Old Elton John

[Max]

Am listening to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Man, Dee Murray was a stud. Listen to Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding.

I have decided that everything Elton John did after Captain Fantastic sux. And that was almost 30 years ago.

[page]

Ya know.............I agree

[mike sancho]

I'm right there with you man. Dee Murray RIP, was so solid and fluid on those earlier EJ albums. Also check out 11-17-70.
Super trio recorded in a radio station in NY. A rockin good time was had by all. Later stuff, IMHO, was not as consistant. There are a few gems in there like Nikita. Always liked that bassline.

[Max]

I am going to have to get 11-17-70. I thought that was recorded at the Troubedor in LA.

[bassicinstinct]

Check out Tumbleweed Connection too.

Killer album IMHO.

[Philbiker]

Originally Posted by Max

Am listening to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Man, Dee Murray was a stud. Listen to Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding.

Better yet, learn it!

[iamthebassman]

Dee Murray is the reason I play bass, as a youngster in the early 70s I had all those old EJ albums. I can not recommend 11/17/70 enuff, awesome bass playing. FYI, Dee is only on one track on "Tumbleweed Connection" but the playing/tone is still excellent.

[dogofgod]

Just read this...
Bandmate Davey Johnstone believes Dee's musical skills were not fully appreciated, and in March of 2011, said he was working on a documentary about the bass player.
(From his Wikipedia Site.)

Interesting to see if this develops.

Dee was a great bass player. Just relistened to some old EJ and it really blew me away.

[Tampabass]

just heard a horrible cover of "Crocodile Rock" on Radio Disney (blame my kids) - completely lifeless and soulless, compared to EJ's original. I have a real fondness for that song, as it was one of the first singles I bought, at age 11.

[tangentmusic]

Originally Posted by bassicinstinct

Check out Tumbleweed Connection too.

Killer album IMHO.

I was just listening to Tumbleweed Connection last night.
Great record

I agree. All Eltons stuff up to and including Yellow Brick Road was great. He got too fruity for me (musically, that is) after that

[KJung]

Originally Posted by page

Ya know.............I agree

+1 His early stuff is just stunning. I can't listen to Yellow Brick Road any more, due to that overproduction (IMO), but the first three or four albums are just stunning. The recordings still sound fresh, and the band is killin'.

Honkey Chateau, with Jean Luc Ponty on the electric violin is just amazing, as is Madman Across the Water. Still sounds fresh from a playing, production and songwriting perspective IMO.

[stratovani]

I remember that Elton John in his heyday (early to mid 70s) was a headliner in the same class as the biggest headliners of the time - Led Zep, McCartney, The Who, Floyd, Clapton, etc. The guy would pack not just arenas but stadiums as well. It was the Golden Age of British rock acts, and EJ was solidly in the very first tier. His albums went platinum in a very short time, and his shows were sold out real fast as well. I must say it was a wonderful time to be a young man as I was!

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by Max

Am listening to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Man, Dee Murray was a stud. Listen to Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding.

I have decided that everything Elton John did after Captain Fantastic sux. And that was almost 30 years ago.

i came to the same conclusion
right around,well,30 years ago......and while i found madman across the water to be hit and miss,tumbleweed connection still finds it's way onto my player.....

is that snuffles the dog....

[onestring]

Amen. Dee Murray. Awesome parts.

In my head, I place him with Bruce Thomas of the Attractions. They were both melodic players who really took advantage of the great material they had to work with. And both worked for songwriters who seemed to lose their mojo at the same time they lost their classic-period bands.

[gttim]

I love the bass playing in "Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy."

In general love the tunes "Love Lies/ Bleeding for" and "Madman."

But yeah, Everything after CF&BDC is not as good as the old stuff.

[So Low Bass]

I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing both Dee and Nigel Olsson in 1968-69(?) when they played with Spencer Davis at a dance at my high school(!). They were all very kind to me.

[PhiDeck]

Originally Posted by KJung

Honkey Chateau, with Jean Luc Ponty on the electric violin is just amazing, as is Madman Across the Water. Still sounds fresh from a playing, production and songwriting perspective IMO.

According to
Madman Across the Water - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dee Murray played bass on only one track of Madman Across the Water (Herbie Flowers and others playing on the rest).

[SactoBass]

Max:

Dee Murray was one of the all time greats. A master at bass. He is one of the reasons I play bass and why I list him as one of my influences in my profile.

Early Elton John rocks.

Btw, your avatar is way cool! I remember watching that cartoon when I was a kid in the 60's. Gotta love his laugh! Very cool!

[electracoyote]

Originally Posted by Max

Am listening to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Man, Dee Murray was a stud. Listen to Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding.

I have decided that everything Elton John did after Captain Fantastic sux. And that was almost 30 years ago.

Agreed. I hung in there for a couple more, but the star was definitely fading with Rock of the Westies and Blue Moves, when he let most of his original band go. He really hasn't rocked since. And then came A Single Man, and then he came out of the closet, and that was about all she wrote for Elton.

But the guy was a machine in his hey day, and a guaranteed sellout in any venue on the planet. For years.

I very much appreciate Dee Murray's "Jazz with a pick" years. I hear it quite a bit on early recordings like Honky Chateau, Don't Shoot Me, and of course GBYBR. That outrageous tone, combined with his adventurous playing, was almost just as entertaining as the songs they supported.

Sadly, it seems Elton butted heads hard with Dee more than once, firing and re-hiring him a couple of times throughout their tenuous working relationship. It's hard to imagine Elton not better appreciating the unique talent that Dee brought to the project. Dee Murray is hands down the best bass player to ever record or perform with Elton John.

[Shakin-Slim]

"Blue jean baaaby..."