Little known Elton John songs- Page 2

[Chloe]

Posted: 4/6/07 at 3:22pm

The Friends soundtrack is certainly obscure, out of print as far as I know, but available in the Rare Masters boxed set, which is part of the ITunes catalog.

Here are some '70s choices:

Elton John
“Take Me to the Pilot” - great showcase for his dynamic pianism
“Sixty Years On” - plaintive tune greatly enlivened by Paul Buckmaster’s orchestration
“Border Song” - the lyrics are rather obscure until the last verse, which Elton wrote himself

There’s a man over there
What’s his color, I don’t care
He’s my brother
Let us live in peace

Tumbleweed Connection
“Ballad of a Well-Known Gun” - the funky off-beat initial chords suck me in every time
“Come Down in Time” - rather atypical but beautiful, with touches of both classicism and jazz
“Where to Now St. Peter”- its melismatic verse is the draw

Madman Across the Water
“Holiday Inn” - cheerful and countryish, with a standout mandolin solo from Davey Johnstone
“Madman Across the Water” - one of the best in his melodramatic vein
“Indian Sunset” - lyrically naive and clichéd though it may be, there’s still some beautiful stuff here, especially the a capella beginning

Honky Chateau
“Honky Cat” - wonderfully jaunty
“Suzie (dramas)” - funk in the vein of “Well-Known Gun”
“Amy” - Elton uses his best Jagger imitation for this story of a hopelessly infatuated teen trying to act cool. With some great Jean-Luc Ponty violin riffs

Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player
“High Flying Bird” - just beautiful, and wait for the harmonies on the last repeated phrases
“Blues for My Baby and Me” - a lesson in tonal irresolution

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road with probably the highest quotient of hits, there aren’t many “unknowns” to choose from here
“This Song Has No Title” - a lovely tune taken at a breathless pace
“Social Disease” - simply funny

And I get bombed for breakfast in the morning
I get bombed for dinner time and tea
I dress in rags, smell a lot, and have a real good time
I'm a genuine example of a social disease

Caribou
“Dixie Lily” - an irresistible ode to a steamboat
“You’re So Static” - unusual and appealing salsa accents
“Stinker” - possibly Elton’s only straight up blues number, which is why I like it despite the fact that it seems to be about some kind of rodent

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy The first in history to enter the charts at number one, this album was so highly anticipated that some record stores used all of their shelves for it, putting the rest of their stock in a back room. Nevertheless, there was no real hit single from it other than the towering “Someone Saved My Life Tonight.”
“Better Off Dead” - written in an unusual 6/8 meter, this song captures the exuberance of being twenty and sensing great things ahead
“(Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket” - cynicism about the music business ten times more apt today

Blue Moves
“Someone’s Final Song” - Elton at his most beautifully melodic. This is one of my all-time favorites.
“Cage the Songbird” - a soaring tribute to Edith Piaf. David Crosby and Graham Nash on backing vocals give it more than a tinge of the CSNY sound
“Tonight” - probably the most effective of Elton and Bernie’s many break-up songs, with a beautiful instrumental opening.

A Single Man
“Shine on Through” - simple and direct and lovely

[Chloe]

Posted: 4/6/07 at 3:43pm

Bumping myself out of limbo to say that all the lyrics to these songs are available on this site:
Eltonography

[Magdalene]

Posted: 4/6/07 at 3:59pm

One More Arrow is one of my favorite Elton songs.

Which movie is "Friends"? (I'm wondering if it is the video I'm thinking about...)

[Chloe]

Posted: 4/6/07 at 4:22pm

"Friends" is a coming-of-age, teenagers-in-love movie released in 1971. From what I recall, Elton and Bernie were hired to do the music just before they hit it big in the US. The filmmakers lucked out, because I think a lot of people went to see it just because Elton was on the soundtrack.
Friends on IMDb