DU Album of the Day: "Tumbleweed Connection" Elton John

[gratuitous]

A small gem of an album, often overlooked in this prodigious artist's output, "Tumbleweed Connection" was a departure for Elton John from his usual pop/rock. Ballads and blues dominate, harking back to his early roots with the group "Bluesology." It features what was, for a long time, the only song on an Elton John album not written by Elton and his writing partner Bernie Taupin, "Love Song."

The album didn't have any smash singles, or really any charting songs at all. "Burn Down the Mission" and "Where to Now St. Peter" are probably the best-known songs off the album, but several tracks stand the test of time. "Come Down in Time" is an achingly beautiful song, and "Amoreena" has a hidden quality not apparent on the first listen.

Put it on and give it a spin, and listen to an artist before he became an icon.

1 Ballad of a Well-Known Gun
2 Come Down in Time
3 Country Comfort
4 Son of Your Father
5 My Father's Gun
6 Where to Now St. Peter?
7 Love Song
8 Amoreena
9 Talking Old Soldiers
10 Burn Down the Mission

[Melissa G]

1. Come Down in Time

and Amoreena are two of my fav songs on a fav album.
Thanks for the reminder to listen to the songs again.

edit for links

[MorningGlow]

3. Mine too!

[Gabi Hayes]

12. same here. I stumbled upon this last night, al kooper cover:

&feature=BFa&list=AVGxdCwVVULXf5YZIETBnYTRcCnl_dhFwV&lf=list_related

didn't know what to make of it at first, but al kooper's a genius

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=al+kooper&page=2

take your pick. super session, with him, mike bloomfield and steve stills is pretty amazing:

[Tikki]

2. Great album, good choice...

Our oldest, age 42 yrs is such a Elton John fan...
He has seen Elton in concert a dozen or more times. Taped all our
E. J. albums when he was a teen.



The Tikkis

[ohheckyeah]

4. This was the first 8 track tape

I bought. Burn Down the Mission was my favorite on this album.

OMG, I'm older than dirt.

[cate94]

5. There isn't one bad song on that album.

Where to Now St. Peter is my favorite. If the album is playing, I'm singing. Lost my voice but I can't help myself with this one. Sorry in advance.

[hifiguy]

6. That and "Madman"

are still my favorite EJ albums. I always thought TC was sort of a parallel to The Band's eponymously titled second album. The feel was very American Frontier of the mid-late 19th century, especially side 1.

Great stuff. Brilliant songs, musicianship and production. I don't think EJ has ever equaled those two LPs.

[gratuitous]

7. In fact . . .

One of the reviews I consulted mentioned The Band and their Music from Big Pink album as being influential on Tumbleweed Connection.

Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water were 1970-1971 releases, before Elton John quite became Elton John. It was in 1972 with the release of Honky Chateau and the monster hit Honky Cat that Elton John turned into a pop sensation. Honky Chateau was also the album that set the lineup of Nigel Olsson on drums, Dee Murray on bass and Davey Johnstone as lead guitarist that would serve as the Elton John Band for most of the rest of the decade.

I had Madman in my collection for a long time before I bought Tumbleweed. Madman had kind of gotten stale to my ear by the time I got Tumbleweed. The albums are comparable in a lot of ways, but I'm not as enured to Tumbleweed as I am to Madman, so it still sounds fresher to me.

[hifiguy]

8. A lot of the "Madman" tunes were recorded

at the same sessions as TC. A few new songs were added, and voila, Madman.

[6000eliot]

10. One of my very favorites.

Not a bad song on it. I especially love "Country Comfort" with the steel guitar.

[motely36]

11. I got rid of all of my EJ cds after he played for Rush's wedding

Just can't support him anymore.