Today we have Elton John's seventh studio album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Released in 1973, it is often considered to be John's best album. When problems arose in Jamaica where the album was intended to be recorded, John opted to once again record his new album in the French Château where he recorded his two previous studio albums.
"Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding," "Candle in the Wind," and "Bennie and the Jets" make up what is likely the best 20 consecutive minutes on any Elton album yet and he continues this momentum onto side 2 with "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." However, side 2 and 3 slow down a little, which makes me think the album might have benefited from dispersing the first four songs throughout the album. But other than "Jamaica Jerk-Off" and "Dirty Little Girl," side 2 and 3 rarely flag with songs like "Grey Seal" and "All the Girls Love Alice" being among John's best work. Side 4 kicks it back up again and "Harmony" ends the album on a high note. Overall, I prefer the consistency (and faster listen) of Honky Château, but Goodbye Yellow Brick Road certainly contains an album of Honky Château's level within itself, along with several other tracks on the level of Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. A- [Later: B+]
