Elton John - Honky Château (1972) [Japan LP 1st pressing] 24-bit/96kHz & CD-format

“

What makes Honky Chateau a classic is the songcraft, and the way John ties disparate strands of roots music into distinctive and idiosyncratic pop -- it's one of the finest collections of mainstream singer/songwriter pop of the early '70s. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine/AMG (5/5 Stars)

”

Honky Château is the fifth studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1972. In 2003, the album was ranked number 357 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. This was the final Elton John album on the Uni label in the US and Canada before the Music Corporation of America consolidated all of its various labels under the MCA brand. This and Elton's earlier Uni albums were later reissued on MCA Records.

Music

This is the first album since John's debut (Empty Sky) not to feature strings on any songs, except for violinist Jean-Luc Ponty on "Mellow" and "Amy". It also marks the beginning of his transition from a singer/songwriter in the mould of James Taylor, Leon Russell or Carole King to a more rock 'n roll style that would become more evident on such albums as Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Caribou and Rock of the Westies.

It was also the first album to feature John's road band of Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums (along with new member Davey Johnstone on guitars and other fretted instruments) as the sole core group of musicians. Previously, due to his record label's insistence, John had been limited to using his road band for only one track each on Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water; the rest of the songs on those two albums were performed by various groupings of session players.

The opening track "Honky Cat" is a New Orleans funk track reminiscent of Dr. John and Allen Toussaint and features a four-piece horn section arranged by producer Gus Dudgeon. Also of note is the debut on record of the backing vocal combination of Johnstone, Murray and Olsson, who first added what would soon become their "trademark" sound to "Rocket Man." The trio's unique approach to arranging their backing vocal tracks would be a fixture on John's singles and albums for the next several years.

Critical appraisal and chart action

Critically Honky Château is regarded as John's finest record. Jon Landau of Rolling Stone approved the original LP as "a rich, warm, satisfying album that stands head and shoulders above the morass of current releases". Other reviews were likewise mostly positive. More recently[when?], Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic has written that "it plays as the most focused and accomplished set of songs Elton John and Bernie Taupin ever wrote".

Honky Chateau became the first of a string of albums by Elton John to hit number 1 in the Billboard Charts in the United States. In Canada, the album peaked at number 3 on the RPM 100 Top Albums Chart, reaching this position on July 29, 1972, dropping two places to number 5, then returning to number 3 for a further twelve consecutive weeks before falling to number 9 on November 4 of the same year.



Track listing

All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

Side one

"Honky Cat" – 5:13
"Mellow" – 5:32
"I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself" – 3:35
"Susie (Dramas)" – 3:25
"Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)" – 4:45

Side two

"Salvation" – 3:58
"Slave" – 4:22
"Amy" – 4:03
"Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" – 5:00
"Hercules" – 5:20

Personnel

Elton John - acoustic and electric pianos, organ
Davey Johnstone - guitars, banjo, mandolin
Dee Murray - bass
Nigel Olsson - drums, congas, tambourine

Additional musicians

Davey, Dee, and Nigel - backing vocals (tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 10)
Ivan Jullien (fr.) - trumpet (track 1)
Jacques Bolognesi (fr.) - trombone (track 1)
Jean-Louis Chautemps & Alain Hatot - saxophones (track 1)
Jean-Luc Ponty - electric violin (tracks 2 and 8)
"Legs" Larry Smith - tap dance (track 3)
David Hentschel - A.R.P. synthesizer (tracks 5 and 10) (credited as "David Henschel" on sleeve)
Ray Cooper - congas (track 8)
Gus Dudgeon - rhino whistle & backing vocals (track 10)
Madeline Bell, Liza Strike, Larry Steel, Tony Hazzard - additional backing vocals