Review: The 50th Anniversary Edition of Elton John’s ‘Honky Chateau’ Displays His Enthusiasm and Creativity

Elton John
Honky Chateau-50^th Anniversary Edition
(UMe)
5 out of 5 stars

By any measure, it was an incredible run.

Elton John’s first US release, his self-titled second album from 1970 (the previous year’s Empty Sky didn’t make it stateside until later), started the ball rolling. From there he was fire, churning out a classic each year through at least Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy in 1975. Seven full studio albums, including the double Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, all commercially successful and most with at least one hit single, is a landmark few acts other than The Beatles could even approach, especially in that condensed time span. Today that level of productivity and creativity seems like a fairy tale.

Holding down the middle of that series was Honky Chateau (1972). Arriving after two heavily orchestrated albums, the sessions were the first to feature John’s long-serving touring band of drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray playing on every track. Paul Buckmaster’s strings, so integral to the previous year’s Madman Across the Water, were gone, replaced by a horn section, Davey Johnstone’s guitar, banjo, and mandolin, and even ARP synthesizer. The latter is prominent on the set’s biggest hit, “Rocket Man.”

The ten initial tracks, including the sprightly, country-inflected “Honky Cat,” the rockabilly-infused “Hercules,” and “Amy”’s bubbling soulful pop, are fresh and crisp. Jean Luc-Ponty’s treated violin on the sweet ballad “Mellow” and “Legs” Larry Smith’s tap-dance enlivening the jaunty, darkly humorous teen suicide ditty “I Think I’m Going to Kill Myself” display John pushing his pop boundaries. In “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” he composed a song that became one of his more identifiable pieces, albeit after the fact.

Elton John (Photo courtesy UMusic)

John is in splendid voice, the performances are tight and melodic, Bernie Taupin’s lyrics are less clunky than in the past, and the whole thing clicks with a contagious enthusiasm that John generally hasn’t been able to replicate for an entire album in decades.

The expanded anniversary edition double CD (there are various vinyl formats too) adds nine demos. Many prove that producer Gus Dudgeon knew how to tweak the material, which had a tendency to get long-winded. It’s fly-on-the-wall time for a few false starts on “Hercules” that show a determined John leading the band until they get it right.

Eight live selections from London’s Royal Festival Hall, recorded around the album’s release, confirm how tough John’s four-piece was. You don’t even miss the horns in “Honky Cat” as Elton cranks out his new-at-the-time tunes with vibrant, youthful gusto and ramped-up energy. These 35 minutes are worth the price of the reissue.  

It’s not as elaborate, or expensive, a package as last year’s 50th anniversary of Madman Across the Water with its poster, book, and surround mix. But these songs still sound terrific, reminding us just how vital and prolific an artist Elton John was in his prime.