Reviews (page 9 of 14)
Let's start with the good - This album opens so perfectly. You have an absolutely amazing set of four songs that highlight John's songwriting capabilities, musicianship, and charisma as an artist. Side B continues strongly with "This Song Has No Title" and "Grey Seal" both of which are fun and bright and keep the energy going. Other standout songs to me were "I've Seen That Movie Too," "Sweet Painted Lady", "All The Girls Love Alice", and "Harmony" What I don't like - Let's start with Jamaica Jerk-Off - which I have very mixed feelings about. At times, I loved it, at most times, I hated it. I like the diversity it brings to the sound of the album, but at first listen thought it seemed out of place. I also am not a big fan of "Saturday Night" - partly just find it obnoxious. I think overall the album is strong and fun, but can be shortened a tiny bit for perfection.
El primero es un temazo. Luego va decayendo, pero mantiene un buen nivel
Another solids album!
4/5. From the gate, just 25 minutes of amazing songwriting then a huge drop of quality. Song Has No Title and Jamaica and huge fumbles especially after the first four songs. The rest of the album kind of goes up and down in quality but overall, a great album full of singable and well-written songs. I think this is a good double album, 15-20 minutes per side, but maybe just like 3-4 songs less and it would be perfect. It's also Elton, hard to have a full miss with the king. Best Song: Funeral/Love, Candle in the Wind, Saturday Night, I've Seen That Movie Too
Bellissimo audio, pieno di idee nuove.
His style is immediately recognizable! I think it's the piano that does it.
Hey kids, what a start! Disc 1 Side A is smash hits, all legendary songs. Side B still really strong. Disc 2 Side C not that good. We weren’t familiar with the songs and realized that we never really listened to this side. Strong finish on D with Saturday Night and Harmony. Uncle Danny had this album, sides A and D got a lot of play. Hour sixteen didn’t seem too long, in fact the album was over before we wanted it to be. (3.9*)
This man is a force to be reckoned with and it shows. Less than a minute in and you just know there's something special here. Very strong full album, fun listen, really enjoyable, and not even too long. I just convinced myself that this album alone can convert someone into an Elton fan. It fucking slays.
Elton's finest album. Despite the length it's pretty strong from start to finish. Even the weakest songs don't need to be skipped and there are enough hits and recognizable songs to get you through the whole thing. Well deserving of all the praise. The opening side belongs in the pantheon of all time great album sides. A must-listen for so many reasons. 3.85 stars
The big songs on this record are fantastic. I'm not much of an Elton John guy though, we'll see though.
the titular song is definitely the standout and one of the best songs out there. every else holds up pretty well too
Good album, not his best work but I absolutely adore the title track. Easily my favourite song by Elton
A classique. Not my fav John tbh but still good. My dad loves this one which makes sense to me. I prefer the more science fiction Elton. Candle is the wind makes me teary. I remember driving to school once and my dad pointing out Marilyn's apartment. It seemed to have made a big impact on him, the song and her. Bennie and the jets reminds me of the world I thought I was growing up into. Boys in high heels and sunset blvd but its no longer there. I wasnt exited this was my first album but by the end I felt chills. I love it all. My ratings are dumb, dont take them seriously. 3.5
4.5/5 Great album, listened to a lot of Elton John, only never a full album. There are so many good songs on this album, but also a few which are mediocre. That’s why I can’t give it 5 stars. Favourite songs: - Bennie and the Jets - Goodbye yellow brick road - Grey seal - Saturday night’s alright
Lovely use of piano, excellent musician Fav: This Song Has No Title Pretty good tbf, some songs quite long tho
One sounded like a song from ratatouille
How can you hate this guy
i really liked it. defo going to relisten to some tracks.
Pretty fun, much like queen elton john is an artist i dont think you can hate , best songs on the album are goodbye yellow brick road and saturday nights alright stand out in particular
der große Elton John... "Candle in the wind", einfach großartig
has some awesome moments and some forgettable parts. wish it was shorter with just the bangers
Great listen. In the future will only listen to specific tracks.
Top of his form and showcases the full range of his skills from rocking out to ballads and story telling.
А старина то оказывается жаришки давал, а не только под хвост баловался
Kakav opener! Dugacak ali raznovrsan album, kako tematski tako i zanrovski. Sve u svemu ugodno iznenadenje. Favs: Funeral for a friend, Candle in the wind, I’ve seen that movie too, Saturday night’s alright 8/10 = 4+
Very nice little album, enjoyed it and there were even some songs that I recognised. I can imagine how much people would've enjoyed this album 50 years ago, and it's still pretty bop-y.
- Was intimidated by the length but was very enjoyable - Some absolute bangers in the second half (Saturday Night's Alright, All The Girls Love Alice) - Elton is a master on the piano - Great variety of sound
- Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting) is an all time great. Makes me want to hit the Oklahoma drill in the bar with the fellas - the 4 song stretch to start this album is stunning - Grey Seal and Jamaica Jerk-Off surprised me in a good way - there are a few fillers in here
Touches of Pink Floyd. The singles are amazing. The rest of it, eh. This didn’t need to be a double album and it’s not his opus, but it is pretty great.
Such a hot start. I feel like EJ has Bruce Springsteen syndrome; if half of the material was held back instead of released, so much more of it would be amazing. Which I suppose is true. “It’s a hundred floors of frights. They ain’t all gonna be winners…”
I like Elton John, some of the songs in this album are exceptional, and none of them are bad, but most of them didn’t do much for me. He’s great in this album if not very consistent.
Pas fan d'Elton mais là, c'était génial.
Elton John never really works for me
I hate how this site only does it out of 5 instead of out of 10, as this feels like one of the most 7/10 albums I can think of.
Better than I expected. I thought Elton John was boring and irrelevant, but listening to this album has made me interested in listening to more. Not every track is a winner, but they're all well-constructed and pleasant to listen to. A fun blend of rock, pop, prog, and folk.
Elton John :)
This does drag on a bit, but there is no denying that on the whole, this is a fantastic album. Elton John is undeniably one of the greatest songwriters of all time, and oh boy does that man know how to play the piano. The vocals are amazing, such passionate delivery, and the music in just about every song is so perfectly crafted. While Elton John (in my opinion at least) wasn't as groundbreaking or ahead of his time as some of his contemporaries (*cough* Bowie *cough*), he is still amazing at what he does, and has made some incredible albums.
Good songs
4.3
I've known all the hits most of my life, but have never listened to the album in completion. Not something I would reach for regularly, but undeniably a good album.
Singer songwriter at its finest.
Already have listened before; and listened again. Love this one
If this wasn't a double album, this could be his Thriller. It has about the same amount of hits that are still in constant rotation but is bogged down by the deep cuts. That being said, I do love this album and like all those songs.
Classic Elton
Epic and heartful. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a sweet -and long- journey full of great sing-a-long songs. I wish this album was shorter. Maybe I did not get all the references; maybe cutting one or two songs butcher the concept. I do not know! True fact is that this is a great album! Solid 8!
SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY/ SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY 4/5
Elton John is a weird one. A few songs and he’s the greatest song writer of his generation, a whole album and I want to never hear his music again.
good
It‘s a Klassiker
Good songs, mostly upbeat 3/4****
Enjoyed the second half much more than the first. Some good bluesy tracks!
god damn
Erm erm yeah it’s a great album, this man can write, sing, play, you have it. 3.9
Easy to see why this was such a sensation. A little slow paced for me though.
Legendary. It was fun listening to the other songs from the period in addition to the hits we've heard a million times.
Goed album. De opener is gelijk echt giga hard! Knap dat je 7 albums diep in je discografie nog zo origineel maar ook goed kunt zijn. Na het vorige album van Elton John in de lijst die ik verrassend leuk vond, mag deze er ook zijn! Mijn mening over hem even bijgesteld
First front to back Elton John album listen. My god, this man is incredible. Will be consuming him more frequently now.
This album is amazing and has some truly incredible classics on it. Despite being super tired today, it really put me in a good mood. Other than the obvious hits, I really enjoyed "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" at the beginning and "Sweet Painted Lady". Elton is the man.
Straight bangers!
interesting concept album, overall enjoyed.
Might actually be his best album
Really good songs.
I have only listened to his hits and never a full album. I really liked this. This showed a nice side to him I didn’t realize he had.
Great musician
Best Song: Goodbye yellow brick road Vibe: Whimsical, bittersweet, patronizing Themes: Pop star, partying commentary
Elton at his best!
a great album bit not one of my favorites
I liked the energy of this, plus the variety of styles and influences. Elton John has certainly earned his status as a legend in the field.
Love the Moog synthesizer at the beginning of the album. Really good album, even though there are some "overplayed" songs on it. Worth listening to for the "lesser known" songs, they are good.
Bunch of hits that still flow together to make a great album.
An immediate Holy Shit ™ album and it rarely lets up. It's both unapologetically sincere and tongue-in-cheek camp, and that dichotomy only underlines the gorgeous tone of nostalgic queer storytelling explored throughout. Sometimes this means it crosses into cringe, and sometimes that cringe is dated and gross and really makes you question if this needed to be a double-album even if compositionally those songs still kinda hit, but then those sore spots are over and you're back into piano-glam greatness. Absolutely great, will be picking it up next time I go record shopping for sure.
A good album
I love this album!! So cool! Listened to it growing up in my teens! 4 stars
I've always considered Elton John as a singles artist, as in his albums are uneven, inconsistent, and contain a lot of filler sprinkled with a couple of hits to sell the record. I'm talking about Elton from the early-mid 70's, his peak period. The first "real" album I bought was the Elton John's Greatest Hits album which was probably one of the top selling records of the 70's. This was really all you needed to hear John's hits without spending money on the albums. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the only album I would consider essential, it's an excessive double album with a lead off-double track (Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding) that takes up more than half of side one and it might be my favourite song on the album. My biggest issue with the album is that it's too long. There are a lot of second tier John songs as filler, but a bunch of his best songs. If they made this a single album, take all of side one, most of side two (get rid of the insufferable, Jamaica Jerk-Off and replace it with, Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting and maybe, Harmony (both from side 4), this would have been a solid 5 star classic. Instead we are left with a top heavy record with enough good filler tracks to still deem this Elton John's best, non-greatest hits record.
3.5. Bloated in the middle
I'm actually going to break with my normal scoring rules today and give this album four stars. Ordinarily I would give it only three stars, based on the fact that I didn't hate it, but it wasn't life changing, and I don't plan to listen to it again any time soon. It's music that I wouldn't ordinarily want to listen to, but I appreciate that, for the popular music genre, it's about as good as it's ever going to get. There's also variation, a bit of reggae, a touch of progressive rock even. It all works, the lyrics are great, the singing is fantastic. The hits don't even stand out too far from the rest of the songs, which are all either very good, or good enough to not feel out of place.
This album starts off really strong. Funeral For a Friend is such an unusual and cool way to introduce a pop album, I forgot all about that song and it feels so out of place for an Elton John record. The next few songs are all solid. They're some of his best pop singles ever and almost play like a greatest hits. I know the sound isn't to everyone's taste, but I really have no complaints about the first part of this album. Other songs really bring the whole thing down. Jamaican Jerkoff is one I really wish I didn't have to listen to again, and nothing in the latter half of the album really does anything to reach the heights of its momentous opening. Three and a half. Fave track: Bennie and the Jets
I've heard a ton of Elton, but never listened to a studio release of his straight through. Onward... Grandiose synth intro on Funeral For a Friend; could imagine David Lee Roth screaming through this, or ripping into a proggy ELP exploration. Instead this strips away to a spacious piano + bass melody before sort of going the proggy route. This song caught me completely off guard and is forcing me to change my perception of Elton John. Rips right into the vocal second part "Love Lies Bleeding." This is a driven jam with multiple parts. Guitar work reminds me vaguely of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Candle In the Wind is a beautiful piece of songwriting in dedication to Marilyn Monroe. Can't really say any more than that. Bennie And The Jets: easily one of my favorite Elton John songs that feels as if it could be a Billy Joel song. My flex is far less than Kev's - I didn't get to see Sir Elton do it himself - but it was pretty cool to see Umphrey's cover this during an encore and embed a Pink Floyd Echos jam in the middle. Grey Seal sorta rips too. Love the funky guitar skwank through the back quarter. I've Seen That Movie Too is a beautiful song. I feel like its nothing revolutionary, but his vocal quality is so great here. All The Girls Love Alice is a jam. Your Sister Can't Twist, taps a bit into the carnival spirit towards the end. Pretty straightforward rock song tapping into old school sensibilities. Then there's Saturday Night's Alright, which is probably my favorite of his songs. Such a fun jam that feels like a Bowie song in many ways, but with Elton's lovely key work interspersed. This was a solid album with a lot of depth to it. Vocals and songwriting were great, as was the production. I lost focus a bit through the middle, but there was enough to keep me interested for the most part. Solid 4 / 5.
Unpopular opinion, Bennie and the Jets is an annoying ass song. I've Seen that movie too is sick. Not sure if I knew that song. I liked listening to this album a lot. Elton is good but not my favorite.
Another pleasant album that is nearly flawless. Bennie and the Jets is kind of an annoying song, but just for the "BENNIE" parts. The rest of it is a jam. Mr. John certainly knows how to tickle the ivories. A good mix of classic piano with some electronic mixed in which I wasn't expecting. This one flirts with 5 star territory. I will likely listen to this one back.
Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding is an absolute heater to start. I have never heard this song before, but if the album keeps up like this (besides the many songs that I already know) I will be a happy boy. This album was filled with absolute classics that I have known for years, with Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting being my favorite going in. The rest of the album was above average but could have done with a few less songs that seemed to just be a bit of filler. Still very good album that I have always known about but never listened to entirely.
Oh man I haven't listened to this in full since *flex incoming* I saw Elton John at Roo in 2014. It starts off with a monster song in Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding and is filled with jams throughout (Candle In the Wind, Bennie and the Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Saturday Night). Hearing Bennie and the Jets brought me back to when I showed Ian that song on our way to Europe and he apparently sung it non-stop for the two weeks with my Mom and Robert. All the songs on here are great but some get lost on me through a long record. High 4 good job Elton!
Love me some Elton John! Outside of the (very well played) extended instrumental intro to the first track, this is a very fun album, complete with very well known songs and a familiar format that is easy to digest. Love the inclusion of country-western sounds on a few songs. Mid 4!!
I like Elton john and his music. His talent is amazing, but some of the songs just kept it from being a 5. Regardless of my personal opinion, I totally understand why this album is included.
Very good I would say.
This has tons of good songs. But it also is too long. It has Benny and the jets, but it also has Jamaican jerk off. Ultimately for me it's a 4 because it's clearly great at lots of points but doesn't maintain that greatness enough to climb to a 5.
I was never a big fan of Elton John. So I was a bit skeptical when this album was suggested to me. And of all things, it contained Candle in the Wind. The inflationary playing of this song after Diana's death really spoiled it for me. Now that I've listened to the album, I have to say that I quite like it. I was thrilled to hear Saturday Night's Alright again.
Bennie and the Jets has gotta be the most delightful song ever. @kailey watching 27dresses w you and then sobbing will forever be a core memory and this song just lives in my soul. Rest of the album is also very good. Yesterday was just a good day for an Elton John album 8.5/10
8/10 - All of the popular songs are fantastic. The rest are fine but I liked harmony of the songs I did not know.
Very good album, I already had a few songs downloaded from it, I did get a bit bored by the end though, I may have just not been in the mood for this album and should give it 5 stars 8.5/10
Very pleasantly surprised by that first song, and otherwise a pretty good album 8/10
- Heard this before - Think this is easily his best album - Would probably be 5* if it wasn't so bloated with songs that just don't need to be on there - A few classics as well though - Fav songs: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Bennie and the Jets, Funeral for a Friend
Saved songs: - Candle in the Wind - Bennie and the Jets (Favourite) - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - I've seen that movie too - All The Girls Love Alice Honorable Mention: -Harmony - Saturday Night's Alright -The Ballad of Danny Bailey I've heard songs off of this record before but never listened to it's entirety, silly me, this is a stunning record and it's obvious as to why it's argued as his best. Catchy tunes, relatable lyrics, good stories that carry through the songs perfectly. Some filler here and there but expected with its size. The album fluctuates genres a bit as well with some rock, some fusion, lots of Jazzy tunes and even a touch of country near the end (tf? lol). Overall 4/5 *
I liked it, definitely Elton John at the top of his game, some good rockers and Candle in the Wind is a classic. 9/10 would recommend.
The album is full of Elton John "classics" which I enjoyed, especially after a couple listens. The real treat are some of the lesser known (to me) later tracks like Roy Rogers and Danny Bailey. Unfortunately all the songs kinda sound the same if you listen all the way through.
There’s some great songs here and some I can live without. I think it would work better as a single album with some of the filler omitted
Suena éste disco y pienso en Daft Punk, en Justice y en cómo, sin saberlo, Elton John se adelantaba a ellos y a gran parte de la electrónica. Sonidos contemporáneos al Ziggy Stardust de Bowie y a los primeros discos de Genesis (me recuerda en algunos tracks a Selling England by the Pound). Gran trabajo. Orquestado, preciso.
4 stars instead of 5 because there are about a million songs on this album that could probably have been cut. But the songs that I love are awesome - the opening song(s) build the mood, the title track, Saturday Night's Alright, Harmony, a couple more I can't remember.
I rate Honky over this… as I keep wondering why he stacks it all up front and then sort of fades away… but I guess that’s above my pay grade.
An absolutely iconic album. It has candle in the wind, bennie and the jets, goodbye yellow brick road, and saturday night's alright. The first song had a crazy synth intro, and felt like I was listening to an electronic album, which was absolutely crazy. The album ran a bit long at 1hr 16mins, and I wasn't the biggest fan of the other filler songs in the album (apart from jamaica jerk-off), but given the fact that this is album contains half of elton john's greatest hits, I can't rate it lower than 4/5.
Great Album.
Pretty cool rock/pop album. Good for walking around, although I would probably need to be engaging in something to enjoy this album. The so far are long and take their time to fade or transition into something new. Lots of catchy elements
Never listened much to Elton John but this does pretty much live up to the hype. Catchy, bright, sparkly, well-produced pop rock. Interesting prog-rock opener and mix of styles. A great album. Best song: Bennie and the Jets
Trying to not rate it to harshly for the filler because it would be an almost perfect album at 8-10 songs. But the filler does still exist. When the album hits it hits hard and the forgettable stuff isn’t hard to listen to either. Rating: 4.3
Sympathique mais je l'ai éocuté il y a longtemps oops
Ок. Неплохо для ознакомления. На 7-8
Classic album… if it was cut down to normal album length it would probably be one of the best albums of the 70s, but as it is it’s just great 😉
De va nog jättenice första halvan o sen va de rätt chill andra halvan. Nelonen!
Fave: Sweet Painted Lady
Straight up classic. Though if I remember the second half kinda loses momentum. Will happily listen again. Intro song is fantasmic. Yes it does drop off but still a great album.
Justo estaba escuchando este disco el otro día. No sabía que estaba incluido en esta lista. Me gustaron varias canciones que no conocía, así como la portada.
A lot of very fun songs on here.
Elton John lavede virkelig nogle fede albums i første halvdel af 70'erne - synes den her har det samme problem som mange dobbeltalbums (for lang), men nærmest alle numrene er gode og de passer generelt godt sammen
Ville ha været en 5er hvis det ikke var et dobbelt album. Virkelig høj kvalitet og mange bangers, men det bliver lidt for same-same over 75 minutter
He can make a mediocre song better with just a piano riff. He has a way of making a song sound good that has no right to sound good.
This pop rock album has some really strong sections interspersed with a few weaker tracks. There’s times when I’m really in it, but occasionally my interest drifts. Solid compositions/arrangements, quality performances (love the bass), nice groove, and great vocal melodies and harmonies. After a strong start, things begin to slow down a bit in the middle of the album. Mostly solid songs but the album is a bit long. My attention starts to wane a bit mid-side B through mid-side C, but then the album comes roaring back for a few songs. I prefer the uptempo rocking songs & sounds with a bouncy feel to most of the slower, ballad types. Overall, a good pop rock album in which the highs outweigh the lows. May have benefitted from being a bit leaner, but an enjoyable listen nonetheless.
For me, Elton John has always been a quantity over quality artist. There’s a lot of tracks from his classic era I really enjoy and some that are just kind of there. There are also tracks where songs are just for a joke and don’t have that much depth, like ‘Jamaica Jerk-Off’. My favorite is ‘I’ve Seen That Movie Too’ which shows Elton John at what he’s best at. Overall, this album could’ve been shorter. A lot of songs seem to blend together in tone and style and you lose track of which song is which. When albums are this grand in scale, diversity is usually key (The White Album), or an abundance of great material (Blonde on Blonde) or a concept going on (The River). Still, it has a lot of great moments and some of Elton’s best. However, Honky Chateau still remains my favorite of his.
Classic, and inspired in places. I suspect that if this had been released as a single album, with the obvious hits on it, that it would rate more highly for me.
Æðisleg plata frá Elton. Algjör bomba!
8/10 Two of his albums in a row and … I think I really like Elton John? For some reason his brand of Americana hits better than the American bluesy rock artists that inspired him Cracking album, lovely production First 6 songs are amazing. Grinds to a halt with Jamaica Jerk-Off. A couple of other duds but that’s it. First half stronger than the second half (which is more straightforward and has country influences) Best: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
A bit too long
Pretty rock-y Good bangers Some so so
I've never listened to a full Elton John album before. I usually like what I hear from him though, so I'm looking forward to this. Why do we always have to start albums with songs that last my entire lifetime? Okay, apart from that first song, I'm liking this. I forgot how much I like the title track. 4/5 There's not doubt that Elton John knows what he's doing. This was a really cohesive album.
Hard to hate. This album is a lot of fun, even if a bit too long. I could have gone without that weird Jamaican song.
Great album. But long and a lot of songs are very similar.
Interesting beginings
Classic
Classic
This is a damn good album. Great music. I really enjoyed this.
Buenísimo. Me encanta. Genial
vocally Elton does a very good job. Musically this album does a really good job with dynamics and makes use out of a variety of genres very well.
Way less filler than there usually is on a double album, so I won't give it my normal one star deduction for over indulgence. Also, it could be a quintuple album and still get a four based solely on the inclusion of Benny and the Jets.
The versatility this man displays is remarcable, very enjoyable album
Best Elton john
Easy to see why this became a classic. Not completely my cup of tea but some great songs. Elton doesn't really sound like anyone else, either, except maybe The Who a bit and obviously they knew each other anyway. Mostly, very strong songs.
The last of the truly great Elton records. Most, if not all, of his 80s stuff is pretty unlistenable. Here he was at the peak and has never duplicated that success. While the two subsequent 70s albums are also good, they get nowhere near this one. He never really recovered after that. But at least we have this one, which is pretty incredible. 9.1/10
Pretty enjoyable album, a lot going on Top tracks: Bennie And The Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
Listen this at 22/1/2024
Has some great songs on it. The rest of the album is alright
Awesome, much less honky tonk than expected
I very much enjoyed listening to this album. Quite a few songs of his I had never heard before, I especially enjoyed Funeral for a Friend, This Song Has No Title, and All the Girls Love Alice. Of course Saturday Night's Alright and Bennie and the Jets are the greatest of bops.
Best Songs: Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Bennie and the Jets, Sweet Painted Lady, Roy Rogers Listen Again: Yes
Otro clásico con canciones como la de "Benny and the Jets". Muchas baladas y canciones lentas. En mi opinión no es de sus mejores álbumes. Aún así sigue siendo Sir Elton John.
Great artist. Classic. Some really amazing songs on here.
What an album. Not all hits (some songs haven’t aged well and some were just boring or unoriginal) but man when this album hits it HITS. As someone somewhat familiar with John’s work (the biggest hits, mainly), this was a treat. I’d heard it before years ago but remembered nothing and so essentially got to listen to it again for the first time. I knew “Benny and the Jets,” of course, as well as “Candle in the Wind,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” and “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.” The rest were new and were amazing.
My first Elton John album. Was fun and Jaunty. 8/10
Elton John, what's there not to like?
A cinematic, nostalgic and grandiose set of songs, superbly sung at the peak of his mid seventies popularity. It features strong production (by Gus Dudgeon) and there's lots of his all time classics: "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Bennie and the Jets" plus the original "Candle in the Wind". There's a few missteps, but this is rightly regarded a classic.
Sumt er frekar boring (Jamaica, Roy, Twist) og ég sé bara ekki alveg sjarmann við Bennie. Þá væri Candle in the wind betra ef ekki væri fyrir endurútgáfuna. En sum lögin eru æði (Funeral/Love, Grey Seal, Alice, Saturday, titillagið), og þetta er flottur flutningur í gegn og frekar gott stuð.
un concentré de tubes qui s'est a mon gout un peu éternisé
Used to have this album on repeat. Want Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding played at my funeral. Grey Seal is one of my favorites too
I do not receive my album in the morning. Nor are they generated at 3am.
All time great tracks and a couple cringey/corny ones as well.
A lot of famous songs
One of my most listened to records as a kid. Made a tape of the wind blowing from Funeral for a Friend to play on loop during a haunted house I made in my basement when I was 10. In hindsight it doesn’t hold up 100% (looking at you Jamaican Jerk-off).
GBYBR I actually listened to it a few times not that long ago. It is a great album. First 6 songs are great, particularly side 1 of the original vinyl, Funeral for a Friend, Candle in the Wind and Bennie and the Jets. Really do Love FFAF and BATJ. Have heard CITW too many too many times but it is great. Jamaica jerk off is fucking awful. It does dip in the middle and feels a bit long, but I do like the Ballad of Danny Bailey. Saturday Night a bit overfamiliar but still great. The run from Saturday Night to Harmony is very nice, I like Roy Rogers a lot and Harmony is a tune. Not my no1 Elton album, but it has some of his best songs and is really really good. It is a bit long overall though, and Jamaica Jerk off is wank.
Awesome album. Problem is, you judge Elton by Elton. So some filler here by Elton's standards. Some White Album syndrome too - if you could cull 20% of the tracks it's the perfect album. 4 stars.
i really enjoyed this album. on paper, opening with an 11-minute mostly-instrumental prog song was a bit... unorthodox, but on my second listen through i really enjoyed it. the following tracks are pretty much all huge bangers. then there's like 45 minutes of filler, then saturday night's alright for fighting, then 10 more minutes of filler. the filler is all fine, nothing terrible here (except maybe jamaica jerk-off lol) but the high points are SO good. i'll definitely come back to this in the future. favorites: 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
Solid work and good story telling. Epic synth intro.
I had a great time with this album! Eltons always got a fun way about his music.
Really fun album!
Nice
Surely no-one ever needs to hear the big singles from this ever again, doubly so for 'Candle' - there's a nice Zydeco-flavoured cover from kate Bush I'd recommend. Elsewhere this is still a pretty pretty good 70s singer-songwriter album and a solid four stars. Even though I really don't like EJ all that much.
Three bangers in a row and then a lot more other songs. 3.5/5
Great first half, good album in general. Good finals songs
done
4
This is kinda perfect.
Avausraita bängeri, hyvä levy
A fantastic album and one of my favourites. Candle in the wind though has been ruined forever by the schmaltzy version that was recorded for Diana.
Ensimmäiset minuutit. 5 Tähteä. niin vitun totta. mutta pitk'stelee pitkästelee paikallaan.. hyviä biisejä mutta voit aina. aina tarvi sitä pianoa klik klilk, mutliple fingers on the piano at the same time... chord and whatnot. liian britti, olisipa elttonn joni suomalaista verta. toimisi paremmin, puhtaamminín. ooksford akatemia musiikki opisto paskiainen. tollanen kaipaa kuria funeral for a friend
Wonderful album, the singles are massive but there are plenty of hidden gems too
Another incredible album this week. This is such an intricate piece of art - really like it.
Elton John is the master of crafting wonderful 70s pop songs. A lot of his work is regarded as classic and for good reason. This album is a nice introduction to him for anyone who wants to get into Elton John. The only downside is that it’s a little long for me. 4.4/5 Favorite Track(s): Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Saturday Night’s Already For Fighting Least Favorite: Jamaican Jerk-Off
Decent variety of moods. Very good opener. I tend to like British artists and he plays the piano. Of course I was going to like this
Feels like Elton at the height of his powers.
A classic album
Lots of bangers but a little long
Generally speaking the first half of this album is phenomenal. Then towards the back half of the album the style changes and it's tougher to get into. Especially jamaica jerk-off, I've seen that movie too and sweet painted lady. But then it gets good again starting at dirty little girl. Overall, without those tracks, it's a 5-star album, but 4-stars for having skips. 5 stars will be reserved will be albums with no skips.
it's Elton!
Whoa - GREAT intro! I get why this is on the vinyl wishlist. Have listened to CITW, BATJ, GYBR before evidently. Is there a hidden sarcasm between the CITW -> BATJ tracklist order? reading in the magazines / papers, these performances both intentional and unintentional... and then on side 2, GYBR as a showstopper reclaming that role as artist/performer and romanticizing his retreat. (but is this only the beginning?) best: CITW is so good!! underrated: Roy Rogers worst: jamaica jerk-off (yikes) dirty girl (wtf) overall: 3.75/5. some tracks are good, a couple are amazing, a couple did not age well...
Elton John is a literal legend and this album had some his best songs. Everyone knows “Bennie and the Jets”, “Candle in the Wind”, and “Yellow Brick Road”. All this album needed was “Rocket Man” and it would’ve been his greatest album ever made. Now, there’s no need to have 17 songs on an album, even if your Elton John. So, a couple of points will be taken off because I was getting fatigue towards the middle/end of this album. 8/10
The beginning of this album is quite literally banger after banger. I have never really sought out Elton John’s music but just through sheer popularity I have heard the majority of his songs. Even if you don’t like this type of music you have to admit the widespread success of the songs of this album is extremely impressive. The middle of the album starts to teeter totter from great song to forgettable song. The latter half of the album is borderline country which really confused me. This is a LONG album. At one point I thought we might be getting close to finishing and we still had ten songs left. The album is banger filled, the album is too long, the album is diverse in its sound, the album has a few songs that sound really similar, the album is probably the best way to listen to Elton John, the album is kind of too much Elton John. Great album. 7/10
New and fresh in its day. I can no longer listen to "Benny and the Jets," due to over play in 1973. Rest of the record is great.
Although there were a few filler tracks that were underwhelming, the hits make this an undeniably great album.
Opens like a greatest hits album
foda
This was surprisingly ok he has som talent 4/5
More rock than I expected from Elton John and I liked a lot of it. Very upbeat and great piano work. 4/5
"Jamaica Jerk-Off", oh noooooooo Many classics here, though, of course -- "Saturday Night's All Right" sounding good right now. "Love Lies Bleeding" maybe a little overwrought. I never need to hear "Candle in the Wind" again. But you can't deny the man can write a song.
Great album. There's songs on this that I totally forgot about. I'll add some to my playlist.
Enjoyed this, the singles are absolute classics and there's some good other tracks too. Could've cut some the fillers so 4 stars
8/17, 47%
Elton John. Gud stuff. Love "A Funeral for a Friend" 11 minute banger.
Awesome
The album that gave us "Candle in the Wind", "Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting". A classic album.
First half of the album is an easy 5 for me, the rest is good, not great. Love Elton John, and got to see his last show in Kentucky, it was incredible.
I’ve never listened all the way through. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Lots of classic rock staples. Really good album, just not a huge fan of Elton John
Classic of the genre and of Elton's catalogue. The first half is an incredible accomplishment of poprock featuring songs which have endured for fifty years. Upbeat and a great combination of piano and guitar. Classic.
Although this album was kind of long I found it to be very enjoyable all the way through! There were a few stinkers but I think the great songs more than make up for it! Overall: 8.0/10 (That prog intro song is so amazing)
Top notch piano pop
Bin eigentlich kein riesiger Elton Fan, aber das sind schon ordentliche Bops
Elton rocks hard. It's a pretty long album with some tunes that I recognise but a lot that I didn't. Nothing to point out specifically but the album is really a great work.
Rating: 8/10 Overall a great album. Elton John sounds great, a lot of variety on this album. Production is fantastic and so are the singles. The album is too long though, some songs are very boring and are definitely filler. Favorite songs: Funeral for a Friend, Bennie and the Jets, All the Girls Love Alice, Saturday Night's All Right, Social Disease. Worst songs: This Song Has No Title, Grey Seal, Roy Rogers.
Another classic from an artist in his prime.
Definitely didn’t need to be quite as long as it was, but everything here is at least decent, and the best songs are very good. Loved a couple of the non-hit songs just as much as some of the hits.
Not bad at all
So many classics on one record. This came out when I was a senior in high school. It has aged better than me.
Absolute classic. 4.5
The first half is incredible. Funeral for a friend may be my favorite Elton John song
Impressions: Was never a fan of Elton John til this. I have only heard Candle in the Wind before and didn’t like it, which is okay because it’s not one of the best tracks in the album anyway. Favorite Tracks: Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding, Bennie and the Jets, I’ve Seen that Movie Too, The Ballad of Danny Bailey, All the Girls Love Alice, Saturday Night’s Alright, Rating: 4/5
Actually really liked it. Had some fun tunes and just overall a good album. Some weird choices on direction though, but overall understand why Elton is such a legend.
3 4 Got some absolute bangers. Gray Seal being one of the unexpected ones.
Tough to rate this one actually because I've been listening to the best 4-5 songs my whole life but none of the rest. After first listen, those others seem a bit disappointing and repetitive. If the double LP had been trimmed to the best 9-10 songs it would be an amazing album.
Classic Elton, several legendary songs!
so fun!
Excellent. Lots of pop from the 70s.
My 1st album of 1,001 album generator! 1st song way too long! Liked Candle In the Wind. I’ll try to make it through most of this album. I do enjoy other Elton John songs not on this album.
Starts to trail off in the middle but some great tracks and a mix of genres
I mean it’s Elton John
Wow I've never sat and listened to this album all the way through and it's just incredible. The only bummer is it gets pretty country toward the back half. Favorite song: I've Seen That Movie Too
Well that was a surprise. Lots of classic but they have a total other feel when in context of the album. Very enjoyable
Maybe the Elton John/Bernie Taupin songwriting team isn’t quite in the same breath as Lennon/McCartney, but it’s pretty damn close. If they can make you feel real, honest emotions for an actress who died decades ago and an English farm boy lost in Hollywood, then they’ve definitely got chops. Like all Elton John records, it’s got more than its share of hits, but it’s also got some of his best deep album cuts. Brilliant
Banger after banger. Love how theatrical this album is.
His opus magnum for sure
de mult imi doream sa ascult un album elton john si n-am apucat, m-am bucurat cand am vazut ca asta mi-a picat azi. cele doua staruri ale albumului se stie care sunt, benny si goodbye yellow brick road, totusi restul albumului e coerent si dragut, desi mai putea sa taie si el vreo 2 melodii cred (oricare, nu dau hate unor 2 melodii in special, sunt cateva care suna la fel). bravo elton:)<3
Long record but it has some nice hits and previously unknown jams
Excellent songwriting, and of course a series of classic hits everyone recognizes. Great album.
Awesome album. Very good listen. I knew Elton John well, but being able to see him show off technically in album form for the first time was great. I was hooked from the intro.
Great Album!
I saw him in 2019 on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. Wouldn't say then I was his biggest fan, nor now, however his skill and artistry is excellent. Album could do with a trim. Almost 5 stars, but not quite.
Great album, EJ has never been an artist I've listened to even though he's always been there in the background. This is a great album that I wish I'd discover earlier
Best songs are the obvious ones but still bangs!!
Epic sound, more hits than Mike Tyson, dreamy and other worldly at times, Elton at his songwriting best. 4.4
More than 20 millions reccord sales, this album is probably the best by Elton John, but why? The biopic Rocketman really but emphasis on a lot of sonjg in this album, and i discover most of them in that movie, even if i'm not a Elton John fan, its still a good movie. Three song for me really stand out: Goodbye Yellow Birkc road is a really impressive and mind blowing song with a chorus like no one. Satudrays night allright for fighting, a real rock song, because Elton is more pop/soft rock in general but this song feel like a cabaret, pub song, and its very good, catchy and rock n roll. Bennie and the jets, it sound like reccording live, but its not, but it sound very good, with the piano and all. Its a double album and i have to admit that i didn't listen to every one, but a lot of them so i have a good idea, i think most of the song have a very catchy, groovy vibe with very good Elton style vocals , good lyrics by Bernie Taupin and a intersting piano lines. The album could be associate to the Glam rock that was at is peak at the time, with Elton Joh taking inspration with Bowie and Marc Bolan to create his exentric clothing, and i'm a pretty big glam rock fan, so i like this album a bit more. I Its not 100% glam rock like T.Rex, the New york Dolls, Bowie, or Slade (the best glam acts), but i could make it the best selling glam rock album off all time. But overall its more pop and soft rock at is best, Not all songs worth the listening, but a lot do, i'll give special mention to Candle in the wind (dedicated to Marylin Monroe and later Lady Diana) and Pinball wizzard wich was reccord at the same time, but for the Tommy soundtrack by the Who, its accualy better than the who version i think.
Why Elton John made a reggae song I'll never know.
Big tunes
Really enjoyed this album! I felt it was a tad long hence the rating but will definitely need to go back for another full listen.
This album is evergreen. It is very obvoius why Elton John is looked at as one of the greats.
Great EJ sound. Three track punch of candle in the wind, Benny and yellow brick road is hard to beat.
Prilicno solidno, Elton ima prelepe harmonije, npr na title traci zvuci bozanstveno. Synthovi su bas kul. Intro iako je 11 minuta je zabavan. Fav trake : Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Roy Rogers, All the girls love Alice, This song has no title
Nearly perfect but occasionally boring
Why, oh why, are all of this guy's big hits the songs where he goes squeaky helium mode?! His full albums, where he sings like a normal human, are so much better and show off his superior songwriting abilities. Admittedly, the songs about women at the end of the album are hilarious knowing what we know now. Favorite track: Social Disease
Much closer in spirit and sound to some of the prog that was around at the time, even the big hits made more sense in the flow of the album. Not sure it needed to be a double, but also can't see what could be dropped without making it worse. Better than I expected, but just falls short of five stars for me, even though I can't really explain why!
Stone cold classic.
A classic, some major tracks on here, musically and piano wise brilliant.
Didn’t listen to much outside of Elton’s hits before. Much more similar to Bowie than I had expected!
My friend calls Elton John the real king of rock n roll. I wouldn’t say his genre is rock n roll, nor is he the king of whatever genre he’s considered. But he is a good musician and this is (arguably) his best album. 4/5
Only Underwhelmed because i anticipated a five. Some absolute belters on here.
This is the first Elton John album I've listened to in its entirety, and I was not disappointed. There isn't a bad track here, and there are some real classics that of course I already knew (Candle In The Wind, which I didn't realise was originally about Marilyn Monroe until it was repurposed for Princess Diana in the 90s, and Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting). If I had to pick a least favourite track, I'd probably go for Jamaica Jerk-Off. It's not bad at all; just maybe a bit out of place in the record. Favourite tracks: Funeral For A Friend, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, I've Seen That Movie Too.
I feel like artists during this time were a victim of the machine, having to pump out album after album, but Elton John and Bernie Taupin are at the peak of their powers right now. The 3 albums the duo wrote from 72-73 most people could put together a Greatest Hits album for Elton John. The 3-song run from Candle in the Wind through Bennie and the Jets and finishing on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a tour de force of music singles. If someone said you get 3 songs to describe Elton John, I might contemplate just using this album and these songs. One of the issues with having to pump out album after album—and all the drugs—is you get a lot of junk on these albums as well. But I think that is just a price of the times.
I’ve listened to this album before. To listen to its again will be a treat. I usually pick my favorite song from every album. But I like every song on this album. But if course “Goodbye yellow brick road” is the best song on the album
A cracking first half and a so so second. The album cuts are mostly good but there are some missteps in ‘Jamaica Jerk-Off’, ‘Dirty Little Girl’ and ‘Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll)’ along with some questionable lyrics throughout the record that would get the PC brigade up in arms in 2023. But all that doesn’t matter when ‘Candle In The Wind’, ‘Bennie And The Jets’, the title track and ‘Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting’ come out of your speakers.
Elton’s extravagant excess turns monochrome to technicolor, forever substantiating that the showman behind the curtain is far from a phony.
No hay ni una canción que sea mala, todo el álbum en general es genial. Canciones pegadizas, musicalmente Increíble. Canciones favoritas: bennie and the jets, goodbye yellow bricks road, funeral for a friend/Love lies bleeding,candle in the wind, i've seen that movie too 9/10
A quién no le gusta Elton, es porque no quiere ni a su vieja y odia a los perritos.
As someone who basically only knows Candle in the wind I was surprised how good this is. I've never given John a chance and I should have.
4.5
nice
Funeral for a friend / Love lies blessing is such a good opening song, I will admit that this album just drags on for a bit too long. But still good none the less. The 3 songs after the opening are really good, some of his best work
This is a great record with a lot to love. There are the obvious hits (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Candle In The Wind, Benny and the Jets, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting) but there are a couple of sleepers also, notably Gray Seal which (remade for this release) is just a great driving rock track. Elton's piano work is stellar throughout, and Davey Johnstone's guitar is supremely iconic (if not terribly virtuoso/impressive). Bernie's lyrics have a couple of weird turns/low points but overall are pretty great also, the title track maybe being the best example. Doesn't get up to the level of a 5 for me but def a solid listen.
Great album. Classic Elton. There's some bangers on here.
While frontloaded, this is a rare feat - a double album that not only reaches levels of grandiosity and imagination not available on a single LP, but also that stands as the definitive album of a mostly live act.
Elton John really knows to write good music the title track is one of my favourites
Will revisit in future as this is a long album but first listen was great
Not a fan of the first track, but is luckily followed by golden oldies like Candle in the Wind and Bennie and the Jets. Classic Elton, and feel good vibes.
Such a great album. While it's one of the most consistent double albums, it STILL could've really been just one. But yeah it's great.
Starts up phenomenal, but loses its charm throughout the second part. Highlights: Bennie And The Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Album good
Många klassiska låtar. Några nya, för mig, jättebra låtar.
Liked Candle In The Wind, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, This Song Has No Title, I’ve Seen That Movie Too, Sweet Painted Lady, and the majority on the album. Almost a 5.
I never get excited to see that my task is to review a double album, since it just takes a lot longer to get a good slice of the album. That, however, is really my only criticism of this album. If this album was cut down to just the 10-15 best songs and released as a single, it would be an absolute force. As it is, it's still an incredible album. The hit songs on here are all incredible, some of his best work. The other songs are really consistently good as well. There's a big variety of different moods in this album as well, but the beauty of John's piano and voice carry all the way through. One of the things that I've learned through this list is that I'm far more of an Elton John fan than I would have thought. When he was at the top of his game in the 70s (i.e. when he was on top of a mountain of cocaine in the 70s. 4/5 I think we can all be grateful that Elton wasn't murdered at that Stooges show where he dressed up like a gorilla
This is a 5 star album marred by being a double album. Side 1a is awesome, side 2b is pretty good. But the middle sides are total filter.
This album has some magical songs written by a magical little fairy man that defined an era. He was sparkly and proud and could make damn good music. Unfortunately, he left too much fat on this album steak to make it perfect... a vein of mediocrity right down the middle separating some spectacular songs from some more great songs. The luster was gone because of this fatty chunk in the center but overall, still a wonderful meal. It's lunchtime I'm hungry.
B+ Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding - 4 Candle in the Wind - 3 Bennie and the Jets - 4 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - 5 This Song Has No Title - 4 Grey Seal - 3 Jamaica Jerk-Off - 2 I’ve Seen That Movie Too - 4 Sweet Painted Lady - 4 The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-1934) - 3 Dirty Little Girl - 3 All the Girls Love Alice - 4 Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock N’ Roll) - 2 Saturday’s Alright For Fighting - 2 Roy Rogers - 3 Social Disease - 3 Harmony - 3 I'm not a huge Elton fan, but this was awesome. The excitement I had for Madman Across the Water was not realized, but this exceeded my expectations completely. Well done Elton.
Conflicted on this one. While the high points are very high, I also felt there was too much filler, with 17 tracks that could have been 12 or 13 making it feel like an endurance test even after several listens for familiarity. The big hitters - Bennie and The Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Saturday Night.. etc are pop genius and make me interested to see what a piano led male artist would sound on today's scene. Matty Healy and Alex Turner have both tried this on their respective latest records and I think there's a niche to be filled in the likes of Elton.
Honestly, really great piece of work
It could have been a single album, but wow.
What's to say, it's classic Elton John - Core Pop in other words. Good throughout and a couple of right bangers. I'll admit I've always felt Candle in the Wind was maudlin bordering on mawkish and overwrought.
Almost a 5
I don't even particularly like Elton John but it's hard to not give this album at least 4 stars. Just hit after hit that get embedded into your brain and can't shake out because they are so catchy.
I'm listening to this album just four days before Elton John plays his last ever UK show, at Glastonbury festival. Would it not miss out other major highlights of his career, it would be a fitting end to John's career if he was to perform this epic double album album in full. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Date listened: 21/06/23
Some classic on here that elevate it to a 4. Even though there is also quite a few duds...
Very good
The good is really good but there are some weak songs which brings it down
Probably just barely a four (it’s long, could have trimmed it back a bit), but the songs are fun and there’s some absolute bangers.
Beaucoup de gens oublient que dans les années 1970, plus de trois gueules sur dix étaient baisées par Elton John.
Elton John se positionne en tant que boss de fin du générateur, nous n'attendons désormais plus rien et allons nous laisser dériver pendant plus de 200 albums restants.
What a great discovery!
It’s nice, easy to listen to, catchy Sounds generic, like there are lots of things that sound like it. Generic but in a good way
Few nice songs. How can I complain to this piano? It would be nice to listen in better place with better setup.
Would be a 5, but wow there are a few terrible songs on this thing. But on the other hand, Benny
took off a star for jamaican jerk off
Great weekend album, love the hits but some great hidden gems further down the track list: Dirty Girls, Sweet Painted Lady
It was longer than necessary. It kind of lost me around Jamaica jerk off for 6 or 7 songs until Saturday nights all right. Good album though! If I could do half stars, I would say 3.5. I'll round up.
This is a classic. I enjoyed it. I was singing it on Saturday, Saturday, Saturday!
Some absolute classics on here. But it’s not all classics, some are kind of pedestrian, a little bit out of Harmony maybe. All The Girls Love Alice was a surprise banger for me. I dig Elton, so I was into it
The first 6 songs on this album is an unreal run. Candle in the Wind is beautiful, Bennie and the Jets is a classic, and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is some fantastic songwriting. The rest of the album is a bit hit or miss. Misses like Jamaica Jerk-Off can be nearly painful to listen through, but then Saturday Night's Alright is nestled near the bottom of the album and is an all-time classic. As is so often the case, if this were a single album with the cream of this crop, it would be one of the greatest albums ever. As it stands, it's still damn good, just not quite elite.
Some good hits, but not an album I'd specifically seek out