Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

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This article is about the Elton John album. For the single of the same name, see Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (song).
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Studio album by Elton John
Released 5 October 1973
Recorded May 1973
Château d'Hérouville, France
Trident Studios, London
Genre Rock, Glam rock
Length 76:20
Label MCA Records
(US/Canada)
DJM Records
Producer Gus Dudgeon
Elton John chronology
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player
(1973)		 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
(1973)		 Caribou
(1974)

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the seventh studio album by the British singer-songwriter Elton John. Released in 1973, it has come to be regarded as one of his best and most popular albums.

Recorded at the Château d'Hérouville, the album contains the Marilyn Monroe tribute, "Candle in the Wind", as well as three other successful singles: "Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting".

In 2003, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[1] The album was ranked No. 91 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time,[2] and No. 59 in Channel 4's 2009 list of 100 Greatest Albums.[3] The album has sold 31 million copies.[4]

Contents

Production [edit]

Under the working titles of Vodka and Tonics and Silent Movies, Talking Pictures, Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics in two and a half weeks, with John composing most of the music in three days while staying at the Pink Flamingo Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica.[5] He had wanted to go to Jamaica he has said, in part, because the Rolling Stones had just recorded Goats Head Soup there.[6] Production on the album was started in Jamaica in January 1973, though after difficulties with the sound system and the studio piano, coupled with disturbance due to the Joe Frazier and George Foreman boxing match taking place in Kingston, and violent political tension due to the poor economic situation, the band decided to move before any productive work was done.[5][7] Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was recorded in two weeks at the Château d'Hérouville in France, where John had previously recorded Honky Château and Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player.[5] Only a version of "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" was recorded in Jamaica, but that recording was discarded and the final, released version of the song came from the sessions at the château.

According to the album's producer, Gus Dudgeon, the album was not planned as a two-record collection. In total, John and Taupin composed 22 tracks for the album,[5] of which 18 (if one includes both "Funeral for a Friend" and "Love Lies Bleeding") were used, enough that it was released as a double album, John's first (three more such albums followed up to 2011). The songs, mostly around the theme of nostalgia for a more humble childhood and an older American culture as seen through eyes of the movies,[5][8] included "Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", using memories of a Market Rasen pub Taupin frequented when younger,[9] the 11-minute "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding", and the Marilyn Monroe tribute, "Candle in the Wind". "Grey Seal" was previously the B-side of the 1970 single, "Rock n' Roll Madonna", and was re-recorded for the album.[10]

"Harmony", the album's final track, was considered as a fourth single, but was not issued at the time because the chart longevity of the album and its singles brought it too close to the upcoming releases of Caribou and its proposed accompanying singles. It was, however, used as the B-side of the American release of the "Bennie and the Jets" single, and was popular on FM playlists of the day, especially WBZ-FM in Boston, whose top 40 chart allowed for the inclusion of LP cuts and B-sides as voted for by listeners. "Harmony" spent three weeks at No. 1 on WBZ-FM's chart in June 1974 and ranked No. 6 for the year, with "Bennie and the Jets" at No. 1 and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" behind "Harmony" at No. 7. "Harmony" was released as a single in Britain in 1980 and failed to chart, but has emerged as a fan favourite.[citation needed] John has been known to play it live on occasions.

Release [edit]

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The original 1973 LP, when released on CD, was released on two discs, while the 1992 and 1995 CD remasters put the album on one disc as it was slightly less than 80 minutes. The 30th anniversary edition followed the original format, splitting the album across two discs to allow the inclusion of the bonus tracks, while a DVD on the making of the album was also included. The album has also been released by Mobile Fidelity as a single disc 24 carat gold CD. The album (including all four bonus tracks) was released on SACD (2003) and DVD-Audio (2004). These high resolution releases included the original stereo mixes, as well as 5.1 remixes produced and engineered by Greg Penny.

Reception [edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4.5/5 stars[11]
Robert Christgau (B)[12]
Rolling Stone (unfavourable)[13]
Rolling Stone (2004) 5/5 stars[14]

Initially regarded as having some good tracks, but being too diverse, not holding together, and being too long and patchy,[15][16][17] Goodbye Yellow Brick Road has come to be regarded as John's best and most popular album,[5] and is his best selling studio album.[citation needed] Three singles were released in the US: "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Bennie and the Jets" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting".

In the US it was certified gold in October 1973, 5× platinum in March 1993, 6× platinum in September 1995 and 7× platinum in August 1998 by the RIAA.

The album was ranked No. 91 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[2] It was also placed at No. 59 in Channel 4's 2009 list of 100 Greatest Albums.[3]

Track listing [edit]

All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

Disc one [edit]

Side one
No. Title Length
1. "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"   11:09
2. "Candle in the Wind"   3:50
3. "Bennie and the Jets"   5:23
Side two
No. Title Length
4. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"   3:13
5. "This Song Has No Title"   2:23
6. "Grey Seal"   4:00
7. "Jamaica Jerk-Off"   3:39
8. "I've Seen That Movie Too"   5:59

Disc two [edit]

Side three
No. Title Length
9. "Sweet Painted Lady"   3:54
10. "The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909–34)"   4:23
11. "Dirty Little Girl"   5:00
12. "All the Girls Love Alice"   5:09
Side four
No. Title Length
13. "Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n' Roll)"   2:42
14. "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"   4:57
15. "Roy Rogers"   4:07
16. "Social Disease"   3:42
17. "Harmony"   2:46

Bonus tracks (2003 Deluxe edition) [edit]

Personnel [edit]

According to the album's liner notes:

Musicians
Additional musicians
  • Dee Murray, Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 10, 13, 17)
  • Del Newman – orchestral arrangement (4, 8–10, 15, 17)
  • Leroy Gomez – saxophone solo on "Social Disease"
  • David Hentschel – ARP synthesiser (1, 12)
  • Kiki Dee – backing vocals on "All the Girls Love Alice"
Production
  • Producer: Gus Dudgeon
  • Engineer: David Hentschel
  • Assistant engineers: Peter Kelsey, Andy Scott
  • Tape operator: Barry Sage
  • Orchestra contractor: David Katz
  • Arranger: Del Newman
  • Art direction: David Larkham, Michael Ross
  • Artwork: David Larkham, Michael Ross, Ian Beck
  • Liner notes: Gus Dudgeon, John Tobler

Charts [edit]

Chart positions [edit]

Chart Peak position
Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart[18] 1
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[19] 1
Danish Albums Chart[20] 4
Italian Albums Chart[21] 5
Japanese Oricon LP Chart[22] 22
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[23] 5
Spanish Albums Chart[24] 8
Swedish Albums Chart[20] 7
UK Albums Chart[25] 1
U.S. Billboard 200[26] 1
West German Media Control Albums Chart[27] 41

Year-end charts [edit]

Chart (1973) Position
Italian Albums Chart[21] 36
Chart (1974) Position
Australian Albums Chart[18] 2
Canadian Albums Chart[28] 37
UK Albums Chart[29] 7
U.S. Billboard Year-End[30] 1

Certifications [edit]

Region Certification
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Platinum
United States (RIAA)[32] 7× Platinum

Chart procession and succession [edit]

Preceded by
Goats Head Soup
by The Rolling Stones		 Canadian RPM number-one album
3 November – 1 December 1973		 Succeeded by
You Don't Mess Around with Jim
by Jim Croce
US Billboard 200 number-one album
10 November 1973 – 4 January 1974		 Succeeded by
The Singles: 1969–1973 by The Carpenters
Preceded by
Dreams Are Nuthin' More Than Wishes by David Cassidy		 UK number-one album
22–29 December 1973		 Succeeded by
Tales from Topographic Oceans by Yes
Preceded by
Jonathan Livingston Seagull (soundtrack)
by Neil Diamond		 Australian Kent Music Report number-one album
18 March – 7 April 1974		 Succeeded by
Band on the Run
by Paul McCartney & Wings

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Grammy Hall of Fame Award. Grammy.org. Retrieved 21 December 2012
  2. ^ a b "500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 December 2010.  Text " Rolling Stone Music " ignored (help); Text " Lists " ignored (help)
  3. ^ a b "The 100 Greatest Albums – Features – The Results – Channel 4". channel4.com. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
  4. ^ REPLICA RADIO: Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. UK: REPLICA RADIO. 2012. http://www.replicaradio.ro/elton_john_-_goodbye_yellow_brick_road.html. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Claude Bernardin, Tom Stanton (1996). Rocket man: Elton John from A-Z. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 123. ISBN 0-275-95698-9. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
  6. ^ Radio Two: Johnnie Walkers Long Players, February 2012
  7. ^ Documentary Classic Albums: Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. UK: ISIS Productions, Eagle Rock Entertainment. 2001. Event occurs at approx. 16 minutes. http://imdb.com/title/tt0829122/medium Documentary. Retrieved 24 December 2007.
  8. ^ "Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". superseventies.com. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
  9. ^ "The Aston Arms in Market Rasen has been singled out as a top spot for drinkers by Scottish whisky brand The Famous Grouse.". thisislincolnshire.co.uk. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
  10. ^ Claude Bernardin, Tom Stanton (1996). Rocket man: Elton John from A-Z. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 177. ISBN 0-275-95698-9. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
  11. ^ "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". Allmusic. Retrieved 6 January 2012. 
  12. ^ "CG: elton john". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 6 January 2012. 
  13. ^ By Stephen Davis (22 November 1973). "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 January 2012. 
  14. ^ "Elton John: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 January 2012. 
  15. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: elton john". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
  16. ^ "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 December 2010.  Text " Rolling Stone Music " ignored (help); Text " Music Reviews " ignored (help)
  17. ^ "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John". allmusic.com. Retrieved 30 December 2010.  Text " AllMusic " ignored (help)
  18. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. 
  19. ^ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 October 2011
  20. ^ a b Billboard – 24 November – 1973. Retrieved 12 February 2012. 
  21. ^ a b "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1973" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 3 October 2011. 
  22. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9. 
  23. ^ "norwegiancharts.com Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 29 October 2011. 
  24. ^ Billboard – 23 December – 1973. Retrieved 12 February 2012. 
  25. ^ "Chart Stats – Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (PHP). UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 29 October 2011. 
  26. ^ "allmusic ((( Goodbye Yellow Brick Road > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 29 October 2011. 
  27. ^ "Album Search: Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 29 October 2011. 
  28. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1974". RPM. Retrieved 3 October 2011. 
  29. ^ "The Official UK Charts Company : ALBUM CHART HISTORY". Archived from the original on 13 August 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2007. 
  30. ^ "Billboard.com – Year End Charts – Year-end Albums – The Billboard 200". Archived from the original|archiveurl= requires |url= (help) on 13 August 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2007. 
  31. ^ "British album certifications – Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". British Phonographic Industry.  Enter Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
  32. ^ "American album certifications – Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". Recording Industry Association of America.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
Elton John
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