So I am going to play every 45 in my collection.......(Part 3!!)

Lol....Enquiring minds want to know!!! Same goes for me. My tastes are all over the map but there are a few songs that really stick out. Like Regulate by Warren G. I'm not a rap or hip hop guy but I will song along word for word when this comes on. EVERY time. I've got the CD and the LP. It is probably the only rap I own made past 1990.

 

As much as I love everything from Zeppelin to The Police to Stereolab, I guess Tom Jones' and Dan Fogelberg's Greatest Hits LPs are the two left-turns in my collection. I love songs like "She's A Lady" or "Heart Hotels" every now and then!

 

She's a Lady is an all time personal favorite of mine! I like Dan Fogelberg a lot too but I lean towards Hard to Say.

 

I like "Hard To Say" as well, along with "Part of The Plan," "Language of Love" and, of course, "Same Old Lang Syne."

 

Ahh the Elton section. I comment on just about every Elton thread, so it gets a little repetitious, but when you post the pictures of all of the singles that I bought (more than any other in your wonderful thread), I have to chime in. All great, including the b-sides (and I was not a b-side kid), but DGBMH deserves special mention. Incredibly infectious, really amazing actually, the pop craftmanship on display. A perfect pairing of voices, the use of strings (something he was really good at), how can this song not make you smile? If this is a pop trifle, it's one of the biggest ever.

 

Ear candy to me for sure. It was one of the first 45's I owned, although I was a little late as I received it as a gift around 1980 or so. I was a youngster and this song made me insanely happy. It sounded like Elton and Kiki were having a great time. It was fun to sing along to either by yourself or with someone else. I still love It.

 

Elton John- Part Time Love/I Cry at Night (Non-LP)
UK ISSUE
This track from A Single Man reached #21 in the USA and #15 in the UK in 1978. It was co-written by Gary Osborne who would write a few more big hits with Elton. The lyrics of the song, much like Stevie Winter's Part Time Lover, deal with adultery. What's good for the goose is good for the gander the saying goes and it seems both Elton and his partner have other love interests. I like the gospel tinged backup vocals and the bridge is quite fun but the song as a whole falls a bit short.....at least for Elton John. It has grown on me slowly over the years though!

 

Elton John- Song For Guy/Lovesick (Non-LP)
This instrumental (mainly) was a big hit in the UK in 1979, getting as high as #4. As the notes on the sleeve state, Elton had unknowingly written this piece on the day that his messenger boy Guy had been killed in a motorcycle accident. The only lyric is "Life Isn't Everything", which is sung at the end of the song. This is an unusual song in that features Elton as the sole author. The melody is quite nice and a fitting tribute.

 

Elton John- Little Jeannie/Conquer the Sun (Non-LP)
This Gary Osborne co-written track reached #3 in the USA and #33 in the UK in 1980....a fitting UK placement since this was taken from the 21 at 33 album. I LOVE this song. I know some can't stand it but I never get sick of it. There are lots of little flourishes that I enjoy....the shifting drum beats on the second and third verses, Elton's vocal delivery on certain lines such as "Oh, there were others, and I've Known Quite a Few", the horns that come in after "I want you to be My acrobat"...I could go on! Great sax solo too! I really dig me some mid-tempo Elton 80's ballads....as you will learn later on!

 

Yep, one of my favorite EJ songs as well.

 

I really like this one as well! A real gem from Elton...

 

Part-Time Love - It's okay but certainly not anywhere near the level of his other 70s songs.

Song For Guy - I've always liked this performance. More somberness that really started around the time of Captain Fantastic. The man was clearly going through all kinds of drama.

Little Jeannie - A bright spot to kick off the new decade. From here on, my Elton love will diminish to the point of basically buying on a single by single basis. In a few years, I would start skipping his albums.

 

I love Little Jeannie, I think it's the best thing he came up with when writing with Gary Osborne.

 

I agree. My favorite by far of their collaborative efforts.

 

I certainly can't blame you for your approach towards Elton in the 80's. When some of his singles start to get unusually bad, it doesn't inspire you to check out the album tracks.

 

Since you're already up to 1980, I take it you don't have "Mama Can't Buy You Love" from '79? I always liked that one too...

 

I really like that one! I have the 12" single but not the 45.

 

Elton John- Sartorial Eloquence (Don't Ya Wanna Play This Game No More)/White Man Danger(Non-LP)/Cartier (Non-LP)
UK ISSUE
This track co-written with Tom Robinson only managed to get to #39 USA and #44 UK in 1980. Tom has a few great singles himself. Love the silver UK Rocket logo. A good melody and a track that grows on you over the years. It actually reminds me of his sound in the early 90's a bit. A solid if unspectacular song.

 

Elton John- Dear God/Tactics/Steal Away Child/Love So Cold (Non-LP tracks)
UK ISSUE
Was this the best photo they took that day?? Elton's brooch suggests a sigil from Game of Thrones. This is another Gary Osborne track and it failed to make any dent on the UK charts. It doesn't do anything for me either. At least it included three non album tracks to make it a worthwhile purchase. I much prefer the XTC song of the same title which has a fantastic melody and clever lyrics....this song lacks both.

 

By this time it was becoming a bit of a surprise to see an EJ single on the charts. In reality, he had been steadily issuing singles since 1976, but the U.S. market didn't seem to care much. EJ had turned into somewhat of a bland balladeer. You might say he want back to where he started in 1970. It's just that this time he didn't have Bernie Taupin, Gus Dudgeon, or his classic band supporting him. And, he changed record labels.

 

Elton actually set a bit of a record by managing to place a single on the American Hot 100 every year from 1970 into the late-90's/early-2000's (I forget what the last year was). Pretty impressive...

 

True, but starting with around 1977, most of those singles did not chart very high.

 

Yeah, many of them peaked in the Top 20 or 30 with the occasional Top 10 hit in there...

 

I was actually pretty surprised how many singles Elton released during the 80's and how many of them failed to be big chart hits. He still seemed to be on the radio a lot but his ratio of hits versus single releases was way down. For every big hit he had, there were a few middling placements or outright flops to be had until the next big hit came along.

 

I think Sartorial Eloquence is my favorite song off of 21 at 33. It's the closest we get to "classic" Elton. I don't recall Dear God so I had to listen to the video and then it came back. I guess it doesn't say much for the song!