"Empty Sky" a great song that goes on for about 3 minutes too long... but as Elton said in his autobiography "Me" he thought that this lp might be his only chance to make an lp, so he decided to go all out with sound effects and studio tricks that took his fancy, like the backwards guitar on this track. If he knew he would get more lp's he wouldn't have made an lp where he threw in everything except the kitchen sink. has a great guitar solo..and it's a great song...just needs editing a little bit. actually I think referring to his autobiography would help in analysing what he's done and why on some of these lp's "Val-Hala" I think if you took away the band and had him singing with the piano and a Paul Buckmaster scored and conducted orchestra, you could fit the finished product on his "Elton John" lp quite seamlessly. "Western Ford Gateway" a really good song and a great performance that could almost fit on the Tumbleweed connection lp, or about a dozen of his other lp's when i think about it. It's good enough as it is to go on any of Elton's best of packages....but sadly it never does. It does have some strange left to centre panning of the lead guitar in the mix but it's not too distracting "Sails" a good rocker ,for 1969 that is, it sounds a bit dated now ,especially the lyrics..but hey it was 1969. reminds me a bit like empty sky in style and the way it's performed, not the tune. "Skyline Pigeon" one of his first awesomely brilliant ballads.. This is not the best version of it, the re recorded piano version that was the b side of "Daniel" is the one to own. But it's a preview of what Elton and Bernie would do. and it's one of my all time favourite songs of Elton. So even if he's doing it with a harpsichord hard panned in the right channel and the vocal hard panned left channel, I still find it awesome. "Gulliver - It's Hay Chewed" would be good if you could fade it at 4 minutes 35 seconds and avoid the reprise sample of every lp track that goes on for almost the next 3 minutes. the rest of the lp is ok, but it doesn't grab me like these tracks do.
For each of my initial posts re: an album, I’ll focus on my discovery of it, on my opinion of the album then versus now, and on which copies I’d say are my best-sounding (LP and CD). Okay, Empty Sky: My first copy was a Canadian MCA LP, the reissue from 1975. It was my mother’s, and she handed it to me when I was about eight. It took me a while to get around to playing it, but when I did I immediately hated it. I found the opening track excessive and didn’t bother listening to the rest of Side 1; I listened to Side 2 from beginning to end but found much of it strange. It didn’t sound like an Elton John album to me, at least not when I compared to the others I’d heard up to then (e.g., Yellow Brick Road). It was only a couple years later that I gave Empty Sky another chance; I was attempting to “complete” my EJ cassette collection by dubbing copies of the vinyl albums I didn’t yet have on tape. Both “Valhalla” and “Western Ford Gateway” stunned me – especially the former, which (despite the harpsicord) quickly became one of my favorite EJ songs and has since remained so. I played the song so much back then that playing it now takes me back to early fifth grade. The first secondhand record I ever bought was a UK DJM stereo copy of Empty Sky. I was thirteen and the record was $7. That copy got me listening to the album again, and suddenly Empty Sky seemed like a new experience. I appreciated it much more, especially “Sails” and much of the other material on Side 2. Then, when the remastered version appeared the following year, I bought my first CD copy. At present, my collection contains the original UK DJM LP (an A2/B3 pressing), the 1975 Canadian MCA LP, the 2017 reissue LP, a copy of the Gulliver’s Gone bootleg LP, the 1986 DJM West German CD, the US MCA CD (1988?), the 1992 Polydor cassette, the 1992 Polydor CD, the 1995 remastered CD, and the 2019 SHM-CD. Which sounds best, to my ears? Well, as far as vinyl goes, I’d say nothing beats the original DJM LP. The 2017 reissue comes very, very close, but there’s just something about that original pressing: Caleb Quaye’s guitar has such presence; it’s like he’s standing there, in my living room, playing his solo on “Sails”. It’s magic. Of all my CD copies, the 1986 DJM WG and 1992 Polydor (which shared the same mastering) sound best to me, with the 2019 SHM-CD a close second. Bottom line: I wouldn’t say that Empty Sky is among EJ’s best early albums, but I do think it gets overlooked a lot. As explained above, even I overlooked it at first. That said, I met a young lady in college that claimed not to have much Elton John in her music collection but had somehow wound up with a copy of Empty Sky—and she loved it! (“Did he do other albums like that?” she asked me.)
I'm sure I like Empty Sky more than most of you. I first got this on a pirated 8 track in the summer of 75. I also got the eponymous album under similar circumstances. More on that one later. I was a huge thirteen year old Elton fan but this blast of the 60's certainly appealed to me. Even though this was Elton, it was different. I still prefer the version of Skyline Pigeon here to the B-side version which makes so many of you wet your panties. One thing Jewel Box did was put front and center how many contributions that Caleb Quaye made to Elton's music, at least early on. Some of the best moments on this album are Caleb's; the guitar solos on Hay Chewed and Sails for example. I'd also like to give a shout out to the B-Side of Elton's first single, Here's to the Next Time. It's a pure blast of Southern Soul - at least until Elton sings. Although the debut single didn't make the cut, singles two and three add value to the Classic Years release of this album. And yes, the Reprise was a dumb idea; especially considering that Johnny Rivers did the same thing about a year earlier. Just for the record I have the Classic Years version and the old MCA with the plaid back.
If I recall correctly, Leonard Cohen was the stronger influence on “Valhalla”. EJ or BT explained so in either in the To Be Continued (US version) liner notes interview or the Two Rooms (book) interview—I can’t remember which, but it’s in one of them. And it sounds kind of Cohen-ish, I suppose. Here’s a fun story: When I was in college, I was good friends with a young lady from Montreal who was Leonard Cohen’s second cousin (his aunt was her grandmother—I think that makes her his second cousin). Anyway, she was a music fan but couldn’t stand EJ (she appeared not even to like Cohen’s music very much, either!). But she found my Elton devotion somewhat amusing (many friends have over the years); so, one day I handed her an EJ mixed CD with “Valhalla” on it. I explained the Cohen connection; but she ended up not liking “Valhalla” or any of the songs on the disc. She did appreciate knowing that LC had “influenced” EJ though, if only a little. (I almost put EJ’s cover of “I’m Your Man” and the EJ-Cohen duet “Born to Lose” on the CD too, but I’ve never liked either of those tracks, so I left them off.)
I have the 2017 reissue as well, Caleb Quaye is definitely the supporting act throughout this album...he is magic! I would love to see, or hear, Caleb and Elton reunite on stage or record...or both! "Sails" is fantastic rock music!
Yes! You're right I do remember they wanted to sound like Cohen and others. Which explains the different types of music/feels, I suppose, on Empty Sky. Good stories!
You're the second thread participant to mention a pirated version on 8-track. Does anyone have more information about this release? I'm aware of the Gulliver's Gone bootleg LP but I've never heard of this "pirated" 8-track version. Ah, thank you. I've never been strong with genealogical concepts/terminology.
If found this (see below) on YouTube a while ago. At first, I thought it was a demo version of “Lady What’s Tomorrow” but I'm pretty sure it’s an alternate mix of the master take. And, apparently, that piano intro also had organ on it but it was eventually mixed out.
Interesting. I like that version, too, with the organ intro. The original, of course, better, but this is a great song no matter what version. It's untelling how much is still not discovered or in the vaults. Thank you for showing me this, Solly!
Well, to extend my critique from earlier a little bit: For me, it's not just the overpowering harpsicord; it's also the lead vocal, which doesn't "sing" so much as it wails. He sounds like a stabbing victim left for dead.
Good effort but the production brings it down quite a bit I think. I would love to have the mono version. I do like how Eltons vocals sound.
I got Empty Sky when I was... 12/13 I believe... it was the 1995 Classic Years version on CD. Recently I found a second hand copy of the 1975 Canadian LP. The problem of becoming an Elton John fan in the early 2000s as a kid meant that I came to know most of these albums through the remastered CDs rather than the Vinyls, so my opinion will be mostly based around then (meanwhile I've been slowly but steadily adding to my secondhand and new vinyl collection...) Anyways, to the album! Empty Sky - I quite like the opener, it's a good start and I've grown to appreciate it much more over time because initially I really didn't like this track. Nowadays I still think it runs a little too long (it doesn't warrant those 8 minutes... and the fake fade out dates it incredibly imho). But it has it's strengths and yes Caleb Quaye is amazing on that guitar! Valhalla - I don't mind the harpsicord quite as much as many here seem to do, thus this track is a clear stand out to me. I love the hook and the sound of this song a lot and that fade out where just the harpsicord remains gives it a really special ending that not many Elton songs have... Western Ford Gateway - As many have already noted this is a clear precursor to Tumbleweed Connection and I love it. The guitar, the double tracked vocal in the chorus. Really good. Hymn 2000 - A very strange track, but an enjoyable one... While it doesn't measure up to the 2 previous tracks I like it and the flute/whistle combo together with just the tambourine gives a very different feel from anything else Elton has ever done... Lady What's Tomorrow - I don't know what it is about this track but...to me it's a little flat. It doesn't seem to go anywhere...I know most people like this a lot, but it's just not for me... A little boring imho Sails - I really used to dislike this track. But my oh my has this risen in my ratings over time, maybe even more than the title track. I used to skip this track but after giving it another go some time ago it's now become one of my favourites of the album with again Caleb Quaye's guitar work being the stand out of it all. The Scaffold - Like LWT this doesn't really speak to me either. But whereas Lady What's Tomorrow bores me, this one I at least appreciate the melody. Not the best, but all in all I don't mind it too much either... Skyline Pigeon - Story time...When I first got this album I'd just fixed my headphones I was using at the time...but somehow I ended up with my headphone having 2 left channels. So imagine my suprise when I listened to this track and it seemed to be just harpsicord with no vocals XD. However, as stated before I don't mind the harpsicord so I like this version just fine. Is the 1972 version better in my opinion? Yes. But I love this version too. It really shows Elton's budding talent around this time and I can definitely see why this was the song that got Elton and Bernie so excited, even in this version. Gulliver - Gulliver might just be my favourite track on this album. I have a weakspot for songs in compound time signatures (as will become increasingly apparent as we go through the albums I suppose) and this just gets to me. The way the verses build to the chorus is just superb. The piano and guitar work here are outstanding. The only gripe I have with it is the ending. Having that final note repeat and increase in volume while becoming more distorted is just not the way this track should've ended and dates it enormously, such a shame... Hay Chewed - Nice...I guess? It's not exactly my cup of tea. A bit unneccessary but as it's here, I don't mind it. Reprise - An interesting idea in theory...but in practise, not that great. All in all, I think Empty Sky makes for a solid debut. It has it's ups and downs, and it's a bit too caught up in it's time for my tastes, but when it succeeds it really shows Elton and Bernie's raw talent and serves as a really interesting time capsule for the times...
Agreed. And, much as I adore Zippo as an historical piece, there's no question in my mind that Empty Sky was the stronger debut. Just imagine if DJM had green-lighted Zippo...
It took a few listens and time for "Sails" to grow on me, too. Now it's not just one of my favorites off Empty Sky, but favorites period. And, you instantly become a fan of Caleb Quaye, as well.
I got ES in the late seventies and it was a bit of a shock as Blue Moves was my first EJ album. A bit like A New World Record was my first ELO, then when I got round to ELO and ELO2 they seemed so weird, but I suppose as a teenager a few years seemed like an eternity and artists morphed so much in what was a relatively short time. I really love the whole ES album, mainly since the 95 remaster and having digested so much different stuff in the years between my original vinyl and the reissue on CD my mind was more open. Interestingly, on vinyl I only heard it in mono as that was my set up back then. Caleb Quaye is a revelation on ES in retrospect and it really came home on the early years with the Jewel Box. As for Sails, that is probably my favourite track on ES as in those EJ gap years, I had I got into Procol Harum and the guitar work on Sails is a bit Trower to me along with the melody structure. My go to version after selling my SHM is the West German DJM CD.
I first learned of Empty Sky shortly before it came out in the States. My local, suburban Boston, mom-and-pop record shop, amazingly, stocked a few copies of the original import. I am not even sure I knew what I was buying! But it had Elton's name on it, so into the till went my money. I found it rough and raw, especially compared to the other albums I already had (Chateau, Shoot, GYBR...), but I still enjoyed its British-ness in places and its strangeness in others – although I never really got on board with Reprise. I accepted it, I guess, but it's certainly not a 'song' that I skip forward to on CD. In fact, I skip past it. I've come to enjoy the album more over the years. Realizing that the title track was his nod to the Rolling Stones, and hearing it live on the 1975 tour, locked me into the LP more. Skyline Pigeon was always a fave, although I agree that the stereo separation can be a little off-putting, and Lady What's Tomorrow is lovely. I think the only song that really doesn't work for me, lyrically or musically, is Hymn 2000. I have a very vague memory of Bernie reciting part of the lyric on some Dick Clark TV special in the mid-70s...looking very abashed indeed. This thread reminds me I need to take another listen to the mono version. There are enough differences to make it interesting, as I recall. And I just recently saw an old East End Lights interview with Clive Franks where he explains that his whistling on the dreaded Hymn 2000 is an entirely different take between the mono and stereo versions. I'd give it a B- or a C. Less great than a large number of Elton's albums, but still a good enough start to the album catalog!
A lot of people think that "Empty Sky" doesn't fit into Elton's "classic" period, and treat his eponymous album as his first "real" album. While there are some stylistic variations, I think "Empty Sky" fits comfortably into his classic canon. The title cut is bracing and not at all too long for me. It's actually one of his best songs IMO. "Val-Hala", "Western Ford Gateway" and "Lady What's Tomorrow" are fantastic songs that could have been deep cuts on some of his early albums. I'm not a big fan of "Skyline Pigeon", but it's not a stylistic outlier. While harpsichord touches lend the album a baroque feel, "Elton John" feels equally baroque in spots. The reprise is odd, but executed well. Is it a great album? Not really, but to me it is his true and proper first album, and I don't slot it in a special place reserved for stuff that might be called "Elton before he really became Elton". It's no worse than "Caribou" or "Rock Of The Westies" from his classic 70's output. I'd rank it 6/10.
You've heard the mono version? That's cool. Yes, from what I've heard (and can remember from what I've heard), the whistling at the end of "Hymn 2000" is different in the mono mix. Also, "Western Ford Gateway" has no harmony guitar (i.e., just a single guitar line) and "Lady What's Tomorrow" has no piano intro (i.e., it's a cold open). Would love to know if those differences (as reported by others) do exist, and if any other differences that noticeable exist.
I probably only listened to Empty Sky about a half dozen times when it came out and thought it was interesting, but I was more into what he was doing in the way of current music 1975. I didn't pick up the album again when all the early were all released on CD at some point in the '90's and it ...was as if I'd listened to it just the day before. I remembered everything. Bernie Taupin's lyrics were inscrutable, bit occasionally evocative. The production and arrangements were ambitious, though not always successfully executed, but Elton's gift for melody was apparent right from the start. He was already a master at crafting music that wormed it's way into your ear. And that makes Empty Sky a respectable debut album. The now-classic "Skyline Pigeon" sounds like it was recorded in the 17th century and "Sails" is a corker of a rock song that with a few tweaks could have gotten FM play if it were released in the US--as would the title track if it had lost the extended conga drum intro and somewhat embarrassing scat-singing later on in the song. Those are the three stand out cuts--"Gulliver" is a close fourth-- but the whole album is worth a listen and proves that Elton was going to be a star.
Johnny Rivers put snippets of all the songs from his then current album Rewind on the back of the Tracks of my Tears 45
He sounds like what he and Bernie were; young guys, perhaps a little callow, but definitely earnest. This certainly works with the lyrics. The B-side version sounds fairly pro forma. It's certainly nothing to write home about.
There isn't much to tell. It was an 8track I bought a gas station in Northern Michigan. It didn't have a cover; just a track list. It probably died on me sometime in the late 70s or early 80's. Just out of curiosity, How old are you? If you were buying music in the 70's, you must certainly been aware of these.
