![]() Adjusted for inflation, you’re talking about something more like $25,000. The quintessential FM-rock-era sprawl of “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” segues into the sentimental and ubiquitous Marilyn Monroe tribute “Candle in the Wind” and bursts into full-on Eltonic lunacy with “Bennie and the Jets.” Many cuts (the elegiac title song, “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” “Grey Seal”) became airplay staples, while others (the manic “Your Sister Can’t Twist ”) deserve more notice than they got-likely because of Road’s sheer bulk of worthy material.Īt the height of the fever dream that was Elton John’s life in the ’70s, the singer-songwriter had the optician Dennis Roberts design a pair of giant, sculptural glasses studded with 57 battery-powered lights in the shape of the name Elton-to the tune of about $5,000. The album’s opening sequence is more or less a sketch of Elton John’s early career and imperial phase, blending these far-reaching musical swings with Bernie Taupin’s increasingly cinematic and high-concept lyrics. The result was his critical and commercial peak-an album whose tracklist looks, at first blush, like a greatest-hits anthology and a defining snapshot of an artist at the height of his powers. The 1973 double LP Goodbye Yellow Brick Road cemented not only his nearly wayward eclecticism, but also his audience’s willingness to follow any path he trod. Can’t wait to read the autobiography.Having rocketed from the lavish orchestrations of “Your Song” and “Levon” to “Crocodile Rock” in less than three years, Elton John saw fit to make a Big Statement tying together all his musical impulses. ![]() I like how all these pieces fit together, all for my personal enjoyment. Presumably, Elton knew Jamie Bell, or at very least the character he played. Then watched Billy Elliot, starring a young Jamie Bell who later played Bernie Taupin in Rocketman Elton later wrote the music for Billy Elliot when it hit the stage. So Elton and Taron definitely knew each other. I have caught up to the Kingsman movies and saw not only Taron Egerton (who plays Elton John in Rocketman), but Elton playing himself in Kingsman: The Golden Circle. It is in a musical respect quite complete.Įlton “and friends” keep showing up in my life. The author has done similar works on Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, and such. After reading this book, I am not particularly tempted to acquire his later material, most of which was not released as singles for radio play.Īfter seeing Rocketman I expected to read more about Elton’s various addictions, but I now see this book was intended mostly as a music compendium, not a complete biography. I will always love those old songs the best, and was glad his Yellow Brick Road tour reached far back. Boy, did he put out a lot of albums after the ones I bought in high school and college (those being Empty Sky, Tumbleweed Connection, Honky Chateau, Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy). I got this book from the library while waiting my turn for Elton John’s autobiography. This is the ultimate keepsake for all Elton John fans. Fully illustrated throughout, with rare archival memorabilia and previously unpublished photographs, this book covers everything from his childhood as a piano prodigy in the London suburb of Pinner through his early days playing West End gigs and his fortuitous meeting-and subsequent lifelong partnership-with lyricist Bernie Taupin and the song that started it all, “Your Song,” to John’s meteoric rise to stardom, his challenges along the way, and his tireless work for various charities, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Just in time for his farewell world tour, this lavish, unofficial retrospective commemorates John’s incredible life and career. One of the most prolific and commercially successful, and beloved, musical artists of all time, Elton John has won six Grammy Awards and sold more than 300 million records during a career spanning over half a his Candle In the Wind 1997 remains the bestselling single in history. “Still up for more Elton after the movie and the memoir? This in-depth retrospective is just the thing.” - People magazine featured as one of the year’s “Best New Coffee-Table Books.”Ī celebratory retrospective of one of popular music’s most enduring and beloved stars, as he tours the world one last time.
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