When you grew up in the era of the tape cassette, you always remember you first CD and this was it.  Played it so many times, musically and vocally, it showed the difference between cassette's and CD's....magnificently.....  Will there ever be a sound related technological jump again, I wonder?

Thanks Dad for giving me my first CD player and CD, no other man (or woman :) ) I ever met knows music better than he does!

Hard to believe, as least for me, that Elton John and Bernie Taupin were so great together.  their early works are far superior to anything later, even up to the present day. this is an easy 9.

I think it bears mentioning the obvious contribution of Bernie Taupin's lyrics when you talk about Elton John's best music.

 jonahboo wrote: 

excellent - but I would reverse that putting tumbleweed on top.  but those are the ones fer sher...

There are two different Eltons, pre-1975 and post. Albums like this are a 7 - 8, but almost anything post-Bennie and the Jets (maybe one of the most annoying songs ever) is a 3. Quite a downgrade for the guy who co-wrote minor masterpieces like Take me to the Pilot and Teacher I Need You. Even this tune is not altogether that good, but it rises because it's got other goodies on the album with it. For sheer resonance, little surpasses his first hit, Your Song. 

Whenever I hear our Reg from Pinner, I always think of Watford FC (aka 'By far the Greatest Team the World has Ever Seen') and of chanting, Zen-like, on the terraces "Elton John's Taylor-made Army" during the club's glory years of the 80s. A great singer and songwriter, for sure, but he has another very special place in the heart of Watford fans the world over. Here's to you, Reg - Golden Boy for ever :o)

Just awesome. At the risk of sounding a bit callous (not my intent); I'm truly happy for Elton now that he seems so much healthier and happier than when he was younger. That said, he sure did create stunning music when he was stoned, in-the-closet, and generally a mess. Go figure. Whatever the case his earlier and mid-career material is astounding. Thanks for the songs Elton, now please continue to be well!

Gone forever is this type of songwriting from this artist. Such a shame!

 bobcat1963 wrote: 
You are in the staggering minority.

And by staggering, I also mean probably drunk. 

The line 'Is the nightmare black, Or are the windows painted' always reminds me of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'. The book, that is. The Chief (first person, in the book) thinks something very similar at one point.

Wouldn't surprise me if Bernie borrowed from it.

The version of this song on the remastered "Tumbleweed Connection" is even better than this version.

9  -> 10

I don't know what it is, but honestly, I just can't not love this song. The live version in Australia is even better.

Simply wonderful, makes my soul sing.

Talkin' down on Elton !

Elton takes mediocrity to a whole new level.  Which, not surprisingly, is indistinguishable from the old one.

I'm rating a bunch of GREAT Elton songs a 10, so the haters know I lurve Elton John, I just can't take Captain Fantastic.

Oh, Elton my boy... what ever happened to ye? Where did you go, will you ever come back again?

This album made me patch and embroider all my jeans and my friends jeans. What creative genius this album was.

For my taste, this was the high point song of his career.  Truly excellent.  

9 -> 10

Topical, eh?

Yes in every language possible. 

 jonahboo wrote: 

You can't leave out Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy. One of my alltime favorite albums PERIOD.

i don't like the expression , but i HAD to give this a sucko-barfo, man, what a drag...

 jonahboo wrote: 
Another vote for these three albums and the later assessment in this thread that all after were sacrifices on the alter of pop success.

They hold up remarkably well, and this song sounds as good today as it did when I first heard it. 

 WayUpNorth wrote: 
This succinct post so vividly captures EXACTLY how this period felt to me, except I was a six year-old boy watching my Mom and her sisters do the embroidering, and thinking how cool it must be to be a grown-up.

I've often gotten the feeling from his vocal tone that Elton John stopped believing in anything a long time ago.  It must have been after this was recorded, though.  I'm impressed.