Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
|
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Even those who customarily dismiss Elton John as a somewhat bland and sentimental balladeer would find much to admire in Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the best album he has ever made. The track listing reads like an early Greatest Hits collection; it contains not only the original version of "Candle In The Wind" but such raucous and gleeful songs as "Bennie And The Jets", "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" and "Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n' Roll)". From the impassioned opening medley of "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" to the gentle closer, "Harmony", there are few duff moments among these 17 tracks. "All The Young Girls Love Alice" is a savage but wry tale of lesbian exploitation, and the title song is just short of lovely. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is both a joy for fans and a genuine surprise for the uninitiated. --David Bennun
Review
Never one to lack hubris, Elton described this 80-minute double as his White Album. It’s sold over 30 million copies and is his most commercially successful studio album. His name was already made upon its October 1973 release, but this muddled magnum opus shunted him – with its astronomical US popularity – into the big leagues. Today, the famous sections sound great while the filler numbers (and there are quite a few) sound flimsy.
The original idea had to been to record in Jamaica, following The Rolling Stones’ example set with Goat’s Head Soup. But local unrest there led to a swift return to Chateau d’Herouville for the third consecutive album. In his comfort zone and full of confidence, John managed to concoct an invigorating brew of rock, pop, glam and music hall. If it tails off badly – the unspeakable truth is that GYBR would have made a better single album – it begins in winningly grandiose manner.
The epic Wagnerian strains of the Funeral for a Friend instrumental lead into the red-meat refrains of Love Lies Bleeding, where Davey Johnstone’s guitar, as so often, lends wings to a John/Taupin composition. The run of now-standards continues with Candle in the Wind (then a homage to Marilyn; later, notoriously, to Diana), the stomping glam-soul romp Bennie and the Jets (perhaps a fuzzy stab at a Ziggy Stardust fantasy), and the plaintive title song, in which the virtues of country over city are eulogised. "I’m going back to my plough," sighs Elton, in perhaps the least technically authentic line in pop history.
After the melodically rich This Song Has No Title, the decline kicks in. GYBR is very much a top-loaded collection, and the likes of Jamaica Jerk-Off and Dirty Little Girl are no contenders for greatness. What was side three showcases Taupin at his lamest: lines like "getting paid for being laid" remain excruciating. There’s a slight revival, however, in the final quarter. Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting – again guitar-dominated – has outlived its Who-influenced, glam-era buzz and Harmony is a deft closer. Of these 17 songs, banged out in 15 days, half have become rock canon staples.
--Chris RobertsFind more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
My mothers taste in music when I was a kid ranged from the brilliant (Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, Glen Campbell) to the obsurdly terrible (Edward Woodward, Rod Stewart). But nothing could be questioned about her choice in this case. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is an amazing collection of songwriting superbly performed. Not only does every song stand out on its own, the album seems to blend beautifully into an experience you just want to listen to start to finish. The opening 4 songs would be enough on their own to satisfy most people. But it just goes on and on, you sit there waiting for a contirved track without its own personailty and it doesn't come. Before you know it, you're swimming in the perfect way to end such a brilliant record - "Harmony". This album must be one of the greatest ever released and it wouldn't matter to me if Elton John had never recorded again. Saying that, I'm very pleased he has continued to turn out wonderful music, even if not quite as amazing as this collection as a whole. Can't not say how incredible I thought "Benny and the Jets" was when I was I kid, and how I came 3rd in a Kareoke one night singing it surrounded by gay women. FANTASTIC!!!!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Definitely one of the best albums that Elton and Bernie have ever done. This was the first really cohesive album, though it covered a fantastic range of styles so well that most other artists couldn't even come close to the breadth of this album. From the out and out prog rock of "Funeral For A Friend" to the absolutely beautiful closing ballad "Harmony", you feel as if you are going on a journey with Elton, Bernie and the band. And this line up was without doubt the best band that Elton has ever had behind him. The rhythm section of Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson was truly magical, and suited Elton's music so well. Not to mention Davey Johnstone who is still an Elton John fixture.
Basically, there are so many truly classic songs on here, that to single out one or two would be just plain wrong. Yes, the album has it's weaker tracks (All The Young Girls Love Alice being a good example),but the quality of the other songs more than makes up. Even though this album is now more than 30 years old, it puts a lot of others made in the meantime to shame - in such ways as lyrics, songwriting craft, and musicianship.
To my way of thinking, this album was only bettered by Elton et al once - on the absolutely sublime masterpice that is Captain Fantastic.
Basically, there are so many truly classic songs on here, that to single out one or two would be just plain wrong. Yes, the album has it's weaker tracks (All The Young Girls Love Alice being a good example),but the quality of the other songs more than makes up. Even though this album is now more than 30 years old, it puts a lot of others made in the meantime to shame - in such ways as lyrics, songwriting craft, and musicianship.
To my way of thinking, this album was only bettered by Elton et al once - on the absolutely sublime masterpice that is Captain Fantastic.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
While it is possible to argue that there are perhaps a couple of Elton John albums which may rival (or even better) 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' in terms of song quality, there aren't any that have managed to match it in stylistic range. In other words 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' successfully manages to encompass every facet of Elton's musical styles in a double album package that is sharp and bright in tone with enough variety to never seem boring. It also makes a strong case against those who feel Elton's forte is in being a bland balladeer.
Rock 'n' roll - ' Your Sister Can't Twist ..', 'Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting', reggae - 'Jamaica Jerk Off', and soul - 'Bennie And The Jets', sits perfectly alongside Elton's more traditional ballads such as the well known 'Candle In The Wind' and 'Harmony' in an album that works on every level.
Bernie Taupin's lyrics are also varied in terms of theme ranging from his tribute to Marilyn Monroe - 'Candle In The Wind', prostitution - 'Sweet Painted Lady', cowboys - 'Roy Rogers', the film 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' and the unusual, futuristic 'Bennie And The Jets'.
Not every song is prime Elton though - 'Social Disease' and 'All The Girls Love Alice' aren't particularly striking but to be fair they're not exactly bad either.
Versitility is the key to the greatness of 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', whether musically, lyrically and also in Elton's vocal performance. In fact it's refreshing to hear what a really fine and versitile voice Elton had in his youth and it's an album like this that blows away any hint of the personality driven Elton in more recent years who's forte when he does record tends to be more often than not, boring and overblown ballads. On 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' he has greater scope which, whatever he does in the future he'll never be able to match. Elton's range had diminished with age to such an extent that there's no way he could ever record an album so diverse and varied as 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' again - that's why it's an album that deserves to be cherished.
Rock 'n' roll - ' Your Sister Can't Twist ..', 'Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting', reggae - 'Jamaica Jerk Off', and soul - 'Bennie And The Jets', sits perfectly alongside Elton's more traditional ballads such as the well known 'Candle In The Wind' and 'Harmony' in an album that works on every level.
Bernie Taupin's lyrics are also varied in terms of theme ranging from his tribute to Marilyn Monroe - 'Candle In The Wind', prostitution - 'Sweet Painted Lady', cowboys - 'Roy Rogers', the film 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' and the unusual, futuristic 'Bennie And The Jets'.
Not every song is prime Elton though - 'Social Disease' and 'All The Girls Love Alice' aren't particularly striking but to be fair they're not exactly bad either.
Versitility is the key to the greatness of 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', whether musically, lyrically and also in Elton's vocal performance. In fact it's refreshing to hear what a really fine and versitile voice Elton had in his youth and it's an album like this that blows away any hint of the personality driven Elton in more recent years who's forte when he does record tends to be more often than not, boring and overblown ballads. On 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' he has greater scope which, whatever he does in the future he'll never be able to match. Elton's range had diminished with age to such an extent that there's no way he could ever record an album so diverse and varied as 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' again - that's why it's an album that deserves to be cherished.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Elton & Bernie at their best.
I bought this album when it came out on vynil a thousand years ago.
I forgot how fantastic each end every song are.
Classic
I forgot how fantastic each end every song are.
Classic
Published 11 months ago by Mark4x4
Nostalgia on CD
I bought this on LP (vinyl) and on cassette tape back when the album was released I think in 1974. After going to his charity concert at Dean Court, Bournemouth, Elton virtually... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. Mark J. Kopczewski
Elton at his best
I remember this album when it first came out and sitting with nead phones on listening to the wind go in and out, it still holds that magic years on. Read more
Published 18 months ago by David Mee
Brilliant
Awesome service. Ordered quite late and it caught the post the next day, arriving at my house the day after. Came packaged well and the condition was good too. Read more
Published on 31 May 2009 by Rebecca Andrews
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Hello Awfulness
GYBR is usually referred to as a classic album and routinely appears on "Greatest Albums Of All Time" lists. Read more
Published on 18 Sep 2008 by Miracle
Elton goes pop, but the quality's great!
I scoured the Amazon site for a 5.1 SACD version of this album and this is the one to buy. It is traditional to the vinyl, in as much that Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding,... Read more
Published on 27 May 2008 by C. S. Grant
The multi-talented Elton
Rightly this album is rated as the greatest album Elton John ever made. In fact its not my favourite but thats a different story. Read more
Published on 29 Sep 2006 by S J Buck
A Timeless Classic !
One of the very first albums I ever purchased, when still a young whippersnapper ! And still a regular on my playlist. Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2006 by Mr. G. J. Denning
One of his best LPs
Released in 1973, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is still seen by many as Elton John's best album and it's not difficult to see why. Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2005 by Greg Farefield-Rose
Yellowbrick Magic
This is a classic double album of the vinyl age when a double album was a brave thing to do. Before the CD age when albums lasting more than 60 minutes became rather annoyingly... Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2005 by John Heaton
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
