Rock of the Westies

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The disc also had a funky moment on the incoherent “Dan Dare (Pilot Of The Future)”, a song that made absolute no sense, even if you were well-acquainted with the comic book character the song dealt with. In a deliberate effort to be misunderstood, because every good punk wants to be misunderstood, John larded his earlier LPs with love songs, broken heart songs and the like. He threw in lots of oddball tunes as well; the great “Solar Prestige a Gammon” is made up of nonsense words, “Social Disease” is a hillbilly ode to living life as a form of human syphilis, and “Teacher I Need You” is “Hot for Teacher” years in advance. As for the great “Bennie and the Jets,” who else could have conceived of such a thing? And who but Elton John would have thought to write a song called “I Think I’m Going to Kill Myself” and fit it up with a bona fide tap dance solo? That right there is a real punk move for sure. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1sted.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.

Overall, it’s more of a guitar-driven effort than a piano one, with John’s keys providing accent and flourish while Johnstone’s axe takes the lead, as on “Street Kids” and “Billy Bones and the White Bird.” Art direction by David Larkham. Photography by Terry O’Neill. Design by David Larkham & Friends. The Plastic The goal seemed to be a fresh approach, and if the results don’t reach the lofty heights of Elton John’s amazing run in the first half of the '70s, the record still delivers a few gems.a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrateded.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. So forget John Lydon. Were he and Elton John Elton to meet face to face, the latter would merely laugh before pushing Lydon into the closest gutter, tearing the safety-pin from his shirt in the process. Because Elton John is the nastiest piece of work you’ll ever run across. Don’t let the outrageous eyeglasses or that “I was best friendsies with Lady Di” bullshit fool you. Reginald Dwight is a regular droog and always up for a bit of ultraviolence. And if you’re smart, you’ll stay out of his way.

In addition to “Island Girl,” the LP spawned “Funk” and “Ford,” which was a double-A sided single in 1976. The legendary duo gets a songwriting hand from Johnstone, who received the first of many writing credits with “Grow Some Funk of Your Own.” Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.Ray Cooper – tambourine (1, 3, 5, 6, 9), cowbell (1, 9), congas (1, 3, 6, 7, 8), jawbone (1), marimba (3), castanets (4), bell tree (4), vibraphone (4, 5, 8), shaker (8), wind chimes (8), maracas (9), kettle drums (9)

Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1sted.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. The ensuing “Dan Dare (Pilot Of The Future)” had been Elton’s preference as a single instead of “Island Girl.” It featured detail from Johnstone on “voice bag,” the device that found fame as a vocoder the following year on Peter Frampton’s “Show Me The Way.” Elton had noticeably re-tooled the band before making this album. The rhythm section of Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson were out, replaced by Roger Pope (who had played with Elton during the Madman Across the Water sessions) and Kenny Passarelli (ex-Barnstorm), plus second guitarist Caleb Quaye (another Madman alumnus) and future film composer James Newton-Howard on electronic keyboards and synthesizers. The extra players have an immediate impact on the group’s sound. Music comes at you from every direction in a playful way that must have created a lot of extra work for the post-production team.James Newton Howard – harpsichord (1), Elka Rhapsody string synthesizer (1), ARP synthesizer (1, 3), Hohner clavinet (1, 2), mellotron (3), electric piano (4, 5, 7, 8, 9), synthesizers (4, 5, 9) In 1975, Elton John was at the top of his game. His first album of the year, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, an autobiographical concept album, debuted at No.1. John was experimental on this album and that’s obvious with the new band, which brings a fresh sound. All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin unless noted. (*Pseudonyms for Elton and Bernie, respectively.) Your computer may be infected with malware or spyware that makes automated requests to our server and causes problems.