Elton John General Discussion And Random Thoughts Thread

This will give fredblue a chance to post any random thought of his in one place.

Seriously, given the resurgence of Elton John threads appearing lately and some complaining that they were getting off topic, I came up with this idea. Anyone can come here and talk about anything they want. And if members have questions then the dozen or so Elton John fanatics around here can chime in and post an answer.

So, fire away and hopefully this will turn out to be a good resource for discussion/Q & A.

 

His voice is pretty well shot. Maybe a little better now than when I saw him a few years ago. But even dropping the key for his songs, he doesn't have nearly the range to pull off many of his classics without clever use of background singers.

In the studio, this is less of an issue, but even there, the limited range results in songs that are much less dynamic.

 

"Ticking" is still a masterpiece IMO.

 

Usually on the albums of the last decade or so the deterioration in his voice can be hidden. Heard him straining more on 'The Diving Board', though.

 

A good idea. It'll probably get crazy here!

 

I agree, the voice is about gone. It has had a huge impact on the last several studio albums IMHO. His range is so limited now that everything begins to sound the same.

 

Probably his most "overlooked" great song...

 

I'd say Lady Samantha is. Early, single-only (at the time), the cover version got no attention, it was pre-YBR band, and just a great tune that would have fit well on one earlier lps, liek Madman.
Love my mono single.

 

In spite of his voice issues, I feel that Songs From The West Coast is his best album in MANY years...

 

I never realised but he apparently had an operation in the 80s which lowered his voice - a lot. I don't know if this was intended or accidental, but up until finding this out I was wondering how/why his voice has changed so dramatically over the years. The only other examples of where someone's voice had changed so much since their early days I was aware of were Brian Wilson & Dylan.

The last album I really, really liked was Songs from the West Coast although I've just acquired 'Captain & the Kid' and haven't listened to it yet.

I agree though, his voice is pretty shot...

 

If members keep finding this thread then it probably will!

 

I think Captain & the Kid is his best album since maybe the classic years.

 

I posted this before, thought it might be worth repeating:

"Ticking" is one of my favorite Elton tunes as well.
Funny story about it.. My wife and I had tickets to see Elton several years ago when he was doing a solo piano tour. I was pretty excited about it because it would be a great opportunity for him to dig deep in the catalog and perhaps even do "Ticking".

The concert starts and this guy is just amazing me with his talent. Out there by himself reeling off song after classic song. Then the moment comes - he starts "Ticking".

About half way through, I am mesmerized and drawn in by his perfomance of this high drama song, and the woman sitting behind me turns to her husband/boyfriend/whatever and says:

I hope he plays "Can You Feel The Love Tonight"...

Talk about the wind getting knocked from your sails!

A CD of songs from that tour, (from I think MSG) including "Ticking", were given to fan club members. I joined just to get the CD.

 

One thing about Elton is that he always puts on a good, long show. I've seen him a dozen or so times, from 1974 to 2010 or so, and the effort is always there. I don't know how long his Vegas show is, but it's hard to leave one of his concerts unsatisfied.

 

Random question... Do the targets of Too Low For Zero and Breaking Hearts feature same mastering as the original Geffen cds ?

 

Oh...I can leave his standard concerts unsatisfied, as he plays to the common denominator, i.e. he focuses on the hits. I wish he'd go deeper into the catalog...

 

Agreed. I don't go see him anymore for that reason. But the effort is always there...

 

The Diving Board was better than some vocal forum members thought.

 

I saw him on 11-23-13 for the third time, and it was a great show.

I think, Elderberry Wine, should have been released as a single. It's my favorite Elton rocker, and I have always loved the piano sound!

 

It's one you can't get out of your head!

 

Great story. I suppose it could have been worse.. She could have said 'I hope he plays 'Johnny B Goode'!

 

My favourite Elton 2000-plus albums;

1.Songs From The West Coast
2.The Diving Board
3.The Captain And The Kid
4. Peachtree Road
5.The Union

 

Where is fredblue anyway? Probably buying inflatable Eltons on eBay, or telling lies about perfectly good remasters!

 

The targets are earlier but anyway the answer is yes. Geffen was behind the times thus the need for targets.