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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Once again, the hits are not the best Elton John songs here, 6 Jul 2005
With every single Elton John album I find myself reaching the same conclusion, to wit: his best songs are never his big hits. "Daniel" (#2 on the Billboard singles chart) and "Crocodile Rock" (#1) are certainly okay, but "Elderberry Wine," "Blues For Baby and Me," "High Flying Bird," and "Have Mercy on the Criminal" are all better songs. This would help to explain why this 1973 release was the second Elton John album to reach the top of the Billboard album chart (after "Honkey Chateau"). You can point to this album and his other 1973 release, the double-album "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," as defining the year that Elton John became the biggest pop star in the world.Compared to his earlier efforts this album is clearly an attempt to be more pop oriented, not to mention a showcase for the musical diversity of John. "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player" continues to feature the orchestral arrangements of Paul Buckmaster, who functioned in a lesser way for Elton John and Bernie Taupin the way George Martin did for the Beatles. This is a much stronger album that "Honky Chateau" (ironically the one album where I listen to "Rocket Man" and decide it is both the best and most popular song), which came out the same year, and clearly sets the stage for the grandeur of "Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road." Behind that and "Madman Across the Water," I would rank this Elton John's third best album. This CD reissue includes the bonus tracks "Screw You (Young Man's Blues)," "Jack Rabbit," "Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)," and a simple piano version of "Skyline Pigeon." So if you do not yet have this album in your music library then there is no reason not to make a point of making sure that is the version you pick up.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
And now for something completely different..., 15 Nov 2003
Nice to see a number of very early tracks reappear - I once owned a tape containing these and other numbers from Elton's embryonic years. Good stuff, too.But the main event is Don't Shoot Me. I'm going to brave a disagreement with previous reviewers who praised the ballads on this collection and disregarded the rest. I'd say forget everything and listen to Have Mercy on the Criminal, a good old-fashioned emotional melodrama of a song in the finest tradition of Madman across the Water (ie. the title track of that album.) Elt throws the kitchen sink at Have Mercy, to tremendous effect. Note the dramatic major to minor chord changes, soaring strings and vocal pyrotechnics designed to wring every last tear from the audience. An absolute belter of a track, and worth the price of admission on its own!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Elton's concerted bid for pop stardom, 31 Aug 2001
If the singles 'Your song' and 'Honky cat' made the name Elton John familiar to radio listeners, and 'Rocket man' became his first major hit single (nearing the top of the charts in Spring 1972), it was the album 'Don't shoot me...' which confirmed that he had really made it as a major force in British popular music. Released on the heels of its two hit singles ('Crocodile rock' and 'Daniel'), the album prepared the way for the phenomenally successful double album 'Goodbye yellow brick road' in late 1973, and showed Elton fully embracing the identity of the flamboyant pop superstar. Gone was the orchestrated, sombre style of the 'Madman across the water' album, and in its place was, for the most part, unapologetic mainstream pop, characterised by short, lively songs with catchy melodies. The impression was that Elton had finally 'sold out', and the attempt to give him 'pop' appeal is further demonstrated by the lavish album packaging (reproduced in this CD reissue but inevitably lacking the impact it had when in full LP size), which comprised pages of self-conscious colour photos of Elton and co-writer Bernie Taupin.Although moving into new musical territory in some respects, it must be admitted that Elton handles the 'pop' style just as effectively as he did his earlier more thoughtful music. 'Crocodile rock', 'Teacher I need you' and 'Teenage idol' are all excellent pop songs with catchy melodies and clever references to music styles of both past and present. In contrast there are a few ballads which provide the more memorable songs, such as 'Have mercy on the criminal', a powerful orchestrated epic which would have been perfectly at home on the 'Madman' album, the anthemic 'High flying bird', and 'Blues for my baby and me' which is interesting in its use of a sitar, but compositionally sounds somewhat ragged. 'Daniel' covers both bases, being a gentle ballad but with an attractive melody providing singles chart appeal. Perhaps not surprisingly in view of the frequency with which Elton was turning out albums at this time, whilst having a new band and using a new studio, and also trying to change his career direction, there are some weak songs on 'Don't shoot me...', most notably 'Texas love song' (which is more in character with the 'Honky chateau' album) and 'Midnight creeper'. Four additional tracks, originally the B-sides of singles, are included in this reissue. Three are forgettable, the sort of inconsequential songs Elton often used as B-sides when they were not good enough for an album, but 'Skyline pigeon' is a John-Taupin classic and with its appealing melody and poetic lyrics is one of the best songs from their early years. Originally recorded with harpsichord and organ for Elton's debut album, this more brisk version with piano and rhythm section was the B-side of 'Daniel' and fits very well with the mood of 'High flying bird'. These two 'avian' tracks alone are probably worth the price of the CD, but even though not all the album is to my liking it is nevertheless essential to any confirmed EJ fan.
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