Elton John - Rock of the Westies

Download

1 Medley: Yell Help/Wednesday Night/Ugly
2 Dan Dare (Pilot of the Future)
3 Island Girl
4 Grow Some Funk of Your Own
5 I Feel Like a Bullit (In the Gun of Robert Ford)
6 Street Kids
7 Hard Luck Story
8 Feed Me
9 Bill Bones and the White Bird

Less than four months after issuing the landmark and autobiographical Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975), Elton John re-emerged with a new band and a slightly modified sound.

However, the departure of Dee Murray (bass) and Nigel Olsson (drums) would ultimately begin a deceleration in terms of John's success, which rivalled only the Beatles' and Elvis Presley's in terms of global acclaim.

The revamped band grew to include new associates James Newton Howard (keyboards) and Kenny Passarelli (bass) as well as Roger Pope (drums) and Caleb Quaye (guitar), who had both performed with John as far back as his first long-player, Empty Sky (1968).

He also retained the services of Davey Johnstone (guitar) and Ray Cooper (percussion) from the most recent lineup.

Musically, Rock of the Westies (1975) maintains the balance of harder-edged material and effective ballads.

In fact, one of the album's strongest suits is the wide spectrum of strong material.
The ballsy no-nonsense "Street Kids" and the aggressive gringo rock of the ZZ Top sound-alike "Grown Some Funk of Your Own" contrast the poignant power balladry of "I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)" or the dark and brooding tale of addiction on "Feed Me."Perhaps inspired by the crossover R&B appeal of "Philadelphia Freedom," the up-tempo "Island Girl" bears a distinct and danceable groove that lies somewhere between a slightly Jamaican vibe and disco.

Perhaps more soulful in the traditional sense are the boogie-based "Hard Luck Story" or propulsive Bo Diddley beat that drives "Billy Bones and the White Bird."

Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirty Cowboy (75)

Download

1 Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
2 Tower of Babel
3 Bitter Fingers
4 Tell Me When the Whistle Blows
5 Someone Saved My Life Tonight
6 (Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket
7 Better Off Dead
8 Writing
9 We All Fall in Love Sometimes
10 Curtains
11 Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds [*]
12 One Day (At a Time) [*]
13 Philadelphia Freedom [*]
♪

Sitting atop the charts in 1975, Elton John and Bernie Taupin recalled their rise to power in Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, their first explicitly conceptual effort since Tumbleweed Connection. It's no coincidence that it's their best album since then, showcasing each at the peak of his power, as John crafts supple, elastic, versatile pop and Taupin's inscrutable wordplay is evocative, even moving.
♪
What's best about the record is that it works best of a piece — although it entered the charts at number one, this only had one huge hit in "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," which sounds even better here, since it tidily fits into the musical and lyrical themes.
♪
And although the musical skill on display here is dazzling, as it bounces between country and hard rock within the same song, this is certainly a grower.
♪
The album needs time to reveal its treasures, but once it does, it rivals Tumbleweed in terms of sheer consistency and eclipses it in scope, capturing John and Taupin at a pinnacle.They collapsed in hubris and excess not long afterward — Rock of the Westies, which followed just months later is as scattered as this is focused — but this remains a testament to the strengths of their creative partnership.