It seem's Elton as respected as he is doesn't get the props he deserves for how innovative he was. To me his songs have a certain style, substance and sound only he & Bernie Taupin can deliver. Him, Stevie & Billy Joel where killing the piano singer/song writer circuits of the 70's, 80's & 90's.

But Elton made some amazing Rock N Roll records, that mixed a lot of country western & blues influences that just sound so grand to me. I'm not one to brag about record charts... but Elton did have 56 top 40 hits[And that's not including classics like Tiny Dancer & Border Song which didn't make top 40!] That is a pretty amazing achievement one that is not easy to reach at all.

But Elton defintley deserves love for teh amazing albums he made. What is everyones favorite?

My top 5[in no particular order] are

1. Madman Across Water

2. Tumbleweed Connection

3. Breaking Hearts

4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

5. Songs From The West Coast

I've always deeply respected Elton & Bernie's run in the 70's. Tough to touch that 70-76 album span. Brilliance. SO MANY great tracks!!

In a "horserace" for who "owned" that period though? jussayin....Stevie

Pretty damned stultifying how much AHH-mazing pop was released in such a relatively short time. Almost like a bomb blast that lasted the decade.

Elton is amazing. So many great albums. "Too Low for Zero" is a personal favorite.

Gunsnhalen said:

5. Songs From The West Coast

before Captain Fantastic?

rdhull said:

Gunsnhalen said:

5. Songs From The West Coast

before Captain Fantastic?

Yup but that is just my opinion

JamFanHot said:

I've always deeply respected Elton & Bernie's run in the 70's. Tough to touch that 70-76 album span. Brilliance. SO MANY great tracks!!

In a "horserace" for who "owned" that period though? jussayin....Stevie

Pretty damned stultifying how much AHH-mazing pop was released in such a relatively short time. Almost like a bomb blast that lasted the decade.

Oh hell yeah Stevie owned over them all lol, but Elton was trying his damndest ahha

Gunsnhalen said:

It seem's Elton as respected as he is doesn't get the props he deserves for how innovative he was. To me his songs have a certain style, substance and sound only he & Bernie Taupin can deliver. Him, Stevie & Billy Joel where killing the piano singer/song writer circuits of the 70's, 80's & 90's.

But Elton made some amazing Rock N Roll records, that mixed a lot of country western & blues influences that just sound so grand to me. I'm not one to brag about record charts... but Elton did have 56 top 40 hits[And that's not including classics like Tiny Dancer & Border Song which didn't make top 40!] That is a pretty amazing achievement one that is not easy to reach at all.

But Elton defintley deserves love for teh amazing albums he made. What is everyones favorite?

My top 5[in no particular order] are

1. Madman Across Water

2. Tumbleweed Connection

3. Breaking Hearts

4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

5. Songs From The West Coast

Honestly i feel that when people talk about the greats, i hear the Beatles, Lennon, McCartney,Elvis etc...But i feel people miss his name always when talking the "greats" and it always bugged me because i rank him as just about the biggest impact artist over the last 40 years, I mean just not for the "chart" hits, but the output the man has, to produce so much quality work in a short time period, i mean the dude had 21 albums by the time he was 33 years old! And lets not even forget that magical period of 1970-76 where the man was putting out 1-2 albums a year, but Elton somehow gets dismissed in conversations, and im not sure why, because dude can sing, early days had some of the highest notes possible, now has an amazing low register as he has embraced the vocal limitations after throat surgery. Also during his "honeymoon period" of chart topping and doing 2 albums a year, he was also touring NON STOP, and i mean real tours not 9-10 dates promo runs that everyone does now, im talking 60-70-100's of dates a year.

Also lost i feel is the 80's people tend to shit on them with Elton's output, but there is alot of magic in those albums too, i mean "too low for zero" and "breaking hearts" are great, "sleeping with the past" is a great soul inspired record, even some stuff from "ice on fire" and also "reg strikes back", sure "Leather Jackets" was horrible he even says it was, but listen to the "Live in Australia" record which to me is one of the greatest LIVE albums of all time.

And last but not least, Elton's run of at least 1 top 40 song on the Hot 100 every year from 1970-1999 a 30 year chart run, WILL NEVER be matched, i dont care who people think can do it, Madonna and others who had tons of hits basically could only muster half that, because its a combination of OUTPUT + QUALITY + RELEVANCE and im sorry but no one today can encompass all of those for 3 decades. To me he ranks as one of the greatest Music Writers of all time, his melodies and being able to match them to Bernie's songs,makes them the best songwritiing team.

lastdecember said:

Gunsnhalen said:

It seem's Elton as respected as he is doesn't get the props he deserves for how innovative he was. To me his songs have a certain style, substance and sound only he & Bernie Taupin can deliver. Him, Stevie & Billy Joel where killing the piano singer/song writer circuits of the 70's, 80's & 90's.

But Elton made some amazing Rock N Roll records, that mixed a lot of country western & blues influences that just sound so grand to me. I'm not one to brag about record charts... but Elton did have 56 top 40 hits[And that's not including classics like Tiny Dancer & Border Song which didn't make top 40!] That is a pretty amazing achievement one that is not easy to reach at all.

But Elton defintley deserves love for teh amazing albums he made. What is everyones favorite?

My top 5[in no particular order] are

1. Madman Across Water

2. Tumbleweed Connection

3. Breaking Hearts

4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

5. Songs From The West Coast

Honestly i feel that when people talk about the greats, i hear the Beatles, Lennon, McCartney,Elvis etc...But i feel people miss his name always when talking the "greats" and it always bugged me because i rank him as just about the biggest impact artist over the last 40 years, I mean just not for the "chart" hits, but the output the man has, to produce so much quality work in a short time period, i mean the dude had 21 albums by the time he was 33 years old! And lets not even forget that magical period of 1970-76 where the man was putting out 1-2 albums a year, but Elton somehow gets dismissed in conversations, and im not sure why, because dude can sing, early days had some of the highest notes possible, now has an amazing low register as he has embraced the vocal limitations after throat surgery. Also during his "honeymoon period" of chart topping and doing 2 albums a year, he was also touring NON STOP, and i mean real tours not 9-10 dates promo runs that everyone does now, im talking 60-70-100's of dates a year.

Also lost i feel is the 80's people tend to shit on them with Elton's output, but there is alot of magic in those albums too, i mean "too low for zero" and "breaking hearts" are great, "sleeping with the past" is a great soul inspired record, even some stuff from "ice on fire" and also "reg strikes back", sure "Leather Jackets" was horrible he even says it was, but listen to the "Live in Australia" record which to me is one of the greatest LIVE albums of all time.

And last but not least, Elton's run of at least 1 top 40 song on the Hot 100 every year from 1970-1999 a 30 year chart run, WILL NEVER be matched, i dont care who people think can do it, Madonna and others who had tons of hits basically could only muster half that, because its a combination of OUTPUT + QUALITY + RELEVANCE and im sorry but no one today can encompass all of those for 3 decades. To me he ranks as one of the greatest Music Writers of all time, his melodies and being able to match them to Bernie's songs,makes them the best songwritiing team.

JamFanHot said:

lastdecember said:

Honestly i feel that when people talk about the greats, i hear the Beatles, Lennon, McCartney,Elvis etc...But i feel people miss his name always when talking the "greats" and it always bugged me because i rank him as just about the biggest impact artist over the last 40 years, I mean just not for the "chart" hits, but the output the man has, to produce so much quality work in a short time period, i mean the dude had 21 albums by the time he was 33 years old! And lets not even forget that magical period of 1970-76 where the man was putting out 1-2 albums a year, but Elton somehow gets dismissed in conversations, and im not sure why, because dude can sing, early days had some of the highest notes possible, now has an amazing low register as he has embraced the vocal limitations after throat surgery. Also during his "honeymoon period" of chart topping and doing 2 albums a year, he was also touring NON STOP, and i mean real tours not 9-10 dates promo runs that everyone does now, im talking 60-70-100's of dates a year.

Also lost i feel is the 80's people tend to shit on them with Elton's output, but there is alot of magic in those albums too, i mean "too low for zero" and "breaking hearts" are great, "sleeping with the past" is a great soul inspired record, even some stuff from "ice on fire" and also "reg strikes back", sure "Leather Jackets" was horrible he even says it was, but listen to the "Live in Australia" record which to me is one of the greatest LIVE albums of all time.

And last but not least, Elton's run of at least 1 top 40 song on the Hot 100 every year from 1970-1999 a 30 year chart run, WILL NEVER be matched, i dont care who people think can do it, Madonna and others who had tons of hits basically could only muster half that, because its a combination of OUTPUT + QUALITY + RELEVANCE and im sorry but no one today can encompass all of those for 3 decades. To me he ranks as one of the greatest Music Writers of all time, his melodies and being able to match them to Bernie's songs,makes them the best songwritiing team.

And in saying all that, how can i forget the magical run he is on now, "Songs from the West Coast" to me is one of the best albums he ever did, and one of the best records of the 2000's, followed by "peachtree road" and also "captain and the kid" were very underrated and overlooked, and once again he was passed over for the Leon Russell UNION album, which to me was one of the best albums last year, but got him not even one look.

lastdecember said:

JamFanHot said:

And in saying all that, how can i forget the magical run he is on now, "Songs from the West Coast" to me is one of the best albums he ever did, and one of the best records of the 2000's, followed by "peachtree road" and also "captain and the kid" were very underrated and overlooked, and once again he was passed over for the Leon Russell UNION album, which to me was one of the best albums last year, but got him not even one look.

True dat.

Was just listening to this one last night & thinkin.."that "run" IS still.....in.......progress"

Great vid, btw:

lastdecember said:

Gunsnhalen said:

It seem's Elton as respected as he is doesn't get the props he deserves for how innovative he was. To me his songs have a certain style, substance and sound only he & Bernie Taupin can deliver. Him, Stevie & Billy Joel where killing the piano singer/song writer circuits of the 70's, 80's & 90's.

But Elton made some amazing Rock N Roll records, that mixed a lot of country western & blues influences that just sound so grand to me. I'm not one to brag about record charts... but Elton did have 56 top 40 hits[And that's not including classics like Tiny Dancer & Border Song which didn't make top 40!] That is a pretty amazing achievement one that is not easy to reach at all.

But Elton defintley deserves love for teh amazing albums he made. What is everyones favorite?

My top 5[in no particular order] are

1. Madman Across Water

2. Tumbleweed Connection

3. Breaking Hearts

4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

5. Songs From The West Coast

Honestly i feel that when people talk about the greats, i hear the Beatles, Lennon, McCartney,Elvis etc...But i feel people miss his name always when talking the "greats" and it always bugged me because i rank him as just about the biggest impact artist over the last 40 years, I mean just not for the "chart" hits, but the output the man has, to produce so much quality work in a short time period, i mean the dude had 21 albums by the time he was 33 years old! And lets not even forget that magical period of 1970-76 where the man was putting out 1-2 albums a year, but Elton somehow gets dismissed in conversations, and im not sure why, because dude can sing, early days had some of the highest notes possible, now has an amazing low register as he has embraced the vocal limitations after throat surgery. Also during his "honeymoon period" of chart topping and doing 2 albums a year, he was also touring NON STOP, and i mean real tours not 9-10 dates promo runs that everyone does now, im talking 60-70-100's of dates a year.

Also lost i feel is the 80's people tend to shit on them with Elton's output, but there is alot of magic in those albums too, i mean "too low for zero" and "breaking hearts" are great, "sleeping with the past" is a great soul inspired record, even some stuff from "ice on fire" and also "reg strikes back", sure "Leather Jackets" was horrible he even says it was, but listen to the "Live in Australia" record which to me is one of the greatest LIVE albums of all time.

And last but not least, Elton's run of at least 1 top 40 song on the Hot 100 every year from 1970-1999 a 30 year chart run, WILL NEVER be matched, i dont care who people think can do it, Madonna and others who had tons of hits basically could only muster half that, because its a combination of OUTPUT + QUALITY + RELEVANCE and im sorry but no one today can encompass all of those for 3 decades. To me he ranks as one of the greatest Music Writers of all time, his melodies and being able to match them to Bernie's songs,makes them the best songwritiing team.

Wow! that is true i didn't know he was 33 when he did 21 albums. Damn did it is hella impressive... and Breaking Hearts is in my tops.. i love it.

When he rocked he was great, when he became Adult Contemporary not so much.

1970-1983 Elton > 1984-present Elton

Nuff said.

Timmy84 said:

1970-1983 Elton > 1984-present Elton

Nuff said.

Sleeping With The Past > 1970-1983 Elton except Tumbleweed and GYBR.

No?

elmer said:

Timmy84 said:

1970-1983 Elton > 1984-present Elton

Nuff said.

Sleeping With The Past > 1970-1983 Elton except Tumbleweed and GYBR.

No?

Guess it depends. I love the more rock & roll/glam rock Elton...

I agree that some of his 80s stuff is very much undervalued. I prefer alot of it to some of his more well respected 70s material.

NoVideo said:

I agree that some of his 80s stuff is very much undervalued. I prefer alot of it to some of his more well respected 70s material.

I like a lot of his 80's work...and dislike a lot. But Breaking Hearts & Slepping With The Past not to mention To low For Zero are top notch.

Fun interview with Elton with Conan

I didn't know he was the first white artists on soul train!

Gunsnhalen said:

Fun interview with Elton with Conan

I didn't know he was the first white artists on soul train!

He was the second or third, I think. I forgot the first. I know the first wasn't David Bowie lol

I actually just picked up Honkey Chateau and Tumbleweed Connection. Really great songs, before his image overshadowed the music.

He admitted to being into The Band at the time and it really shows on some of these funky American sounding songs. But he had a musicality and a way with hooks that smaller and perhaps more respected folks like The Band could not quite match.

And his melodies are very bluesy, yet incredibly catchy and full of personality.

NDRU said:

I actually just picked up Honkey Chateau and Tumbleweed Connection. Really great songs, before his image overshadowed the music.

He admitted to being into The Band at the time and it really shows on some of these funky American sounding songs. But he had a musicality and a way with hooks that smaller and perhaps more respected folks like The Band could not quite match.

And his melodies are very bluesy, yet incredibly catchy and full of personality.

Burn down the mission is my fav

Gunsnhalen said:

NDRU said:

I actually just picked up Honkey Chateau and Tumbleweed Connection. Really great songs, before his image overshadowed the music.

He admitted to being into The Band at the time and it really shows on some of these funky American sounding songs. But he had a musicality and a way with hooks that smaller and perhaps more respected folks like The Band could not quite match.

And his melodies are very bluesy, yet incredibly catchy and full of personality.

Burn down the mission is my fav

yeah that is an awesome song, but I mentioned these ones just because I had not been familiar with them before a couple months ago

NDRU said:

Gunsnhalen said:

Burn down the mission is my fav

yeah that is an awesome song, but I mentioned these ones just because I had not been familiar with them before a couple months ago

Oh yeah and i love them to=] just saying from Tubleweed connection that is my number 1 track. But my fathers gun is right behind some of Eltons best singing on that one.