Honky Château

Untitled

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	(A-)
Rolling Stone	(favourable)

Honky Château is the fifth studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1972. In 2003, the album was ranked number 357 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. This was the final Elton John album on the Uni label in the US and Canada before the Music Corporation of America consolidated all of its various labels under the MCA brand. This and Elton's earlier Uni albums were later reissued on MCA Records.

Music

This is the first album since John's debut (Empty Sky) not to feature strings on any songs, except for violinist Jean-Luc Ponty on "Mellow" and "Amy". It also marks the beginning of his transition from a singer/songwriter in the mould of James Taylor, Leon Russell or Carole King to a more rock 'n roll style that would become more evident on such albums as Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Caribou and Rock of the Westies.

It was also the first album to feature John's road band of Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums (along with new member Davey Johnstone on guitars and other fretted instruments) as the sole core group of musicians. Previously, due to his record label's insistence, John had been limited to using his road band for only one track each on Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water; the rest of the songs on those two albums were performed by various groupings of session players.

The opening track "Honky Cat" is a New Orleans funk track reminiscent of Dr. John and Allen Toussaint and features a four-piece horn section arranged by producer Gus Dudgeon. Also of note is the debut on record of the backing vocal combination of Johnstone, Murray and Olsson, who first added what would soon become their "trademark" sound to "Rocket Man." The trio's unique approach to arranging their backing vocal tracks would be a fixture on John's singles and albums for the next several years.

In 1995, Dudgeon remastered the album, adding only an uptempo, rock and roll version of "Slave" that was sidelined in favor of the steamier, more laconic version that made the LP's original lineup.

Critical appraisal and chart action

Jon Landau of Rolling Stone approved the original LP as "a rich, warm, satisfying album that stands head and shoulders above the morass of current releases". Other reviews were likewise mostly positive. More recently, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic has written that "it plays as the most focused and accomplished set of songs Elton John and Bernie Taupin ever wrote".

Honky Chateau became the first of a string of albums by Elton John to hit number 1 in the Billboard Charts in the United States. In Canada, the album peaked at number 3 on the RPM 100 Top Albums Chart, reaching this position on July 29, 1972, dropping two places to number 5, then returning to number 3 for a further twelve consecutive weeks before falling to number 9 on November 4 of the same year.

Track listing

All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

Side one

1. "Honky Cat" – 5:13
2. "Mellow" – 5:32
3. "I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself" – 3:35
4. "Susie (Dramas)" – 3:25
5. "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)" – 4:45

Side two

1. "Salvation" – 3:58
2. "Slave" – 4:22
3. "Amy" – 4:03
4. "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" – 5:00
5. "Hercules" – 5:20

Bonus track (1995 Mercury and 1996 Rocket reissue)

1. "Slave" [Alternate take] – 2:53

Personnel

• Elton John - acoustic and electric pianos, organ
• Davey Johnstone - guitars, banjo, mandolin
• Dee Murray - bass
• Nigel Olsson - drums, congas, tambourine

Additional musicians

• Davey, Dee, and Nigel - backing vocals (tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 10)
• Ivan Jullien (fr.) - trumpet (track 1)
• Jacques Bolognesi (fr.) - trombone (track 1)
• Jean-Louis Chautemps & Alain Hatot - saxophones (track 1)
• Jean-Luc Ponty - electric violin (tracks 2 and 8)
• "Legs" Larry Smith - tap dance (track 3)
• David Hentschel - A.R.P. synthesizer (tracks 5 and 10) (credited as "David Henschel" on sleeve)
• Ray Cooper - congas (track 8)
• Gus Dudgeon - rhino whistle & backing vocals (track 10)
• Madeline Bell, Liza Strike, Larry Steel, Tony Hazzard - additional backing vocals

Production

• Producer: Gus Dudgeon
• Engineer: Ken Scott
• Mastering engineer: "Legs" Larry Smith
• Remastering: Tony Cousins
• Editing: Gus Skinas
• Digital transfers: Ricky Graham
• Surround mix: Greg Penny
• Brass arrangement: Gus Dudgeon
• Cover photo: Ed Caraeff
• Liner notes: John Tobler

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1972	UK Album Chart	2
1972	US Billboard Pop Albums	1
1972	Canadian RPM 100 Top Albums Chart	3

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1972	Honky Cat	UK Singles Chart	31
1972	Honky Cat	US Billboard Adult Contemporary	6
1972	Honky Cat	US Billboard Pop Singles	8
1972	Rocket Man	UK Singles Chart	2
1972	Rocket Man	US Billboard Pop Singles	6

Certifications

Organization	Level	Date
RIAA – USA	Gold	24 July 1972
RIAA – USA	Platinum	11 October 1995