I served 12 years in the Marine Corps and you guys' videos have helped me more than you could imagine with my PTSD. Hopefully one day I could meet you two and shake yalls hands.
Yes, his best years were with Bernie whrote most of the lyrics, Elton put the music to it. Another great song is the title song, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is probably the most epic and theatrical songs of Elton. They are basically one song and cover his full range of talent. Please next.
Yeah, that's back when there was more widespread appreciation of various music types. Nowadays, all the new music sounds basically the same. It's amazing to pick the top ten songs from pretty much any week between 1965 and 1995 and listen to the range of styles.
I'm glad you guys are finally seeing the rocking side of Elton John! That whole album is arguably his best. I'm sure you've heard this suggestion a million times but I'm going to say it again, "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" next!
Saw him in ‘84, and this was FIRE live! If you want Elton to rock, it’s time to react to his “Funeral For A Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding”! You will love it. And you’ll get all the piano you could hope for too!
A couple friends and I heard/saw Elton and band on the 1973 tour to promote the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album about 2 weeks before it was released, so lots of music that we had never heard before(well, this song and "Goodbye . . ." had been released as singles) as well as lots of his earlier songs. It was one of the best concerts I had ever attended. When the album did come out (no internet as we now know it, FM radio!) we were at the record (vinyl double LP) store with cash in hand.
Such a banger. One of many greats from Sir Elton!! "I'm a juvenile product of the working class whose best friend floats at the bottom of a glass." Let's not forget the lyrical genius of Bernie Taupin.
Elton John's guitarist, Davey Johstone, deserves a lot of credit for his contribution to Elton John's music throughout his career. He really shines on a rocker like this.
This is probably Eltons hardest rocking song and one of his best IMO. "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" (studio version) is a must react! I repeat... a must react! It's a progressive banger for the ages! Epic!
totally agree "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" will blow your minds! Also for a ballad you can't go wrong with Roy Rogers from this album as well.
This song was fire when we saw him live, the whole band was off the chain jamming away. Also a must hear from Elton is his Madman Across the Water. The original studio is utterly classic but there is an alternate take that is twice as long and features Mick Ronson (from David Bowie's Spiders From Mars) on guitar, his solo is other worldly and so fits the mood of this great tune. Everyone needs to hear it. Enjoy! 🎵🎹🎤🎶
I think you'd enjoy Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, it's a rocker as well. Honky Cat is another suggestion, as well as The Bitch is Back. Elton is the ultimate entertainer and always a class act. Great reaction, as always, y'all!
Elton recorded this song lying down on his back in the studio. There were only four instruments used on this recording - guitar, bass, drums and piano. One of the best 4 piece bands back in the day!
I've heard that story. I'm assuming it was the vocals he recorded lying down? While Elton has often played the piano lying down in concert, he's generally only using one hand when he does this, and there are definitely two hands being used here.
@@robdaviesprogm he recorded the piano part after laying down the vocals. Another song he recorded the vocals apart from playing the piano was candle in the wind. There may be footage of him recording candle on RU-vid. I definitely saw it on an episode of classic albums where he talked abt recording goodbye yellow brick Road.
@@keithroberts4952 Yeah, he usually recorded the vocals separately. That's the standard practice, because it's easier to mix the recording later on. What I meant was, were the vocals recorded lying down?
@@robdaviesprogm yes, I read that in a bio written about 20 years ago and the biography was endorsed by Elton so it was factual. Plus, I heard Elton in an interview actually say that he recorded it like that because he found it to be a difficult song to record. TIL that Elton John sung the entire album version of Saturday Nights Alright For Fighting, laying on his back on the studio floor (53:20) Play
This is the album where Elton John really took off. And he had the most amazing musicians working with him then...Davey Johnstone on guitar, Dee Murray on bass, and Nigel Olsson on drums. And, of course, Elton and that piano. They were absolutely fantastic! Not a bad song on this whole 2 album set. Oh, and let's not forget the amazing lyricist...Bernie Taupin!
Hard to believe that I saw Elton John in concert 48 years ago in September. He was my high school sweethearts favorite artist. Even though we broke up just before graduation, we were both at that concert, just not together. Absolutely the best showman I ever saw. He had the type of albums you wore out, you played them so often
My all-time favorite Sir Elton song is "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding." The first part is an instrumental and the second part is an uptempo rocker. Not as hard as this one, but definitely rocks.
This song is, perhaps, best enjoyed in tandem with the song that precedes it, "Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock and Roll)". It's like a time tour from the early 60s to the then-contemporary early 70s. Brilliance.
YES! I've been suggesting this for months! One of Elton's best (and your eleventh overall - twelve if you include Gladys & Friends). The energy, the fun, the pure Elton-ness! Thank you so much! If you want to go a little softer for your next Sir Elton song, try "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" or "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" or "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word." If you want to do something truly patriotic, give a listen to "Philadelphia Freedom"..
Empty Garden, YES! Many people don't know or don't remember that it was a tribute to John Lennon after he was killed. Sad, but it hasn't been played on the radio in years.
I was at Madison Square Garden the night of the tour in 74. He had John Lennon come out on stage and they sang three or so songs together. When Lennon left the stage, Elton sang someone saved my life tonight. The entire Garden had lighters lit up and afterward in an interview, Elton said he was singing with his eyes closed and opened his eyes to see all the lighters lit up. He said it was the most emotional amazing thing he ever experienced. That was the night John and Yoko got back together backstage. Elton is Godfather to their son, Sean.
There are literally no misses on this album. Righteous from the haunting opening of Funeral For a Friend, right through to the vocal beauty of Harmony. This album is worth savoring every single note.
In 6 1/2 years from '70 to '76 Elton released 10 (TEN!) studio albums. Elton & his crew knocked it out of the park. Every. Tme. Two of those albums were double-length. Plus there were 2 live albums, half of a movie soundtrack, several singles not on any album, and 2 greatest hits collections as a bonus. It still boggles my mind. And please keep his crew in mind. Bernie Taupin wrote 99.9% of the lyrics. And the musicians, especially Dee (r.i.p.), Nigel, Davey, and his producer Gus were all crucial to the mix.
This album came out during my senior year of high school. I wore that album out by the time I graduated. Funeral for a Friend was probably my favourite track.
This is probably the hardest rockin' song from Elton John....love Bernie's fun lyrics in this and Elton's vocals are stellar! Also love the Glissando parts(sliding down the keys)! thx for sharing Rob Squad :)
If you want more rockin' Elton, check out his version of "Pinball Wizard"; he played the character in the movie version of The Who's rock opera "Tommy".
Once again, what a great time to be a kid! Say what you want about the limitations of radio stations back then (as opposed to the vastness of the internet today) but they really added to the experience for me. You never knew when the DJ would say "And here's the latest from Elton John. Saturday Night's Alright. Let's give it a spin on KYA AM and FM, San Francisco!". Not to mention constantly changing the stations on my transistor radio trying to find my new "favorite" song! What a time!
Tons of energy this one. Back then, we didn’t bang our heads when we heard this kind of music on the radio because EVERYTHING back then was head-banging worthy. I remember cruising around up and down the drag in my car (or my friends’ cars) looking to see where everyone was hanging out. What a simple and carefree time. No worries about being an adult. No concept of that. And no cell phones or internet back then. We had to interact with one another face-to-face. I’m not THAT old guys. We all get older. It happens in the flash of an eye.
Another banger on this album was All The Young Girls Love Alice. The lyrics were just too racy for 70s radio but it's a banger. All the reactors who have listened to it dug it. For a mellow EJ I love the songs Daniel & Levon. Daniel makes me tear up.
I was riding with my buddy Daniel and pretended like I booted him out of the moving car when this song came on. But then I listened to the lyrics, “Daniel my brother, you are older than me. Do you still feel the pain, from the scars that won’t heal? Your eyes are blind. But you see more than I”. And I imagined his blinded, scarred, and battered body in the ditch, and I actually felt guilty! Lovely song but I have trouble listening to it now.
I just saw Elton in concert at Comerica Park in Detroit Monday a week ago... This is his farewell tour.. he says he is getting too old to tour anymore. He was fantastic... Nobody opened for him... he just played a solid 2.5 hours and then came back out for a 3 song encore. Not bad for a 75 yr old. 😄 The man was phenomenal! My only gripe was the echo in the stadium. It was fine for the music but when he stopped to tell stories from his career it made understanding him a little hard. At the end when he said that would be his first and last time playing at Comerica park it almost brought me to tears. This song was in his set list... the giant screens on stage showed fight scenes from a lot of old movies but the best was they showed HIS fight scene from the Kingsmen: The Golden Circle movie... 🤣 This is the song that started that fight scene in the movie. He totally KICKED ASS!!!! 😁
Two sides of Elton John to listen to: “Madman Across the Water” v “I Don’t Wanna Go On (with you like that)”. Very different compositions and decades but both amazing because they were performed by Sir Elton John.
Like many great "solo" artists, Elton John had a great band featuring lead guitarist and backing vocalist Davey Johnstone. A devastating talent that rarely receives the recognition he deserves.
Everytime I hear this song it takes me back to Pittsburgh hockey games in the 70's. At Saturday home games, this was always the first song played as the players stormed onto the ice for warm-ups
I just saw him in concert for the first time in 2017 and it was amazing. He played this song for about 15 minutes and it was so loud. I didn’t think he could be that loud. All rock and roll, baby!! If you get a chance to see him be before he stops touring you must. It was the best concert I’ve ever been to.
This came out in 1973 and is part of an iconic double album. In case you're wondering, he says "Saturday" 27 times at the end--9 in each of the three lines.😂
Gotta second the suggestion for his 11-minute masterpiece, "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding." It's got everything and changes course throughout the song. There's actually no lyrics for the first five minutes and it still manages to keep you riveted.
Yes, Elton really lets Davey Johnstone, his guitarist, shine on this one. You've hit the big hits from this album, but you can't leave out "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" (the album opener), and some of the smaller songs are just as brilliant. I'm a big fan of "Grey Seal", "All the Young Girls Love Alice" and "I've Seen That Movie, Too". And there's so much from the "Madman Across the Water" album you still need to hear. Yes, "Tiny Dancer" was great, but so are "Levon", "Indian Sunset" and the title track. Keep at it, please.
I love this song but I really liked the song right in front of it and how it lead into Saturdays Night's Alright (For Fighting) . Side 4 track 1 & 2. Your Sister Can't Twist then Saturday Night. Separate songs but one leads into the other so perfectly. As others have said, Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is a phenomenal track! Possibly EJ's best album ever but that could be argued easily.
I saw Sir Elton John in St Louis, 1981 under the Gateway Arch, 4th of July weekend, he was in Disguise as a cop to get through the crowd to the stage, awesome show.
John Lennon and Elton John have a song together called “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” that you guys should definitely check out. I know you two are super fans of both of them
This was Elton's early '70's updated homage to '50's early Rock and Roll. This whole album is amazing. Listen to Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. Masterpiece.
Eltron John is iconic. This album I had memoized when I was about 7 years old. My. BFF at the time and I would dance around her room singing at the top of our lungs. This was the early 1970s.
I was lucky enough to see him in concert at Hampton Court Palace in London about 15 years ago and there was only 2000 people in the audience. It was just him and the piano. He did this song and the way he played was INCREDIBLE! It literally covered all the guitar and percussion elements but all done just by playing the piano. I couldn’t believe how he was playing and singing along - I never would have thought this song could have been performed without bass, guitar and drums…and still sound rocking…yet he did it and it was electrifying!! Most amazing concert experience of my life.
Great reaction! You can’t call them rivals but England had Elton John and America had Billy Joel and even though both played piano they definitely had their own styles and sounds. They both had many multi-platinum selling albums.
I just remember listening to Elton John during the 70 & 80's on the radio. What a wonderful memory as a kid. He had such big hits during his early career. I missed his last concert just a few years ago, I wished I could have gone.
Sir Elton is so talented there are no words to adequately describe it. His music spans decades. You might also want to check out: "Empty Garden" (A Tribute to John Lennon), "The Bitch is Back" and "Island Girl". Pure pop perfection!
I had gotten Elton John's first Greatest Hits album on CD right as I was graduating high school in 1992 and became obsessed with this song. It became one of my getting-ready-to-go-out songs that I'd listen to every weekend.
Elton John and John Lennon were very good friends, when John was killed he and Bernie got together and wrote "Empty Garden", Elton wouldn't do this song live in his concerts because it upset him, I would suggest ya'll do the lyric video to not miss any words of this great song. Peace, Love, and God Bless
Goodbye Yellowbrick Road is such a phenomenal album! Double album. It's got heavy rockers, beautiful ballads, progressive rock, and some strange psychedelia. It was really an artist peaking. Figuratively and literally, because it was after this that he hit bottom with drugs and booze. Thankfully, he got it together again. He crashed but didn't burn.
Back in the day Elton was my favorite artist. This was my favorite song and I love when he starts the concert with this one. Too bad it didn't get more airplay. I have the album logo of this song tattooed on my forearm.
“Someone saved my life tonight” is amazing. Also, you have to hear “Lucy in the sky with diamonds”! He has so many great songs! It’s awesome to hear them again. Great reaction to this one! Y’all are so fun to watch! ❤️
Elton also helped young artists in those early days. Jackson Browne has a song, Redneck Friend, Elton plays a blistering piano on it. The is already a banging song but as you both said, his piano brings it to another level.
You should listen to Elton John's "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" and "All the Young Girls Love Alice". Both off of the Yellow Brick Road album, his best album.
