Tumbleweed Connection [Original recording remastered]

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Tumbleweed Connection is part of the early catalog of Elton John's work that Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose reportedly once said he would love to own the publishing rights to as a work of art. Indeed, it does contain some of John's most expressive work as an artist, but with the showy stage presence and pop melodicism still under construction. Tumbleweed is characterized by John's balladeer approach, with John at his storyteller best on songs like "Burn Down the Mission." Even if the lyrics were generally written by Bernie Taupin, John's voice and inflection made every song seem deeply personal. The beautiful "Come Down in Time" displays the subtleties and sophistication of his talent, with the piano not yet serving as the instrumental focal point it would later become. The album also features the favorite "Ballad of a Well-Known Gun" and "Where to Now St. Peter?" --Steve Gdula

Tumbleweed Connection,Elton John,Island,Album Rock,Country-Rock,Pop,Pop/Rock,Popular Music,Rock,Rock & Roll,Rock/Pop,Singer/Songwriter,Soft Rock

Tumbleweed Connection [Original recording remastered]

Average customer rating:

good, classic Elton!
Tumbleweed Connection- Elton John
Must Have, Great from Begining to End
Not Yellow Brick Road
elton's best. a masterpiece from 1971.

Tumbleweed Connection
Elton John
Manufacturer: Island
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Madman Across the Water
Honky Chateau
Elton John
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy

ASIN: B000001EG4
Release Date: 1996-02-20

Tracks:

Ballad Of A Well-Known Gun
Come Down In Time
Country Comfort
Son Of Your Father
My Father's Gun
Where To Now St. Peter?
Love Song
Amoreena
Talking Old Soldiers
Burn Down The Mission
Into The Old Man's Shoes
Madman Across The Water (Original Version)

Amazon.com

Tumbleweed Connection is part of the early catalog of Elton John's work that Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose reportedly once said he would love to own the publishing rights to as a work of art. Indeed, it does contain some of John's most expressive work as an artist, but with the showy stage presence and pop melodicism still under construction. Tumbleweed is characterized by John's balladeer approach, with John at his storyteller best on songs like "Burn Down the Mission." Even if the lyrics were generally written by Bernie Taupin, John's voice and inflection made every song seem deeply personal. The beautiful "Come Down in Time" displays the subtleties and sophistication of his talent, with the piano not yet serving as the instrumental focal point it would later become. The album also features the favorite "Ballad of a Well-Known Gun" and "Where to Now St. Peter?" --Steve Gdula

Customer Reviews:

good, classic Elton!.......2007-05-13

I used to have this album in the LP form when a teen. It has some great stuff on it, particularly "country comfort" and "my father's gun". The latter was recently featured in "Elizabethtown" and was just perfect. The songs are long, as some were in the 70's, but many of Elton's were such masterpieces. Some of the other songs are pretty good, but none as good as the ones I mentioned, at least for my taste. However, Madman across the Water is a great song, and has some fantastic electric guitar, if you are a fan of that. The 70's sure was a good time for electric guitar! enjoy this excursion into the 70's with Elton.

Tumbleweed Connection- Elton John.......2007-05-12

Una agradable sorpresa!, conocía "Madman Across the Water", para mi el mejor disco de Elton, "Tumbleweed Connection" es de un estilo más country/folk/blues, con un gran trabajo de Elton en el piano y sin los arreglos orquestales de Madman. Un Elton John inspirado y sin presiones comerciales. Temas como Amoreena, My Fathers Gun y Burn Down The Mission justifican todo el trabajo. Muy recomendable

Must Have, Great from Begining to End.......2007-04-04

Most reviews get hung up on comparing artists or styles. Well laets face it all that matters is the music. If you want a cd that you can put on, and enjoy it from start to finish then search no longer. We can discuss different styles during different periods in eltons career all day, but most will agree that around this period he was becoming his most productive. Nowadays it is customary to have a hit single or two, and have them on a cd. Yet things were not as corporate at the time, Elton and Bernie went for the music. Not really trying to theme anything, yet Bernies love of America, and the american west does come thru. Otherwise this is a collection of simply great songs. Granted each will not be your favorate, but you will enjoy them nonetheless. Simple basic, not overly produced, but not unplugged either. Love songs, heartfelt songs with yearning, and vibrant lyrics. Weaving a tapestry in sound. I won't cover individual songs because they are to your taste. But there is something for everyone, and taken as a whole, you will be surprisingly happy at the time spent.

Not Yellow Brick Road.......2007-03-15

I have most of Eltons albums and this is the one I've played the most over the years. Heavily influnced by The Band, this captures Elton at the start of his golden period. I don't think he's ever beaten this album. However Yellow Brick Road this is not! Country/blues/folk is where this album takes its roots from.
Eltons Piano playing is heard at its best on this album, high in the mix a lot of the time, and not drowned by other keyboards as on later albums. Listen to Amoreena which has plenty of great Piano playing on it. Another favourite on this album is My Fathers Gun, not to mention Burn Down The Mission which Elton still plays to this day (37 years later).
This could almost be classed as roots music now. It sounds absurd doesn't it, Elton John roots music, but people forget that behind the glitz and the showman, Elton is primarily a songwriter and musician. Listen to this album and forget the newspaper headlines!

elton's best. a masterpiece from 1971........2007-03-13

lately elton has awaken from the slumbers of about 30 years in the land of mediocrity, having released three good albums in a row (last years "captain and the kid" was very fine, in particular). that said, however; he still stands miles away from the 1971 masterpiece "tumbleweed connection," which is easily his best album. a gritty, soulful set of fantastic songs, with blues and country overtones, "tumbleweed" is a high point of the early seventies music scene. powerful and alive with his most outstanding vocal performances, this would prove an achievement he could never match again. elton made other excellent albums in that era, most notably "honky chateau," "madman across the water," and "goodbye yellow brick road." "captian fantastic & the brown dirt cowboy," from 1975 is pretty darn good, too; but "tumbleweed..." is his most satisfying album through and through. anyone out there who thinks of elton as an overproduced popster, and has yet to hear this recording, would do themselves a favor by purchasing a copy. great stuff.

Average customer rating:

The Classic 1970 Album!
Elton John as the Band
The first great Elton John album now availabe in SACD format
Excellant 5.1 Mix and Engineering
Expressive, Artistic, Country-Flavored In the SACD Format

Tumbleweed Connection
Elton John
Manufacturer: Island
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Madman Across The Water
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ASIN: B00064X3EA
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Tracks:

Ballad of a Well-Known Gun
Come Down in Time
Country Comfort
Son of Your Father
My Father's Gun
Where to Now St. Peter?
Love Song
Amoreena
Talking Old Soldiers
Burn Down the Mission
Into the Old Man's Shoes
Madman Across the Water [Original Version]

Customer Reviews:

The Classic 1970 Album!.......2007-05-05

Although this album had no hit single, it represents one of Elton John and Bernie Taupin's strongest albums. Filled with imagery and a strong feeling for the old west, the songs bounce and rides along like an old western movie. Impeccably recorded, this SACD version (DSD) sounds crisp and clear with a strong bass and drum. Oft-covered songs like "Country Comfort" and "Burn Down The Mission" have been long favored FM songs. This is another Buckmaster/Dudgeon production and veterans Nigel Olsson and Dee Murray also play here. Dusty Springfield and Kate Taylor (James Taylor's sister) make cameo backing vocals as well. The inclusion of the original version of "Madman Across The Water" is a great addition with a guest appearance from Mick Ronson on guitar (David Bowie bandmember). Nothing beats Elton John in Surround Sound!

Elton John as the Band.......2007-03-14

Tumbleweed Connection is likely the least popular LP from EJ's pop period. No hit songs,no "Your Song" no eager to please like his next 100 lps. This is the only one to own...it has Randy Newman wit + the Band's ideal of Anerican music in an time forgotten and ..really , honestly never was.
It's like Waltons TV show fake nostalgia written well for those who didn't live through it.
Nevertheless!
Fine songs and esp. sounds good in 5.1
The separation of winds and bass is great on each speaker
The vocals remain centered and consistent
This is a fun 5.1 to own

The first great Elton John album now availabe in SACD format.......2006-10-27

"Tumbleweed Connection", released back in 1971, should be regarded by many as an essential Elton John album. Not only did it establish finally Elton John and Bernie Taupin as a serious, artistically mature, songwriting team, it also was the first of quite a few Elton John albums - including the most recent, "The Captain and the Kid" - to pay homage to Bernie's longstanding keen interest in the Wild West and in bluegrass, country, and folk music. Indeed, this album should be regarded as the first in a string of folk rock albums that came from the John/Taupin songwriting team, culminating in their 1972 album "Honky Chateau". Much to my own personal amazement, both Elton John and Bernie Taupin were setting their own musical marathon, releasing nearly 10 albums between 1970 and 1973, that were consistently of high quality. On "Tumbleweed Connection" they were blessed with having a good group of studio session musicians, but were finally able to include drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray - Elton's original touring band - on several of the album's songs.

"Tumbleweed Connection" could be regarded as the John/Taupin songwriting team's first "concept" album, predating "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" by nearly four years, though in this instance, the notion of "Tumbleweed Connection" as a concept album should be regarded more as a lucky artistic accident than a deliberate choice made by Elton John and Bernie Taupin; a choice that they did make deliberately for their musical "autobiography" "Captain Fantastic". Still, virtually every song on this album makes ample reference to the Western United States, whether it is "My Father's Gun", "Amoreena" or "Burn Down the Mission". Unusual for an early Elton John album, "Tumbleweed Connection" also includes a brief ballad, "Love Song" which was composed by British singer/songwriter Lesley Duncan.

There are several other songs on "Tumbleweed Connection" that deserve special mention. "Come Down in Time" is a haunting ballad on unrequited love, which was recorded years later by Sting as one of the few memorable musical tributes in "Two Rooms", an early 1990s album, which was recorded by noted rock and roll musicians and others in honor of the John/Taupin songwriting team; it's often cited as one of the best songs on "Tumbleweed Connection", along with another fine ballad, "Where To Now St. Peter?" "Country Comfort" is yet another of the fine country folk rock songs on this album - and remains a personal favorite - even if its lyrics may now, in retrospect, seem a bit too simple and naive; however it does open with a fine violin solo that could remind listeners of exquisite fiddling from the likes of Eileen Ivers, Jay Ungar or the relatively unknown, but quite brilliant, young New York City-based bluegrass/country/folk violinist Dotty Moore. My own personal favorite probably remains the final song that appeared on the original album, the bluesy gospel rock and roll anthem "Burn Down the Mission", which has remain a perennial favorite among Elton's fans at his concerts (There's a notable live version of it in his mid 1980s album, "Live In Australia With The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra".).

"Into The Old Man's Shoes" is one of the two additional songs on this remastered digital CD version of "Tumbleweed Connection"; the second, "Madman Across the Water (Original Version)" is especially of historic note to Elton's fans and critics since it has a brilliant guitar solo from Mick Ronson. Original Elton John producer Gus Dudgeon oversaw the album's digital remastering, yielding a version that sounds as fresh as the original LP album; another long-time production associate, Greg Penny, who co-produced "Made in England" with Elton, oversaw the transfer of the digital masters into SACD format.

Excellant 5.1 Mix and Engineering.......2006-09-07

This SACD in 5.1 multichannel is very well mixed and mastered.
I use to own the LP and played the heck out of it but with the
multichannel SACD it sounds like you are there in the studio!
The sounds that were faint in the background come right out and
Elton`s voice punches through the center speaker as if he is
right there at the microphone. This SACD in multichannel not only has excellant sound but it has feeling and it is an experience which is not usually associated with cd`s.
If you like Elton John and want one of the best sounding SACD`s in multichannel then this should be in your SACD player.

Expressive, Artistic, Country-Flavored In the SACD Format.......2006-08-29

Elton John has created quite a number of great albums. His first great album had to be his third album, "Tumbleweed Connection." This album was an early indication of Bernie Taupin's fascination with the American West. It was also an indication of how little Bernie knew about the American West. In fairness to Bernie, his lyrics on this album are among the most coherent and understandable of those on Elton's first six or eight albums.

The music on this CD is well balanced. Instrumentation is chosen and arranged based on the selection, giving us a picture of an artist quite different from Elton as we would come to know him, whose keyboards and piano were often prominently featured. Also Lesley Duncan wrote and co-sang "Love Song," unusual among Elton's earliest albums where Bernie wrote nearly all the lyrics and Elton wrote all the music. The Elton John and Bernie Taupin commercial steamroller would soon downplay the artistic excellence that they displayed on this album.

I have so many favorite songs on this CD that there isn't sufficient space to discuss all the songs properly in a single review. Most of my favorites are the ballads. Slow, smooth, mellow, beautifully and artistically performed. "Come Down in Time," "My Father's Gun," "Love Song," and "Talking Old Soldiers" all fall into this category. The topics are serious. The lyrics broach incredibly mature subjects for the young songwriting duo and Lesley Duncan. The arrangements, instrumentation and backing vocals are excellent.

Several of the faster songs are also excellent. "Ballad of a Well-Known Gun" starts sounding a bit like the early 70s music it is, but then the beat and lyrics acquire a country flavor that could have placed Elton into country rock had he continued on this path. There seems something a bit bizarre about an English singer singing about a gunfighter in the American West, but this song, the first on the album, is performed so naturally that I immediately fell into the pace and style of the album.

"Country Comfort" may make some think of a similarly named beverage because the tone of the song feels mellow and smooth. The harmony on this song, with the steel guitar and violin, position this song as a country song. There isn't enough rock in this song to call the song country-rock. The next song, "Son of Your Father," has a boogie woogie piano starting the song, with segue into a fast rock beat. This song is rock with country underpinnings.

I've always enjoyed "Where to Now St. Peter?" The airy instrumentation and vocals, coupled with the surrealistic, dreamy lyrics, transitioning into a rock beat, create an interesting and unusual song about death. A song more easily experienced than described.

"Amoreena" is a love song, but much too fast-paced to be a ballad. The lyrics try a bit too hard to be poetically evocative rather than descriptive, but fall just a bit short. The music is pure pop as played by the instruments. The lyrics try to keep the song tied to the country flavor of the rest of the album, and succeed more by positioning of the song than any style of the music or vocals.

"Into the Old Man's Shoes" is well-done song about the transition from one generation to the next. The instrumentation foreshadows "Madman Across the Water," and would have fit well on that album. The subject, as in many of the other albums, is very serious and mature, and even the support of the instruments creates one of Elton's best, and highly underappreciated, songs.

I absolutely love "Burn Down the Mission." "Burn Down the Mission," at more than six and a half minutes, is one of the longest of Elton's early songs. The lyrics are virtually incomprehensible. While portions of the lyrics make sense, they conjoin pieces of Americana that did not coexist. Some portions of the lyrics make no sense within a stanza, for example burning down the mission while trying to take everything you need to live inside. In spite of the bizarre lyrical combinations, Elton's music and beat convey the sense of despair and urgency of people escaping attack by Mexican soldiers or perhaps Native Americans. I'm unsure because missions were typically an artifact of the southwest, while at least one reference is to a parish, which are only found in Louisiana. I have decided bordered on being progressive as we knew it then.

The last song on this CD is a nearly nine minute version of "Madman Across the Water." If you listen to this song and compare it to the style of the music on the CD "Madman Across the Water," I think you can see why this version was not used. The style is too heavy and different from the mellower, heavily orchestrated music of that CD. With the variety of musical pace and style on this album, this more bombastic version of "Madman Across the Water" is a somewhat better fit. It creates an interesting ending to this unique album.

This album deserved an SACD version. Many albums change for the worse in the transition to SACD. This album started as a great album and the SACD conversion is excellent. If you have an SACD stereo I recommend you consider acquiring this CD even if you already have the CD. In fact, if you like the non-SACD version, you will probably love the SACD version.

Elton John and Bernie Taupin have an incredible amount of talent. As their career progressed, and they were influenced by commercial needs, the talent evinced on this album was often obscured. But here you can see all that talent, bare, unfettered by commercial concern. Leap back more than 30 years to an album that may be a bit dated, but still contains all the power and talent of the King of Pop.

This CD is easy to enjoy because it is such great music.

Average customer rating:

Expressive, Artistic and Country-Flavored
A solid early Elton John album with nary a hit on it

Tumbleweed Connection
Elton John
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

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Country Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

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Caribou
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
11-17-70
Elton John
Madman Across the Water

ASIN: B00000E5KA
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Ballad of a Well-Known Gun
Come Down in Time
Country Comfort
Son of Your Father
My Father's Gun
Where to Now St. Peter?
Love Song
Amoreena
Talking Old Soldiers
Burn Down the Mission

Customer Reviews:

Expressive, Artistic and Country-Flavored .......2006-11-12

Elton John has created quite a number of great albums. His first great album had to be his third album, "Tumbleweed Connection." This album was an early indication of Bernie Taupin's fascination with the American West. It was also an indication of how little Bernie knew about the American West. In fairness to Bernie, his lyrics on this album are among the most coherent and understandable of those on Elton's first six or eight albums.

The music on this CD is well balanced. Instrumentation is chosen and arranged based on the selection, giving us a picture of an artist quite different from Elton as we would come to know him, whose keyboards and piano were often prominently featured. Also, Lesley Duncan wrote and co-sang "Love Song," unusual among Elton's earliest albums where Bernie wrote nearly all the lyrics and Elton wrote all the music. The Elton John and Bernie Taupin commercial steamroller would soon downplay the artistic excellence they displayed on this album.

I have so many favorite songs on this CD that there isn't sufficient space to discuss all the songs properly in a single review. Most of my favorites are the ballads. Slow, smooth, mellow, beautifully and artistically performed. "Come Down in Time," "My Father's Gun," "Love Song," and "Talking Old Soldiers" all fall into this category. The topics are serious. The lyrics broach incredibly mature subjects for the young songwriting duo and Lesley Duncan. The arrangements, instrumentation and backing vocals are excellent.

Several of the faster songs are also excellent. "Ballad of a Well-Known Gun" starts sounding a bit like the early 70s music it is, but then the beat and lyrics acquire a country flavor that could have placed Elton into country rock had he continued on this path. There seems something a bit bizarre about an English singer singing about a gunfighter in the American West, but this song, the first on the album, is performed so naturally that I immediately fell into the pace and style of the album.

"Country Comfort" may make some think of a similarly named beverage because the tone of the song feels mellow and smooth. The harmony on this song, with the steel guitar and violin, position this song as a country song. There isn't enough rock in this song to call the song country-rock. The next song, "Son of Your Father," has a boogie woogie piano starting the song, with segue into a fast rock beat. This song is rock with country underpinnings.

I've always enjoyed "Where to Now St. Peter?" The airy instrumentation and vocals, coupled with the surrealistic, dreamy lyrics, transitioning into a rock beat, create an interesting and unusual song about death. A song more easily experienced than described.

"Amoreena" is a love song, but it is much too fast-paced to be a ballad. The lyrics try a bit too hard to be poetically evocative rather than descriptive, but fall just a bit short. The music is pure pop as played by the instruments. The lyrics try to keep the song tied to the country flavor of the rest of the album and succeed more by positioning of the song than by the style of the music or vocals.

I absolutely love "Burn Down the Mission." "Burn Down the Mission," at more than six and a half minutes, is one of the longest of Elton's early songs. The lyrics are virtually incomprehensible. While portions of the lyrics make sense, they conjoin pieces of Americana that did not coexist. Some portions of the lyrics make no sense within a stanza, for example burning down the mission while trying to take everything you need to live inside. In spite of the bizarre lyrical combinations, Elton's music and beat convey the sense of despair and urgency of people escaping attack by Mexican soldiers or perhaps Native Americans. I'm unsure because missions were typically an artifact of the southwest, while at least one reference is to a parish, which are only found in Louisiana. I have decided that this song bordered on being progressive as we knew it then.

Elton John and Bernie Taupin have an incredible amount of talent. As their career progressed and they were influenced by commercial needs, the talent evinced on this album was often obscured. But here you can see all that talent, bare, unfettered by commercial concern. Leap back more than 30 years to an album that may be a bit dated, but still contains all the power and talent of the King of Pop.

Note that this album enjoys numerous versions, including an SACD version. I prefer the SACD version over this version because of the quality of the sound and the addition of two more songs. However, regardless of which version you buy, this album is a must for fans of Elton John, quality rock and classic rock. Though this album failed to have a single hit, it qualifies as one of Elton's best, and one of the best of the rock era.

Enjoy!

A solid early Elton John album with nary a hit on it.......2005-04-30

Half the songs on "Tumbleweed Connection" are 4:59 or longer in life, which means the odds were long that they would ever be played on the radio. Yet theses songs, such as "Country Comfort" and "Burn Down the Mission," stand out as some of the best work by John and lyricist Bernie Taupin during this period. The latter track remains a prime choice for the big finish at an Elton John concert to this day. There is something of a "country/western" flair to the album, at least as interpreted by two Englishmen, represented by not only those two songs but "Ballad of a Well Known Gun," "My Father's Gun," and "Talking Old Soldiers." I think those who were listening to Elton John before he became a star (operationally defined as anything before "Honkey Chateau," always had a preference for these early albums, especially those where Paul Buckmaster was doing the arranging and conducting. Ironically, on many of these songs, such as "Come Down in Time," it is John's voice and not his piano playing that stands out (note: Dusty Springfield is one of the backing vocalists on the album). There is also "Love Song," which was written not by John & Taupin but Lesley Duncan, who plays acoustic guitar and sings the duet.

Elton John was certainly prolific during this early period and had the great advantage of those Buckmaster string arrangements. The self-titled "Elton John" album was released in the summer of 1970, with "Tumbleweed Conection" following in February 1971. That same year saw the live "11-17-70" and the "Friends" soundtrack released as well, with "Madman Across the Water" coming out at the end of the year. In 1972 with "Honkey Chateau," Elton John would become a star. But all of this is before the dazzling costumes and bizarre collection of eyeglasses, which made Elton John the Liberace of pop rock. This is way back almost to the beginning, when it was all about the music. By the time "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" came out, those days were clearly over. This CD version of the album offers up a couple of bonus tracks from John and Taupin, with "Into the Old Man's Shoes" and the original version of "Madman Across the Water," which clocks in at 8:52.

Tumbleweed Connection
Average customer rating:

A solid early Elton John album with nary a hit on it

The old west UK style

Tumbleweed Connection
Elton John
Manufacturer: Universal Japan
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Madman Across the Water

Honky Chateau

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

ASIN: B00005NS18
Release Date: 2007-06-25

Tracks:

Ballad of a Well-Known Gun
Come Down in Time
Country Comfort
Son of Your Father
My Father's Gun
Where to Now St. Peter?
Love Song
Amoreena
Talking Old Soldiers
Burn Down the Mission

Album Description

Japanese reissue of 1971 album, packaged in a limited edition miniature LP sleeve. Includes the same 2 bonus tracks as the U.S. version.

Album Details

Japanese Limited Version featuring an LP Style Slipcase Cover. Also Includes Two Bonus Tracks.

Customer Reviews:

A solid early Elton John album with nary a hit on it.......2005-05-10

"Tumbleweed Connection" has the dubious distinction of being the only Elton John album from the Seventies that did not offer up a certified "hit" (neither did "Madman Across the Water" if you want to get picky, but "Levon" was always a highly requested song on FM radio). However, the lack of acknowledge hits just speaks in favor of this album, because anybody who listens to Elton John's albums knows full well that his best songs are rarely (if ever) the Top 40 hits. Even without the benefit of a hit single, this 1971 album still made it to #5 on the Billboard charts.

Half the songs on "Tumbleweed Connection" are 4:59 or longer in life, which means the odds were long that they would ever be played on the radio. Yet theses songs, such as "Country Comfort" and "Burn Down the Mission," stand out as some of the best work by John and lyricist Bernie Taupin during this period. The latter track remains a prime choice for the big finish at an Elton John concert to this day. There is something of a "country/western" flair to the album, at least as interpreted by two Englishmen, represented by not only those two songs but "Ballad of a Well Known Gun," "My Father's Gun," and "Talking Old Soldiers." I think those who were listening to Elton John before he became a star (operationally defined as anything before "Honkey Chateau," always had a preference for these early albums, especially those where Paul Buckmaster was doing the arranging and conducting. Ironically, on many of these songs, such as "Come Down in Time," it is John's voice and not his piano playing that stands out (note: Dusty Springfield is one of the backing vocalists on the album). There is also "Love Song," which was written not by John & Taupin but Lesley Duncan, who plays acoustic guitar and sings the duet.

Elton John was certainly prolific during this early period and had the great advantage of those Buckmaster string arrangements. The self-titled "Elton John" album was released in the summer of 1970, with "Tumbleweed Conection" following in February 1971. That same year saw the live "11-17-70" and the "Friends" soundtrack released as well, with "Madman Across the Water" coming out at the end of the year. In 1972 with "Honkey Chateau," Elton John would become a star. But all of this is before the dazzling costumes and bizarre collection of eyeglasses, which made Elton John the Liberace of pop rock. This is way back almost to the beginning, when it was all about the music. By the time "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" came out, those days were clearly over. This CD version of the album offers up a couple of bonus tracks from John and Taupin, with "Into the Old Man's Shoes" and the original version of "Madman Across the Water," which clocks in at 8:52.

The old west UK style.......2002-10-23

Originally released in the U.S. and Canada (I have this one's LP) by UNI/MCA, and DJM rest of the free world, through Toshiba-EMi in Japan, and later Nippon Phonogram. Reissued 1995. On the same token as Americans like you and me being Anglophiles, Elton and Bernie went for a Western theme this time, as many of their songs then were more about American things to the chagrin of critics in the UK. However, there were no hits from this one, "Your Song" from the prior LP topping the charts at the same time, since it was normal back then for some stars to have more than one LP every calendar year, Elton being no exception, already building up a track record.

Average customer rating:

good, classic Elton!
Tumbleweed Connection- Elton John
Must Have, Great from Begining to End
Not Yellow Brick Road
elton's best. a masterpiece from 1971.

Tumbleweed Connection
Elton John
Manufacturer: Mobile Fidelity
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Madman Across the Water
Honky Chateau
Elton John
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy

ASIN: B000000IRP
Release Date: 1991-02-01

Tracks:

Ballad of a Well-Known Gun
Come Down in Time
Country Comfort
Son of Your Father
My Father's Gun
Where to Now St. Peter?
Love Song
Amoreena
Talking Old Soldiers
Burn Down the Mission
Into the Old Man's Shoes
Madman Across the Water [Original Version]

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Customer Reviews:

good, classic Elton!.......2007-05-13

Tumbleweed Connection- Elton John.......2007-05-12

Must Have, Great from Begining to End.......2007-04-04

Not Yellow Brick Road.......2007-03-15

elton's best. a masterpiece from 1971........2007-03-13

Tumbleweed Connection (Elton John The Classic Years)

Average customer rating:

Tumbleweed Connection (Elton John The Classic Years)

Manufacturer: Rocket/Island
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000B627HM

Product Description

Track listing: 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 11. Into the Old Man's Shoes 12. Madman Across the Water [Original Version]