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These songs were intertwined with other tracks that would shed light on an Elton John who was carefree when necessary and yet was somber in the same respect.I would not say that Don't Shoot Me. Not only was that when Don't Shoot Me.
Again, Don't Shoot Me. was released, but it was also a time when, for millions, several days, months, and years of perpetual worry and stress over domestic and international affairs, including wartime combat, were finally coming to a close.
Released between the progressive Honky Chateau and the all-time classic double-LP, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, is the often overlooked and underrated Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. Arguably, the energy emanated ideally reflects what many fondly remember about 1973.
is probably the release that perfectly highlighted Elton's lighthearted and serious sides, with the first part serving as a continuation of the humor nicely put forth in Honky Chateau and the second part, which would pave the way for pensive songs that would come to summarize the first phase of Elton's career and thus complete the first volume of his greatest hits, including Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me. This landmark release encapsules what would be Elton's very first Top 5 singles, including the #2 Daniel and what would be Reggie Dwight's first chart-topper, namely the unforgettable Crocodile Rock.Besides being a disc that contained what were then Elton's biggest hits, it included some interesting tunes that received their share of airplay on FM radio, including Teacher, I Need You, Elderberry Wine, and High Flying Bird.
is Elton's very best, but if any particular work of art ever showcased an Elton John who seemed to let loose and enjoy life after having heavy burdens lifted, then that was it.
That's possible - Elton once recorded a duet with Tammy Wynette and later covered Stand by your man, for in her memorial album, so he has shown some interest in country music - but I'm not sure if it's true.Other excellent songs include Blues for my baby and me, Midnight creeper (with its references to Tina Turner), I'm going to be a teenage idol and High flying bird. The other single, Daniel, was originally written about a Vietnam war veteran but, like many great songs, it can be interpreted to mean a lot of different things.There are many other excellent songs on this album including Texan love song, which the writer of the liner notes suggests may be some kind of tribute to country singer Merle Haggard (never mind that the Hag is Californian). The two singles both made the top three there, with Crocodile rock (a look back at the rock'n'roll era) giving Elton his first American number one single hit.
Four bonus tracks have been added to this re-issue but (unlike some of Elton's other re-issues) none of the bonus tracks were A-side singles. It was also the first album to spawn two British top five singles hits. Some people may now remember this album as the one before Goodbye yellow brick road, but this was an important album that remains one of Elton's best.
In America, this was Elton's second chart-topping album. This has always been one of my favorite Elton John albums and remains so. In fact, they were all originally released as B-sides, one of them being a re-recording of Skyline pigeon, originally released on Empty sky.
The re-recording features Elton playing piano instead of harpsichord.As originally released, the main album became the first Elton John album to top the British album charts.
It's true that they are pricey, but to me, it's worth the few extra dollars. Since most of us can sing this soundtrack of our youth word-for-word in its entirety, and since others here have detailed the songs with much more detail and authority than I can, I'll just stick to the SHM sound quality. I certainly am. I don't think you will be blown away by the technology, but if clean sound and subtle nuances are important to you, then I think you'll be satisfied with this CD. (That's what many of you who are thinking of repurchasing the CD are probably wondering about anyway).I own a few of these CD's and am a big fan of them. The sound is crisp and clear, and there's a lot of air in the reproduction.
These were four of Elton's best b-sides ever. If you've already got one of the many 'best of' collections and are just looking to pick up a couple of the best album cuts to complement "Daniel" and "Crocodile Rock", start with the ballad "High Flying Bird", follow up with the rocker "Elderberry Wine", and make sure you get the bonus track "Skyline Pigeon" in there somewhere as well. "Don't Shoot Me" was a good album to begin with, one of Elton's best pop efforts, but with the addition of four solid b-sides from his 1973 singles, this becomes a four and a half star collection. Three of the four are included on the "To Be Continued." box set. Oh, if I were downloading just the best tracks, "Texan Love Song" would be the kind of hateful little number I'd leave on the cutting room floor but that's a quibble. What a great a/b pairing that was - I went through two copies of the 45 specifically for that song and have just replaced the crackly warped second copy with Amazon's mp3 download. And "Young Man's Blues", the b-side of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", is sometimes more recognized by its catchphrase, "Screw You".
Thirty years later most of them still sound pretty good, they've aged well. The other six songs were uniformly strong.
This was originally the b-side of "Daniel". Another two tracks, the tedious "Have Mercy on the Criminal" and "Midnight Creeper", were the kind of filler that inspired you to lift the needle from the vinyl album and skip to the next track or flip the album.
Usually b-sides are throwaways but all four collected here are worth owning. Later non-album b-sides such as "Cold Highway" and "Sick City" just didn't measure up to the expectations set by these tracks.As for the album itself, it was supported by two great singles, "Daniel" and "Crocodile Rock".
Any more than that and you might as well pay for the whole collection.and it'd be worth it. All four are compiled on the odds-n-ends catchall "Rare Masters".The best of the four b-sides is the remake of "Skyline Pigeon".
This ballad originally appeared on Elton's debut effort, "Empty Sky", but you'll find this version much more polished and, simply put, much better."Whenever You're Ready" and "Jack Rabbit" appeared together as the b-side to "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting", the rare single from Elton's powerhouse years that didn't blast into the top ten.
The Japan LP replica edition SHM-CD is no improvement in sound over the 1996 Gus Dudgeon remaster - in fact if you lay out the wav file on cool edit pro, you'll find they're exactly the same.
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