This album has such a stellar opening, and the first half features some of Elton's best songs. I particularly enjoyed Grey Seal, which has less commercial success but was still a great listen. However, this album should not have been a double album. There are too many filler tracks and songs that don't live up to the exceptionally high standards of the openers, and for that it fails to receive a perfect score. Nevertheless, it's still Elton, and the bangers do bang.
I really liked it, tons of classics. However, I found it to be on the longer side.
Just a classic. A lot of bangers
94/95
I always thought of Elton as a singles guy more than an album guy, but this is all bangers. Ballads, disco, reggae, classic rock - this has it all, executed beautifully.
Les hits sont vraiment des hits. 3.75 étoiles
Of course you’ve got like Bennie And The Jets and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, but I was quite a fan of Jamaica Jerk-Off had like that good almost reggae vibe and was just something I didn’t quite expect. Sweet Painted Lady was really good it actually made it into the liked songs.
Bennie and the jets is a banger. Goodbye yellow brick road is also very good. I didn’t fall in love with anything else, but still very good overall.
A classic for a reason.
Super theatrical rock music, with massive arrangements, many layers of instrumentations and a feeling of grandiosity oozing out of it. It's really good despite being long: I love the piano passages especially (Elton is obviously amazing at it) but really everything sounds great and is in perfect harmony. The arrangements on the intro or title track are stunning. The melodies are super sweet, especially on songs like This Song Has no Title. Grey Seal is a groovy ass tune with also some of the best chord progressions on the whole thing. I don't think the album is perfect, as Jamaica Jerk-off, Dirty Little Girl and Your Sister Can't Twist are weaker cuts and I have to admit the album does get a bit long, but it's still one of Elton's best and pretty impressive overall.
9/10
Puhleezzzz. As if I'm not a fan of this album anyway.
Excellent stuff 4 stars brother mang
A little frontloaded but Love Lies Bleeding and I’ve Seen That Movie Too both revelations
Tremendo. Tiene rock, tiene pop, tiene actitud. Canciones muy bien escritas. Entretenidas. Y Sir Elthon en una, cantándolas con todo. Dura más de una hora y ni se nota. Realmente un gran álbum. 9/10
A lot of great songs and I love Elton John, but this probably could’ve been a better single album.
I've been able to maintain my sanity for half a century by only consuming Elton John is small doses. I can greatly appreciate a well crafted tune, but pile up a whole bunch of overblown bombast and my psyche crumbles. So I've been avoiding this one for a few days (after avoiding it for that half-century I was talking about). Turns out it wasn't only the songs that were overblown. My worry about it was also overblown. This actually a bop. I was foot tappin' throughout and had a pretty good car-singalong to Candle in the Wind. Saturday Night's Alright remains one of his best tracks. I find his weird, affected American/country music accent he sings in extremely bizarre.
About ten years ago I tried listening to this album as a bit of an academic exercise. It didn’t do much for me. Since then, I have had more passive exposure to Mr John due to the children’s love the Muppets rendition of Crocodile Rock. It has grown on me. While still a bit long overall, this album is his best work.
For someone with such an incredible catalog of singles, entire albums of Elton John always feel like they come up just a little short. Like usual, some all-timers on here. But also a lot of... not that.
Not as good as his earlier albums but still good. It was the beginning of his move to a more pop style genre. I give this one a 4.
Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding - 5/5 Candle in the Wind - 4.5/5 Bennie and the Jets - 5/5 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - 5/5 This Song Has No Title - 4/5 Grey Seal - 4/5 Jamaica Jerk-Off - 3/5 I've Seen That Movie Too - 4/5 Sweet Painted Lady - 4/5 The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-34) - 4/5 Dirty Little Girl - 3.5/5 All the Girls Love Alice - 4.5/5 Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n' Roll) - 4/5 Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting - 5/5 Roy Rogers - 3.5/5 Social Disease - 3.5/5 Harmony - 4/5 I really want to like this more. I mean, most of it reads like a greatest hits album for him. You've got Bennie and the Jets, Candle in the Wind (before it blew up again 2 decades later), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and Saturday Night's on here to elevate it up. I feel like this should be 5*, but a fairly weak second side doesn't do it any favors. It trails off after Jamaica Jerk-Off and doesn't really recover besides Saturday Night. So unfortunately that bumps it down a star to make this a really solid 4*. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Bennie and the Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
One of his best albums
The hits hit the test also good but not the same
Enjoyment: 8 Replayability: 7 Cohesion: 6 Flow/Pacing: 7 Artistic Merit: 6 Weighted Average: 7.05 Review: This album is jam packed with hits and some deeper cut gems. This was a pleasure to listen through. Liked Song(s): Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding, Candle In The Wind, Bennie And The Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Grey Seal, The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-1934), Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting) Disliked Song(s): Jamaica Jerk-Off Recommend? Yes
Very good! Same vibes throughout basically.
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.
forgot how good Elton John is
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.
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.
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'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.
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.
Very close to a five. Just a few songs too long. Otherwise, lives up to the hype.
Incredibly consistently great songwriting
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
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.
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).
B- B- Bennie and the jeeets
Easily five stars had it been a single album.
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
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
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
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!
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
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).
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.
драйвово, свежо, круто буду переслушивать
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.