Elton John: Elton John - 1970
"The album was not actually intended to launch Elton John as an artist, but rather as a collection of polished demos for other artists to consider recording his and co-writer Bernie Taupin's songs" - Gus Dudgeon
Often thought to be Elton John’s debut album (it is his second), this was a remarkably mature offering from Elton and songwriter Bernie Taupin when one considers they were barely into their twenties and composed many of the songs in Elton's tiny bedroom at his parents’ house in Pinner, Middlesex.
The feelings and issues that the songs approach seem like the work of someone far older than the callow Taupin and, musically, the album is also incredibly mature and it shows just what a precociously talented composer the young Elton John was. Pretty much everything about this album is perfect - the production, the strings, the vocals, the lyrics, the overall ambience, the sensitivity....
It's a little bit funny....
Your Song is such an iconic song that really needs no introduction or description from me, does it? Apart from that, all these years later, I still seriously love the little laugh Elton gives after his "if I was a sculptor..." line. It is also quite apparent, when listening to this in comparison with the material on the previous album that Elton, Bernie and everyone involved with the album's deliverance and production have upped their game tremendously. The song itself, of course is possibly his all-time best one, although with so many to choose from, that is a regularly-changing thing, for me, at least. With that in mind, listen to that beautiful harpsichord and strings introduction to the truly gorgeous I Need You To Turn To. The material on this album really is some of the best stuff Elton John ever recorded. Those Paul Buckmaster-produced strings, man, wow.
There are also a couple of the bluesy, upbeat semi-rock ballads that Elton would come to specialise in on here - firstly we have the catchy, appealing Take Me To The Pilot that would serve as a live favourite for many a year. The other one comes later, by the way (The Cage).
Of course, no collection of Bernie Taupin songs will be complete without a country-style ditty. Here it is No Shoes Strings On Louise, with its jaunty "yee-haw" stylings. Elton introduces his strange cod-American accent too, sounding like a lot like Mick Jagger from the same period. It is very influenced by The Stones' country/bluesy material on Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed.
The impossibly tender First Episode At Hienton is about a young girl’s emergence into womanhood - bear in mind this was written by a boy probably in his late teens. It is simply a lovely, sensitive, impossibly romantic creation. There is something of the bucolic Victorian novel about it. This is such a beautiful album, full of simply lovely songs of a breathtaking sensitivity, such as the gorgeous Sixty Years On, with its touching and once again surprisingly mature and aware lyrics about ageing. I love this one.
The ugliness of Southern US racism is tackled in the gospelly and now well-known Border Song. This was quite ground-breaking in its time, actually - making people think about such issues in popular songs. Yes, there had been several examples in the sixties but in 1970, people in the UK were certainly not really comfortable with confronting their own racism when it was pointed out to them through this US-inspired example. Elton would no doubt have been delighted when his idol Aretha Franklin covered it soon after.The Greatest Discovery is another extremely observant and sensitive song. You know, the songs on this album are just so damn beautiful I actually find it very difficult to write about them and do them any sort of justice. The better the album is, often the less I have to say. It just stands strong and tall without any need for further praise and help from me.
The Cage was the other bluesy one I referred to earlier, which, like Take Me To The Pilot, is also funky and horn-driven in that Leon Russell way that so influenced the young (and older) Elton. The remastering of the keyboard-percussion-horn break in the middle of this track is spectacular.
The King Must Die is a big, melodramatic production, full of chamber-like strings and a slightly over-the-top chorus. It ends proceedings on a memorable high, sonically and atmospherically, although it probably remains my least favourite track on the album - a bit too unnecessarily bombastic. That said, I've been listening to it a lot recently and it has grown on me.
There are also three high quality extra tracks to be found on the Deluxe Edition of the album - the upbeat funk rock of Bad Side Of the Moon; the first version of Grey Seal, the highly catchy and pretty damn irresistible song that re-surfaced on 1973's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in re-recorded form and the even more poppy "live" cut Rock And Roll Madonna. It is one of those studio cuts that had crowd noises stuck on to it, God knows why! Probably to convince people that an Elton John show was a vibrant experience worth checking out. Anyway, if these songs had been included on the album they would have changed its ambience considerably. However good they are - and they most certainly are - I think the album functions best as we all know it, with just the original ten songs.
I have to say that the remastered sound on these Elton John Deluxe Editions is simply stunning. Crystal clear as well as being full and bassy. They do such great works complete justice.
Overall, this is an essential piece of work. Don't be without it.
