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Track Listings
| 1. Honky Cat | |||
| 2. Mellow | |||
| 3. I Think I'm Going To Kill Myself | |||
| 4. Susie (Dramas) | |||
| 5. Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long Time) | |||
| 6. Salvation | |||
| 7. Slave | |||
| 8. Amy | |||
| 9. Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters | |||
| 10. Hercules | |||
| 11. Slave | |||
| 12. Honky Cat | |||
| 13. Mellow | |||
| 14. I Think I'm Going To Kill Myself | |||
| 15. Susie (Dramas) | |||
| 16. Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long Time) | |||
| 17. Salvation | |||
| 18. Slave | |||
| 19. Amy | |||
| 20. Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters | |||
See all 33 tracks on this disc
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Product Description
Review
The fifth Elton album, and the first since the debut Empty Sky not to be drowned in strings, 72’s Honky Château stands up as one of his most eclectic, durable collections. Best-known for the hits Rocket Man and Honky Cat, it witnesses the singer finding the balance between camp pop-rock and gushing ballads which would subsequently serve his career so well. It was also the first on which his finest touring band was allowed to gel in the studio, and session musicians weren’t to the foreground.
Named after Château d’Herouville in France, where Elton was to record his next two albums (and which subsequently hosted Pink Floyd, T.Rex, David Bowie and Iggy Pop), it has a warm, relaxed feel which complements both the sincere and the ironic songs. Rocket Man somehow slots into both categories. A curious classic, clearly indebted to Bowie’s Space Oddity, its melodic power and sadness are undeniable, but its lyrics get in a right old tangle. Chief among many clumsy clunkers has to be: "Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids / and there’s no-one there to raise them if you did."
Honky Cat is a flippant piano boogie in the style of Dr. John, but there are darker, deeper shades to come, with Bernie Taupin minimising the private jokes. I Think I’m Going to Kill Myself is a satire of teenage angst, but hits a few nerves on its way. Susie (Dramas) is another song of infatuation which beneath its honky-tonk nuances locates grit. Salvation is white gospel, taking a mild dig at religion, while Slave sees Taupin revisiting his Americana obsessions and Amy is Elton mimicking Mick Jagger.
The outstanding Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters is a textbook showcase of the writing pair’s talent: on paper, it’s maudlin and hymn-like. In reality, it works. Only Elton John could follow this with a silly, doo-wop finale, Hercules, which the most ardent fan couldn’t defend. No matter: a number one in the US and number two in the UK, Honky Château was where John laid down solid foundations.
--Chris RobertsFind more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Fantastic multi-channel mix. As with all of the other Elton John sacd's this one is excellent as well. In addition to the 2 big hits, there are few other great tracks I discovered for the first time. Specifically 'Salvation' and 'Slave' are standouts. All in all not a bad song on it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Back in the early 70s, Elton John was on a hugely onerous recording deal which warranted something like two album releases a year. Such pressure would put a tremendous strain on anyone's creativity (no wonder his hair fell out), but for a while, Elton just hit a fabulously productive stride, and 'Honky Chateau' was one of his best, before he went ga-ga. There's some fine John / Taupin songs here, including the title track, which really should've been a bigger hit than it was. Elton's always been a fine melody writer, and this album is littered with may examples of this, including 'Rocket Man' and 'Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters'. Absolutely a gem.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The SACD of Elton's 1972 album Honky Chateau is simply superb. The 5.1 mix as been done to almost pure perfection, Greg Penny as done a superb job with this mix and brought back to life another one of Elton's truly great albums. The tracks in 5.1 are crystal clear and very cleverly panned out, giving totally gorgeous separation throughout the entire album, and Mona Lisa' and Mad Hatters, sounds like Penny as gone to town with this mix, making it very well balanced and pure in its direction.
However the 5.1 mix is not entirely flawless, and this shows up on Amy. I feel here that he as taken to much from the front stage, giving this song an entirely different approach and feel, in comparison to the original vinyl and CD recordings. Noticeably as well is the ending of Rocket Man, which once again is cut short and contains far less reverb in comparison to the vinyl album. Which as been the case of all CD releases of this album.
Honky Chateau on SACD is simply superb, more consideration in the 5.1 mix as been applied to this album, than what was done with Captain Fantastic on SACD. Honky Chateau is a great addition to multi channel surround sound, and works beautifully, making the SACD by far the best production of this album.
However the 5.1 mix is not entirely flawless, and this shows up on Amy. I feel here that he as taken to much from the front stage, giving this song an entirely different approach and feel, in comparison to the original vinyl and CD recordings. Noticeably as well is the ending of Rocket Man, which once again is cut short and contains far less reverb in comparison to the vinyl album. Which as been the case of all CD releases of this album.
Honky Chateau on SACD is simply superb, more consideration in the 5.1 mix as been applied to this album, than what was done with Captain Fantastic on SACD. Honky Chateau is a great addition to multi channel surround sound, and works beautifully, making the SACD by far the best production of this album.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Elton John Honky Chateau Sacd
Great album especially on 5.1 surround Sacd disc. They should make more discs like this as it gives iot greated depth of sound - although the main sound is from Elton on the piano... Read more
Published 1 month ago by techguy
Simply fantastic.
I came to this only recently and I jus think the songs and the sound are fantastic. One of the best Albums of all time.
Published 1 month ago by Francis Xavier Hynes
very cheap sacd
Since this one of the cheapest SACD's here and loving "Rocket man" bought this just to own one more SACD. Read more
Published 6 months ago by A. Boers
An SACD to own
It's the perfect way to edit a new version of this classic Album.
Now this digital version gives us all the flavours of the original Vinyl.
A must-have SACD.
Now this digital version gives us all the flavours of the original Vinyl.
A must-have SACD.
Published 11 months ago by Stefan0
Its OK - but I guess I will never be an Elton John fan
The item being reviewed is the SACD version, which I ordered as one of the few 5.1 SACD discs of non-classical music available. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Ivon of Windermere
I didn't actually like Elton John before buying this album.
Only really decided to give it try as it's an SACD and cheap, also liked the fact I only recognised one or two tracks(Rocketman being the most obvious) so I knew the none of his... Read more
Published on 26 Nov 2009 by Tetlee
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