Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player [Original recording remastered]

Amazon.com essential recording
One of the best entries from Elton John and Bernie Taupin's remarkably successful mid-'70s run, this album still holds up well over a quarter of a century after its release. Even casual fans will recognize "Daniel," "Elderberry Wine," and "Crocodile Rock," but "Teacher I Need You," "Have Mercy on the Criminal" and "I'm Going to Be a Teenage Idol" are equally good. Elton's backing band at the time (guitarist Davey Johnstone, bassist Dee Murray, and drummer Nigel Olsson) was easily his best, and producer Gus Dudgeon and orchestral arranger Paul Buckmaster bathed the tracks in a warm and enticing glow. The only complaint is that, due to its size, the CD reissue doesn't remotely do justice to the colorful packaging of the original album. --Dan Epstein

Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player,Elton John,Island,Album Rock,Pop,Pop/Rock,Popular Music,Rock,Rock & Roll,Rock/Pop,Singer/Songwriter,Soft Rock

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Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player [Original recording remastered]

Average customer rating: I remember when rock was young... "Never knew me a better time/and I guess I never will" And root toot shoot myself to fame This is such a good CD, my ten year old listens to it now elton john's don't shoot me...

Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player Elton John Manufacturer: Island ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Contemporary | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Pop Rock | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Pop Rock | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Oldies | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music $7.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Classic Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music $7.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Classic Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Honky Chateau Madman Across the Water Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy Tumbleweed Connection Elton John ASIN: B000001EG2 Release Date: 1996-02-20

Tracks:

1. Daniel
2. Teacher I Need You
3. Elderberry Wine
4. Blues For My Baby And Me
5. Midnight Creeper
6. Have Mercy On The Criminal
7. I'm Gonna Be A Teenage Idol
8. Texan Love Song
9. Crocodile Rock
10. High Flying Bird
11. Screw You (Young Man's Blues)
12. Jack Rabbit
13. Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)
14. Skyline Pigeon (Piano Version)

Amazon.com essential recording

One of the best entries from Elton John and Bernie Taupin's remarkably successful mid-'70s run, this album still holds up well over a quarter of a century after its release. Even casual fans will recognize "Daniel," "Elderberry Wine," and "Crocodile Rock," but "Teacher I Need You," "Have Mercy on the Criminal" and "I'm Going to Be a Teenage Idol" are equally good. Elton's backing band at the time (guitarist Davey Johnstone, bassist Dee Murray, and drummer Nigel Olsson) was easily his best, and producer Gus Dudgeon and orchestral arranger Paul Buckmaster bathed the tracks in a warm and enticing glow. The only complaint is that, due to its size, the CD reissue doesn't remotely do justice to the colorful packaging of the original album. --Dan Epstein

Customer Reviews:

I remember when rock was young..........2007-07-24

Luis Mejia (son) - After the very well critisized Madman Across The Water and the stunningly produced Honky Chateau, Elton John goes through a pop basis and more difficult songs, leaving the stage of simple piano ballads.

This album is an excellent work by Elton, debut at 1973, the album marked a brilliant fame in USA, having some of his most catchy, simple, mellodic, classic and creative moods of all of Elton's albums. Not his best work, yet a fantastic album wich stablish his era of piano rock and catchy sounds with a simple and familiar style. Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player keeps a fresh and juvenile mood in every song, having graceful and imaginative compositions, also very humorous, still without loosing all of his piano ballad basis. The production is also fantastic but not as great as Honky Chateau.

This album keeps a structure that make every song fit perfectly with the other, making the whole album worth and all alike, like the simple, pop and mellodic tracks Daniel, which is the 2nd most famous track, and Blues For Baby And Me, the dramatic, thematic, suburban songs like Midnight Creeper and Have Mercy On The Criminal, the catchy, beautiful and joyful songs High Flying Bird, Elderberry Wine and Crocodile Rck (one of my personal favorites and the most famous song in this album), the humorous, refreshing tracks like I'm Gonna Be A Teenage Idol and Teacher I Need You, and the exagerated but consistent composition Texan Love Song.

As I said before, Elton's aspirations changed a lot in this album, applying a consistent mixture of popular music with a joyful rock and roll. His piano performance is seen much better in past albums, where he kept piano as the basis of his compositions, but its enjoyable as well. Bernie Taupin lyrics are much more creative and juvenile, leaving deep and melancholic lyrics and entering in this mood, which is certainly one of the aspects that make the 70's Elton's best era. The band performs with dedication and great rythm, leaving the album just as what it is, a bright and stylish album.

In conclussion this album keeps a lot of originality and the start of piano rock and familiar, popular sounds, very comprehensible, fresh and juvenile.

"Never knew me a better time/and I guess I never will".......2007-07-23

This is probably my favorite EJ album, possibly tying Madman Across the Water. There are bits of it I can't really enjoy: two bathetic melodramas (Have Mercy On the Criminal; I'm about to Become a Teenage Idol) almost singlehandedly ruin the album, and while the first half of Blues for My Baby and Me is very entertaining, the sitars just screw the song.
Thankfully, most the rest of this album is top-notched, with a strong sense of humor - take Teacher I Need You, very funny song, and one of the best here. Even Bernie Taupin's nasty misogynist/raging redneck stuff (Elderberry Wine, Texan Love Song) is completely tongue-in-cheek, and should be taken with a grain of salt. And they also make light of (wait for it) a song about a serial killer. No, I'm serious. Midnight Creeper is a funky, horn-driven stomp about a mass murderer. A lot like the Stones' Midnight Rambler, which is why it comes under some criticism, but I could care less.
There were two huge hits from this album, and both of them rank among the best Elton has ever done. Crocodile Rock has got to be my favorite song on this album. A rather annoying friend of a friend of mine (which translates to "an immature perv who I prefer to act like I don't know") once dissed the song, following it up with a crack at Elton's own sexuality. He and I have not spoken since. (which may have more to do with the fact that he's a moron than that we have different musical tastes, I don't know, but this is a stupid aside that shall end... now). The point is, Crocodile Rock is a great feel-good song, and if you're having a bad day, how can you resist smiling to the insane falsetto chorus (that I always thought was a kazoo or synthesizer until another friend of mine, who is NOT a moron, was kind enough to sing it for me because I kept telling her to sing and she kept refusing until Crocodile Rock came on the radio - damn! All these asides! Okay, I swear that was the last one). Oh, and it's catchy as all hell. and it's a lot of fun, and you can dance to it. My favorite EJ song of ALL TIME. A classic!!!!!!!!!
The other big hit was Daniel, and again I love that one. Not as good as Crocodile Rock, but still a pop song par excellence, as most of Elton's work tends to be. The melody is GREAT, and the mellotron is too. Very touching song. Love it!
So yeah, get rid of either of the stupid orchestral melodramas and this is a five-star record. Piano Player gets snubbed a bit by critics in favor of the self-titled, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Honky Chateau and several others from the era, which is a shame, because it's a great pop album with a sense of humor. And the title's funny. Oh, I almost forgot the uplifting, melodic High Flying Bird - still another strong point.

And root toot shoot myself to fame.......2007-06-12

Elton John jettisoned his past for good the instant "Crocodile Rock" hit the airwaves. With its nod to nostalgia and the la-la-la-la-la falsettoed chorus, the introspection fans of "Your Song" or "Tiny Dancer" had become accustomed to was replaced by flamboyance and high camp. And suddenly, Elton John became a superstar. "Crocodile Rock" went to number one and "Don't Shoot Me..." soon followed to the top of the album charts.

All of this was well deserved. Elton's evolution from the ballad heavy "Elton John" to here had seen continual fine-tuning of his chops and his personality, until the pensive, bearded bard on "Honky Chateau" became the pink suited, wild glasses man wearing platform shoes on the "Don't Shoot Me..." inner sleeve. He'd also expanded his musical vocabulary to the electric blues of "Midnight Creeper" and the goofy pop of "Crocodile Rock" and "Teacher I Need You." (You can bet a young Ben Folds probably had this album in his collection.)

That isn't meant to say that Elton and Bernie Taupin had forsaken their past. The dramatic "Have Mercy On The Criminal" and the lovely "Daniel" both adhere to the formula of Elton's earlier work. Elton's fascination with the American South takes a satiric turn on "Texan Love Song." The combination of styles on "Don't Shoot Me..." hinted at the extravagance to come on "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." But even with that masterpiece to come, "Don't Shoot Me..." remains the watershed moment of Elton's early career where his aspirations to stardom caught up with the material he and Taupin were writing...and to listeners around the world.

This is such a good CD, my ten year old listens to it now.......2007-03-02

When a kid that listens to modern pop likes this CD in year 2007,something is VERY right! What's really cool, I once got in trouble at age ten for singing the lyrics to "Teacher I Need You" in school. The old mean lady teacher didn't get it,but I sure did, cuz I was singing about the music instructer...she was hot!
So's this album. Taupin writes lyrics that create perfect mental imagery, and then Elton and band create sonic art that is timeless. Since they have added the other tracks,and Amazon has such a great price on it,you'd have to be crazy not to buy this one.

elton john's don't shoot me..........2007-01-09

This is one of the great rock classic of ej, prior to goobye yellow brickroad. There are a number of good songs which never get much attention, including, high fying bird, elderberry wine, texan love song, & i'm gonna be teenage idol.

Of course there is daniel probably the most popular song in this album.

This album is a must for collectors of ej's songs.

Average customer rating: Splendid Early Elton John Album With The Best Songs Not Necessarily The Classic Hits Once again, the hits are not the best Elton John songs here

Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player Elton John Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Caribou Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Goodbye Yellow Brick Road The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys ASIN: B00000E5JY Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Daniel
2. Teacher I Need You
3. Elderberry Wine
4. Blues for My Baby and Me
5. Midnight Creeper
6. Have Mercy on the Criminal
7. I'm Gonna Be a Teenage Idol
8. Texan Love Song
9. Crocodile Rock
10. High Flying Bird
11. Screw You (Young Man's Blues) [*]
12. Jack Rabbit [*]
13. Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again) [*]
14. Skyline Pigeon [Piano Version][*]

Customer Reviews:

Splendid Early Elton John Album With The Best Songs Not Necessarily The Classic Hits.......2006-12-19

"Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player" is where Elton John finally hit his stride as a 1970's pop sensation, after his gradual evolution from a folk rock singing pianist. Along with "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", it's probably the best album he recorded at the "Chateau", Strawberry Studios in France. Bernie Taupin's fine lyrics celebrate 1950's and Western American innocence on songs as diverse as "Teacher I Need You", "Blues For Baby And Me", "High Flying Bird", and Elton's first number one hit, "Crocodile Rock". Much to my amazement, "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player" was the last Elton John album to feature composer Paul Buckmaster's superb orchestral arrangements until the 1995 album "Made in England". I'm especially impressed with his string arrangements for "Have Mercy on the Criminal" and "Blues For Baby And Me"; the latter one of Elton John's most stirring ballads, and one which should have been a hit single - but was never released - from this album (Regrettably, Paul Buckmaster's arrangements have been heard only rarely in concert performances by the Elton John Band, most notably in the 1986 "Live from Australia...." album. Hopefully one day my erstwhile friend - and fellow Brunonian - New York City-based bluegrass/country/folk violinist Dotty Moore will be playing Buckmaster's arrangements as a member of the Elton John Band, but regrettably, she seems devoted solely to the minor league country music scene that is Brooklyn, NY's, ignoring potential lucrative opportunities elsewhere for demonstrating her splendid musicianship.).

Among the best songs on this album are "Blues For Baby and Me", "High Flying Bird", "Have Mercy on the Criminal", and "Elderberry Wine", which I think may be better than its two great hits, "Daniel" and "Crocodile Rock" (Both of which remain among my favorite Elton John songs.). And I am still amazed with just how good "Texan Love Song" is as the John/Taupin songwriting team's first great effort in country music, which would yield eventually such great hits as "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" and "Something About The Way You Look Tonight". I find this song especially refreshing (It's a biting, satirical commentary on "redneck" Americans that compares favorably with the song "Whitewash County" from the album "The One" that's a satirical commentary on ex-Ku Klux Klansman David Duke.) after having heard recently mediocre songwriting from two "prominent" Brooklyn, NY-based country musicians, Alex Battles and "Dock Oscar" Stern; without question, the John/Taupin songwriting team have crafted truly compelling folk/country rock tunes for more than two decades that rival the best I have heard from such great country songwriters as fellow Brunonian Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nancy McCallion of The Mollys and Lucinda Williams.

Producer Gus Dudgeon and his team have remastered an album that sounds cleaner and crisper than my old LP. As for Elton John's singing, he shows some of his finest range during his early "Greatest Hits" period. The bonus tracks, most notably the piano version of "Skyline Pigeon" are fine additions. Without a doubt, this is an essential Elton John CD.

Once again, the hits are not the best Elton John songs here.......2005-08-31

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.

"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 this is the version you pick up.

Average customer rating:

Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player Elton John Manufacturer: Universal/Polygram ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Contemporary | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Classic Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Pop | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B00005NS1C Release Date: 2007-06-25

Tracks:

1. Daniel
2. Teacher I Need You
3. Elderberry Wine
4. Blues for My Baby and Me
5. Midnight Creeper
6. Have Mercy on the Criminal
7. I'm Gonna Be a Teenage Idol
8. Texan Love Song
9. Crocodile Rock
10. High Flying Bird
11. Screw You (Young Man's Blues) [*]
12. Jack Rabbit [*]
13. Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again) [*]
14. Skyline Pigeon [Piano Version][*]

Album Description

Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. MCA. 2006.

Album Details

Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.

Average customer rating:

DON'T SHOOT ME, i'm only the Piano Player - Elton John - Original Recording Elton John ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000P4WKDQ

Average customer rating:

DON'T SHOOT ME, I'm Only The Piano Player - Elton John - Original Recording Elton John Manufacturer: MCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000P4WL2Q

Product Description

selections include 1. Daniel, 2. Teacher I Need You 3. Elderberry Wine, 4. blues for Baby and Me, 5. Midnight Creeper, 6. Have Mercy On the Criminal, 7. I'm Going To Be A Teenage Idol, 8. Texan Love Song, 9. Crocodile Rock, 10. High Flying Bird.

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