E036 | Ranking My Favorite Elton John Albums, #21 to #31

[@dranet47]

Very good analysis! I didn't know about some of those alternate releases.

[@nandopelusi7699]

In its era, Caribou was a revelation. It extended Goodbye Yellow Brick Road's musical artistry amid the day's noisy, dull rock and pop. The cover was an invitation to fun -- the sound and production were both meticulous and spontaneous. Also, yelling "bitch" on the opening track was outrageous for a pop album. You had to be there.

[@markdavis4104]

A very enjoyable list! Nice teaser for the yellow vinyl _A Single Man_ ! (Very Subtle promo!). I also enjoyed seeing the modern telephone service you enjoy in The Great White North!!

[@MichaelEnglish-m2j]

Great coverage, Matt. It was nice to see my old Zippo album again. Out of all the albums you presented in this video, I'd say Caribou holds a top spot for me for personal reasons. I was a young 15 year old when it was released and was the very first Elton album that I had acquired from a store, albeit an Ontario department store. That was the name of the store here in the US. I played that disc over and over for months on end. All other prior Elton albums I had purchased via a record club. Bernie had made a comment at about the time of this release that Elton could fart and it would be a hit. I think that was the reasoning behind the odd lyrics of Solar Prestige. Total nonsense. I'm looking forward to the next rating video, as well as all of your other insightful thoughts concerning various Elton vinyl and CD releases.

[@talkaboutcinema3304]

Alright, here's my #21-31 of Elton's studio albums. #21-27 are all albums I like, #28-30 are ones that I think are just OK and #31 is boring, but not terrible: 21. The Captain & the Kid 22. The Union 23. Peachtree Road 24. Songs from the West Coast 25. Reg Strikes Back 26. 21 at 33 27. A Single Man 28. The Lockdown Sessions 29. The Big Picture 30. Leather Jackets 31. The Diving Board A few notes: -As far as 11-17-70 goes, I can see where you're coming from as far as it not being the complete broadcast, but in my opinion, they picked the best tracks from the show, the ones that really showed off the rocker side to Elton. Someone once pointed out to me that this album is actually kind of similar to The Who's Live at Leeds, in that both albums show very different sides to their artists that weren't really being reflected on the records at the time; they're even formatted kind of similarly, in that the second side consists of only two songs, one being a longer jam. Looking at it from that perspective, I think the original album absolutely succeeds at what it set out to do. Even though I don't include it in my ranking, it is a strong contender for my favorite Elton album, particularly the U.S. mix. -I've briefly mentioned it before, but I think 21 at 33 and A Single Man are the two albums that, based on what we know is available, could really be improved. A Single Man in particular has some really interesting non-album tracks like Ego, Lovesick, Earn While You Learn, and Dreamboat that seem to promise Elton is going in a new direction, and while the album has some moments like that (Madness in particular), it's just not enough to really make it a great album. -I am shocked that a 1 LP version of The One even exists; I'm curious, does that affect the sound quality at all? My understanding is that albums that long on 1 LP tend to sound very quiet, hence why the 2022 release was a double LP. Great video as always. Even though there are obviously differences in our rankings, I feel you always do a good job arguing for your selections and why you feel the way you do about where they belong in your ranking.

[@derekking9824]

Nice post Matt, thanks heaps for sharing.😀

[@CollectingElton]

Thanks for watching, Derek!

[@douglasstruthers8307]

I find that ROCK OF THE WESTIES has grown on me over the years, as well. In fact, it would be in my Top 5 most played Elton albums over the past decade. "Street Kids" and "Grown Some Funk of Your Own" are true favourites. I am till looking for that 24 KT Gold CD. Side 2 of 21 AT 33 is one of my least favorite sides of Elton music. Love "Chasing the Crown." THE ONE was one of my favorite Elton albums, usually Top 5. It is probably still in my Top 10. "Simple Life" became a favourite on record and live and "Sweat It Out" is another favourite which, for me, is a great fusion of electronica and a great jazzy piano outro. CARIBOU, to me, has 3 classics (the two singles + "Ticking") plus a couple of other decent tracks but not a solid album. Just like you and Gus Dudgeon, I hate the cover. I was sooooooo looking forward to ICE ON FIRE and it let me down. Prior to release I had "Nikita" and "The Man Who Never Died" and "Wrap Her Up" plus the instrumentals of "Act of War" which I all liked. Nothing on the album chit that level for me. PEACHREE ROAD is a good collection, mostly, of genres that I just don't enjoy. I tried hard to like this album...but I just still don't. I have EMPTY SKY much higher on my list because I love the title track and "Skyline Pigeon" and "Sails." It lacks consistency but has a bit of charm for me. A SINGLE MAN is so flawed: production, lyrics, bass playing, and sees Elton, for the first time, stagnating. There are moments and, yes, the beautiful "Song For Guy" which needed a more universal title yet, still, dedicated to Guy Burchett. Great cover. Thanks for sharing. Great to hear your thoughts on these EJ records.

[@TheMusikpoet]

Listening to music and feeling music is always a matter of taste. We have very different perceptions of Elton's music. I would rate some albums much higher. But thanks for the video, it's interesting how different opinions can be.

[@shineonugrzydieman]

Cheers Matt Always entertaining Shared Will rewatch previous favorite list. Looking forward to next video

[@CollectingElton]

Thanks as always for sharing this. Much appreciated.

[@DavidJohnSongwriter]

The video should have been Elton's Albums #21 to #33 :) P.S. Rock of the Westies is in the Top 3! P.P.S. 21 at 33 should have been released as it was originally intended, as a double album!