Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

He's bald, he's queer, he takes it up the rear Elton John Elton John

How much coke do you have to be doing to decide to open your double album with an 11 minute long prog rock song? This much. A huge mix of styles are across this album from Prog, to ballads, to rock n roll and he nails every one. Even the over played songs still sound good. Just great. Best Tracks: Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding; Bennie and the Jets; Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)

Elton starts out strong with this album, and I mean really strong: he's in his own league and it shows. It drops off a little after Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, but it's still good songs overall. There are a few particular weak points on this album (Jamaica Jerk-Off) but otherwise I enjoy Elton John's works. Even here, though, the album is overly long and could have benefited from cutting down on a few of the songs.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John (1973) At the :57 mark of the symphonic opening track (“Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding”), the serious listener in 1973 would have known right away this was something special. And I’m not sure if it was David Hentschel’s waxing and waning ARP synthesizer, the haunting lament of Davey Johnstone’s guitar, the all-too-familiar right-hand-heavy piano chording of Elton John, or the (uncredited) castanets at 3:44, but by moment of the triumphant tonic at 5:08, that same listener would have discerned that this album was a game changer. I speak from experience, and I am not alone. This extraordinary musical smorgasbord contains ballads revealing the dark side of fame (“Candle In the Wind”, “The Ballad of Danny Bailey”), cautionary tales for lusty metrosexuals and their suppliers (“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, “Sweet Painted Lady”, “All the Girls Love Alice”), contemplative reflections on personal responses to entertainment media (“I’ve Seen That Movie Too”, “Roy Rogers”), and ironic paeans to the underclass (“Dirty Little Girl”, “Social Disease”). These are songs that undoubtedly changed lives, however imperceptibly, for the better. Bernie Taupin is probably the greatest pop lyricist of all time. He treats extraordinarily interesting themes and characters with a cinematic imagination—bringing enough light to force the listener to celebrate, lament, enthuse, wallow, and boast right along with the creatures of his contrivance. Master of the metaphor, he provides a ready and unifying connection to the inner meanings of a bewildering array of cultural phenomena. But these wonderful lyrics would go nowhere as songs without the supremely gifted musicality of Elton John. His musical sense employs melody and chord progressions that actually take the listener toward a goal. He provides meter to some decidedly un-metrical phrases, as if that were the plan all along. His arrangements and production choices are Elysian. And the contributions of bassist Dee Murray (“Grey Seal”) and drummer Nigel Olson (everywhere) are both essential and hugely creative. Together, they make a grooving success of the two pure rock (and wonderfully back-to-back) tracks “Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock and Roll)” and “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”. Davey Johnstone’s guitar compositions and performances superbly executed and remarkably versatile. I’m sure he didn’t grow up playing banjo, but just listen to “Social Disease”. Now Elton John displays little virtuosity on piano. He plays mostly chords and standard flourishes with the right hand, and the left hand generally just keeps a steady beat and harmonic grounding. But with his voice providing deft stylings (in both pitch and diction) on colorful melodies, the combined effect is mesmerizing, even if it does require the added arrangements, effects, and backing vocals that we consistently hear on this recording. Double albums are tricky. Sometimes they are released as a double because there’s slightly too much material for one LP, but have added tracks (of lesser quality) to fill them out. Not so here. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road has no filler. Plus, this is the kind of album that provides true favorites that are not among the more ‘popular’ songs—my personal ones are “Grey Seal” and the wonderful closing track “Harmony”, a song the ending of which is fully deserving of its title. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road provided a sorely needed contribution to Anglo-American culture in 1973. Still does. Always will. 5/5

Awwwww yeeeeah. I like 1970s Elton John in general, but this one is his masterpiece. It's a sprawling, baroque romp through rock n roll nostalgia and piano pop that still sounds fresh. The songwriting is great, and Elton is on top form. The sequencing of the tracks starts off well, pulling the album into a coherent whole. "Jamaica Jerk-off" is pretty stupid, and "Roy Rogers" is a weak point. But I don't even care. B-b-b-benny and the motherfucking jets.

I know the first two songs (fucking amazing) and a few other tracks as well. If the rest of the album is as good as those this is heading for a 5. Ok, and it is! This is going in my regular listening, what an album. I knew Elton could write a song, but this is way better than expected. 5/5.

to get really into the right frame of mind for this i selotaped some fruit to my glasses and some books to my shoes. did some massive air piano. that amzing vibe i'd built up took a nosedive once it hit the prince phillip reggae song and then i pretty much lost interest then as the pony kept repeating its trick for what seemed like a lifetime. i bet drama kids love this album, loads of excuses for jazz hands and cheeky side glances.

E

I'll begin by getting my most controversial Elton John opinion off my chest: I've never liked "Bennie and the Jets". There it is. I've said it. It's out there, on this site for you all to rage about. Why? Something about the cloying, clunky piano, the uncanny-valley-Sgt. Pepper knock-off with its false audience, the irritating squiggly synths and falsetto "Bennie"s on the way out, has always rubbed me up the wrong way. It's "Ziggy Stardust" gone wrong. …As for the rest? Sheer brilliance. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" was Elton John's seventh album: the crest of his wave after a stratospheric rise through the early 1970s. Genre-defining hits like "Your Song", "Crocodile Rock", "Tiny Dancer" and "Rocket Man" were already behind him, moving John and lyricist Bernie Taupin further and further up the ladder. By 1973, it was second nature: the classics were falling out of his head even quicker than his rapidly thinning hair. "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" remains a guaranteed party-starter fifty years later. The title track is transcendent: up there with "Life on Mars" as a dazzling, surreal anthem for the ages. "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" is a fan favourite, with exhilarating instrumental work and one of the best segues in popular music. And say what you will about "Candle in the Wind"'s saccharine 1997 rendition, but in its original context, among an album indebted to the allure of the silver screen, fantasy and fame, it fits brilliantly. There are some real underrated gems too, my favourites being "Grey Seal" (should have been in Rocketman, the COWARDS), "The Ballad of Danny Bailey" (for the cinematic orchestration at the end) and the deliciously jaunty "Social Disease" (I can never resist a showtune). Even the more questionable moments are irresistible: "Dirty Little Girl" might be queasy and sleazy, but those horns are phenomenal. And "Jamaica Jerk Off" becomes less and less appropriate as the years go by, so shoot me for having the goddamn melody bouncing round my head as I type this. I can even put aside my disdain for "Bennie": this one's an all-timer.

Masterpiece album, Elton in peak form. This is the album I would recommend to anyone who wants to get into Elton John beyond the hits. Yes the hits are there, but with deep tracks that will make you a fan forever. Fave songs: Bennie and the Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, I've Seen That Movie Too, Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding

I was already familiar with some tracks from this album but it was my first time actually hearing it and I can see why It's considered Elton John's magnum opus.

It's got a few extremely good songs on it but my God, this really did not need to be a double album. Also, whoever told Elton John he could do reggae needs to seriously consider their position.

Bloody love this album. Should lose a star for Jamaica Jerkoff, but Bennie & The Jets more than makes up for it

I need a separate rating system for albums that are really good yet also really not my cup of tea. I can appreciate the care, skill and attention to detail that goes into making a really great and sophisticated cup of tea. I’d still rather have coffee.

One of the most classic albums of the 1970s and Elton John at his finest. Jam packed with hit songs including the title track, Candle in the Wind, Benny and the Jets, and Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting. Stylistically, Elton John covers a lot of ground but the album itself feels unified, as if there was a plan. Finally, this is the classic lineup at it's height. Caribou, which follows this album, seems like outtakes from it. Afterwards, Elton John began to steer into adult oriented music, leaving the hard rocking behind. If you only own one Elton John album, this is the one.

Excellent. Classics that I have heard before just get better whilst the ones 'new' to me where all killers. The opening track "funeral for a friend/love lies bleeding" started this masterpiece off and it never took its foot off the pedal. Brilliant

This album has my first ever favorite song from when I was five. How can I not rate it five stars.

Any record that starts out with a track like Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding is going to have to have every other track be pretty terrible for me to give it anything less than 4 starts. The rest of the record is pretty amazing as well. 5 Stars it is. Grey Seal has always been a deep cut that I love to hear. I really paid attention to it first way back when I got the Elton John box set. (remember those?) All the Girls Love Alice and Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting? No wonder Goodbye is such a well loved record. Yes, I skipped Candle in the Wind. I have always loved this song. But, I have to admit that once it moved from a Marylin Monroe song to Princess Di, it lost a bit of luster for me. I understand how well it fit the time, but, it's Marylin's song. Lady Di deserved her own.

What's not to love? Great span of tunes, tempos and moods. Phenomenal instrumental performances. This and Madman... are all the 70s Elton you need.

Almost an AMAZING album. If it had been reduced by five or so songs, this would have been a masterpiece. All tracks were full of varying levels of fun and camp (except for “Candle in the Wind”) but that Jamaica song has got to go.

Some of the most solid songwriting ever displayed, an even more excellently executed (just ignore Jamaican Jerk-off lol)

One of the greatest singer-songwriters ever with what is probably his best album. It's a powerhouse album that touches on so many different genres that it's dizzying. It feels like every song is Elton banging out a wonderfully alive hit with whichever genre he decided felt compelling. His voice is incredible of course, the band is filled with precise, talented musicians and again, the variety of production here immaculately tied together makes the album continually replay-able. A masterpiece no doubt.

Piano based rock is always at risk of becoming showtunes, and this is no exception. The vocal performance is really good, and at its best there's a fun flamboyance to the unbridled 70s cocaine excess of the production/arrangements. But I have never, and still don't, understand the hype with Elton John. The songwriting comes across as clever and referential/winking genre tributes more than anything. He was early on the reggae appropriation trend (Jamaica Jerk Off), but good lord is that an abomination. He anticipates some of the sound of new-wave with the hoped up synthy rock & roll (Sister Can't Twist). His attempt at a Rolling Stones honky tonk song (Saturday Night) is good and would be a nice fit on Sticky Fingers. It's impossible to listen to Candle in the Wind without your skin crawling from the mawkish sentimentalism the British public has imbued that song with since the 90s. Bennie and Jets and All the Girls Love Alice and are fun. The Nashville-sounding country twist with cloying strings and lap steel on Roy Rodgers is a funny touch, taking a silly saccharine ballad about a TV cowboy to ludicrous levels of camp - I think it might be my favorite track.

I really wanted to be one of those smug gits who says "actually its quite good" but it's fucking awful. Unrelentingly shite. I could go on, like this unremitting dross

You know, I wouldn't usually be excited for a 76-minute long album. That is, unless, it's from an artist that I'd want to listen to for 76 minutes at once. Fortunately, I am more than okay with listening to 76 minutes of Elton John, especially since this is some of his best work. This album's amazing! I love the variety in the sound of the album. You've got slower, more emotional songs like "Candle in the Wind" balanced out by fun, energetic songs like "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting". Both styles work very well. I noticed a few themes that show up throughout the album like love and fame. That's pretty cool. Of course, Elton John's singing is top-notch, with the writing on the whole album being just as good. I've got to give props to Bernie Taupin for his work on this thing. Somehow this album doesn't drag on as much as one might expect. Is the album pretty long? Yes, and I think a song or two could've been cut. Regardless of that, this is absolutely an album that's worth listening to. 5/5.

It's easy to mistake this for a greatest hits album. There's so many good songs with a few I could live without.

Damn this is so fucking good. I’ll be listening to this regularly.

Fucking Fantastic!

Elton and Bernie at their best! Side one is especially good with such a variety of moods that it could stand on its own even if the over three sides were crap. They aren't though. The rest of the album flows amazingly well for a double album with the non-single tracks all having some good hooks in them to keep a listener's attention throughout. Songs like All the Girls Love Alice and Harmony could have been hits themselves if they were put out as singles.

10/10. I'm calling this a 10 for now, but it is very close to being a 9 on account of it being real long with a weaker back half. Even still, this album had a lot of great songs filled in by a lot of good songs, and I enjoyed listening to the whole thing.

Wasn't a fan of Elton, until I heard this album. Oh my god. He mixes rock and folk and country so well. Defiently need to give this another listen, as all these tracks are well polished while transitioning seemingly perfect to one another.

First time listening through this one. Usually not a huge Elton John album fan, though I love listening to his hits. This one has some great deep tracks between the hits that make for a very good listening experience. Would love it on vinyl.

Groovy

I'm gonna be generous and dole out a 4 but only because I can't give a record featuring Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting anything less.

Oh Reggie Dwight you old dog. What a treat this is! From the haunting Goodbye Yellow Brick Road to the frenzy of Saturday Night's Alright, just hit after hit. Look at those platform shoes! You'll snap your bleeding ankle, you daft apeth. By all means say your goodbyes, but be careful on those bricks, you silly sausage.

Ummm it’s a classic but it’s just okay.

Much like every cassette inside a car stereo transforms into Queen's Greatest Hits, every record cabinet owned by British people of a certain age had Goodbye Yellow Brick Road materialise inside it. What made this such a big deal? He had just as many hits on the other albums in his empire building 70s run. Was it just because it was a double album with a vague concept?

Two questions before I get into the review: 1. Why is it called “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” if he is entering the Yellow Brick Road on the cover? 2. Did no one think to tell Elton John what “Jerk-off” means? (Although, that might be the least concerning thing about that song and I find it difficult to believe he, of all people, wasn’t aware of that innuendo) Those mysteries aside, this was a fine album, with some very interesting synth and guitar parts through out. It suffers, like 99% of double albums, from being overly long and often a little same-y.

I can see why Elton John is considered a good song writer, but I didn't enjoy this.

overproduced too perfect, washes over don't like the instruments wtf jamaica jerk off too competent un-engaging background music, tepid, MOR, boring i do not like this at all

Ergh. I expected this is actually be alright, but it was absolutely fucking shit and really irritated me.

Surely I don’t need to justify my rating, but just in case, my reasons are as follows: 1. Bennie and The Jets 2. Candle in the Wind 3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 4. Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)

I was expecting to like this album but god I love it. Such a rich tapestry of words and musicianship. Plus god, I love the sound of a Gibson EB-3

The 70s was the decade for the solo artist spree and this is one of the standards. Always something interesting going on, band just casually pumping out the unforgettable, Elton John somehow taking the sentimental and elevating it to the epic. I’ve had this record for a while, never gave it a focussed listen, predicted low point failed to appear. “Candle in the Wind” has an elemental appeal that survived a close encounter with a national outbreak of hysteria.

Pretty great run of songs throughout, a bit too long and a bit too hokey but I'm giving it a 5 for Xmas. One I remember fondly from my Uncle's collection as a young 'un, fascinated by the individual illustrations for each track on the inner gatefold. Now for another vodka and tonic..

Man these guys were really rocking. Elton John is in a league of his own and this album rules start to finish. Total classic!

I loved this album.

Excellent album d'Elton John

Es un disco que no había escuchado realmente. Nunca pensé en Elton John como alguien tan experimental.

Elton John is a legend. This is a legendary album. So many great songs. Not a dull moment in such a long album

WOW, what an opening 4 tracks to the album. Yes, bennyyyyyyyy!!!! Absolutely top stuff. Gets a bit silly with jamaican jerk off. But not so bad. It does lull a tad in the middle. Few decent songs. Saturday night smashes it again. Despite the lull in th e middle of the album, not many artists can have FIVE TOP TOP class tunes on one album. The length of the album didnt bother me too much on this one surprisingly. But i do think if it was shorted into maybe 10-11 tracks it would be even better considering half of the album would be absolute belters. Either way, the five world class songs take it from a 4 to a 5 for me. SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY

Ahhhh, Young Elton John when his genius was on full display! When the youngsters don’t appreciate him, understandably thanks to Disney, this album and Honky Chateau are where I send them to school.

I quite enjoy this album, lots of diverse sounds. I still haven't done a proper focused listen with my ears on, but definitely want to at some point. I love the dreamy spiralling sound of the title track that never really lands on a resolution harmonically. The rest of the album has a mix of superstar hits, fun bangers, with a hint of pisstake/cliche exploration (I'm looking at you, Social Disease). Much entertainment.

Still a classic

With all the toing and froing about double albums and whether or not they're a let down, this one is solid throughout and I have no complaints about filler. It has four hits (five if you count Harmony) which is more than the normal number of hits for a double album and the hits are all top shelf. This album is a 5. With that out of the way, I'll now turn to my usual rambling. There are many more songs that were not singles but very good nonetheless. The 11+ min Funeral for a Friend is an excellent kick off and sets the stage for the quality of the other songs on this album that weren't singles. There is also some creative dabbling like Jamaican Jerk-Off which sounds like music from the island. It has some Reggae / Island music accents but isn't Reggae. Likewise Roy Rogers has a country twang to it but I wouldn't call it a country song. It just has a creatively done country accent. This album also has a number of really good rockers such as All The Girls Love Alice which ends Side 3 and Your Sister Can't Twist which starts Side 4. The best rocker on the album is Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting. It would have been the best song to describe Saturday nights at bars in my hometown of Sudbury were it not for Stompin Tom's Sudbury Saturday Night. There are a couple of songs about gay and lesbian relationships on this album and this was released long before Elton "came out". The song about a gay relationship is Goodby Yellow Brick Road. Surprised? I was. This song has been played on the radio forever and I've always liked it but never really understood the lyrics. A few months ago I decided I wanted to play the song on acoustic guitar so I focused on learning the lyrics and found out the song is about a relationship between a wealthy man and a younger man who no longer wants to be his "boy toy". The other song, which is obvious from its title (and confirmed by its lyrics), is All The Girls Love Alice. In 1973 I wouldn't have figured this out. I was a big Alice Cooper fan back then and the apeth 12 year old version of me would have thought it was about his groupies. I wonder if that song had anything to do with the name of the Toronto bar called Slack Alice which was quite popular with lesbians back in the day. This album is the gold standard for double LPs.

I've never been much of a fan of Elton John but I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of this album. Though the last few songs were quite forgettable, the first few and some in the middle made up for that. Best songs: goodbye yellow brick road and benny and the jets

I have never listened to this album in its entirety before. What an album it was. The opener, ‘Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding’, was so good it ended up being my favorite track on the album. The hits are all still S-tier songs, but the deeper cuts ‘Grey Seal’, ‘Dirty Little Girl’, and ‘All the Girls Love Alice’ are all great. There are two duds (‘Jamaica Jerk-Off’, ‘Roy Rogers’) that keep it from being perfect, but the album is still great and I will be listening again. Solid 4/5

Wasn't sure at first, but there's a very strong run of songs a bit further in. A lot of fun, no bad tracks. Best track is Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (banger), but made some very enjoyable new discoveries too. A little overlong, but works well spread out through the day as I've done. Would listen again.

Elton and Bernie at their finest.

Great songs.

For every classic on this there’s a song like “Jamaican Jerk-Off” where Elton adopts an embarrassing accent for a best forgotten ditty. It’s just the highs are incredibly high. 4/5

Classic indeed. I love him and this was the album recommended my by dear friend and teacher Mr. Lehn. I was trying to listen to better music and he said this was one of the best of all time. He was right. Miss you bud!

As a while, the album is a little more disjointed than I remember. Some great songs, but some that lost my attention pretty quickly.

Widely regarded as Elton John's magnum opus. Starts off with progressive rock, transitions to glam rock, pop ballads, and even some reggae thrown in for good measure.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road feels like a classic from the first note. Grand and ambitious, it showcases Elton John's versatility beyond piano ballads, blending rock, glam, storytelling, and hints of prog. Packed with some of his best songwriting, its length never drags thanks to perfect pacing, keeping each track fresh and engaging. A timeless masterpiece that defines his artistry. The songwriting on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is exceptional. Bernie Taupin’s vivid, poetic lyrics create grand, emotional stories, from the nostalgia of the title track to the raw storytelling of Candle in the Wind. Elton John masterfully transforms these words into melodies, ensuring every line resonates. His ability to craft songs that feel both intimate and larger-than-life is truly remarkable. The album’s variety is a major strength. High-energy rock anthems like Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting burst with distorted guitars and swagger, while the theatrical Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding opens with a dramatic instrumental before launching into epic rock. Tracks like Grey Seal and Your Sister Can’t Twist show Elton’s ability to rock just as hard as he delivers ballads, proving his versatility and dynamic range. Despite its 75-minute length and wide variety of styles, the album flows seamlessly. Each song feels essential, and the balance between grand, emotional moments and fun, upbeat tracks keeps it fresh and engaging. The pacing ensures it never drags, maintaining a consistent energy that keeping me invested from start to finish. The main issue with the album is Elton’s high-pitched falsetto at times. While he has an incredible vocal range, on tracks like Bennie and the Jets, his falsetto can feel a bit overwhelming. It’s not necessarily bad, but in certain moments, it feels a little too much and doesn’t always sit right, slightly detracting from the overall experience. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is one of Elton John’s greatest works, showcasing his ambition and versatility beyond piano-driven pop. The top-tier songwriting and rich, varied instrumentals make it a standout, with only a few weaker moments. While not perfect, its highs more than make up for the flaws. A masterpiece that earns a solid 4.2/5.

First listen - ok, some classics there, plonky piano n classic Elton vocals, and what's all the rest of the music, it just blurs. Second listen - hang on, there's something there, that 'Jamaican Rub' track is kind of interesting. So different to the rest. Actually, its all kinda different. Hmm. *scratches* Third listen - what a diverse performance, so many styles done so well, it's a honker of a long album too. I keep getting distracted. So joyous and interesting ...

I’ll admit this record had diminishing returns in the back half, but when your first four tracks are some of the most recognizable, influential and important songs of all time, I think that’s kind of okay.

Amazing

jesus i'm still on the first song?? so incredibly mid but some songs are great?

I really want to stop giving almost every album three stars but i suppose that's to be expected. has some good tracks but didnt really excite me. Maybe because theres a lot of albums like that that came out later.

Before this came up in the mix, I had never listened to a Elton John album in full before. Obviously I know a lot of these songs. I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this. I was pleasantly surprised. I feel like you could draw a line from this to Meat Loaf, especially that first song, Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies. Separately, I really dig that stutter on Bennie and the Jets. The song, Jamaica Jerk Off, is a really strange title, I'm not sure what it means (insert side eye emoji). It's not bad per se but it does not vibe with the rest of the album, which makes it stick out like a sore thumb. I don't dislike it, it's one of the better 1970s Brit reggae track.

This list has been challenging for me. I really don't like stuff like this, but I see it's highly regarded. I knew 3 of the songs from the radio growing up but was very tired of hearing classic songs like that already. So I want to give this a 2 but I'll be more open and give it a 3.

I liked it more then madman across the water. Still not 100% my music but it is a cool record

Few bangers, otherwise pretty eh. Elton was capable of great highs but always struck me as a bit of a careerist rather than having any real artistic vision, so the majority of his output was pretty bland.

Irrepressibly tuneful and seriously silly, but why didn’t anyone tell me it’s so outrageously slow? Elton’s sure got some sand to make quote-unquote rock ‘n’ roll that takes so long to get dressed. But like a model stalking down the catwalk, he knows he looks great doing it. So why rush? Don’t--that’s the answer. And neither you nor I have a better one. Now I think about it, slow seems to be part of camp. Queen, Meatloaf, Prince, Springsteen—they’re all at it (the one of them that isn’t dead, anyway). And Elton doesn’t even fill space with overwrought production. Most of this is just him, the ivories, and guitar-bass-drums. I say "just him" even though most of this sounds like it's played to an imaginary audience, which I suppose is a paradox because that should create intimacy. But it doesn't Sure, you’re at the show. But you’re in the wings, peeking out from behind the curtains, looking at Elton’s back while he performs to his own audience—and you ain’t part of it. For reasons I can't explain, I liked that. From-me-to-you earnestness was pretty rife in the 70’s, so maybe this as a refreshing alternative has something to do with it.

many popular songs, but it's ok for me

Not my personal style

3 or 4 OK tunes Nothing special Sorry Sir Elton you've been living off this for 40 plus years

Even though I have one song that interesting to me on this one, but it sound really boring. Then I never listened it to the very end.

A lot of songs instantly forgettable.

1. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John. 17 tracks. I know there are some real belters on here, but there is also the dreaded "Candle in the wind" which I can't stand. Sat Nights Alright and Bennie & Jets are Elton at his best. Despite that, had to skip quite a few. 1/5.

Could be his Masterwork, and that is saying something with the rest of his discography.

класика. обожнюю Елтона Джона. <33

Classic. Love the variety. It’s the culmination of Elton’s career to that point, but moving it forward in a fun and eclectic fashion. Such a great album!

Man this album is good. No notes. Beautiful songs

I think this was my first time hearing an Elton John album - wonderfully surprised with this one! Great vocals, instrumentals, energy - very theatrical too (in a good way). Amazing listen!

Was a fun one for sure.

Discazo que me encanta, lo escuché antes de que me digan que mi casa estaba embrujada y me hizo pensar que todo lo contrario

Me sorprendio!

Great album, only a few fillers here, surprising for a double album.

One of the greatest double albums ever crafted. Nearly every song is awesome. Just about as good as it gets.

9/10 Elton has the ability to write some absolutely phenomenal songs. Sometimes that doesn't completely translate into completely consistent records, but during the early 70s, he was bashing them out at a clip and, for the most part, they were of a standard that most musicians would aspire to. This record is considered to be his magnum opus and you can see why. It runs the gamut from prog rock inventiveness, via heartfelt ballads all the way to country rock party tunes, all the while feeling coherent and maintaining a smooth tonal flow. The band are at the peak of their powers and the whole album is super tight, full of fluid groove and played with an immense standard of feel and control. But the best thing is Elton’s melodic writing. By god, the boy can write melodies that grab you, hook you in and lodge in your head in the best possible way. Not only that, but whether singing them or playing them on the piano, he puts so much swagger and presentation into his performances of those melodies that it just kicks them up another notch. It’s pretty remarkable that this album was released in 1973, as it sounds so coherent, with the sound design and instrumental mix, particularly the use of synths feeling completely natural, which was not something many acts had managed to completely nail at this point. It also manages to keep in just enough weirdness and depth that it becomes a rewarding album to listen to again and again, because there are so many layers to each track and so many twist s and turns to the compositional structure that it never gets boring. Yes, it’s perhaps a tad long, but this is so much fun that even the less inventive and musically dense tracks just beg for you to bob along, and the album does fly by pretty quickly, despite its length. I was going to rate this an 8, but frankly I can’t stop listening to it, having played it from start to finish 6 times in two days. It’s just so moreish. Keep on rocking, Hercules, you mad bastard. Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding - What an absolutely epic start to an album. It’s a slow building, proggy masterpiece of a track. The synths are cool, the piano work is nuanced and interesting and it does so many interesting things, all the while anchoring itself around some beautiful hooks and melodies that occasionally touch here and there on motifs that pop up across the rest of the album. It’s subtle in places, grand and exciting in others. And when it gets going, it really rocks too and never gets stuck in one place for too long. It’s hard to make an 11 minute song seem so interesting and varied, but he pulls it off. Fair play, Elton. Candle In The Wind - I only heard this 3-4 million times in 1997, so this is somewhat coloured by that fact. It’s still funny to me that Elton quickly got Bernie to switch up the lyrics and chucked out an old one for “England’s Rose”, but it’s actually a really good song. Well written, beautifully performed, the piano here is great and Elton’s vocal is spot on. It’s pretty saccharine, but I don’t know how much of that is impacted by the Diana thing. No, It’s definitely cheesy as fuck. But there’s nothing wrong with that. Bennie And The Jets - Another banger. It’s got a laid back swagger to it that’s so packed with groove, especially focused around the way he works between his two hands on the piano. There’s nothing overly complex about it, but it just hooks up so much feel into the delivery. The jazzy piano breakdown in the middle is so lush too. Good lord does our boy Reg know how to write a melody. It does go a little off-piste with some of the synth and crowd sample parts, but it doesn’t do much to detract from the cool smoothness of the track. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - And here he goes with more magnificent melodic moments. The switch up between verse and chorus here is really tasty. It’s got subtle groove to the verses and then the soaring, harmonic richness of the pre-chorus into the chorus is great. I’ve been singing this chorus all day and it’s still so good. There’s grandiosity to it, but it also manages to be incredibly bittersweet, which is a hard feeling to evoke in music. This Song Has No Title - This is more proggy again, but focuses around the man himself and his piano just roaming around to begin with before twisting into this odd fantasy sounding chorus. It’s a really interesting and instrumentally pleasing track. I love Elton’s dynamic control on the piano, you can just feel him pulsing his emphasis in and out as he feels the underlying groove. It’s less hooky than other tracks, but it’s still solid. Grey Seal - There’s an edge of crocodile rock to the verses here, but it adds a proggy twist into the choruses, particularly the transitions back out to the verses, which are so cool. It’s pacy and engaging, with great rhythm. The drumming here is excellent, giving a solid backbone, but adding in great range and excitement to that groove. It’s half way between a rock and roll and a funk track, and it’s just a great deal of fun. Jamaica Jerk-Off - An ill advised cod reggae track in which Elton actually leans into a Jamaican accent. It's not good and feels pretty out of place on the record, in part due to the tone and feel of it, but also because it really lacks the depth, variety and inventiveness of the rest of the tracks too. It's pretty repetitive, the synthetic percussion doesn't sound great and,to sum it all up, apparently Elton has never played it live and Bernie claims to have no memory of writing it. I've Seen That Movie Too - This is a nice slow groove that builds really nicely. Elton does a great line in a super slow build into the chorus and being restrained with a central hook and he's at it again here. The orchestration is subtle but dynamically impactful here and the way the piano and bass play around each other is really good. It's perhaps a tiny bit on the long side, but it gives him the chance to throw some cool instrumental parts and some nice jazzy piano licks in there, so that's all good. Sweet Painted Lady - It's a slight change up of feel here, but that hook up between the piano and bass carries on again nicely. It's more melodic excellence and the combination of melodic writing and vocal delivery gives this a really smooth and satisfying sound. Nice if not spectacular. The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-34) - This is a more sombre little number that meanders a little. There are some really nice moments in here, and there are some really tasty chord progressions, but ultimately it doesn't manage to give the same standard of melodic hook that's present in the album's beat tracks. The instrument section is pretty damn solid though. Dirty Little Girl - This has got, rather appropriately, a solid dirty groove to it. It's got an edge of soul and and edge of rock n roll to it. The pulse of the groove is great and I love Elton's vocal delivery here. It's gritty and chock full of swagger and attitude. It's not quite got the compositional depth of the most compelling tracks, but it's a really solid vibe. All The Girls Love Alice - Ah, now we're cooking again. The pace and drive of this is so good. Again, he takes his time to get to the chorus, but the tonal switch up into it is superb. The sound design in the chorus is excellent too; that distorted guitar and synth bass are just sexy. The backing vocals are excellent. In fact, I think everything here is excellent. The juxtaposition of tone between verse and chorus, the groove, the instrumental performances, the production. It's all top notch. Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll) - He's just having fun now. It's trad rock n roll, done at an absolute clip. It's got great attitude, a little edge of grit and it's delivered with such a sense of enjoyment. It's hardly ground breaking, but it's silly and fun. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting - Bosh, straight into an absolutely iconic song. Elton's vocal delivery here is so on point, full of grit and swagger. The chorus is another Elton pop masterclass, taking the gritty rock of the track and spinning it through his pop melodic sensibility to make something incredibly infectious and danceable. It takes the fun of the previous track, cranks it up and spits it out with so much verve and panache. Beautifully fun stuff. Roy Rogers - This leans more towards country, but it's a nice change of pace after the fun and intensity of the last couple. Elton's melodic chops hang this one together nicely, even if it's a tad on the slow side. The piano and orchestration are really nice and the groove is slow but endearing.  Social Disease - It's kind of weird how quietly this starts, but god damn it's got a great groove when it gets going. If all country had this level of funk to it, I'd be all over it. It's got swagger and pace, plenty going on across the instrumentation and it's super fun.  Harmony - And we get something that's a bit more ballady to end things. There are some tasty harmonies in here, appropriately, but I think interesting things in here are some of the chord changes, which occasionally move in an unexpected way. It's a pretty way to finish.

10/10 a genuine genius at his peek.

Yep

Great

Elton John is the goat

Who doesn't love Elton John, his voice is so smooth and lovely. This album would go into my rotation and for that it will be rated as such. I grew up loving Billy and the jets.

Great album

Tremendous! An album where every song is catchy and, more importantly, unique. Elton John is a storyteller both with his lyrics and instrumentals.

Wonderful album. Another classic. A varied, beautiful project. 5/5.