Elton John-Nick Drake sessions-Mick Ronson shreds!
Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 11:45 pm
Elton John has become such a cartoon character of his former self that I think so many now see him as fluff pop music icon, & maybe forget his roots.
....for a refreshing look at an early Elton performing songs by the likes of Nick Drake, John Martyn, Mike Heron....give this one a listen...
Elton John ''Nick Drake Session & DJM Demos'' 1968
Elton John's demo sessions at Dick James Music Studio in 1968. Here you can listen Elton John singing songs of Mike Heron, John Martyn, Nick Drake and Beverly Martin arranged by Drake's producer, Joe Boyd.
The sessions featured Elton John - vocals/piano, Linda Peters (later Thompson) - vocals, Jim Capaldi - drums, Simon Nicol - guitar, Pat Donaldson - bass.
1. Day Is Done (Nick Drake)
2. Saturday Sun (Nick Drake)
3. Sweet Honesty (Breverly Martin)
4. Way To Blue (Nick Drake)
5. Stormbringer (John Martyn)
6. You Get Brighter (Mike Heron, vo.Linda Peters)
7. I Don't Mind (Ed Carter, vo.Linda Peters)
8. Pied Pauper (Ed Carter, vo.Linda Peters)
9. Time Has Told Me (Nick Drake)
10. Go Out And Get It (Mike Heron)
11. The Tide Will Turn For Rebecca
12. When The First Tear Shows
13. Angel Tree
14. Turn To Me
15. I Can't Go On Living Without You
16. When I Was Tealby Abbey
17. A Dandelion Dies In The Wind
18. You'll Be Sorry To See Me Go
19. Where It's At
20. I Get A Little Bit Lonely
21. Hour Glass
22. Taking The Sun From My Eyes
23. And The Clock Goes Round
http://time-has-told-me.blogspot.com/20 ... n-djm.html
-by Lizardson
_____________________________________________________________________
Honestly, John (& Bernie) wrote some of the finest music to come 'round in the early 70's; and I am revisiting his early LPs today. WOW! What an artist. Our first exposure was of course, his self titled from 1970. Man did that blow me away!
My good Welsh buddy sent me a BBC special about The Troubadour in LA, and it seems Elton John was the impetus for the "world" changing at the time with "Take Me To The Pilot"...
Take Me To The Pilot....BBC live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSEX2yrZDks
Here is the story of Elton's first appearance at The Troubadour--
Doug Weston paid Elton John's trio a meagre $500 for a week of gigs. "We'd flown to Los Angeles," explained Elton later, "thirteen hours over the pole in this jumbo jet, and we arrived to find this bloody great bus ..'Elton John has arrived!' and all that sort of thing...and it took another two hours to get to the hotel. Once we'd booked in, we were hustled out again and off to the Troubadour where the Dillards were appearing...they were incredible, just knocked me out completely."
Then, the night before the first show, Elton's manager Ray Williams found him "sulking-- and petrified." Convinced that he was too inexperienced to play for a sophisticated LA crowd, Elton was in a state of panic. "He said he wasn't going to play The Troubadour date," remembers Williams, "and was getting on the first plane home. I basically had to fight with him."
Luckily, Williams prevailed but Elton's anxiety wasn't reduced when he arrived at the Troubadour to find that "It was packed to the brim with people from the record industry, who expected me to come on with this 15-piece orchestra and reproduce the sound of the album, which had recently been released there." So, when a still-terrified Elton finally hit the little stage (introduced by Neil Diamond) that Tuesday night, he was seen by Beach Boy Mike Love, Bread leader David Gates and singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, not to mention such luminaries as Quincy Jones, Elmer Bernstein and Henry Mancini.
Robert Hillburn of the Los Angeles Times remembers Elton's shaky opening. "He started going through his songs in a somewhat distant, businesslike manner. He looked scared, keeping his eyes on the piano." The ultra-cool Troubadour crowd virtually ignored the unknown Brit until, four numbers into the set, Elton snapped. Composer Don Black, also in the house that night, recalls that "He stood up, kicked away his piano stool and shouted 'Right! If you won't listen, perhaps you'll bloody well listen to this!' Then he started pounding the piano like Jerry Lee Lewis." By the end of the set, America was Elton's for the taking.
Rolling Stone magazine rated that night as one of the all-time greatest rock performances and, the following morning Elton received a telegram from Bill Graham, the country's most important promoter, offering him $5,000 to play at the Fillmore East in New York--the largest sum ever offered to a first time act.
In retrospect, Elton has said, "I think the start of all the success was the Troubadour thing. It was just amazing. It's an incredibly funky little place, the best club of its kind anywhere, and all it is is some wooden tables and chairs and good acoustics."
After this he was all everyone talked about in LA reviews!
No Shoestrings on Louise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6tWmrNUcqw
and of course "Your Song" is still a "gives me chills" song.
1970 BBC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgbQkMtn ... re=related
Tumbleweed COnnection blew me away too! Of course, it took a couple of closer looks to see that the cover photo was NOT an old American Western storefront, but rather a very British one.
Then came Madman Across The Water....so good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vvRN09HZ_4
Finally for me was "Honky Chateau"...widely considered his BEST...
Critically Honky Château is regarded as John's finest record. Jon Landau of Rolling Stone approved the original LP as "a rich, warm, satisfying album that stands head and shoulders above the morass of current releases".[4] Other reviews were likewise mostly positive. In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic has written that "it plays as the most focused and accomplished set of songs Elton John and Bernie Taupin ever wrote".[5]
Honky Chateau became the first of a string of albums by Elton John to hit number 1 in the Billboard Charts in the United States. In Canada, the album peaked at number 3 on the RPM 100 Top Albums Chart, reaching this position on July 29, 1972, dropping two places to number 5, then returning to number 3 for a further twelve consecutive weeks before falling to number 9 on November 4 of the same year.
Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLMotU8Tu9E
__________________________________________________________________
I really had forgotten Elton for quite a few decades as his fame & infamy became bigger than his music.
But I see why so many of my favorite artists (Carol King..for one) cite Elton as a true inspiration...so go back to the beginning, and don't shoot the piano player! He had something to say.
....for a refreshing look at an early Elton performing songs by the likes of Nick Drake, John Martyn, Mike Heron....give this one a listen...
Elton John ''Nick Drake Session & DJM Demos'' 1968
Elton John's demo sessions at Dick James Music Studio in 1968. Here you can listen Elton John singing songs of Mike Heron, John Martyn, Nick Drake and Beverly Martin arranged by Drake's producer, Joe Boyd.
The sessions featured Elton John - vocals/piano, Linda Peters (later Thompson) - vocals, Jim Capaldi - drums, Simon Nicol - guitar, Pat Donaldson - bass.
1. Day Is Done (Nick Drake)
2. Saturday Sun (Nick Drake)
3. Sweet Honesty (Breverly Martin)
4. Way To Blue (Nick Drake)
5. Stormbringer (John Martyn)
6. You Get Brighter (Mike Heron, vo.Linda Peters)
7. I Don't Mind (Ed Carter, vo.Linda Peters)
8. Pied Pauper (Ed Carter, vo.Linda Peters)
9. Time Has Told Me (Nick Drake)
10. Go Out And Get It (Mike Heron)
11. The Tide Will Turn For Rebecca
12. When The First Tear Shows
13. Angel Tree
14. Turn To Me
15. I Can't Go On Living Without You
16. When I Was Tealby Abbey
17. A Dandelion Dies In The Wind
18. You'll Be Sorry To See Me Go
19. Where It's At
20. I Get A Little Bit Lonely
21. Hour Glass
22. Taking The Sun From My Eyes
23. And The Clock Goes Round
http://time-has-told-me.blogspot.com/20 ... n-djm.html
-by Lizardson
_____________________________________________________________________
Honestly, John (& Bernie) wrote some of the finest music to come 'round in the early 70's; and I am revisiting his early LPs today. WOW! What an artist. Our first exposure was of course, his self titled from 1970. Man did that blow me away!
My good Welsh buddy sent me a BBC special about The Troubadour in LA, and it seems Elton John was the impetus for the "world" changing at the time with "Take Me To The Pilot"...
Take Me To The Pilot....BBC live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSEX2yrZDks
Here is the story of Elton's first appearance at The Troubadour--
Doug Weston paid Elton John's trio a meagre $500 for a week of gigs. "We'd flown to Los Angeles," explained Elton later, "thirteen hours over the pole in this jumbo jet, and we arrived to find this bloody great bus ..'Elton John has arrived!' and all that sort of thing...and it took another two hours to get to the hotel. Once we'd booked in, we were hustled out again and off to the Troubadour where the Dillards were appearing...they were incredible, just knocked me out completely."
Then, the night before the first show, Elton's manager Ray Williams found him "sulking-- and petrified." Convinced that he was too inexperienced to play for a sophisticated LA crowd, Elton was in a state of panic. "He said he wasn't going to play The Troubadour date," remembers Williams, "and was getting on the first plane home. I basically had to fight with him."
Luckily, Williams prevailed but Elton's anxiety wasn't reduced when he arrived at the Troubadour to find that "It was packed to the brim with people from the record industry, who expected me to come on with this 15-piece orchestra and reproduce the sound of the album, which had recently been released there." So, when a still-terrified Elton finally hit the little stage (introduced by Neil Diamond) that Tuesday night, he was seen by Beach Boy Mike Love, Bread leader David Gates and singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, not to mention such luminaries as Quincy Jones, Elmer Bernstein and Henry Mancini.
Robert Hillburn of the Los Angeles Times remembers Elton's shaky opening. "He started going through his songs in a somewhat distant, businesslike manner. He looked scared, keeping his eyes on the piano." The ultra-cool Troubadour crowd virtually ignored the unknown Brit until, four numbers into the set, Elton snapped. Composer Don Black, also in the house that night, recalls that "He stood up, kicked away his piano stool and shouted 'Right! If you won't listen, perhaps you'll bloody well listen to this!' Then he started pounding the piano like Jerry Lee Lewis." By the end of the set, America was Elton's for the taking.
Rolling Stone magazine rated that night as one of the all-time greatest rock performances and, the following morning Elton received a telegram from Bill Graham, the country's most important promoter, offering him $5,000 to play at the Fillmore East in New York--the largest sum ever offered to a first time act.
In retrospect, Elton has said, "I think the start of all the success was the Troubadour thing. It was just amazing. It's an incredibly funky little place, the best club of its kind anywhere, and all it is is some wooden tables and chairs and good acoustics."
After this he was all everyone talked about in LA reviews!
No Shoestrings on Louise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6tWmrNUcqw
and of course "Your Song" is still a "gives me chills" song.
1970 BBC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgbQkMtn ... re=related
Tumbleweed COnnection blew me away too! Of course, it took a couple of closer looks to see that the cover photo was NOT an old American Western storefront, but rather a very British one.
Then came Madman Across The Water....so good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vvRN09HZ_4
Finally for me was "Honky Chateau"...widely considered his BEST...
Critically Honky Château is regarded as John's finest record. Jon Landau of Rolling Stone approved the original LP as "a rich, warm, satisfying album that stands head and shoulders above the morass of current releases".[4] Other reviews were likewise mostly positive. In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic has written that "it plays as the most focused and accomplished set of songs Elton John and Bernie Taupin ever wrote".[5]
Honky Chateau became the first of a string of albums by Elton John to hit number 1 in the Billboard Charts in the United States. In Canada, the album peaked at number 3 on the RPM 100 Top Albums Chart, reaching this position on July 29, 1972, dropping two places to number 5, then returning to number 3 for a further twelve consecutive weeks before falling to number 9 on November 4 of the same year.
Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLMotU8Tu9E
__________________________________________________________________
I really had forgotten Elton for quite a few decades as his fame & infamy became bigger than his music.
But I see why so many of my favorite artists (Carol King..for one) cite Elton as a true inspiration...so go back to the beginning, and don't shoot the piano player! He had something to say.
