Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
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| Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | ||
| ||
| Studio album by Elton John | ||
| Released | October 5 1973 | |
| Recorded | Château d'Hérouville, Pontoise, France | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 76:12 | |
| Label | MCA Records | |
| Producer(s) | Gus Dudgeon | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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 eighth album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1973. It is regarded by many as his greatest effort. In 2000 Q magazine placed it at number 84 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. In 2003, the album was ranked number 91 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was recorded at the Château d'Hérouville, where he had previously recorded Honky Chateau and Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. The amount of material was such that Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was released as a double album, his first.
In addition to the three successful singles released from this album (see below), many other cuts received substantial airplay at AOR stations when it was released, including "Harmony"; the 11-minute epic, "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"; and his Marilyn Monroe tribute, "Candle in the Wind."
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
[edit] LP Disc one Side one
- "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" – 11:08
- "Candle in the Wind" – 3:41
- "Bennie and the Jets" – 5:23
[edit] LP Disc one Side two
- "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" – 3:14
- "This Song Has No Title" – 2:23
- "Grey Seal" – 3:58
- "Jamaica Jerk Off" – 3:39
- "I've Seen That Movie Too" – 5:59
[edit] LP Disc two Side three
- "Sweet Painted Lady" – 3:52
- "The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-34)" – 4:24
- "Dirty Little Girl" – 5:01
- "All the Girls Love Alice" – 5:08
[edit] LP Disc two Side four
- "Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll)" – 2:42
- "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" – 4:54
- "Roy Rogers" – 4:08
- "Social Disease" – 3:44
- "Harmony" – 2:45
[edit] Bonus tracks (2003 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
- "Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)" – 2:51
- "Jack Rabbit" – 1:52
- "Screw You (Young Man's Blues)" – 4:44
- "Candle in the Wind [Acoustic Version] " – 3:51
Track note: The original 1973 Long Play was on two vinyl discs, while the standard Compact Disc version fit on one disc, as it was slightly less than eighty minutes.
[edit] Personnel
- Funeral For A Friend
- Elton John - Piano
- Dee Murray - Bass
- Davey Johnstone - Electric Guitar
- Nigel Olsson - Drums
- David Hentschel - A.R.P. Synthesizer
- Love Lies Bleeding
- Elton John - Vocals, Piano
- Dee Murray - Bass, Backing Vocals
- Davey Johnstone - Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Nigel Olsson - Drums, Backing Vocals
- David Hentschel - A.R.P. Synthesizer
- Candle In The Wind
- Elton John - Vocals, Piano
- Dee Murray - Bass, Backing Vocals
- Davey Johnstone - Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Nigel Olsson - Drums, Backing Vocals
- Bennie And The Jets
- Elton John - Vocals, Piano, Organ
- Dee Murray - Bass
- Davey Johnstone - Acoustic, Electric Guitars
- Nigel Olsson - Drums
- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
- Elton John - Vocals, Piano
- Dee Murray - Bass, Backing Vocals
- Davey Johnstone - Leslie Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Nigel Olsson - Drums, Backing Vocals
- Del Newman - Orchestral Arrangement
- This Song Has No Title
- Elton John - Vocals, Farfisa Organ, Electric Piano, Mellotron, Piano
- Grey Seal
- Elton John - Vocals, Piano, Mellotron, Electric Piano
- Dee Murray - Bass
- Davey Johnstone - Electric Guitar
- Nigel Olsson - Drums, Congas
- Jamaica Jerk-Off
- Elton John - Vocals, Organs
- Dee Murray - Bass
- Davey Johnstone - Electric Guitars
- Nigel Olsson - Drums
- Prince Rhino - Vocal Interjections
- I've Seen That Movie Too
- Elton John - Vocals, Piano
- Dee Murray - Bass
- Davey Johnstone - Acoustic, Electric Guitars
- Nigel Olsson - Drums
- Del Newman - Orchestral Arrangement
- Sweet Painted Lady
- Elton John - Vocals, Piano
- Dee Murray - Bass
- Davey Johnstone - Acoustic Guitar
- Nigel Olsson - Drums, Tambourine
- Del Newman - Orchestral Arrangement
- The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-34)
- Elton John - Vocals, Piano
- Dee Murray - Bass, Backing Vocals
- Davey Johnstone - Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Nigel Olsson - Drums, Backing Vocals
- Del Newman - Orchestral Arrangement
- Dirty Little Girl
- Elton John - Vocals, Leslie Piano, Mellotron
- Dee Murray - Bass
- Davey Johnstone - Electric Guitar
- Nigel Olsson - Drums
- All The Girls Love Alice
- Elton John - Vocals, Piano
- Dee Murray - Bass
- Davey Johnstone - Electric Guitar
- Nigel Olsson - Drums
- David Hentschel - A.R.P. Synthesizer
- Ray Cooper - Tambourine
- Kiki Dee - Background Vocals
- Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'N Roll)
- Elton John - Vocals, Piano, Farfisa Organ
- Dee Murray - Bass, Backing Vocals
- Davey Johnstone - Electric, Slide Guitars, Backing Vocals
- Nigel Olsson - Drums, Backing Vocals
- Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
- Elton John - Vocals, Piano
- Dee Murray - Bass
- Davey Johnstone - Electric Guitar
- Nigel Olsson - Drums
- Roy Rogers
- Elton John - Vocals, Piano
- Dee Murray - Bass
- Davey Johnstone - Acoustic, Steel Guitars
- Nigel Olsson - Drums
- Del Newman - Orchestral Arrangement
- Social Disease
- Elton John - Vocals, Piano
- Dee Murray - Bass
- Davey Johnstone - Electric Guitar, Banjo
- Nigel Olsson - Drums
- Leroy Gomez - Saxophone
- Harmony
- Elton John - Vocals, Piano
- Dee Murray - Bass, Backing Vocals
- Davey Johnstone - Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Nigel Olsson - Drums, Backing Vocals
- Del Newman - Orchestral Arrangement
[edit] 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
[edit] Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Billboard Pop Albums | 1 |
| 1987 | The Billboard 200 | 114 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" | Billboard Adult Contemporary | 7 |
| 1973 | "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" | Billboard Pop Singles | 2 |
| 1974 | "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" | Billboard Pop Singles | 12 |
| 1974 | "Bennie and The Jets" | Billboard Pop Singles | 1 |
[edit] Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| BPI – UK | Gold | October 1 1973 |
| RIAA – USA | Gold | October 12 1973 |
| BPI – UK | Platinum | February 1 1975 |
| RIAA – USA | Platinum | March 23 1993 |
| RIAA – USA | Double Platinum | March 23 1993 |
| RIAA – USA | Triple Platinum | March 23 1993 |
| RIAA – USA | 4x Platinum | March 23 1993 |
| RIAA – USA | 5x Platinum | March 23 1993 |
| RIAA – USA | 6x Platinum | September 11 1995 |
| RIAA – USA | 7x Platinum | August 26 1998 |
