At the onset of 1972 Elton John was at something of a crossroads.
Four years into an already prolific career that even at this early stage had produced four studio albums, a live set and film soundtrack, twenty-four year old John (born Reginald Dwight, Middlesex, England, 25/3/1947) was feted in the United States where his records had returned impressive sales, culminating in a top ten placing for John’s most recent release ‘Madman Across the Water’ (November 1971).
In Britain, however, it was a different story. Here his work to date had cut little commercial or critical ice, UK critics not finding much to enthuse over in the string-laden music John composed for the sometimes oblique lines set down by lyricist Bernie Taupin.
That Taupin had explored his fascination in the old American west on ‘Tumbleweed Connection’ (October 1970), did not particularly endear him to the London rock press, not when The Band were ploughing a similar furrow but to a far higher level. The preference for dense orchestral arrangements and, on occasion, unfathomable, fussy narratives reached a peak on their last offering – ‘Madman Across the Water‘ by no means an awful album, but in regard to the singer-songwriter brigade with whom John had been cast, greater acclaim was going the way of James Taylor, Cat Stevens and Carole King.
To their credit John and Taupin both recognised a change of tack was required in order to conquer the home front. Elton retained the services of producer Gus Dudgeon but plumped for less complex melodies when the next batch of lyrics arrived (John and Taupin working separately in collaborating), Bernie for his part writing in a more accessible manner.
But just as importantly John decided to no longer work with a large cast of session players and recruited guitarist Davey Johnstone to join his road band ensemble of himself (piano), Dee Murray (bass) and Nigel Olsson (drums). Thus came together an accomplished, tight knit outfit who would exclusively accompany John on stage and in the studio for the next three years.
The effect of these changes are immediately apparent on his next record, ‘HONKY CHATEAU‘ (May 1972) – easily the most engaging album he had so far made.
The significance of a lighter, less laboured approach is evident in the two hit singles it spawned, all of which brought with it the achievement of topping the US album charts with John finally making massive inroads into the UK market – his fifth studio LP stopping just short of the number one spot.
In another change from his established way of creating albums, John chose not to record at Trident Studios in London and instead decamped, along with his musical cohorts, to a studio located at the Chateau d’Herouville on the outskirts of Paris, a venue already christened ‘Honky Chateau‘ by some who had previously recorded there.
Free from outside distractions, Elton and the band spent the early weeks of 1972 turning themselves into a cohesive unit and laying down tracks, although ironically they are joined by a four-piece brass section for opening cut ‘Honky Cat‘ – a song that would give John a hit single on both sides of the Atlantic.
Using the same country boy-overwhelmed-by-city-life theme he would return to, only in less frivolous fashion, on the ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road‘ title track, with his reference to ‘high class ladies down in New Orleans,’ Taupin gives his songwriting partner license to adopt a loose, pop-funk melody in framing the story. If the blaring horns take it close to something Van Morrison would conjure, John’s phrasing of ‘And, oh a change is gonna do me good,’ move it nearer still.
Followed by soulful ballad ‘Mellow‘, Taupin, recently married, takes opportunity to rejoice in the romance to have come his way, ‘Rocking smooth and slow/Mellow’s the feeling that we get/Watching the coal fire glow.’
The relaxed feeling is emphasised in the understated playing of Murray, Olsson and Johnstone, to which John adds a pristine organ solo and for decoration also incorporates some electric violin from Jean Luc-Ponty, the sound altogether less imposing than his more intense efforts of late.
With John opting for less is more in relation to the music, Taupin follows suit on ‘I Think I’m Going To Kill Myself.’ In the past he would have tackled the subject of suicide in a wordy, world-weary way, yet now he pens a parody of a teenager threatening to end it all when arguments and parental restrictions impinge on his life.
‘A rift in my family/I can’t use the car/I gotta be in by ten o’clock/Who do they think they are?/I’d make an exception/If you want to save my life/Brigette Bardot gotta come and see me every night.’
The ragtime piano lines and tap dancing of ‘Legs’ Larry Smith (drummer of the Bonzo Dog Do Dah Band), maintain the juxtaposition between light-hearted music and serious subject matter, Warren Zevon taking a similar approach to his brilliant, if disconcerting, ‘Excitable Boy‘ composition six years later.
For ‘Suzie‘ (Dramas), the tale of a man infatuated by a woman intent on leading him on a merry dance but not much else (‘Well, she sure knows how to use me/Pretty little black-eyed Susie/Playing hooky with my heart all the time’), Elton comes up with a country rock framework not dissimilar to those the Rolling Stones had taken to using.
True, Mick would have likely come up with a more incisive lyric – and also one less prone to repetition – the story of ‘Suzie‘ is done in less than ninety seconds and with over two minutes still to come make it the one cut to truly outstay its welcome.
None of which applies to ‘Rocket Man’ (I Think Its Going To Be A Long, Long Time), a track which exemplifies how much John and Taupin as songsmiths had changed their outlook.
The lyrics inspired by a short story from American science fiction author Ray Bradbury, Taupin pens an ode to space exploration becoming a recognised occupation of the future (‘All this science I don’t understand/It’s just my job five days a week’), the lines also read as a metaphor for loneliness and isolation.
The parallels with ‘Space Oddity‘ an enthralling 1969 hit for David Bowie are unmissable – Dudgeon the producer of both – but John also creates an imaginative song structure. His exemplary piano work is fleshed out by excellent contributions from Johnstone (acoustic guitar) and David Hentschel (synthesiser), this fusion serving to make ‘Rocket Man‘ not only a memorable rock ballad, but also a significant landmark in the career of Elton John – reaching the top ten in Britain and the US when released as a single.
On side two opener ‘Salvation‘ Taupin takes his cue from ‘Imagine‘ in writing a plea for peace and reconciliation:
‘I have to say, my friends/We’re looking for a light ahead/In the distance, a candle burns/Salvation keeps the hungry children fed.’
The troupe of background singers give the piece gospel sensibilities and if the lyrics are Lennon-lite, the affecting electric guitar solo by Johnstone is positively Harrison-esque.
With its references to the abolition of slavery in a civil war about to grip America, (‘There’s a rumor of a war that’s yet to come, yet to come/That may free our families, free our families and our sons’), ‘Slave‘ harks back to a time and subject matter Taupin evoked on ‘Tumbleweed Connection‘ – the bluegrass overtones of the melody provided by Johnstone on slide guitar and banjo.
In the middle of side two, ‘Amy‘ is an inoffensive, if insubstantial, mid-paced rocker with country rock sensibilities, the central character of the piece keenly pursuing an older woman (‘Amy, I may not be James Dean/Amy, I may not be nineteen/And I may still be in romper boots and jeans’).
John clearly had fondness for the upbeat piano chords as he would revisit them often in the coming years, further use of electric violin making for a rousing climax even if the song itself is no great shakes.
The same, however, cannot be said of ‘Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters‘ that stands as the perfect balance between Taupin the poet and John the tunesmith.
In essence the impressions of Taupin on his first visit to New York, his belief it would reflect the images contained in the great 1960 Ben E. King song ‘Spanish Harlem‘ are immediately dispelled:
‘And now I know, ‘Spanish Harlem’ are not just pretty words to say/I thought I knew/But now I know why rose trees never grow in New York City.’
For such vivid observations Elton offers a suitably sympathetic tune which has Johnstone to the fore on mandolin. With brilliantly drawn lines Taupin notes the urban contrast between rich and poor, wealth and poverty:
‘Subway’s no way for a good man to go down/Rich man can ride/And the hobo he can drown.’
In a superb vocal performance John captures all the nuances in any number of affecting lines, the title one supposes depicting the difference between those who stare blankly at city life and the mad hatters who embrace the excitement, or even danger, to be found from block to block.
After such a towering achievement closing track ‘Hercules‘ (that Elton John would soon adopt as a middle name), is something of an anti-climax – not that John and Taupin seemed overly concerned as they would simply revamp the song as ‘Crocodile Rock‘ for the next album.
In losing his girlfriend to the muscle man of the title Taupin does not have a great deal to say, John meanwhile asks Murray, Olsson and Johnstone to throw in some ‘do-wop‘ harmonies to reinforce the 50s feel, even if his lead vocal is set back in the mix – suggesting, perhaps, he was not overly impressed with the words either.
Like most songs on ‘Honky Chateau‘ the finale of ‘Hercules‘ sticks firmly to the pattern of two verses and a chorus, one of which is repeated (often the first verse) before the end. The formula now set, it would become a feature of their material during the next few years, a third verse considered superfluous when an instrumental break (‘Daniel’, Crocodile Rock,’ ‘Benny and the Jets’, ‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me‘, ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ and ‘Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word‘ being the obvious ones) would suffice.
But after taking Taupin to task for over-writing on previous albums, to now complain about him applying brevity probably sounds like nit-picking.
Such lyrical considerations had no bearing on reviewers’ reaction to ‘Honky Chateau‘ – described as ‘a rich, warm and satisfying album‘ by Rolling Stone magazine, while in England the New Musical Express labelled it ‘focused and accomplished.‘ Beginning a sequence of Elton John albums that would effortlessly reach number one around the world, his winning mix of rock, ballads and pop in conjunction with an extravagant lifestyle and spectacular concert appearances would, by the mid-70s, see him become the most famous (and successful) rock star on the planet.
With Taupin having a seemingly endless supply of lyrics, between 1972 and 1976 Elton John released seven studio albums, two of which were doubles. This prodigious output brought some wildly inconsistent collections and accusations John and Taupin were spreading their talents too thinly.
Not that they did so on the record which set in motion this unstoppable momentum – ‘Honky Chateau’ to use one critical appraisal of the time, ‘an eclectic and durable LP‘.
ELTON JOHN – ‘HONKY CHATEAU‘ (Released May 19 1972):
Honky Cat/Mellow/I Think I’m Going To Kill Myself/Susie (Dramas)/Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time)/Salvation/Slave/Amy/Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters/Hercules;
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NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE’ – an acclaimed thriller now available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book.
On his first visit to America in the autumn of 1970, an unknown Elton John, and his trio which included drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray, was booked into the Troubadour for a week. The first show was scantily attended though Elton’s idol Leon Russell and Bob Dylan attended the show that was introduced by Neil Diamond. By the end of the 6 day stint, even celebrity musicians were turned away at the door. The verbal reviews by those who attended the shows were raving. Such a hit was Elton John, that Jackson Browne mentions listening to him on the tour bus in the song “Running on Empty.”
Hello Steve – hope you are well;
While aware of the excitement Elton John created during his legendary 1970 run run at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, I honestly did not know he was introduced at one show by Neil Diamond. Interesting fact.
Neither had I ever picked up on the EJ reference in ‘Running On Empty’ which is surprising as it is a song I know well.
Will go back and listen more closely!!
Thanks for taking the time to comment – much appreciated.
Regards
Neil