Don't Shoot me I'm Only the Piano Player 9/10

Elton John's pop leanings have been getting more and more prominent, but they really burst out here. This album has a sorta fifty's feel with its lyrics, 50's rockers (Midnight Creeper, Crocodile Rock), and riffs you'd expect out of one of those classic movies (I'm Gonna be a Teenage Idol, Elderberry Wine.) Honestly, DSM isn't entirely one of my favorite EJ albums, however between it's polished production and memorable songs, it is pretty good.  Something notable is  the lack of slow ballads that seem to pop up everywhere on Elton's other albums. This isn't a bad thing, it's a nice little change. However, the thing this album lacks is replay value. Some of the songs get old after playing them a couple times  (most noticeably Crocodile Rock.) However, let's just get this through and review the actual tracks, shall we?

1. Daniel 10/10

Daniel is EJ's famous ballad, and a wonderful one. It is about a soldier (one of his most misunderstood songs,) and it has a very memorable melody. It is not one of his piano songs, instead an electric piano is used. It has a much heavier instrumentation than some of his earlier songs. The cold air of the synthesizers, flute, and keyboards is balanced by the warmness of the acoustic guitar, percussion and orchestra. The percusion lasts through the entire song. Daniel is a great song, a highlight on the album.

2. Teacher, I Need You 9/10

This is a soaring, pop-piano song typical of Elton. Its fast paced-playing, sweeping memorable chorus, and schoolhouse feel bring it to a top. Sure it is a little cheesy, but nonetheless, it's still a great song. The chorus is absolutely fantastic.

3. Elderberry Wine 7.5/10

Elderberry Wine is a fun little rock song with a catchy instrumental. It is one of the songs when the regular verses are better than the chorus. It is fast paced and the piano has a cool honky tonk sound. However, it lacks a good chorus and ending melody. The brass was good and so were the verses, but the chorus and outro were repetitive and not very melodic.

 4. Blues for Baby and Me 9/10

 This song was never a hit, but it could have easily been. It is a semi-power ballad with lyrics about running away. It is notably one of the two songs with strings on the album, which is not very surprising when considering its emotional mood. It is pretty quiet at first, but it is to get louder. The best part of the song in my opinion is the chorus. It is memorable, beautiful, and has a powerful, soaring quality to it. There is a sitar solo, which is a little different, but not bad. There is a small melody issue around the sitar solo and verse area.

5. Midnight Creeper 8/10

Ah, so we're returning to those 50's rockers, are we Elton? And that is indeed what Midnight Creeper is. A fun little rocker with jazzy brass instruments. Elton's voice control is amazing, especially at the chorus. He controls it extremely well. The song has electric piano- no piano. This was a good idea as the song might get too centered around the piano if it was. It is not a piano song. And the jazzy outro is incredible. It's just not my favorite type of song.

6. Have Mercy on the Criminal 10/10
 

I love this song. Not only does it have a fantastic intro, its lyrics are superb and haunting. They really capture the mood of a criminal on the run. The song is pretty rocky with its dynamic use of guitar, and is kinda slow. This isn't a bad thing. The intro keeps it from seeming too slow, as the intro is a fast, amazing use of instrumental. The chorus is memorable, the whole thing is pretty powerful and dramatic. It also contains an awesome guitar solo about 3/4 the way through. 

7. I'm Gonna Be  Teenage Idol   8/10


This song is pretty cool. The brass intro is memorable and catchy, and the song is pretty moody. The instrumental choice is great, and there is  definite groove. Besides the brass intro, there is no really memorable melody which is all the song really lacks.



8. Texan Love Song 8/10

This song stands out a lot. It sounds NOTHING like the other songs on the album..... and it's awesome. It's a western fried number based mainly on acoustic guitar, and Elton's singing. It's a good song, it just doesn't really..... work. The lyrics are all fired up and angry, but the melody is peaceful and pleasant. That's not really a bad thing, but it is at the verses. Usually Bernie and Elton fit together so well, but the first couple of verses have lyrics and melody not really working well. The verse parts aren't really that good in my opinion. However, the chorus really KICKS. It has a ballad-bittersweet feel, and there's that accordion-sounding thingy (which probably is an accordion, but I'm too lazy to look at the credits.) And the progression there is great too.

 9. Crododile Rock 9/10


Everyone knows this song. What's the use reviewing it? Well I don't  care if there is a use, I'm gonna review it anyway.


This famous song is the 50's nonlagastia rocker of the album. It's a fun, upbeat number with depressing lyrics (but this actually works unlike in, say, Texan Love Song.) Although it's based upon the fifties, it doesn't stray too far from the 70's feel with it's organ-synthesizer thing. And who can resist singing along to that la la la la la part? However, this song, as great as it is, lacks replay value. Listen to it a few times, it gets pretty old.

10. High Flying Bird 10/10




This is one of the most underrated balladic masterpieces Elton ever made. It's a soaring, piano/ acoustic guitar power ballad. It's pleasant, powerful, and awesome. The lyrics are great, the melody is great, the instrumentation is great, the song is just great. (Ignore my overuse of great) This is a fantastic way to end the album.




Favorite tracks:


1. High Flying Bird
2. Have Mercy on the Criminal
3. Daniel



Overview


So Elton started his pop movement with 1973's Don't Shoot Me. Well he didn't start it here, it just re-established itself a lot more strongly. 

88.5/10 (9/10)






If you liked this album, also try Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Captin Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.


Review copyright Joshua Curtis

Tumbleweed Connection 9/10

Tumbleweed Connection 9/10

When people imagine Elton John, they usually imagine a flamboyant piano player dressing in huge glasses and costumes never void of color or variety. One thing they don't think about is him making great music that can be considered along with any classics.


However, there was a time when the singer wasn't a flamboyant pop man. He always did make great music, but people think too much of his image. And sadly, many fans stopped buying his albums after they weren't commercially successful. They are really missing out.

Just because someone has made something not-so good doesn't mean they can't make something better later. People change over time, and so does their music. Tumbleweed Connection is a good example of a non-commercial work of art. By the time he released it, he had made it in big time and had released a fantastic self-titled album, and now the musician was ready to start something new. A country influence. This album is a grower, and it is full of country, rock, and his usual ballads. It is a fantastic piece of music, but it is sadly overlooked.

1. Ballad of a well Known Gun 6/10

So the great TC album gets off to a not-so good start. Although this first song is a rocky, southern-styled piece, it is not memorable or catchy. In fact, in its instrumental, it is very messy. None of the instruments work in proper harmony with each other and ruin what could be a good song. What is great about this song, though, is its lyrics.

2. Come Down In Time 10/10

A haunting, mellow number takes place after the first song. Its great acoustic and harp melodies make it memorable, its slow but steady tune add a mysterious feel. The song is perfected  by orchestra arrangements, and it establishes a stand-out number on the album.

3. Country Comfort  9/10

Tumbleweed Connection is often described as a country album, and a large portion of the country is in this song. Elton put a lot of soul into this song, it has a whole and warm feeling you don't get with most modern songs. The country feel is a little overwhelming at times. However, this is still a great song.

4. Son of your Father 8/10

This is a song of fast paced- rock funk. Though it's not entirely memorable, its chorus is pretty catchy and somewhat motivating. It depicts a fight in wild west times, and is one of the upbeat tracks on the album. It's not the best, but it's not bad.

5. My Father's Gun 10/10

Through the memorable guitar solo intro, haunting lyrics, sweeping chorus, and great instrumentation, My Father's Gun makes a marvelous song. The fantastic intro lets you know something serious is happening, and a lot of the song has a balladic feel to it. It is a slow song, but not overly slow. Its instrumentation is just perfect, the guitars and other instruments add a great feel,  and the chorus is very memorable.

6. Where to Now St. Peter 10/10

The light, moving, and majestic song called "Where to Now St Peter" is a high point of the album. It is slow at first, and has a great sound. However it does get faster, and it is a bit serious. It's hard to describe. But this song will not let you down. Through the piano melodies, watery guitar sound, amazing instrumentation, this song is going to delight and move you.

7. Love Song 10/10

The bright, yet mysterious, acoustic song "Love Song" is the 7th track of the album. It is an awesome, but simple, melody with great effects and singing. The acoustic guitar dominates the haunting, slow track.

Leslie Duncan- writer of Love Song

8. Amoreena 9/10

Amoreena is one of the album's true rockers. It is a love song with a piano intro similar to "Where to Now..." and it is pretty good. It is quite heavy considered to the ones before it, and its melody is fantastic. It captures a more longing lyric, but the song style isn't really longing.

9. Talking Old Soldiers 8/10

The haunting (I used this word a ton of times, but this is the best way I can find of explaining this) lyrics of this song are what are fantastic about this. This is an Elton solo song. The depressing, dramatic, yet slow melody fits the lyrics perfectly. The problem is, the melody isn't really memorable or that exciting. It's a nice ballad to make the second to closing song from though.

10. Burn Down the Mission 10/10

The amazing epic that closes the album. It has a light, bright feel at first, but over time it gets faster. The chorus is extremely memorable, and the song is dominated by a piano. It is a somewhat bluesy song. It has some fast parts that energize the listener, and it is one of the best songs on the album.

 

Basically, Tumbleweed Connection was one of the great albums from 1970. Its country-rock appeal, its amazing story lyrics, and the awesome artwork in the booklet all come together to make a brilliant masterpiece.

3 top songs (IMO:)

3. Come Down in Time
2. My Father's Gun
1. Where to Now St Peter

If you liked this album, also try Elton John, Madman Across the Water



Review copyright Joshua Curtis

Captain Fantastic: 9.3/10

When Elton John released Captain Fantastic in 1975, he was one of the most well-known musicians. 

Captain Fantistic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is basically an autobiography about Elton's career. Every song on this album is different than the other, which adds a nice variety. On this album, there are ballads, rockers, country-flavored songs, and just regular things you'd expect from Elton. It is a very complex album, there is barely anything wrong with it. He uses a very big range of instruments (including tubular bells which add good effect) and if you're a fan of Elton's 1973 and  1974 works, you're almost guaranteed to love this album.

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy 9/10
The title track of the album. It has a nice little country appeal to it, with a nice catchy intro. It does start pretty slow, but gains speed. A lot of percussion instruments are used, sometimes a bit too many. The song does have a fast rock chorus, and there is definitely  progression in this song. The chorus does has a heroic feel to it somehow. It is a pretty good song, easy going but ambitious at the same time.

Tower of Babel 10/10
Tower of Babel is a ballad with a depressing feel to it. The song might not seem that catchy at first, but it is perfected by guitar riffs. The chorus is also very catchy, and powerful. This song makes a pop-rock feel while also maintaining a sad tone.

Bitter Fingers 9/10
Getting down to it, Bitter Fingers is pretty simple. It is pop, but it has a kind of sad feel to it also. It is perfected by the squishy piano sound and catchy guitar melody, but it's not the best song on the album. It does have a catchy fast-moving chorus, and great backing-vocals too.

 Tell me when the Whistle Blows   8/10
A source of groove and funk, while maintaining a semi-complex feel at the same time. Tell me when the Whistle Blows is a memorable song due to how different it is from the rest of the songs. A symphonic vibe is created by an orchestra, which comes strong during the chorus (which is for sure the best part of the song.)

Someone Saved My Live Tonight 10/10
This is the big hit from the album. It is smooth and relaxing , with great vocals. For the most part, it's very memorable. It gets really powerful at times, especially at the chorus. It is one of the more complex numbers on the album. It's an amazing and touching song with a definite hook.

Gotta Get a Meal Ticket 8/10

After a slow, peaceful number what do you get? A heavy rocker. It contains a fun tone, but it does have a serious one at times. Although it's not one of the most memorable song, it is good. In my opinion, the best part is the fast and instrumental "And I've gotta get a meal ticket."

Better off Dead 9/10

A somewhat-operatic song. You've got to appreciate Elton's piano-work on this song. In some ways, this song goes back to his self-titled "Elton John" album with its mysterious feel. It is somewhat fast. Another thing that makes this song good is the percussion. The percussion in this song is what gives it a driving tone.

Writing 10/10
Writing is a catchy, fun song. It is a bit fast, but it's relaxing at the same time. The percussion and guitar work is some of the greatest on the album. This song is very upbeat, especially when compared to the next song on the record.

We All Fall in Love Sometimes 10/10

This is a sad, touching song with some of Bernie Taupin's best lyrics. and Elton's best piano work. It is similar to the album "Blue Moves" which would come out soon after the year was over. The chorus was very moving and memorable, and was a little beatlesque. Elton's voice was prime in this song. It also contains some of the best instrumentation in the album.

Curtains 9/10

Curtains is a slow ballad with some of the most powerful and touching lyrics in the album. It isn't very memorable at first, but it gets there once the full instrumentation comes in. There is a very bittersweet tone in this song. It makes a great closing to the album.



Review copyright Joshua Curtis


If you enjoy this album, you might also like Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Don't Shoot me I'm Only The Piano Player.