Wednesday 1/25/23 11pm ET: Feature LP: Elton John – Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player (1973)

Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player is the sixth studio album by English singer-songwriter Elton John. Released January 22,1973 by DJM Records, it was John’s sixth normal studio album release, first of his two studio albums released in 1973 (second one was Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, released nine months later), and was his second straight No. 1 album in the US and first No. 1 album in the UK.

The lead single “Crocodile Rock” yielded John his first No. 1 single in both the US and Canada. “Daniel” was also a major hit from the album, giving him his second Canadian No. 1 single on the RPM Top Singles Chart and No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reaching No. 4 in the UK, one place higher than achieved by “Crocodile Rock”.

1. “Daniel” 3:55
2. “Teacher I Need You” 4:10
3. “Elderberry Wine” 3:34
4. “Blues for My Baby and Me” 5:39
5. “Midnight Creeper” 3:52
6. “Have Mercy on the Criminal” 5:58
7. “I’m Going to Be a Teenage Idol” 3:56
8. “Texan Love Song” 3:33
9. “Crocodile Rock” 3:55
10. “High Flying Bird” 4:12
11. “Screw You (Young Man’s Blues)” 4:43
12. “Jack Rabbit” 1:50
13. “Whenever You’re Ready (We’ll Go Steady Again)” 2:51
14. “Skyline Pigeon” (Piano version) 3:56

Elton John – vocals, Fender Rhodes (1, 5), mellotron (1, 2), acoustic piano (2-4, 6, 7, 9, 10), harmonium (8), Farfisa organ (9)
Ken Scott – ARP synthesizer (1)
Davey Johnstone – acoustic guitar, electric guitar and Leslie guitar (All tracks); banjo (1), backing vocals (2, 7, 10), sitar (4), mandolin (8)
Dee Murray – bass (All tracks), backing vocals (2, 7, 10)
Nigel Olsson – drums (All tracks), maracas (1), backing vocals (2, 7, 10)
Gus Dudgeon – brass arrangements (3, 5, 7)
Paul Buckmaster – orchestral arrangements (4, 6)
Jean-Louis Chautemps – saxophone (3, 5, 7)
Alain Hatot – saxophone (3, 5, 7)
Jacques Bolognesi – trombone (3, 5, 7)
Ivan Jullien – trumpet (3, 5, 7)

Wednesday 1/25/23 2pm ET: Feature Artist: Elton John (Part 1)

It’s all Elton John tunes every Wednesday 2pm ET

Monday 12/26/22 11:15am ET: Feature LP: Elton John – 21 @ 33 (1980)

21 at 33 is the fourteenth studio album by Elton John, and his 21st album in total, made when John was 33 years old, hence the title, it was released May 13, 1980. 21 at 33 was recorded at Super Bear Studios, Nice, France, in September 1979, and Rumbo Recorders and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, California, from January to March 1980. Three singles were released from the album, including “Little Jeannie”, his highest-charting U.S. single in 5 years. The album sold over 900,000 copies in the United States, missing a Platinum certification.

1. “Chasing the Crown” 5:36
2. “Little Jeannie” 5:14
3. “Sartorial Eloquence” 4:45
4. “Two Rooms at the End of the World” 5:40
5. “White Lady White Powder” 4:34
6. “Dear God” 3:47
7. “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again” 4:09
8. “Take Me Back” 3:52
9. “Give Me the Love” 5:30

Elton John – lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic piano (1, 3, 5, 6), overdubbed piano (1, 3, 5, 6, 8), Yamaha electric piano (4), Wurlitzer electric piano (8)
James Newton Howard – Fender Rhodes (2, 6, 7), Yamaha CS-80 (2), electronic keyboards (3, 7), acoustic piano (9)
David Paich – organ (6)
Steve Lukather – electric guitar (1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9)
Richie Zito – acoustic guitar (2, 7), electric guitar (5, 8)
Steve Wrather – electric guitar (7)
Reggie McBride – bass (1–4, 6–9)
Dee Murray – backing vocals (2), bass (5)
Alvin Taylor – drums (1, 3, 4, 6–9)
Nigel Olsson – drums (2, 5)
Victor Feldman – tambourine (1, 3, 5, 9)
Clive Franks – tambourine (4, 6), cowbell (4)
Lenny Castro – congas (5, 9)
Jim Horn – brass arrangements (2, 4), piccolo flute (2), alto saxophone (2), tenor saxophone (4)
Richie Cannata – alto saxophone (7)
Larry Williams – tenor saxophone (9)
Chuck Findley – trombone (2, 4), trumpet (2, 4)
Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (9)
Jerry Hey – flugelhorn (2, 9), trumpet (4, 9), brass arrangements (9)
Larry Hall – trumpet (9), flugelhorn (9)
Byron Berline – fiddle (8)
David Foster – string arrangements (9)
Venette Gloud – backing vocals (1, 3, 6, 9)
Stephanie Spruill – backing vocals (1, 3, 6, 9)
Carmen Twillie – backing vocals (1, 3, 6, 9)
Bill Champlin – backing vocals (2, 9)
Max Gronenthal – backing vocals (2)
Glenn Frey – backing vocals (5)
Don Henley – backing vocals (5)
Timothy B. Schmit – backing vocals (5)
Curt Becher – choir vocals (6)
Joe Chemay – choir vocals (6)
Bruce Johnston – choir arrangements (6), choir vocals (6)
Jon Joyce – choir vocals (6)
Peter Noone – choir vocals (6)
Toni Tennille – choir vocals (6)

Christmas: Elton John – Step Into Christmas

Tuesday 11/29/22 8pm ET: Feature LP: Elton John – Peachtree Road (2004)

Peachtree Road is the twenty-seventh studio album by English musician Elton John released on November 9, 2004. The album was named after Peachtree Road, the northern part of Peachtree Street in Atlanta, where one of John’s four homes is located. This is the only album during his long career on which John has sole credit as producer, although on some previous projects he was listed as a co-producer, with Clive Franks (on A Single Man, 21 at 33 and parts of The Fox), or Greg Penny (on Duets and Made in England). It was recorded in January 2004.

Despite its generally positive reviews, Peachtree Road was one of John’s lowest-selling contemporary efforts, reaching No. 17 in the US upon its release, yet only managing No. 21 in the UK, making it one of his rare albums to miss the top ten in his homeland. In the US, it was certified gold in December 2004 by the RIAA.

1. “Weight of the World” 3:58
2. “Porch Swing in Tupelo” 4:38
3. “Answer in the Sky” 4:03
4. “Turn the Lights Out When You Leave” 5:02
5. “My Elusive Drug” 4:12
6. “They Call Her the Cat” 4:27
7. “Freaks in Love” 4:32
8. “All That I’m Allowed” 4:52
9. “I Stop and I Breathe” 3:39
10. “Too Many Tears” 4:14
11. “It’s Getting Dark in Here” 3:50
12. “I Can’t Keep This from You” 4:34

Elton John – lead vocals, acoustic piano, backing vocals (1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12), Rhodes piano (10)
Guy Babylon – programming, orchestral arrangements (1-5, 7-12), Hammond organ (2-9, 11, 12), Rhodes piano (6-9, 11)
Davey Johnstone – electric guitar, acoustic guitar (1-4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12), dobro (1, 2, 6, 10), backing vocals (1, 5, 10), baritone guitar (3, 6), slide guitar (3, 5, 10), Leslie guitar (5), sitar (8), mandolin (10)
John Jorgenson – pedal steel guitar (4)
Bob Birch – bass, backing vocals (1, 5, 10)
Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals (1, 5, 10, 11)
John Mahon – percussion, backing vocals (1, 5, 10), programming (9, 11)
Larry Klimas – baritone saxophone (6)
Walter Parazaider – tenor saxophone (6)
James Pankow – trombone (6), horn arrangements (6)
Lee Loughnane – trumpet (6)
Martin Tillman – electric cello (10)

Choir vocals
Charles Bullock (2, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12)
Terrence Davis (2, 6-9, 11, 12)
Todd Honeycutt (2, 6)
Adam McKnight (2, 6-9, 11, 12)
Rosalind McKnight (2, 3, 6)
L’Tanya Shields (2, 3, 6)
M. Denise Sims (2, 3, 6)
Alecia Terry (2, 3, 6)
Mark Ford (6-9, 11, 12)

Tuesday 11/22/22 11am ET: Classic Greatest Hits LP: Elton John – Greatest Hits Vol. 3 1979-1987 (1987)

Elton John’s Greatest Hits Volume III is the twenty-seventh album release for English musician Elton John. Released November 12, 1987, 10 years after Elton John’s Greatest Hits Volume II, the compilation album features his greatest hits from 1979 to 1986 and was made available only in the United States and Canada. All of the songs featured had previously been released on a previous album.

1. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” 4:42
2. “Mama Can’t Buy You Love” 4:02
3. “Little Jeannie” 4:46
4. “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” 4:48
5. “I’m Still Standing” 3:03
6. “Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)” 5:05
7. “Heartache All Over the World” 4:01
8. “Too Low for Zero” 5:44
9. “Kiss the Bride” 4:20
10. “Blue Eyes” 3:27
11. “Nikita” 4:54
12. “Wrap Her Up” 6:04

Friday 11/18/22 1am ET: Feature Live LP: Elton John – Solo Concert at Madison Square Garden (1999)

Your Song
Skyline Pigeon
The Greatest Discovery
Border Song
Harmony
Daniel
Honky Cat
Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)
Tiny Dancer
Better Off Dead
Philadelphia Freedom
Elton’s Song
Sweet Painted Lady
I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues
Ticking
Carla/Etude
Tonight
Burn Down the Mission
The One
Blue Eyes
Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)
Take Me to the Pilot
Levon
Crocodile Rock
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Circle of Life
Bennie and the Jets

Wednesday 10/26/22 12am ET: Feature LP: Elton John – Here and There (1976)

Here and There, released in 1976, is a live album by British singer-songwriter Elton John; it is his fourteenth official album release. The title refers to the two concerts represented on the album: “Here” is a concert recorded at the Royal Festival Hall in London during the summer of 1974; “There” is a concert recorded at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on November 28, 1974.

1. “Skyline Pigeon” 5:41
2. “Border Song” 3:27
3. “Take Me to the Pilot” 4:33
4. “Country Comfort” 6:44
5. “Love Song” (with Lesley Duncan) 5:03
6. “Bad Side of the Moon” 7:54
7. “Burn Down the Mission” 8:25
8. “Honky Cat” 7:04
9. “Crocodile Rock” 4:08
10. “Candle in the Wind” 3:57
11. “Your Song” 3:56
12. “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” 7:09

1. “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” 11:53
2. “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)” 5:03
3. “Take Me to the Pilot” 6:00
4. “Bennie and the Jets” 5:59
5. “Grey Seal” 5:27
6. “Daniel” 4:06
7. “You’re So Static” 4:32
8. “Whatever Gets You thru the Night” (with John Lennon) 4:40
9. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (with John Lennon) 6:15
10. “I Saw Her Standing There” (with John Lennon) 3:17
11. “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” 5:57
12. “Your Song” 3:58
13. “The Bitch Is Back” 4:23

Elton John – Piano, Vocals
Ray Cooper – Tambourine (CD No. 1 tracks 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12; CD No. 2 tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 9–13), Congas (CD No. 1 tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12; CD No. 2 tracks 3, 5, 6, 8), Bells (CD No. 1 track 6; CD No. 2 track 9), Vibes (CD No. 1 track 7; CD No. 2 track 2), Duck Call on “Honky Cat”, Organ on “Crocodile Rock”
Lesley Duncan – Vocals (“Love Song” only)
Davey Johnstone – Guitars (except CD No. 1 tracks 1, 2, 11), Background vocals (except : CD No. 1 tracks 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 11; CD No. 2 tracks 5–8, 9, 12–13), Mandolin on “Honky Cat”
John Lennon – Guitar, Vocals (CD No. 2, tracks 8–10 only)
Dee Murray – Bass (except CD No. 1 tracks 1, 11), Background vocals (except: CD No. 1 tracks 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 11; CD No. 2 tracks 5–8, 9, 12–13)
Nigel Olsson – Drums (except CD No. 1 tracks 1, 11), Background vocals (except: CD No. 1 tracks 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 11; CD No. 2 tracks 5–8, 9, 12–13)

Sunday 10/9/22 2pm ET: Feature LP: Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Elton John, first released October 3, 1973 as a double LP. The album has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and is widely regarded as John’s magnum opus. Among the 17 tracks, the album contains the hits “Candle in the Wind”, US number-one single “Bennie and the Jets”, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” plus live favorites “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” and “Harmony”.

It was recorded at the Studio d’enregistrement Michel Magne at the Château d’Hérouville in France after problems recording at the intended location in Jamaica. The move provided John and his band with a great deal of creative inspiration and an abundance of quality material was produced, leading to the decision to release the work as a double album (LP).

In 2020, the album was ranked number 112 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It was also ranked number 59 in Channel 4’s 2009 list of 100 Greatest Albums.

The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003 when it was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

1. “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” 11:09
2. “Candle in the Wind” 3:50
3. “Bennie and the Jets” 5:23
4. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” 3:13
5. “This Song Has No Title” 2:23
6. “Grey Seal” 4:00
7. “Jamaica Jerk-Off” 3:39
8. “I’ve Seen That Movie Too” 5:59
9. “Sweet Painted Lady” 3:54
10. “The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909–34)” 4:23
11. “Dirty Little Girl” 5:00
12. “All the Girls Love Alice” 5:09
13. “Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock ‘n Roll)” 2:42
14. “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” 4:57
15. “Roy Rogers” 4:07
16. “Social Disease” 3:42
17. “Harmony” 2:46

2003 Additions

1. “Whenever You’re Ready (We’ll Go Steady Again)” 2:52
2. “Jack Rabbit” 1:50
3. “Screw You (Young Man’s Blues)” 4:42
4. “Candle in the Wind” (2003 acoustic remix by Greg Penny) 3:51

Elton John – vocals, acoustic piano (1–6, 8–10, 12–17), Fender Rhodes (5, 6), Farfisa organ (3, 5, 7, 13), mellotron (5, 6, 11)
Davey Johnstone – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, Leslie guitar, slide guitar, steel guitar, banjo
Dee Murray – bass guitar
Nigel Olsson – drums, congas, tambourine, car effects (12)
Dee Murray, Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 10, 13, 17)
Del Newman – orchestral arrangements (4, 8–10, 15, 17)
David Katz – orchestra contractor (4, 8–10, 15, 17)
Leroy Gómez – saxophone solo (16)
David Hentschel – ARP synthesizer (1, 12)
Kiki Dee – backing vocals (12)
Ray Cooper – tambourine on (12)
Uncredited – Vocal interjections on “Jamaica Jerk-Off” (credited to Prince Rhino, Reggae Dwight and Toots Taupin, possibly a pseudonym for Elton John and Bernie Taupin, though this is uncertain), drum machine, maracas, timbales, claves on “Jamaica Jerk-Off”, castanets on “Funeral for a Friend”, shaker on “I’ve Seen That Movie Too”, tambourine on “Social Disease”, accordion, vibraphone on “Sweet Painted Lady”

9/27/22 Video: Elton John & Britney Spears – Hold Me Closer (2022)

Sunday 9/25/22 3pm ET: Feature LP: Elton John vs PNau – Good Morning To The Night (2012)

Good Morning to the Night is the first remix album by Elton John and Pnau, released in July 13, 2012. The album’s tracks are created from samples of various early John songs mixed together to form completely new songs. The album debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart.

Phil Mongredien from The Guardian wrote “Australian dance duo Pnau have been mentored by Elton John for five years, and it’s with his blessing that they have reimagined his early 70s output by splicing together snippets of songs to create something wholly new and oddly affecting… Refreshingly unpredictable, this is a blueprint for what remix albums should aspire to.” Joseph Standard from NME opined that “The results range from danceable to unnerving and give off an atmosphere of ghostly melancholy that subtly subverts Elton’s reputation as a cosy British institution.” Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic felt that “Good Morning to the Night is not a hits-on-parade set [and] is a relief, and even if it’s not necessarily the kind of music that would make it into regular rotation, it’s inventive and fun, which is more than enough for a project like this.”

1. Good Morning to the Night
Includes elements from the following original Elton John sound recordings:
Philadelphia Freedom
Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
Tonight
Gulliver/It’s Hay Chewed
Sixty Years On
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Someone Saved My Life Tonight

2. Sad
Includes elements from the following original Elton John sound recordings:
Nice and Slow
Crazy Water
Curtains
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
Friends

3. Black Icy Stare
Includes elements from the following original Elton John sound recordings:
Cold Highway
You’re So Static
Solar Prestige a Gammon

4. Foreign Fields
Includes elements from the following original Elton John sound recordings:
Pinky
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
High Flying Bird
Sweet Painted Lady
Cage the Songbird
Chameleon

5. Telegraph to the Afterlife
Includes elements from the following original Elton John sound recordings:
Harmony
We All Fall in Love Sometimes
Funeral for a Friend
Sweet Painted Lady
I’ve Seen That Movie Too
Love Song
Indian Sunset

6. Phoenix
Includes elements from the following original Elton John sound recordings:
Grey Seal
Are You Ready for Love
Bennie and the Jets
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Where to Now St Peter?
Love Lies Bleeding
Border Song
Country Love Song
Three Way Love Affair

7. Karmatron
Includes elements from the following original Elton John sound recordings:
Madman Across The Water
Funeral for a Friend
Stinker
The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-1934)
Tonight
One Horse Town
Screw You

8. Sixty
Includes elements from the following original Elton John sound recordings:
Sixty Years On
Sixty Years On (Live in Australia)
Sixty Years On (17-11-70)
Indian Sunset

Thursday 9/15/22 10am ET: Feature Artist / Feature LP: B.B. King – B.B. King & Friends: 80 (2005)

Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato and staccato picking that influenced many later blues electric guitar players. AllMusic recognized King as “the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century”.

King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and is one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname “The King of the Blues”, and is considered one of the “Three Kings of the Blues Guitar” (along with Albert King and Freddie King, none of whom are related). King performed tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing on average at more than 200 concerts per year into his 70s. In 1956 alone, he appeared at 342 shows.

King was born on a cotton plantation in Itta Bena, Mississippi, and later worked at a cotton gin in Indianola, Mississippi. He was attracted to music and the guitar in church, and he began his career in juke joints and local radio. He later lived in Memphis and Chicago; then, as his fame grew, toured the world extensively. King died at the age of 89 in Las Vegas on May 14, 2015.

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B.B. King & Friends: 80 is the forty-first album by B.B. King released September 13, 2005. Recorded in several studios, it celebrates King’s 80th birthday and features duets with a variety of musicians. 80 reached No. 45 in the Billboard 200 top albums chart as well as No. 1 in the blues albums chart.

1. “Early in the Morning” Van Morrison 4:50
2. “Tired of Your Jive” Billy Gibbons 3:53
3. “The Thrill is Gone” Eric Clapton 5:03
4. “Need Your Love So Bad” Sheryl Crow 3:58
5. “Ain’t Nobody Home” Daryl Hall 3:52
6. “Hummingbird” John Mayer 4:42
7. “All Over Again” Mark Knopfler 4:54
8. “Drivin’ Wheel” Glenn Frey 4:20
9. “There Must Be a Better World Somewhere” Gloria Estefan 6:50
10. “Never Make Your Move Too Soon” Roger Daltrey 4:59
11. “Funny How Time Slips Away” Bobby Bland 4:09
12. “Rock This House” Elton John 3:07

B.B. King – vocals, guitar
Van Morrison – vocals, harmonica (tr. 1)
Billy F Gibbons – guitar, vocal (tr. 2)
Eric Clapton – guitar (tr. 3)
Billy Ward – drums (tr. 9
Ian Thomas – drums ((1, 3, 7, 10)
Clem Clempson – guitar (tr. 10,
John Mahon – percussion (tr. 12)
Leland Sklar – bass guitar (tr. 2, 4, 8, 11)
Robbie Buchanan – keyboards, Hammond organ (tr.2, 4, 8, 11)
Mark Knopfler – guitar
Bob Birch – bass guitar (tr. 12
Jerry Hey – trumpet
Nathaniel Kunkel – shaker
Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trumpet
Brian Mitchell – keyboards (tr. 9
John Mayer – vocals, guitar
Nigel Olsson – drums (tr. 12
Brandon Fields – saxophone
Gary Grant – trumpet
Glenn Frey – vocals, guitar (tr.8
T-Bone Wolk – bass guitar (tr. 9,
Guy Babylon – keyboards
Davey Johnstone – guitar (tr. 12)
Russ Kunkel – drums (2, 4, 8, 11)
Luke Smith – Hammond organ (tr. 3)
Yolanda Charles – bass guitar (1, 3, 7, 10)
Dean Parks – rhythm guitar (tr. 8,
Elton John – vocals, piano (tr. 12)
Larry Campbell – (bass?) guitar (tr. 5, 6, 9)
Chris Stainton – keyboards (tr. 10)

Thursday 9/8/22 6pm ET: Feature LP: Elton John – Reg Strikes Back (1988)

Reg Strikes Back is the 21st studio album by English musician Elton John. Released June 24, 1988, it was his self-proclaimed comeback album, and his own way of fighting back against bad press. The “Reg” in Reg Strikes Back refers to John’s birth name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight.

In the US, the album was certified gold in August 1988 by the RIAA. It was also John’s third studio album in the 1980’s to be placed inside the top 20 of US Billboard 200 (number 16, 1988).

1. “Town of Plenty” 3:40
2. “A Word in Spanish” 4:39
3. “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Part Two)” 4:12
4. “I Don’t Wanna Go On with You Like That” 4:33
5. “Japanese Hands” 4:40
6. “Goodbye Marlon Brando” 3:30
7. “The Camera Never Lies” 4:36
8. “Heavy Traffic” 3:30
9. “Poor Cow” 3:50
10. “Since God Invented Girls” 4:54
11. “Rope Around a Fool” 3:48
12. “I Don’t Wanna Go On with You Like That” (Shep Pettibone Mix) 7:16
13. “I Don’t Wanna Go On with You Like That” (Just Elton and His Piano Mix) 4:37
14. “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Part Two)” (The Renaissance Mix) 6:19

Elton John – lead vocals, backing vocals, Roland RD-1000 digital piano (1, 3, 4, 10), synthesizers (2, 5, 6, 9), organ (2), acoustic piano (5, 7, 8)
Fred Mandel – synthesizers
Fred McFarlane – programming
Davey Johnstone – electric guitar (1, 2, 3, 5–9), acoustic guitar (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10), backing vocals
Pete Townshend – acoustic guitar (1)
David Paton – bass
Charlie Morgan – drums
Ray Cooper – maracas (6-9), tambourine (6-9), timbales (6-9)
Freddie Hubbard – trumpet (3), flugelhorn (3)
Dee Murray – backing vocals
Nigel Olsson – backing vocals
Adrian Baker – additional backing vocals (10)
Bruce Johnston – additional backing vocals (10)
Carl Wilson – additional backing vocals (10)

Wednesday 9/7/22 1am ET: Feature Live LP: Elton John – Live From Midsummer Music at Wembley 6/21/75

Elton John Live from “Midsummer Music” at Wembley Stadium, June 21, 1975

1. “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” 7:02
2. “Tower of Babel” 4:38
3. “Bitter Fingers” 5:06
4. “Tell Me When the Whistle Blows” 4:39
5. “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” 7:17
6. “(Gotta Get a) Meal Ticket” 7:19
7. “Better Off Dead” 3:01
8. “Writing” 5:30
9. “We All Fall in Love Sometimes” 3:57
10. “Curtains” 8:48
11. “Pinball Wizard” 6:31
12. “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” 7:40

Entire concert available on the Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy 30th Anniversary Edition.

Elton John – acoustic piano, lead vocals
James Newton Howard – keyboards
Davey Johnstone – electric guitar, backing vocals
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter – electric guitar, steel guitar
Caleb Quaye – electric guitar
Kenny Passarelli – bass guitar
Roger Pope – drums
Ray Cooper – percussion
Donny Gerrard – backing vocals
Brian Russell – backing vocals
Brenda Russell – backing vocals

Tuesday 8/2/22 11pm ET: Feature LP: Elton John – Caribou (1974)

Caribou is the eighth studio album by English singer Elton John, released June 28, 1974. It was his fourth chart-topping album in the United States and his third in the United Kingdom. The album contains the singles “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”, which reached number 16 in the UK Singles Chart and number two in the US, and “The Bitch Is Back”, which reached number 15 in the UK and number four in the US. Both singles reached number one in Canada on the RPM 100 national Top Singles Chart, as did the album itself.

The album met with lukewarm reviews on its release and legacy reviews do not consider the record to be among John’s best work from his early 1970s peak period. However, the album was a commercial success and has been certified double-platinum in the US as well as receiving a gold certification in the UK. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards.

1. “The Bitch Is Back” 3:44
2. “Pinky” 3:54
3. “Grimsby” 3:46
4. “Dixie Lily” 2:55
5. “Solar Prestige a Gammon” 2:52
6. “You’re So Static” 4:53
7. “I’ve Seen the Saucers” 4:48
8. “Stinker” 5:20
9. “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” 5:36
10. “Ticking” 7:34
11. “Pinball Wizard” 5:09
12. “Sick City” 5:23
13. “Cold Highway” 3:25
14. “Step into Christmas” 4:32

Elton John – lead vocals, acoustic piano, Hammond organ (9)
David Hentschel – ARP synthesizer (2, 5, 10), mellotron (9)
Chester D. Thompson – Hammond organ (8)
Davey Johnstone – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, backing vocals
Dee Murray – bass guitar, backing vocals
Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals
Ray Cooper – tambourine, congas, whistle, vibraphone, snare, castanets, tubular bells, maracas
Lenny Pickett – tenor saxophone solo (1), soprano saxophone solo (4, 5), clarinet (5)
Tower of Power – horn section (1, 6, 8, 9)
Emilio Castillo – tenor saxophone
Steve Kupka – baritone saxophone
Lenny Pickett – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet
Mic Gillette – trombone, trumpet
Greg Adams – trumpet, horn arrangements (1, 6, 8)
Del Newman – horn arrangements (9)
Clydie King – backing vocals (1, 6)
Sherlie Matthews – backing vocals (1)
Jessie Mae Smith – backing vocals (1)
Dusty Springfield – backing vocals (1)
Billy Hinsche – backing vocals (9)
Bruce Johnston – backing vocals (9)
Toni Tennille – backing vocals (9)
Carl Wilson – backing vocals (9), vocal arrangements (9)
Daryl Dragon – vocal arrangements (9)