Today we have Elton John’s tenth studio album Rock of the Westies. Released in 1975, the album was his second of the year. Before recording, Elton fired his longtime bassist and drummer who recording with him since Honky Château. For the new album, Elton hired two old friends who recorded with him in his early days along with a new bassist.
Welp, we finished Elton John! Elton released more albums after Rock of the Westies and I plan on listening to some of them but I don't want to bore you too much with one artist, so we are stopping the full reviews after this. Besides, we've finished what is generally considered Elton's peak albums so not many of his albums past this are likely to be all that impressive in comparison.
Something about John's intentionally rowdy vocal delivery on many of these songs is at first easy to be turned off by but there's something impossible to deny about this band's raunchy hard rock. However, after a few listens, even Elton’s voice starts sounding great, perfectly matching both this band’s untamed energy and soft groovy side. Guitarists Davey Johnson and Caleb Quaye lead what is so far Elton's best backing band on any album with a memorable guitar lick or riff on nearly every song like on “Grow Some Funk of Your Own” and a particularly strong performance on "Street Kids." In fact, the guitar is so impressive on this album I was sure Elton had hired a new guitarist. Bernie Taupin also brings more to the table than he usually does with one of strongest batch of songs yet: “I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)” compares an outlaw’s murder to Taupin’s failing marriage, there’s “gasoline burning in [the] eyes” of the protagonist on “Street Kids,” and I have no idea what the lyrics of “Feed Me” are about, but they're good. A- [Later: A]
Welp, we finished Elton John! Elton released more albums after Rock of the Westies and I plan on listening to some of them but I don't want to bore you too much with one artist, so we are stopping the full reviews after this. Besides, we've finished what is generally considered Elton's peak albums so not many of his albums past this are likely to be all that impressive in comparison.Overall, Elton has been a great pleasure to go through. Elton's output during his peak was not only impressive for its sheer greatness, but also for its amount: I covered twelve albums, all of which he released from 1969-1975. While there were certainly some albums that weren't amazing, someone who has generally enjoyed what they've heard from Elton will certainly enjoy almost all of his studio albums up to Rock of the Westies to a degree.
Here's a ranking of his best albums so far (only B+ or higher):
6. Tumbleweed Connection (1970): Elton's country tinged rock works surprising well here, especially considering he and Bernie hadn't even been to the US at this point. B+
5. Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973): Buckmaster reunites with Elton and contributes his best string arrangements to any Elton project. Elton offers everything that made Honky Chateau great with songs that are just a small step down from its predecessor. B+
4. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975): This isn't as catchy as many of Elton's other albums, but the lyrics are great and this will definitely grow on you with time. B+
3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973): Here's the thing: this might technically be the best Elton John album but it's 76 minutes long and I'm not going to be returning to it as often as number 1 and 2 on this list. A-
2. Rock of the Westies (1975): With one if not the best batch of lyrics by Bernie to sing over, Elton assembles a fantastic rock and roll band. Unlike Captain Fantastic, he didn't go into the studio to make a masterpiece and that's why it works so well. A-
1. Honky Chateau (1973): This album is full of Elton classics: "Honky Cat," "Rocket Man," and "Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters" can't get enough praise and easily rank among his best songs. Elsewhere, loosen up and enjoy "I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself" and "Slave" despite your initial reluctance. A-
Check out Elton's discography page for all my album reviews here.
[Exactly a month after this was posted, here’s what I’d change to this ranking: drop Don’t Shoot Me and Tumbleweed (both have been changed to B’s) from the list and change Rock of the Westies, which is the only one of his albums I still listen to often, to the first place. Call me crazy cause it’s normally ranked as his eighth or so best album, but I think Elton was a major talent who often made questionable recording decisions that dampened the impact of his albums--those damn strings are the most obvious and prevalent example--and Rock of the Westies avoids everything questionable while also a being really fun listen ("Ohhhhh he was so macho!") with unique and diverse songs. He nails hard rock better than some hard rock bands and I'm guessing many Elton fans are turned off by his rowdy voice on this before they really give the album a chance.]