Ranking the Studio Albums: Elton John (Viewer Appreciation Day, w/Jamie Laszlo) 

1 Tumbleweed Connection 2 Madman Across The Water 3 Captain Fantastic 4 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 5 Blue Moves

One of the surprising things about John's early albums was how varied they were. Rock, pop even a bit of prog.

I’m a headbanger Blue Oyster Cult Sabbath etc but how can you not love Elton John? He’s just awesome

Great show Pete. Jamie you are hilarious. 👍

1. Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboys 2.Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 3. Empty Sky 4.Honky Chateau 5.Rock Of The Westies (saw the tour) 6. Blue Moves 7.Madman Across The Water 8. The Fox 9. Caribou 10. The One (saw the tour) H.M. -Reg Strikes Back (saw the tour) Favorite Live LP’s -11/17/70 - Here And There (complete concerts version) -

I don’t have many of Elton John’s albums, but I do think Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is one of the great rock albums of the 1970s.

Cool to see Jamie Laszlo on the show! My Top 5: 1- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 2- Honky Chateau 3- Sleeping With The Past 4- Madman Across The Water 5- Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy

one of favorite songs that for me is like a movie playing in my head is a song off the album Caribou Called "Ticking" . I love the snyth at the end

“Ticking” is one of his best songs, it’s on Caribou.

I hate that I couldn't spit out the word, "synthesizer." And I hate that I screamed a lot from drinking too much coffee. Can we do a take two? I'll put the confetti back up. Haha.

1. Madman Across The Water 2. Tumbleweed Connection 3. Elton John 4. Honky Chateau 5. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 6. Don't Shoot Me... 7. Captain Fantastic... 8. Empty Sky 9. Caribou 10. Rock Of The Westies

In 1973 of course/ GOODBYE Yellow Brick ROAD/ Stone cold classic but the other 73 album to me / is underrated in my opinion. DONT SHOOT ME IM ONLY the 🎹 PIANO PLAYER. And the 1975 CAPTAIN FANTASTIC and the BROWN DIRT COWBOY is unreal. ELTON was the first and earliest person/ group I ever listened to. Dominated my CHILDHOOD

Songs from the West Coast (2000) really got Elton back on track. He's been releasing great music since. Please don't overlook these gems.

This might be my favourite episode yet! I only know the hits of Elton but watching the mutual appreciation between you two and particularly Petes face when Jamie mentioned something he agreed with, that to me is what music is all about!! That shared love and admiration for an artist...made me emotional and I’m gonna go listen to Sacrifice because it’s an emotional song! 😂 Thanks guys

I only have Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - and it is a masterpiece. One of the best albums of the 1970s, and perhaps ever: the 11 minute opener just drags you in, and there are classics galore.

Elton was on fire in the 70s. A great run of albums. I really enjoyed songs from the west coast. The voice changed, but he did a nice job of recapturing the vibe of his 70s classics to my ears.

That was a very enjoyable 40mins. Jamie was very informative and very entertaining. Pete having guests on your deep cut dives/ rant series and ranking the albums shows, has been a very good decision as we get to hear different takes and opinions on the music being discussed. More importantly than that it drives us back to listen to the music itself which is what its all about.

Pete, great show. Jamie was a great guest and I'm jealous. I always had respect for Elton but I need to get into the catalogue now of all his stuff. You both motivated me!

1. Tie: Honky Tonk Chateau (my first EJ album) and the Union (I always dug Leon Russell) 2. Tumbleweed Connection 3. Madman Across the Water 4. Good-bye Yellow Brick Road 5. Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player 6. The Fox 7. Empty Sky 8. Elton John 9. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy 10. The One Honorable Mentions: Sleeping with the Past, Rock of the Westies, Caribou

An unsung little song called "House of Cards"-B side to "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" has always been one of my very deep cut favorites.

How I've looked forward to this! My all-time favourite solo artist... You guys have done a top 10, but this is how I've ranked all 30 studio albums. 30. Victim Of Love 29. Leather Jackets 28. Ice On Fire 27. The Fox 26. Empty Sky 25. Wonderful Crazy Night 24. The Big Picture 23. Peachtree Road 22. Jump Up! 21. 21 At 33 20. A Single Man 19. The Captain And The Kid 18. Tumbleweed Connection 17. Madman Across The Water 16. Elton John 15. Blue Moves 14. Rock Of The Westies 13. Caribou 12. Reg Strikes Back 11. Songs From The West Coast TOP TEN 10. Too Low For Zero 9. Breaking Hearts 8. Honky Chateau 7. Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player 6. Made In England 5. The Diving Board 4. The One 3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 2. Sleeping With The Past 1. Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy Cheers guys, really enjoyed this!

Pete and Jamie....thank you! I never expected an Elton ranking on SoT. What a great surprise. Some trivia for others reading here about the last stanza of Border Song that Jamie quoted. It’s said that Elton wrote the lyrics for the last stanza. One of the rare times he contributed lyrics. My top ten would be an amalgamation of what you two picked. Happy to see The Captain And The Kid picked by Jamie. One of my favorites in the later catalogue. On another SoT youtube board, I said the I saw Elton on his first tour of America. Just him with Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Ollson on drums. Unbelievable performance that made me tell my parents the next day I didn’t want to study classical piano any more. I wanted to play like Elton. That is why his live album 11/17/70 is one of my top two live albums. Enough rambling but thanks again for a show that was enjoyed greatly. And to say Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is my favorite for today and the awful Victim of Love will likely be my most disliked in the foreseeable future. Thanks!

Love your shows. I’m a bit shocked though that my favorite Elton John album “Blue Moves” isn’t on either of your lists. It’s solid from start to finish. I’m mainly a prog guy but this album is on my regular rotation. Love it to death.

This was awesome. A real work of passion and integrity and plain old cool.

Welcome JAMIE! See the “ famous name all the time! Great job. / Congratulations. PETE/ as usual / tremendous job ! Thank you

Been subscribed for awhile, been a lurker. Great reviews by you two, was fun to see your passion for the music. I'm really only familiar with Elton John through Blue Moves for studio albums. If I had to pick a favorite it would be Captain Fantastic. I picked up the Japanese SHM CD remasters of Elton John through Blue Moves, plus Greatest Hits Vol II. They sound amazing. Great video and channel!

Jamie’s set up is unreal

Wow, didn't see this coming, nice way to vary the channels content. Jamie did a nice job !! Elton was one of the first "rock" artists I clearly recall as a kid in the early 70's (along with Alice Cooper) hearing as the music was being released. Elton was ALL over FM radio back then. For me the classic 70's Elton is where its at, I really haven't listened to much by him since Reg Strikes Back. In fcat I couldn't tell you a single album or single he has put out since I'm Still Standing tbh. 1 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 2 Captain Fantastic... 3 Tumbleweed Connection 4 Madman Across the Water 5 Honky Chateau 6 Don't Shoot Me... 7 Elton John 8 Blue Moves 9 Caribou Forgot Live In Australia w/ Symphony which is an amazing record, probably top 5 for me.... That's all I own....

Preferred Elton's early stuff. Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water, self titled Elton John, and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road are my faves.

Great video Pete! I agree with your #1 & #2...thanks for reminding me how great Elton was back in the day!

As a kid Elton was the first R&R act I got into. It was the 70s afterall,and those by far are his best lps. ! Madman...2 Tumbleweed..3 Goodbye 4 Capt F...5 Dont Shoot .

Amazing Show ! Made me a fan !

Super cool and I'm absolutely jealous of Jamie's toys he had in the room. Brilliant idea once again.

I've been waiting for this one!

what a joyeous video to watch....thanks guys :- )

I'm curious hat you guys think of Elton's "Friends" soundtrack? I heard it in college and have loved it ever since. There's only a sprinkling of the Elton we know in there, but it's good; the album does play like a soundtrack, but to me that just adds to it's charm.

I'm a classic rock, prog, hard rock and jazz fan. My mom (no longer with us), when driving my sister and I to school during our childhood, used to play artists on the 8-track like Simon & Gafunkel, Seals and Crofts and Jim Croce. The only rock concert I ever went to with her was Billy Joel in the early nineties (featuring the Storm Front album). I got her into the Madman Across the Water album. That album and Tumbleweed Connection are my top 2 Elton albums, and they change places every other day. Indian Sunset from Madman is my favorite Elton song. Great storytelling, and am sure inspired songs like ELP's Pirates and Marillion's Gaza. And the opening montage of Dog Day Afternoon with Amoreena, gotta love it!! Another great show Pete, and Jamie is awesome!

This might just be my favourite SoT video. I just love Elton John's 70s output. My formative listening years were with Elton John and for that matter Rod Stewart. There's some great, great albums in there. Poor Rod doesn't get a look in these days. I have the 70s stuff from Elton John but stopped there. I dont think I've caught Jamie on other videos but I enjoyed his enthusiasm and yes I bought the live album after watching this :-)

Thanks for sharing your variety of views. My favorites are: 1. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - for me it has great rock, prog and ballads combined with his most experimental instrumentation and begins with my second favorite Elton John Song and one of the best prog compositions emotionally resonant with intricate and moving melody with a ballad, rock and muti- part harmony section. 2. Don't Shoot Me I'm The Piano Man- It hits so quick with my favorite and most emotionally moving and beautiful Elton John song Daniel, then hits the honkytonk again with Eldeberry Wine, Crocodile Rock 3. Honky Chateau 4. Tumbleweed Connection 5. Madman Across the Water even though Tiny Dancer is my third favorite Elton song. Tumbleweed has more songs I like 6. Debut Elton John 7. Caribou 8. Captain Fantastic For me the top albums form a peak in 1973 with the flanks going up and going down on either side.

Sir Elton John is a legend.

Pete, a good new series! When I worked radio, Legendary Boss Radio KYNO Fresno, it was so great when on Friday nights we would open the listener request lines. Requests for classic rock & pop songs from the 50's to the 70's were almost all played and the listeners would just love it when they heard their voice was on the air. A great way to have the listeners feel they reason of the whole experience!

For what it's worth: 1. Madman Across The Water 2. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 3. Elton John 4. Tumbleweed Connection 5. Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player 6. Honky Chateau 7. Sleeping With The Past 8. Songs From The West Coast 9. The Captain and The Kid 10. The Diving Board

Interesting selections. You cannot mention Caribou without the track 'ticking' . So underrated, it is a brilliant song, such a powerful story. Is up there with ' the killing of Georgie' by Rod Stewart. Keep up the good work Pete.

This is such a cool idea!!

I've always said if his farewell tour was to play the entire Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album and nothing else, I would have gone to see it. I, like Pete, like the early material but around Island Girl on, he lost me. I liked the One album, especially the Last Song. That was so touching. Great show! I wish I had found this channel much earlier (and not just within the last couple months or so) and commented more because I would love to do something like this.

Would love to see you do a top 10 Stevie Wonder. His run from 1970-1980 matches anybodies run of albums from any time period.

I went and grabbed my albums, looked at them for ten minutes, and put them back. This one is too hard. I like the whole catalog. "Goodbye..." is probably at the top for me, though. The title song is one of the best. And "Love Lies Bleeding"... geez... The only album that I don't really enjoy much is "Big Picture". I'm not sure it would make my top ten, but I really like "Peachtree Road" from 2004, too. Thanks, Pete & Jamie!

Empty Sky also had Lady Samantha that he wrote for Three Dog Night.His version and theirs are both great!

Pete, just want to say that I'm a relatively new viewer, and am damn glad I found this great Channel of yours!

1. Captain Fantastic 2. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 3. Madman Across The Water 4. Tumbleweed Connection 5. Don’t Shoot Me... 6. Honkey Chateu 7. Elton John 8. Songs From The West Coast 9. Blue Moves 10. A Single Man

Too Low for Zero is easily his best 80s album. Not great, but I like the album

Rad video Pete as always

Benny and the Jets is the most instantly recognizable song of all time... something about that first piano chord.

Great episode Pete 😎😎

"Sleeping With The Past" (1989) was his best album since "Blue Moves" (1976)!!

You guys were Great !

Great job Jamie! I agree with you 100% on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

The Mick Ronson version of Madman across the water is epic. Mick was playing with Michael Chapman at the time (Check out Fully Qualified Survivor) and Gus Dudgeon was involved with both ..It was so good to find it as a bonus on the end of the Tumbleweed CD. Thanks for ranking Elton guys!

Pete - you seem like the quintessential radio disc jockey. Very cool, and I relate much more to your top ten Elton in this video than Jamie's. This is the first video of yours I've viewed, but I'm subscribing, and I want you to be on the lookout for a top 30 or top 25 of Elton I am personally putting together soon, in celebration of Elton's "Jewel Box" album - 148 songs - mostly deep cuts, etc from what it looks like - on Nov. 13, 2020. The video I put together will have Excel showing highlighted favorites of mine for each album along with a scoring system to actually help me keep in check with my true feelings on the top albums.

Nice video with great lists. Glad to see Sleeping with the Past high in your ranking. Strong but overlooked record. I'd add as my bonus fav not mentioned: Made in England, The Fox, Songs from the West Coast, and Peachtree Road. My top 6 list. 1. Madman Across the Water. 2.Elton John 3. Tumbleweed Connection 4. Goodbye Yellow... 5. Don't Shoot me 6. Captain fantastic.

Screw it, I'll Rank all of the Albums. 32 - Victim of Love 31 - Leather Jackets 30 - 21 at 33 29 - Ice on Fire 28 - Duets 27 - Sleeping with the Past 26 - Reg Strikes Back 25 - Jump Up! 24 - Breaking Hearts 23 - Wonderful Crazy Night 22 - The Big Picture 21 - Songs from the West Coast 20 - The One 19 - The Union 18 - The Fox 17 - Made in England 16 - Too Low for Zero 15 - The Diving Board 14 - A Single Man 13 - The Captain and the Kid 12 - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy 11 - Caribou 10 - Peachtree Road 9 - Rock of the Westies 8 - Blue Moves 7 - Don't Shoot Me I'm only the Piano Player 6 - Empty Sky 5 - Tumbleweed Connection 4 - Madman across the Water 3 - Elton John 2 - Honky Chateau And Number 1 - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Yeah, I may have a Weird Ranking.

Dudes got a Joust game in his house👍😀Good vid as usual.

I waited...and waited, but I KNEW you would not touch my fave Elton album - FRIENDS!!!

I just think it's great to see so many kids (now adults) from the 80s , that were (and still are) into Rock and Metal, once passing 40 going towards 50, get the tendency to get into Elton John. Just like me.

Elton is an immense talent with a legendary body of work. My top favorites 1-Captain Fantastic 2- Good Bye Yellow Brick Road 3- Elton John The Debut 4- Honk Chateau 5- Tumble Weed Connection 6- Madman Across the Water. BTW- Bennie and the Jets is my favorite Elton song. It instantly takes me back to my childhood in the car with my Dad listening to AM radio. Great thing about certain songs they can bring back memories of our love ones who have passed. Always see my Dad in his prime when Bennie plays. Thanks Elton.

Big fan of Elton John starting in the 1970s. My musician friend and I listened to a lot of the classic Elton albums from his self titled album to Captain Fantastic and many others. We were also big fans of his many B-sides (most of them collected on Rare Masters). I agree that Goodbye Yellow Brick Road would land in my #1 or #2 slot along with Captain Fantastic or Madman Across the Water. (I have the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road box set with 4 CDs/1 DVD.) Also, loved his Caribou and Rock of the Westies albums. Great show!

My top 10 #1 - Rock of the Westies ( HANDS DOWN ) #2- Elton John Self titled 1970 #3- Goodbye yellow brick road #4- Caribou ( just for ticking alone should higher) #5- Captain Fantastic #6- Madman across the water #7- Honky Chateau #8- Don't shoot me , I'm only the piano player #9- Tumbleweed connection #10- Rock of the Westies ( Yes, I know its number one, but I love it more than the rest of Elton's stuff!)

I was at that live show in Melbourne Australia Jamie, still probably his best tour out here, tho later he & Billy Joel toured together with duelling pianos which was awesome...oh and Billy won just on points.

The song "Lady Samantha" (from 1969 "Empty Sky") was also done by Three Dog Night "(from 1969 "Suitable For Framing" their 2nd album).

Hi, great channel. great videos, keep up the good work! Elton John in the 70's is a bit like Stevie Wonder, so many great albums, it's so difficult to rank them. I'll try..... My number 1 at the moment is Goodbye Yellow brick Road, it shot up to the top 2) Captain Fantastic and the brown dirt cowboy 3) Madman Across the water 4) Tumbleweed connection 5) Honky Chateau 6) Elton John These are the albums i've listened to the most over the years

Seven consecutive No.1 US albums! Has that record been beaten? From '69 to '76, something like 14 albums. Is it surprising that a certain consistency wobbles a little after a while? No one has kept up that level of success within that space of time.

PETE YES, my all time favorite artist. Jamie did you say Yellow Brick Road is Over Rated? WTH?????????????????? In Honer of Nigel, Davey, Dee and Bernie. My top 15 and it could be top 25. 1- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. 2- Captain Fantastic. 3- Madman Across the Water. 4- Don't Shoot Me. 5- Jump Up. 6- Breaking Hearts. 7- Honky Chateau. 8- Empty Sky. 9- Caribou. 10- Elton John. 11- Tumbleweed Connection. 12- Sleeping with the Past. 13- Rock of the Westies. 14- Blue Moves. 15- Leather Jackets. I have heard that Yellow Brick Road was the Sgt. Peppers of his career. Such a great show Pete way overdue too.

Tumbleweed connection is his most underrated and my personal favorite. Even though I knew and loved a lot of Elton John's music, listening to this still blew me away.

Every so often, I'll go out and buy all the albums of an artist that I feel like I should've already gotten into. I have a few more to snap up, but I'm on that (increasingly expensive) journey with Elton. Previously I only had 2-⬇️-4-0, and I really like that one, so I was a bit surprised to hear it dismissed here. I have yet to start from the beginning, but can't wait for the journey.

Been a big fan of Elton for nigh on 50 years. His 1st G/Hits album, ranks as one of the best collections ever, IMO. 10. Captain and the Kid 9. Empty Sky 8. Caribou 7. Madman Across the Water 6.. Don't Shoot Me 5 . Too Low For Zero 4. Elton John 3. Tumbleweed Connection 2. Goodbye Yellow brick Road 1. Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy Such an array of great music and lyrics from the queen of rock-pop . 🤩🎹 5.

It's got to be Captain Fantastic for me...we named the neighborhood cat Lucy after the song Lucy in the sky with diamonds...and I just love Philadelphia Freedom...Fun show😁.Thanks Pete and Jaime:)

i like that Jamie said were he lived Columbus. im guessing Ohio im from Cincinnati. like to here a ohio boy talking music. plus i learned alot about elton. good job guys.

Man, I must be the only person watching this who adores the '80s albums as well! Only "Ice on Fire" and "Leather Jackets" would rank as subpar for me, and even those two have their share of nice moments. There are some real hidden gems in the '80s output. Anyway, here's my top 20: 20. Made in England - solid "latter-day" album (although it just marked its 25th anniversary earlier this year!); the three main singles are excellent, and most of the album cuts (e.g., "House," "Belfast," "Latitude") are strong as well 19. Empty Sky - the seeds of greatness are here, but the actual results vary; some songs like "Western Ford Gateway" and "Skyline Pigeon" are fantastic, while others are mediocre ("Lady What's Tomorrow") 18. The Captain & the Kid - my favorite post-'90 album; opens with a blast ("Postcards from Richard Nixon") and maintains that high level throughout ("Tinderbox," "The Bridge") 17. Reg Strikes Back - somewhat uneven, but the highs are excellent ("I Don't Wanna...," "Town of Plenty," "The Camera Never Lies"); I've even come around recently on the stop-start "Heavy Traffic" 16. Rock of the Westies - largely uptempo and catchy, if not particularly deep-in-meaning; I've always loved the politically-incorrect "Island Girl" and faux-macho "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" but have more recently come to appreciate the latter-half of the album ("Feed Me") 15. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy - blasphemy, I know! I appreciate Captain for its craftsmanship, but aside from a couple of songs (title track, "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," "Better Off Dead") this is rarely an album I reach for. I'll absolutely concede that this is one of Elton's 10 "best" albums, but it's not one of my 10 favorites. 14. Sleeping with the Past - a big comeback after "Ice on Fire, "Leather Jackets" and the aforementioned good-but-uneven "Reg Strikes Back"; completely agree with Jamie that "Sacrifice" is one of the weaker numbers and the magnificent "Healing Hands" is the real star of the album, I'm also a big fan of "Club at the End of the Street" (a top 30 single in the US, as was "Sacrifice" and "Healing Hands"), "Blue Avenue" and the title track 13. Elton John - a big step up in songwriting from Empty Sky, almost every track is excellent although the arrangements are a bit sparse for my liking (I'm a sucker for the strings and electric guitars of the records to come); I think I generally prefer the live versions of these songs 12. Too Low for Zero - most of the focus nowadays is on "I'm Still Standing," even though the biggest US hit from this album was the equally-excellent "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"; the other two singles ("Cold as Christmas," "Kiss the Bride") are strong too, as are most of the album cuts (the closing "One More Arrow" is a true gem) 11. Madman Across the Water - unlike Pete and Jamie, I've never cared too much for "Indian Sunset"...for me, it falls into that admired-but-not-loved category that much of "Captain Fantastic..." does; its placement smack-dab in the middle is the primary reason that this otherwise-excellent album falls just outside my top 10. I've always thought the four songs that followed "Indian Sunset" on side 2 were criminally underrated. 10. Tumbleweed Connection - opens strong ("Ballad of a Well-Known Gun") and closes phenomenally ("Burn Down the Mission," with those magnificent string soars in the all-hell-breaking-loose finale); most of what comes in the middle is excellent as well ("Come Down in Time," "Amoreena") although I've never been a huge fan of "Love Song" 9. 21 at 33 - believe it or not, I used to like this album even more about a decade ago; in recent years, it's fallen down the list a bit as I've grown weary of the mid-tempo 4/4 drum-and-tambourine beat that marks the production of "Chasing the Crown," "Two Rooms..." and "White Lady White Powder" (all great songs). I wish more of an effort had been made to diversify the production of these three songs. Otherwise, "Little Jeannie" - a #3 single in the US yet rarely heard today - stands with Elton's best work and I am also a fan of "Sartorial Eloquence" (which barely squeaked into the US top 40), "Dear God" and the twangy "Take Me Back." 8. Jump Up! - another underrated effort from the early '80s; the Lennon-tribute "Empty Garden" is beautifully poignant, the Townshend-guesting "Ball and Chain" is catchy as anything, the divorce-saga "Legal Boys" navigates its multiple time-signature changes admirably. I've always had a soft spot for "Princess." A few of the songs are a bit generic, but their catchiness is undeniable. Even the ridiculous "I Am Your Robot" is enjoyable from a camp perspective. 7. Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player - never been a huge fan of "...Teenage Idol" or "Texan Love Song," but that's pretty much where the complaints end. 100% agree with Pete and Jamie that "Elderberry Wine" is great fun, "Have Mercy on the Criminal" is one of those masterful Paul Buckmaster-arranged epics and "Crocodile Rock" is so perfect that's it's tempting to take it for granted. Love "Teacher I Need You" and "High Flying Bird," too. 6. Breaking Hearts - the big hit "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" might be my least favorite song of the album, largely owing to its dated sound; on the other hand, "Who Wears These Shoes?" and "In Neon" are two lost classics (both hit the top 40 in the US) and I love the title track, "Lil' Frigerator" and "Burning Buildings" as well. 5. Caribou - people seem to underestimate this one as "GYBR's lesser follow-up" and while that might be technically true, it's still phenomenal anyway. Every song has merit - the two hits are top-notch, while the album tracks are great ("Pinky," "Grimsby," "Dixie Lily," "You're So Static," "Ticking"). "Solar Prestige a Gammon" is silly, but I still like it anyway. And for several years I viewed "I've Seen the Saucers" and "Stinker" as the weakest stretch of the album, but I've since come to love both of them. Great album. 4. The Fox - I've heard this described as Elton's "most European album" and I get what they're trying to say; some of the production is much darker and synth-heavy than anything on its predecessor "21 at 33" (which is odd, given that a good chunk of "The Fox" album was recorded during the "21 at 33" sessions). It's a really special, unique album in Elton's discography...the kickoff track "Breaking Down Barriers" is upbeat fun, followed immediately by the brooding, heavy "Heart in the Right Place." And the rest of the album follows that same mixture of catchy, engaging pop-rock ("Just Like Belgium," "Heels of the Wind") and moody synth-exercises ("Nobody Wins," "Fascist Faces"). The "Carla/Etude/Fanfare/Chloe" medley and the beautiful "Elton's Song" are both among my favorite Elton songs of all time. 3. A Single Man - the true hidden gem in Elton's catalog...the opening "Shine on Through" is beautiful, and it just keeps on going from there. "Part-Time Love" is yet another on the list of fantastic Elton singles that scraped into the middle/lower reaches of the US top 40 but has been largely forgotten today. Other highlights include the tropically-percussive "Return to Paradise," playful "Big Dipper" (yes, it's sexual), frantic "Madness" and lovely closing instrumental pair of "Reverie" and "Song for Guy." If you can, get the remastered version from '98 as the bonus tracks are also excellent - particularly "Ego" (yet another single that met with limited chart success but is among Elton's best work). 2. Honky Chateau - the first Elton album I ever owned, and it still holds a special place in my heart. Wall-to-wall classics here: the two hit singles are great, "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" is one of Elton's best-known album tracks and it deserves every bit of the praise it gets, "Mellow," "I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself," "Salvation," "Hercules"...basically the whole album is worthy of special mention. Absolutely phenomenal stuff. 1. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - I have to agree with Pete here. As much as I'd like to give a "hot take" for my #1 choice and pick something out of the ordinary, there's no way I can go against "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." One of my favorite albums of all time. I remember being 11 years old and looking through the booklet with all of the illustrations that accompanied each song and being absolutely mesmerized, all while this brilliant album played. I won't even bother trying to list any of the songs - they're all special in their own right. Just a stellar testament to the brilliance of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Enjoying the channel and the videos, Pete! Looking forward to what's coming next.

Dont shoot me i'm just the piano player and rock of the westies have been getting me through the weekend. Great albums

Honky Chateau is the very first album I bought when I was a kid and still 1 of my favorites. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is my #1 favorite Elton John Album.

Just started listening to Elton John thanks to this video and I’m really enjoying it. Grey Seal: is that a swipe at John Lennon - the self proclaimed Walrus - and what might be seen as his pontificating?

FUNNY STORY...I was at his first concert in Sydney,Australia in "70 or "71.It was an outdoor gig and a massive storm rolled in bringing the huge tarpaulin down on him and his piano.We were treated to one of his tantrums filled with many 'F" words....quite a show and pleasantly unexpected as his only hit song at this stage was "Your Song"! Saw him again in"73 in Sydney,by now a HUGE Star....one of the top 3 concerts I have ever experienced!!

After watching this video a few days ago (for the second time), I got the Tumbleweed Connection Deluxe Edition you were talking about, Pete. You were right on about Madman Across the Water. That was worth the price of the disc.

One little trivia note I found fascinating was that Elton John had a top-40 hit in America every single year from 1970-1997, which is a helluva streak, especially when you remember that in many of those years, he had two, three, and even four of them. His output slowed as he passed 50, or he might have even kept it up longer.

if you edited this and your last video together, you'd have a feature length film that could win an academy award, they have been that good!

1.Captain 2. Goodbye 3.Single Man 4. Elton John 5.Blue 6. Madman 7.Don't Shoot 8. Tumbleweed 9. Honkey 10. The Fox. Captain is a masterpiece - takes a few listens but all songs, tunes, lyrics are superb, art, booklet - all works together. Absolute masterpiece..

Great show guys, Thanks for doing Elton and NOT covering all 30 studio albums. It would have been a lengthy one, LOL. The Top 5 I automatically put on, 5. The One 4. Caribou 3. Captain Fantastic 2. Don't Shoot Me... 1. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road I was wondering which one I was missing, and now I'll have to go run out and buy Tumbleweed. I couldn't honestly rank since I don't have it yet. Like Pete says, "At any given moment. the order can change" Have a great day. The Elton and Billy question was a toughy Pete, but respectfully I could grab any BJ album over EJ anyday. I do like them both, Cheers :-)

I ahad to come hear and watch this after jamie's story about it on the "Our First Episode" series - love this - next, Crosby Stills and Nash. History in the making.

Not a big fan, but you can't like everything. Still watched with appreciation

Yep got all the 70's lineup of albums up to yellow brick road...good stuff...viewer appreciation day?...well I could easily rank and discuss just about any band that you've ever talked about Pete ...and by the way my background on screen would look very much like yours Pete...a solid wall of killer albums on disc!!

Great video guys!! Would you say "Ticking" is one of his best solo numbers which really shows off just him & his piano?

1. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 2. Tumbleweed Connection 3. Honky Chateau 4. Made In England 5. Elton John 6. Breaking Hearts 7. Songs from the West Coast 8. Madman Across the Water 9. Caribou 10. Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player

As a "younger" listener my first liking of Elton Johns music was The Lion King soundtrack which I still enjoy quite a bit! I like what I heard from his post 2000 albums too. It's not the 1970's quality but solid. As for favorite I would go for Yellow Brick Road or Captain Fantastic. Both rather long albums. One with lots of hits and one just very well done album that focus on something else. Can't go wrong with any of the first handful of albums though. Good show!

1. Honky Chateau, 2. Tumbleweed Connection, 3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 4. Captain Fantastic, 5. Blue Moves, 6. Madman Across the Water, 7. Don't Shoot Me, 8. Elton John, 9. Made In England, 10. The Fox (I know I'll take some flak for the last two). Also, great to have a shout out for Hoop of Fire, probably his best ballad from the 80's, along with Burning Buildings.

Bought the 45 of Benny.....slow danced to Someone Saved at teen dances.....great memories.....one of the true geniuses of the 70's!✌

Love Bennie & the Jets! It’s got great atmosphere and showcases Elton’s ability to transition back and forth between his regular voice and falsetto with total ease. Never thought of it as “silly.”

My top ten Elton albums: 1. Madman Across the Water 2. 21 at 33 3. Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player 4. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy 5. Ice on Fire 6. Reg Strikes Back 7. The Diving Board 8. The Fox 9. Blue Moves 10. Sleeping With the Past

Great idea pete

Slowly collecting all of Elton Johns albums :) I have all his classic albums but working on getting the rest

Pete , you talked about his keyboard skills on Empty Sky . For another example , Checkout Live in Moscow 79 . The sound isn't great , but there's no mistaking his keyboard wizardry. And a great cover of Heard it Through the Grapevine. Honky Chateau Don't Shoot Me Captain Fantastic Madman Across the Water Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Tumbleweed Connection Elton John Caribou Rock of the Westies Empty Sky