by Curt Alliaume
With heritage artists, it’s often hard to decide what studio albums to start with. It’s easy enough to go to the classics, and most rock critics aren’t much help – my experience is an artist’s output over the first 10 years is almost always ranked higher than everything else.
There’s a web site called Metacritic that tries to address this by averaging the critical scores for recent albums – but they don’t go back very far. Which is certainly useless for Elton John, who has released a steady stream of music since his debut 50 (!) years ago. With the movie Rocketman coming out shortly, I thought it was time for a fresher look.
Bear in mind I am not an Elton John expert, although I do own over 80 percent of the albums on this list (I am missing six, plus I own another three only on vinyl or cassette, which means I haven’t heard those three in a long, long time). With the exception of a chunk of the albums from the classic years (I mean from Elton John through Blue Moves, or 1970 through 1976) and a few shortly thereafter, I couldn't sing any songs in the car other than the hits.
I’ve averaged the grades of the following books and web sites:
- Wilson & Alroy’s
Record Reviews, which I recommend for the most part (even though they hate
both Steely Dan and Bruce Springsteen),
- this Ultimate Classic Rock article from 2015,
- this Ultimate Classic Rock article from 2015,
- AZ Central’s ranking of his
top 20 albums from 2016,
- Robert Christgau’s reviews, which I loved when I was a
teenager and love less today,
- The Rolling Stone
Record Guide, Second Edition, which is probably the best of the editions
but only goes through 1982,
- Musichound Rock: The
Essential Album Guide, which came out sometime in the late 1990s,
- All Music Guide,
because they review every album, even if the reviews are poorly constructed
(Wilson & Alroy refer to AMG as “All Mushy Gibberish”).
Note this listing does not include live albums, greatest
hits sets, or (with one exception) soundtrack work (so don’t write me to ask
where The Lion King is). The list
runs from worst album to best.
I don’t have this album (that’s true for three of the four
lowest-ranking albums on this list), and while it’s on Spotify (it looks like
all the albums on this list are there but one), I’m not in any rush to hear it;
the fact that there were no top 40 singles from the album (the only Elton
studio album released between 1970 and 2000 other than the Empty Sky reissue and Tumbleweed
Connection to receive that honor, but I don’t think any singles were
released from either one) is suspicious. This was the last album under his
Geffen Records contract, so I suspect they didn’t put anything into promotion. Elton
says it’s his worst album: “[Producer] Gus Dudgeon did his best but you can’t
work with a loony” and “I was not a well budgie, I was married [to sound
engineer Renate Blauel] and it was one bag of coke after another.”
33. Duets (1993)
Have this one – which is not an endorsement. (In my defense,
I think I got it for $1.99 at a time when CDs were hard to find for less than
ten dollars.) I honestly think he submitted this to finish his contract with
MCA Records in the United States; I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the songs
had been in the can for awhile and the idea of duets was made a theme to pull
it together (“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” of course, had been recorded
and released in 1991). Bernie Taupin only worked on four songs for the album
(and two were remakes of old songs). There are so many collaborators, songwriters,
musicians, and producers on this it’s hard to enjoy this as a cohesive whole,
but there are a couple of decent songs hiding among the piles of meh.
32. Ice on Fire
(1985)
Unlike Leather Jackets,
this one at least had some hits: “Wrap Her Up” (with George Michael) went top
20, and “Nikita” was a top 10 hit, and they’re two of the three songs I’ve
heard on the album (the other is “Act of War,” an early 1985 flop standalone
duet with Millie Jackson that was on the early CD issues of the album, and was
also included on his box set To Be
Continued). But given this was made just before Leather Jackets, when Elton was clearly having personal problems
galore, it’s not surprising this isn’t great either. It looks like the
complaint is common to most mid- and late-1980s music: too many electronics,
not enough human element.
MCA would have been better off not releasing this album. It was
recorded in August 1979 and probably written a couple months before, when disco
was still looking huge; by the time of its release disco was becoming a dirty
word for many radio stations. I have no way of confirming this, but to me it
looks like MCA didn’t have a lot of product in the marketplace in the fourth
quarter of 1979 (which was an incredibly competitive quarter in the rock
market, with The Long Run, Tusk, In
Through the Out Door, The Wall, and a few others released) – I looked at an
album chart for early November 1979 and the only two MCA albums in the top 75
were this and Jimmy Buffett’s Volcano.
But here’s the kicker: only was it disco at a bad time, it was bad disco. Helmed by Pete Bellotte, who
worked with Giorgio Moroder on most of Donna Summer’s best music, this only
showed that Giorgio and Donna brought a lot more to the table than you might
think. Elton does nothing on the album but sing; he doesn’t play piano or
keyboards, and all of the songs are cowritten by Bellotte and other
contributors (Elton and Bernie Taupin were on a temporary break from one
another) except for a remake of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” I don’t have
this, I’ve never heard any of it except the title track (which missed the top
30), and I don’t think I’d get this unless it was given to me – even then I’d
be hesitant.
30 (tie). Wonderful
Crazy Night (2016)
Elton’s most recent album, and I haven’t heard it (yet). It
also probably shouldn’t be here, as only two outlets of the seven I’m averaging
reviewed it (AZ Central left it out of the top 20, so this is ranked 21st
along with all the other albums omitted). Rolling
Stone said it was one of the top 50 albums of the year, for what it’s
worth, although it’s obviously not in their Music Guide.
29. Sleeping With the
Past (1990)
Okay, we’re out of the truly terrible albums section (in
fairness, I should withhold judgment on Wonderful
Crazy Night). I don’t think this is awful – I haven’t listened to it in a
while, but I’ve heard it enough to know it’s decent. The problems are twofold –
the arrangements are still boring (lots of synths, courtesy of producer Chris
Thomas), and a lack of passion. I can at least explain away the second part;
Elton had throat surgery in late 1987 and could no longer hit the high notes or
shout the way he once did. (Not that I could ever sing like him, but I had a
cyst removed from my throat when I was 36 and my upper register instantly went
away.) This was supposed to be a salute to the R&B icons of the 1960s, but
the fact that I didn’t realize that until I read it online years later should
say something. “Healing Hands,” “Sacrifice,” and “Club at the End of the
Street” were all top 40 hits.
28. Reg Strikes Back
(1988)
Another one I’ve had for a while – I got a tape of this and Sleeping With the Past in 1990, and I
finally upgraded to the CD two years ago – but the only song I could name on
the album when I started writing this was “I Don’t Wanna Go On With You Like
That” (the other hit was “A Word in Spanish”). Again, the material isn’t bad –
I think taking a year off after Elton’s throat surgery did both Elton and
Bernie Taupin a world of good – but the production isn’t very interesting
(although it’s completely in keeping with what pop music sounded like in the
late 1980s).
27. The Complete Thom
Bell Sessions (1989)
This is an odd story. After Elton and Taupin stopped
(temporarily) writing together, Elton recorded several songs with famed soul
producer Thom Bell. They did six songs together, not quite an entire album’s
worth, and then the sessions ended. (There’s speculation on several pages that
Elton was unhappy with the results and Bell, but I’ve never seen confirmation
of this – and for what it’s worth, Elton doesn’t seem to badmouth people very
often.) Anyway, “Shine On Through” was reworked for 1978’s A Single Man, while three other songs were released as an EP in
England and an extended disco single in the US, with “Mama Can’t Buy You Love”
becoming a surprise top 10 hit. Finally, in 1989 all six songs were included in
one release (which clocked in at 34 minutes – a short album, but an album
nonetheless). I have the vinyl disco single version, and while I wouldn’t say
it’s brilliant, it’s certainly better than this ranking would indicate.
First album Elton recorded after dealing with his health
issues (both drugs and bulimia), and it’s okay. I’m not big on the title track
(of all his albums, The One is the
only album with the title track as the major hit), but I’m just blown away by
“The Last Song,” about a father tending to his son during the end of his
struggle with AIDS. Trends in music were changing somewhat (thanks to Nirvana
and the grunge movement), but you wouldn’t know it by listening to this.
25. 21 at 33 (1980)
Reaction to Victim of
Love was abysmal from the start, Elton undoubtedly knew it, and
this was released just seven months later. “Little Jeannie” was his biggest hit
in four years, and Bernie Taupin was back for a few songs, but my memory is it
wasn’t great (of course, the only song I know really well is “Little Jeannie,”
which becomes more syrupy the more you hear it). “Sartorial Eloquence” was the
other single, which was inexplicably retitled “Don’t You Wanna Play This Game
No More?” in the United States (even though the album covers all had the old
title), likely confusing listeners. There were a pile of extra songs recorded
during these sessions, some of which were used for B-sides (and could use a
rerelease today), the others going on The
Fox.
24. The Fox (1981)
When Geffen Records came into being, David Geffen signed up
four huge acts right off the bat: John Lennon, Elton John, Donna Summer, and
Neil Young. The fact that Elton was the most consistently successful of the
four on the label (although obviously no one could have anticipated John
Lennon’s murder) should tell you something about how well that went. This was
his first album there, and his lowest-selling album on the label. It’s a little
schizophrenic; it looks like Clive Franks produced half the songs, then he was
let go in favor of Chris Thomas. (EDIT: It turns out about half the songs from this album were originally recorded at the 21 at 33 sessions, which doesn’t raise my opinion of the album any.) “Nobody Wins,” which neither Elton nor Bernie
Taupin wrote, was the first single and failed to go top 20. I don’t have this
either; I’ll try to listen to it on Spotify.
23. Friends (1971)
Soundtrack to a movie that was probably barely released in
the United States (the plot reads like The
Blue Lagoon in Paris, and the reviews indicate it wasn’t very good); I
suspect Elton and Bernie knocked this one off in a few days. It sounds like a
cross between Empty Sky and Elton John, with some orchestrated
passages – but it’s not bad at all. It’s almost impossible to find nowadays –
the vinyl version went out of print after a few years (I remember being shocked
to see it in the 99-cent rack at the height of Elton’s popularity), and was
shoehorned onto Past Masters, a
two-CD set of B-sides and rare material from 1968 through 1977, which is also
out of print but not hard to find (I’ve got it in that format). It also appears
to be unavailable on Spotify other than the title track, which was a minor top
40 hit.
Bernie Taupin’s review of this album, in a 2013 Rolling Stone interview: “I thought that
was one of the most anemic records we made. In fact, it was miserable being in
the studio, since it was all done on machines.” I’d rank it much lower myself
(and the cover is hideous), but somehow Musichound
thought it was just as good as Captain
Fantastic and Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only
the Piano Player, so here we are. The single “Something About the Way You
Look Tonight” was a huge hit, almost exclusively because it was packaged with
Elton’s rewrite of “Candle in the Wind” for Princess Diana, which isn’t on the
album.
21. Empty Sky (1969)
This wasn’t even released in the United States until 1975,
and you get the idea why when you play it – it’s just nothing like the music of
the classic Elton John era. He plays harpsichord on about half the tracks,
which doesn’t lend itself to rock and roll. Some listeners will recognize
“Skyline Pigeon” from Don’t Shoot Me I’m
Only the Piano Player (a rerecording from that era is on the CD rerelease,
and it was the B-side of “Daniel”), but that’s about it. I’ve listened to it
once, and I don’t see myself rushing back to give it another chance.
Not to be confused with the old comic strip. This was a
sequel to 1975’s Captain Fantastic and
The Brown Dirt Cowboy, and again it’s autobiographical. Both Elton and
Bernie Taupin love it, but it wasn’t all that popular with the public, which both
of them blamed on Interscope Records for lack of promotion. I haven’t listened
to it in a few years (I got it along with a limited-edition live EP) – I guess
I’ll have to give it another shot one of these days.
19. Blue Moves (1976)
The last album of the “classic” period, and by all accounts
the worst of that era (but around the middle of Elton’s albums overall). There
are two big issues at play here: 1) Like Goodbye
Yellow Brick Road this was released as a double vinyl album, but unlike Goodbye Yellow Brick Road it could have
been made into a single pretty easily, and 2) both Elton and Bernie Taupin were
unhappy when creating the album – Bernie was going through a divorce from his
first wife, while Elton was battling fame (he’d attempted suicide in October
1975), so it’s a downer to listen to. Such songs as “Tonight,” the hit “Sorry
Seems to Be the Hardest Word,” “Someone’s Final Song,” and “If There’s a God in
Heaven (What’s He Waiting For?)” reflect this. Elton and Taupin broke up their
partnership for a few years after this one came out. Unfortunately, at 84:47 it
doesn’t quite fit on one CD (there are some one-disc versions out there with
four songs removed, which should be avoided), which likely means people didn’t
buy it as often during the silver disc era; as it stands now, it’s the same
price as all of his single LPs to download on Amazon, which means it’s quite a
bargain.
18. Breaking Hearts
(1984)
I haven’t heard this album in decades – I only have it on
vinyl (I got a promotional copy that record stores weren’t supposed to sell a
few weeks after its release). My memory is it’s pretty good and really stripped
down – other than occasional synth by Elton and one track with a saxophone,
it’s all the original band on their original instruments – Elton on piano,
Davey Johnstone on guitars, Dee Murray on bass, Nigel Olsson on drums. No
orchestras, and Chris Thomas at his edgiest in the producer’s booth (he was
also working on Pretenders albums at this time). “Sad Songs (Say So Much),” a
somewhat cheerier version of “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues,” was
the big hit (unfortunately it was quickly corrupted into a blue jeans
commercial), with “Who Wears These Shoes?” and “In Neon” also charting. I’ll
have to try this on Spotify.
17. The Diving Board
(2013)
I just bought this last week, so I’ve only heard it once. So
far, I like it – but I’m comparing it more to the albums of the late 1980s and
early 1990s listed previously than the classic albums. It’s moody, it doesn’t
rock as hard as I might like (but neither do most of his other most recent
albums), and it doesn’t have any big-name guests. But Taupin’s lyrics are
probably his strongest in years. I’m eager to hear it a few more times.
Elton’s first album after breaking up his songwriting
partnership with Bernie Taupin; the original version had no contribution from
Taupin at all. (Later CD reissues include three songs by Taupin, including the
early 1978 flop single “Ego,” which was left over from the Blue Moves sessions.) “Part-Time Love” was the only hit in the
United States; the follow-up instrumental “Song for Guy” was a top 15 hit in
six countries, but the US wasn’t one of them (apparently MCA was not enamored
with the idea of a vocal-free single release; the single only bubbled under the
Hot 100). I much prefer Blue Moves to
this, but I don’t hate it.
15. Made in England
(1995)
First release after Elton had such success with The Lion King, and happily, it’s
completely different and pretty good. It may help that Elton produced the album
himself with Greg Penny, who had previously worked with k.d. lang. It’s a move
back to a more classic Elton sound (especially the single “Believe”), and it
works. I got the album a few years ago and I need to give it a few more listens
to get the idea, but I’ve liked what I’ve heard. This is his highest-ranking
1990s album, by the way (not counting the soundtracks).
14. Jump Up! (1982)
I liked this when it first came out, mainly on the strength
of the singles “Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)” and “Blue Eyes.” “Empty Garden”
has held up nicely as one of the best Lennon tributes; “Blue Eyes” has not. This
is the last album with Bernie Taupin in a part-time role, which may be just as
well. (His recent reaction to “I Am Your Robot”: “Oh my God! [Laughs hysterically] How could you
bring that up? That will go in . . . That’s a far worse song than ‘We Built
This City.’”) This got a great rating from Musichound and a good one from AZ
Central, but I’d knock it down a few notches. I only have it on vinyl.
13. Peachtree Road
(2004)
Another Elton album from the 2000s I’ve had for a few years
and couldn’t name a single song. To their credit, Elton and Bernie decided
around 2000 or so that they no longer were going to be charting top 40 singles
–his streak of 30 consecutive years with at least one Billboard top 40 single had finally ended that year – so they were
going to make music that interested them,
rather than pandering to the marketplace. The result is while none of the
albums since then have sold a lot or are ranked with his classics, all of them
are considered at least pretty good (with the possible exception of Wonderful Crazy Night, which again
hasn’t had a lot of competitive reviews). I’ll have to try listening to it a
few times.
Leon Russell was huge for a few years there in the early
1970s as a solo act, after being a session man and songwriter for years before
that. His biggest solo hit was “Tight Rope” in 1972, but some of his songs were
made hits by other artists (“Superstar,” “This Masquerade,” “A Song for You”). He’d
been a huge influence on Elton, but by the 2000s his star had faded – still,
when this album was released, there was a lot of interest from old fogey
critics, and the song “If It Wasn’t for Bad” got a Grammy nomination. It’s
definitely different (and it’s probably not for everybody), but it’s definitely
worth a spin on Spotify.
11. Rock of the
Westies (1975)
This would have ranked a lot higher except Ultimate Classic Rock magazine hates it, ranking it below Duets and Wonderful Crazy Night. I get it – it was released at a time when
Elton was certainly overexposed, some of the lyrics were racist and/or sexist
(“Island Girl”), and it sounds different (Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson had been
fired, with Caleb Quaye, Roger Pope, and Kenny Passarelli added to the band,
which gave it a harder rocking feel). But different doesn’t always mean bad – and since Blue Moves, even though it had the same band, definitely didn’t
have the same feel, this is almost a standalone for Elton. And I’ve definitely
grown to appreciate “I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)” more now
that I know it refers to Bernie’s marital problems.
10. Songs From the
West Coast (2001)
This is the highest ranking of any of Elton’s post-2000 LPs,
and again I’ve heard it three times and none of it stuck with me (except maybe
the single “I Want Love,” which is merely okay) enough to comment. Produced by
Patrick Leonard (who’s worked frequently with Madonna); most of the old band is
back. I get the idea the changes in Elton’s voice over the years have limited
his range, and may have limited my interest in his music, and that’s my
problem, not his. (Sinatra had the same thing happen to him, and I still
enjoyed his later stuff.) I’ll have to try this again.
This came out nine months after Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and contained two top five hits: “The
Bitch Is Back” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” (It’s kind of amazing “The
Bitch Is Back” did as well as it did given the title – which is actually what
Bernie’s then-wife called Elton when he was in a lousy mood.) If you’re going
to skip one from the classic era, this may be the one (it’s one of the last
ones I got); the ranking is higher because Ultimate
Classic Rock and Robert Christgau loved it.
8. Too Low for Zero
(1983)
Here it is – the highest-ranking Elton John album after the
classic years, and it’s a real good one. This is the first album with Bernie Taupin
writing lyrics full time again, and the entire original band is back (Nigel
Olsson, Dee Murray, Davey Johnstone, Ray Cooper, James Newton-Howard); there
are very few guests, including old friend Kiki Dee and Steve Wonder, who adds
the memorable harmonica solo on “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues.” That
was the third (and biggest single) from the album; the other hits were “I’m
Still Standing” and “Kiss the Bride.” The songs that weren’t released as singles
are also quite good, especially “Cold as Christmas” and “One More Arrow.” I only
have this on cassette; I’m looking for the 1998 CD rerelease that adds three
more tracks (all recorded years before, oddly). Recommended highly.
7. Madman Across the
Water (1971)
Nothing but albums from the classic years going forward. This
actually didn’t have a lot of hits – “Levon” made it to #24, and “Tiny Dancer”
just missed the top 40 – but those two songs, along with the title track, are among
his classics. I ordered this from BMG Music Service years ago and thought
mistakenly I’d ordered the original release by accident instead of a rerelease
with bonus tracks; I now realize no such rerelease exists. I have to listen to
this again, too.
6. Don’t Shoot Me, I’m
Only the Piano Player (1973)
Two huge singles here, “Crocodile Rock” and “Daniel,” which
hit #1 and #2, respectively, and showed both sides of Elton’s persona: the occasionally
slightly campy rocker, and the sensitive balladeer. Elton’s first album to hit
#1 in the UK; second one here after Honky
Chateau. Another one I haven’t listened to in years (there were a whole
bunch of his earlier classic years albums I never bought on vinyl because I figured
his greatest hits sets would suffice; I was young and stupid).
5. Elton John (1970)
Despite the title, this isn’t his first album; that honor
goes to Empty Sky. However, to
confuse the matter, it was his first album issued in the United States. Contains
“Your Song,” which put him on the map and would make him at least decently well
known regardless of what came after it. But holy mackerel, this has a lot of
good music (“Take Me to the Pilot,” “Sixty Years On,” “Border Song”) – I don’t
see how anyone who had heard Empty Sky
thought this would be coming. Try to get the reissue, which has three great
bonus tracks (“Bad Side of the Moon,” “Rock and Roll Madonna,” and an early
version of “Grey Seal”).
When an album this good ranks fourth overall… well, do the
math. This was the first album in history to debut at #1 in the United States,
and it’s a sign of how important Elton was that he could submit an entire album
about how he and Bernie Taupin started writing songs together and everyone
loved it. It’s probably marked down a notch because it only has one real rocker
in “(Gotta Get a ) Meal Ticket,” but that’s not a problem with me. “Someone
Saved My Life Tonight,” which refers to an early near-marriage that Elton
managed to extricate himself from, was the hit. Again, look for the 1990s reissue
at the very least, which adds his version of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”
and “One Day at a Time” (both performed with John Lennon) and “Philadelphia
Freedom.” The 2005 reissue adds one more bonus track and a disc of the original
album performed live at Wembley – I don’t have it, but I’ve heard it and can
recommend that one.
3. Tumbleweed Connection
(1970)
Elton’s record label(s) probably had a “What the hell?”
moment when this was turned in – after having a big hit with the near-standard “Your
Song,” an album full of music with western and Americana themes surely wasn’t
what they had in mind. It was probably a smart move, however, to release no singles from the album (consequently,
this is the only studio album Elton had without any hits until the 2000s). “Country
Comfort” and “Burn Down the Mission” are the best-known songs. I can’t say this
is among my favorites, mostly because I don’t know the songs well… but it’s
another one I should listen to more. The reissue has two bonus tracks (including
an early version of “Madman Across the Water”).
2. Honky Chateau
(1972)
This is when Elton’s career kicked into high gear. Two top
five hits (“Honky Cat” and “Rocket Man”), plus “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters.” Only
one bonus track on this one means you can probably live with the original. This
is most notable because Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson, and Davey Johnstone played on
all the tracks; previously had required Elton to use primarily studio musicians
on his albums. It makes a difference; this is more of a rocker than his
previous discs. I would take Captain
Fantastic over either this or Tumbleweed
Connection, but that’s my personal preference.
Normally studio double vinyl albums can be edited to one single (you can even make that argument for The White Album) – but these are virtually all winners. “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” “Bennie and the Jets,” and the title track were all huge hits – but that leaves out “Candle in the Wind,” which didn’t become a Billboard chart hit until the release of a live version in 1987 (and then again in 1997 when the lyrics were rewritten after Princess Diana’s death). And “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding,” which remains an AOR staple today. And the gorgeous “Harmony,” and “Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock & Roll),” the updated version of “Grey Seal”… this is a great album. (Well, side three is a little weaker, but whatever.) A couple of caveats: at 76:20, this makes one awesome CD, so any bonus tracks mean it’ll be a less awesome two-CD set (with a corresponding increase in price). A 30th Anniversary edition adds four bonus tracks (three of which are on Past Masters, plus an acoustic remix of “Candle in the Wind”), the 40th Anniversary edition adds remakes of nine songs by current artists such as Ed Sheeran and Fall Out Boy (pinch me!), plus nine songs recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon (there’s also a super deluxe version with four extra discs). Stick with the single, I say.
