Ennis wrote:
I'll back you up Ennis....SO many words that mean...absolutely nothing (to me). Where's the efficiency? I guess I'm not the target audience.

EssexTex wrote:

What!!?!?!? Surely you must have meant the reverse...??

Ahh, Elton John. He smells like finely aged seashore cheddar.

This is very nice. Rufus Wainwright does a great cover too.

Even bad Billy Joel's better than Elton...I may be wrong but Billy writes his words AND music...ok so he can't drive a car in a straight line but...he's the "Piano Man"

Ennis wrote:

There are some musical artists who start good and end badly, and ending badly continue to sing (unfortunately for us all).

One of these is Willie Nelson. His very first album was true art (back before he grew a ponytail and started dressing in rags and pretending to be a neuvo-country star.

Elton John is another. His first albums were tremendous but the longer he sings and the more outrageous and "out o' the closet" he gets, the worse and more trite his music becomes. This early song in his career is a balladeer's dream, flowing from emotion to emotion. Every time I hear it it takes me back to people I used to know, some of whom I miss (and some of whom I do not).

I listen to this album a couple times a month. Never fails me.

c.

blinkblink wrote:If that's true, he needs better programmers. But this was nice.

those early John/Taupin albums were wonderful. And the orchestration by (I think) Paul Buckmaster was never over the top and alwasys fit.

One of Elton's finest moments, for sure.

Ennis wrote:

There's good Billy Joel?? ">

please

xkolibuul wrote:
Ditto.

I'm in a minority here - I really don't like this song. For one thing, it's a fairly trite ballad, and EJ is capable of far better. For another ... it's just a bit too easy listening for me. I'm not presuming to tell Bill and Rebecca how to program, I'm just voicing an opinion about this song ... feh. It's like bad Billy Joel ...

wow! haven't heard this in so many years....!!! thank you!

mxdcec wrote:Hey! I'll remember you!!!!

December 31, 2005

It's +12 hrs LA Time here in the Middle East. I was contemplating past New Years Eves in New York City, when I was living in Manhattan. As the song began to play I saw my first rain in 11 months. Tears from heaven I was told as a child. Mine today, I sacrastically sneer.

Ininvited memories rush in, bringing with them the lingering question, where did you all go? Why can't we still all somehow be together? Will any of you be remembering me tonight, or am I as forgotten as I fear?

Happy New Year
Mark X. Davis
United Arab Emirates

Very nice. I miss this from him.

As long as its early EJ, keep it coming, Bill!

Fantastic, atmospheric song.

One of the greatest lyrics I've ever heard:

"Subway's no way for a good man to go down"

The less Elton John, the better :puke: At least it wasn't one of his real stinkers like "Philadelphia Freedom" or "Crocodile Rock."

Wow, excellent transition from philip glass, I love it!

One of my alltime favorites. His music was so pure and simple then. Now he's just a whiny little "diva" with a crappy voice. Kinda sad really.

Elton may not have written it, but this song would lose a great deal without his music.

Truely a great tune, and I generally can't stand the guy.

This falls into the category of the classic Elton John that never gets radio play on so-called "classic rock" radio stations.

Great to hear it on RP.

Elton John didn't write these lyrics - Bernie Taupin did. Elton and Bernie worked separately - Bernie would post the lyrics via mail, and Elton would put music to them. It was rather extraordinary, but they were quite a team in their day.

Bernie had a group called "Farm Dogs", and if anyone can find his CD Last Stand In Open Country it's worth buying. Very intimate and fun - a buncha good friends getting together to do serious music, with some smirking in between lyrics...

From the days when Elton had cred. I think all his recent music has been written by a computer.

Great song and great segue from Philip Glass, Bill you rule.

Great album, such a prolific, genius period for him. I was a teenager and kept buying up thru "Blue Moves" but the ratio of genius to crap was precipitously falling by then. Then in 1978 or so he put out an album of disco covers of tunes such as "Johnny B Goode." This was the last straw so my reaction was to sell all my vinyl. But, my better judgement prevailed and in the last decade I have stocked up on all the remastered CD's up to and including "Caribou." Several of them include bonus tracks.

Despite his transgressions, I saw him in concert at Purdue circa 1980. It was only him, the piano, and Ray Cooper, his percussionist. With the bare bones format, he dug deep into the first few albums.

Why can't all great artists remain vital like, for example, Neil Young? I was open minded to Peachtree Rd., but it did little for me.