Bernie is so diverse and interesting. Could sit and listen to him talk for hours. Elton? What can I say? He’s a genius with his music to Bernie’s lyrics.❤
Here in Brasil, 'Goodbye Yellow Brickroad' was released as a single album. I had a copy for sometime. Then one day, I watched the president of the Elton John Fan Club of Brasil give an interview and he said that this was a double album. I thought to myself: "How come he's the president. He's obviously wrong!" Years later, I was arriving at my favorite record store and I saw a guy holding a double album, and it was 'Goodbye Yellow Brickroad'. I didn't want him to buy it, for a new it was the only unit in that store. He suddenly stopped checking it out and put it back, as if obeying my will. It was mine! Listening to it was like listening to a new Elton John album. So many songs were left out on that crappy edition. Evevrything was different and much more beautiful such as the colours, the pictures inside and the sound was oh so much better. It was made in the US. Thanks for posting this great documentary.
I love those backing vocals on the original version of Candle In The Wind!! That’s why it’s my favorite of all the versions Elton’s done. Plus having a full band playing
Thank you so much for this awesome post. I'm an Elton & Bernie super fan from the 70s and have listened to this album thousands of times. I loved hearing the songs broken down by vocals and instruments and how they were arranged...genius! The stars were aligned with the lyrics, melodies, musicians and producer on this double album gem. Love, love, love it! Many thanks :)
Thank you very much indeed for posting ... it's so rare to find original studio footage from Elton's early career ... and to hear those songs deconstructed into their components is such a treat ... and sometimes a complete revelation. It also makes me a bit sad - seems like there's no magic around anymore. I'm glad I found this album all the same.
something that is often overlooked, is the "album art"...I always admired the "vignette"-style illustrations of the various songs; for me, as I hear any of these tunes, in my mind I can see the accompanying artwork........
Rolling Stone magazine reviews from 1973 weren't great for this album, the reviewer said every song sounded the same or similar (forget which) and "Harmony" was "nothing special" Mor*ns. I also love the bit at the end where Elton is sitting in the field with his band playing Harmony on an organ and singing without a microphone and he still sounds great.
Thank you, Serena. I had seen this a long time ago but it was brilliant to revisit. I'm in my sixties and don't think there was a time when this album hasn't been part of my collection. I told my DH this AM that I probably know every lyric in this album and could recognize the songs in 3-4 seconds.
Some people absolutely are all about the lyrics. To me a good song tells me a story, or says something for people to have communion about. The music is the bed it lays on, and makes it easier to remember.
Love these Classic Albums docs. Thanks for posting. Man,what a team of musicians and producers,the likes we'll never see again. Sonically one of the best albums ever.
I always say that we don't need to imagine what would Mozart do if he were born in this century - because we have Elton. (Not to belittle Taupin, of course, who wrote just the most incredible lyrics!)
I have the DVD, there are extras supplements which are not shown here; 'Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" (analogy); Gus Dudgeon the Producer; Elton at the Troubadour(1970); Davey Johnstone joins the band;" Saturday Night's (Alright for Fighting)" (analogy); Château d'Hérouville memories; Backing Vocals (deeper analogy); "Candle in the Wind" (analogy): Gus Dudgeon on recording Pianos; "Harmony" (analogy)
Remarkable to think that Elton and Bernie managed to write Brick Road, Captain Fantastic and Blue Moves all within the space of five years , such incredible albums and all different and yet so good. Groundbreaking .
Also Honky Chateaux, Caribou, Don't Shoot me I'm only the piano player, and a couple of others. EJ BAND 70 75 should have been straight into the rock and roll hall of fame. Incredible group, Dee, Nigel, Davey and Ray Cooper brilliant there.
@@jdenino6022 Yeah - should be available through Amazon or similar. It was part of a series just called Classic Albums, which also included Night at the Opera and Dark Side of the Moon.
@@Fuzcapp I found it on Amazon for only $10 and change and I ordered it last night so I have a copy of this gem. Someday Elton and Bernie will be gone and you will not be able to find it I bet. Not that I am wishing for them to pass away anytime soon. I did get a rare copy of a Michael Jackson Bad 25 video by Spike Lee years ago and it is selling on Ebay for hundreds of dollars, I'm not selling it now though. Anything by a popular musician goes up in value if it's scarce after they pass away. I'm a bigger fan of EJ than of MJ.
@@jdenino6022 Glad you found it. The Classic Albums series was a really good series. The Night at the Opera one is well worth it also. Another one worth getting if you can find it, is George Martin - Produced By ...
When Elton says " that time in my life, that creative period will never ever come back again. You search for it but it'll never happen , it was a special time" sums up what makes this album and the era it came from such a special one in pop and rock music. Elton came close with Captain Fantastic two years later, but ever since around 1984 the quality of his songs has been inconsistent and less ambitious. The same thing happened with most of his contemporaries during the mid 1980's, and beyond that they lost it completely There was something about the late 1960's and early 1970's that everyone was " on fire" creatively, as said in this documentary
Hey Mark! I agree with everything you wrote, and if you have to choose only one turning point, I found a good one. I think it was critic Robert Cristgau who wrote that, up until 1975, the music industry was not seen as an incredible music maker. Then Frampton Comes Alive shocked the industry by blowing up the charts (and it was a double live album!), and it made the suits realize there is real serious money there. That's why you then get the next round of classic rock (clones) like that jumped on the main idea of the original classic rockers (loud and heavy) but ignored the other aspects (very little diversity, no acoustic number). Compare The Beatles, Zeppelin, The Who and Elton to Foreigner, Kiss, Bad Company and Aerosmith. In general, the first four were artists that were allowed to be that. The latter four were either told to manufacture songs that would sell huge quantities or they did so on their own (just ask Gene SImmons).
Sinatra said when asked what makes a great song "its a marriage of a beautiful melody and a great lyric" - the lyrics give the song it's identity - people may hum a melody but they sing the lyric when they are in their car, home etc
90% of the soundtrack of growing up was everything Elton did up to and including this album, along with everything Zeppelin did up to and including Physical Graffiti. At house parties, one artist would get played straight through followed by the other.
Thank you for posting- and thank you youtube. 01:10 always knew that since I was a kid.......old song lyrics are still new to me when I decide to listen to the lyrics......
Bernie too modest about GBYBR. Just listen to what Elton feels about his inspiration a the time. Best record of Elton in my book. One of the ten of all times I would take on a desert island.
If it's not the greatest double album ever - it's pretty damned close. Even the White album hasn't worn as well as GBYBR. Maybe Quadrophenia. Maybe Hot August Night. But the songs on GBYBR still hold up today in terms of melody, production, sonic craft, lyrics. Apart from Jamaica Jerk Off, it's perfect. And it's sort of the second and third vinyl to accompany Don't Shoot Me, which came out the same year. Certainly a purple patch for Elton. 1973 was an incredible year for albums.
That was a great documentary. As much as I liked the Beatles this album to me is better than the White album. I mean Revolution number 9 took up the space of what could have been two good songs. You can also tell when listening to the White album that they were not working as a group.
Indeed. The White Album is not very cohesive. I've listened to it beginning to end maybe five times, if that. I'll usually skip Revolution 9, and often I just listen to disc one, as it is by far the stronger of the two in general. What they say at the end about double albums is spot-on. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is one of the rare double albums that really succeeds. Personally, I think the Red Hot Chili Peppers are even more amazing; they have two albums--Blood Sugar Sex Magik and By the Way--that are about as long as this and are completely successful and harmonious records, and then they have Stadium Arcadium, which would have to be at least a triple album on vinyl (I think it's actually a quadruple vinyl) and yet every song is good, and I have listened to that two-hour beast countless times without being bored or wishing they'd cut something. The weakest song out of the 28 (!) tracks is "Dani California", the first single (and also the first track on the first disc, so I listen to it knowing everything else is gonna be better). :P
mysterymac38 Yeah, I find the guitar sound very harsh on the rock numbers on the White Album. I read somewhere that Paul ( always the competitive one ) felt intimidated by the power of recent releases by The Who and felt he had to make a point. I really don't think it worked with the Beatles style. For me though, songs like "I Will", "Mother Nature's Son", "Blackbird", "Martha My Dear", and "Honey Pie" make the White Album an essential rock classic. I skip a lot of songs on it though. And, as you can tell, I am quite a Paul fan.
The footage of the band lazing around in the grass/sailing a boat... was that just a camera person catching them while recording, during the exact same time, or done a bit after the fact for promo?
My favorite album of all time.
The backing vocals by the band are phenomenal.
Absolutely. Candle in the Wind, Harmony, the title track - they guys really lifted every song they sang on.
Bernie is so diverse and interesting. Could sit and listen to him talk for hours. Elton? What can I say? He’s a genius with his music to Bernie’s lyrics.❤
THIS IS A GREAT Documentary, ALL 4 parts. thanks.
The ending vocals to "Harmony" are magic.
RS Magazine in 1973 review said it was "nothing special." how mor*nic of them.
Here in Brasil, 'Goodbye Yellow Brickroad' was released as a single album. I had a copy for sometime. Then one day, I watched the president of the Elton John Fan Club of Brasil give an interview and he said that this was a double album. I thought to myself: "How come he's the president. He's obviously wrong!" Years later, I was arriving at my favorite record store and I saw a guy holding a double album, and it was 'Goodbye Yellow Brickroad'. I didn't want him to buy it, for a new it was the only unit in that store. He suddenly stopped checking it out and put it back, as if obeying my will. It was mine! Listening to it was like listening to a new Elton John album. So many songs were left out on that crappy edition. Evevrything was different and much more beautiful such as the colours, the pictures inside and the sound was oh so much better. It was made in the US. Thanks for posting this great documentary.
I love those backing vocals on the original version of Candle In The Wind!! That’s why it’s my favorite of all the versions Elton’s done. Plus having a full band playing
Davey, Dee & Nigel @ 7:35 - shivers down the spine...
Absolutely! 👍
Thank you so much for this awesome post. I'm an Elton & Bernie super fan from the 70s and have listened to this album thousands of times. I loved hearing the songs broken down by vocals and instruments and how they were arranged...genius! The stars were aligned with the lyrics, melodies, musicians and producer on this double album gem. Love, love, love it! Many thanks :)
Thank you very much indeed for posting ... it's so rare to find original studio footage from Elton's early career ... and to hear those songs deconstructed into their components is such a treat ... and sometimes a complete revelation. It also makes me a bit sad - seems like there's no magic around anymore. I'm glad I found this album all the same.
I love this album. The best double album ever.
This is an excellent documentary on a classic album that my brother used to play continuously back in the early 70's and I still love it!
something that is often overlooked, is the "album art"...I always admired the "vignette"-style illustrations of the various songs; for me, as I hear any of these tunes, in my mind I can see the accompanying artwork........
Harmony is a great song.
Rolling Stone magazine reviews from 1973 weren't great for this album, the reviewer said every song sounded the same or similar (forget which) and "Harmony" was "nothing special" Mor*ns.
I also love the bit at the end where Elton is sitting in the field with his band playing Harmony on an organ and singing without a microphone and he still sounds great.
Thank you, Serena. I had seen this a long time ago but it was brilliant to revisit. I'm in my sixties and don't think there was a time when this album hasn't been part of my collection. I told my DH this AM that I probably know every lyric in this album and could recognize the songs in 3-4 seconds.
Some people absolutely are all about the lyrics. To me a good song tells me a story, or says something for people to have communion about. The music is the bed it lays on, and makes it easier to remember.
5:54 - no. If I never ever heard that song again, I would be very much the worse for having lost such a song in my life.
Love these Classic Albums docs. Thanks for posting. Man,what a team of musicians and producers,the likes we'll never see again. Sonically one of the best albums ever.
Brilliant. So much to admire..
I always say that we don't need to imagine what would Mozart do if he were born in this century - because we have Elton.
(Not to belittle Taupin, of course, who wrote just the most incredible lyrics!)
I have the DVD, there are extras supplements which are not shown here;
'Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" (analogy);
Gus Dudgeon the Producer;
Elton at the Troubadour(1970);
Davey Johnstone joins the band;"
Saturday Night's (Alright for Fighting)" (analogy);
Château d'Hérouville memories;
Backing Vocals (deeper analogy);
"Candle in the Wind" (analogy):
Gus Dudgeon on recording Pianos;
"Harmony" (analogy)
Remarkable to think that Elton and Bernie managed to write Brick Road, Captain Fantastic and Blue Moves all within the space of five years , such incredible albums and all different and yet so good. Groundbreaking .
Also Honky Chateaux, Caribou, Don't Shoot me I'm only the piano player, and a couple of others. EJ BAND 70 75 should have been straight into the rock and roll hall of fame. Incredible group, Dee, Nigel, Davey and Ray Cooper brilliant there.
Don't Shoot Me was the same year as Yellow Brick Road.
Great content and presentation. 😊
Just watched all four parts, very interesting, What a masterpiece!
Me too - I actually have it on DVD but just watched it through on TH-cam. The memories! 🙂
@@Fuzcapp I want this DVD I wonder if it's still available. This is pure gold.
@@jdenino6022 Yeah - should be available through Amazon or similar. It was part of a series just called Classic Albums, which also included Night at the Opera and Dark Side of the Moon.
@@Fuzcapp I found it on Amazon for only $10 and change and I ordered it last night so I have a copy of this gem. Someday Elton and Bernie will be gone and you will not be able to find it I bet. Not that I am wishing for them to pass away anytime soon. I did get a rare copy of a Michael Jackson Bad 25 video by Spike Lee years ago and it is selling on Ebay for hundreds of dollars, I'm not selling it now though. Anything by a popular musician goes up in value if it's scarce after they pass away. I'm a bigger fan of EJ than of MJ.
@@jdenino6022 Glad you found it. The Classic Albums series was a really good series. The Night at the Opera one is well worth it also. Another one worth getting if you can find it, is George Martin - Produced By ...
this is a wonderful documentary about this great album.
When Elton says " that time in my life, that creative period will never ever come back again. You search for it but it'll never happen , it was a special time" sums up what makes this album and the era it came from such a special one in pop and rock music. Elton came close with Captain Fantastic two years later, but ever since around 1984 the quality of his songs has been inconsistent and less ambitious. The same thing happened with most of his contemporaries during the mid 1980's, and beyond that they lost it completely There was something about the late 1960's and early 1970's that everyone was " on fire" creatively, as said in this documentary
I agree it was truly a special time
Hey Mark! I agree with everything you wrote, and if you have to choose only one turning point, I found a good one. I think it was critic Robert Cristgau who wrote that, up until 1975, the music industry was not seen as an incredible music maker. Then Frampton Comes Alive shocked the industry by blowing up the charts (and it was a double live album!), and it made the suits realize there is real serious money there. That's why you then get the next round of classic rock (clones) like that jumped on the main idea of the original classic rockers (loud and heavy) but ignored the other aspects (very little diversity, no acoustic number). Compare The Beatles, Zeppelin, The Who and Elton to Foreigner, Kiss, Bad Company and Aerosmith. In general, the first four were artists that were allowed to be that. The latter four were either told to manufacture songs that would sell huge quantities or they did so on their own (just ask Gene SImmons).
Yup Elton had that amazing creative streak, Stevie Wonder the same, several others. The 70s produced the best music ever and it's been a decline since
@@caramanico1great post
So true great post
Where was the best song on the album and imo his best song ever “ I’ve seen that movie too” 😮
Definitely right up there.
Sinatra said when asked what makes a great song "its a marriage of a beautiful melody and a great lyric" - the lyrics give the song it's identity - people may hum a melody but they sing the lyric when they are in their car, home etc
90% of the soundtrack of growing up was everything Elton did up to and including this album, along with everything Zeppelin did up to and including Physical Graffiti. At house parties, one artist would get played straight through followed by the other.
Yep
Thank you for posting- and thank you youtube. 01:10 always knew that since I was a kid.......old song lyrics are still new to me when I decide to listen to the lyrics......
Bernie too modest about GBYBR. Just listen to what Elton feels about his inspiration a the time. Best record of Elton in my book. One of the ten of all times I would take on a desert island.
for sure!
GBYBR is up there in my top 5, leaning to number 1
Thanks. That was great.
Very good.
Never leaving harmony!
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah - AAAAAAAAAAAH!
I wonder which Elton John album is considered to be the best by Bernie Taupin? If not GYBR (10:57) perhaps Captain Fantasic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy?
If it's not the greatest double album ever - it's pretty damned close. Even the White album hasn't worn as well as GBYBR. Maybe Quadrophenia. Maybe Hot August Night. But the songs on GBYBR still hold up today in terms of melody, production, sonic craft, lyrics. Apart from Jamaica Jerk Off, it's perfect. And it's sort of the second and third vinyl to accompany Don't Shoot Me, which came out the same year. Certainly a purple patch for Elton. 1973 was an incredible year for albums.
Thanks so much for posting this. A really interesting peek inside one of my favourite albums.
Thanks for posting.
WOW!
That was a great documentary. As much as I liked the Beatles this album to me is better than the White album. I mean Revolution number 9 took up the space of what could have been two good songs. You can also tell when listening to the White album that they were not working as a group.
Indeed. The White Album is not very cohesive. I've listened to it beginning to end maybe five times, if that. I'll usually skip Revolution 9, and often I just listen to disc one, as it is by far the stronger of the two in general.
What they say at the end about double albums is spot-on. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is one of the rare double albums that really succeeds.
Personally, I think the Red Hot Chili Peppers are even more amazing; they have two albums--Blood Sugar Sex Magik and By the Way--that are about as long as this and are completely successful and harmonious records, and then they have Stadium Arcadium, which would have to be at least a triple album on vinyl (I think it's actually a quadruple vinyl) and yet every song is good, and I have listened to that two-hour beast countless times without being bored or wishing they'd cut something. The weakest song out of the 28 (!) tracks is "Dani California", the first single (and also the first track on the first disc, so I listen to it knowing everything else is gonna be better). :P
mysterymac38 Yeah, I find the guitar sound very harsh on the rock numbers on the White Album. I read somewhere that Paul ( always the competitive one ) felt intimidated by the power of recent releases by The Who and felt he had to make a point. I really don't think it worked with the Beatles style. For me though, songs like "I Will", "Mother Nature's Son", "Blackbird", "Martha My Dear", and "Honey Pie" make the White Album an essential rock classic. I skip a lot of songs on it though. And, as you can tell, I am quite a Paul fan.
How come I can't find "Harmony" in Itunes store?
Cause apple sucks
The footage of the band lazing around in the grass/sailing a boat... was that just a camera person catching them while recording, during the exact same time, or done a bit after the fact for promo?
We have an Elton 😊 but we need a Bernie😢. Where are you?
Double album? Both GYBR and Blue Moves deserved it, even more than the White Album. Otherwise? Songs in the Key of LIfe.
I'd rather have ham in my sandwich than cheese. But complaining wouldn't do any good.
how in Hell can he remember ALL the lyrics ? Sheesh
The band doesn't get nearly enough credit.
I'm so pleased that EJ didn't train as a classical musician, 'cos he certainly wouldn't have been as successful as he was.
He was. He went to the Royal Academy of music in London as a teenager
Watch them rationalize regifting their present 🎁 lol