Elton John "Don't Shoot Me..." box??

[ar surround]

Yeah. After meeting more than a few music people over the years, nothing surprises me, really. Songs are written on buses, planes, backrooms, hotel rooms, practice, wherever. I'm ever curious though.

The shower...it also gives a real-time preview of what the vocals will sound like with added reverb.

 

[DuncanS]

The shower...it also gives a real-time preview of what the vocals will sound like with added reverb.

Which had me wondering did Phil Spector spend a lot of time in the shower when he was involved with All Things Must Pass

 

[key_wiz]

I met Elton quite a few times in the lates 80s and early 90s. I recall telling him I liked the deep track "Blues For Baby and Me" - and he told me he hated it. LOLOL!

I went to see him perform at the Hollywood Bowl around 1988. He did a stellar version of "Have Mercy On the Criminal" that night. Best song of the night. Well, maybe "Sorry Seems to Be The Hardest Word" might have actually been the most emotional moment. I've only seen about 3 or 4 shows at the Bowl, as it sucks big time unless you are upfront. It's a slight narrow place with long deep rows. So you can end up far away very easily. Plus there is a noise ordinance that keeps sound levels down to a minimum, so it you go see the Who there (like I did), and you are not close to the front, it simply does not sound loud enough. And for the Who one needs it loud!

The Greek Theater which is a similar type of amphitheater in LA is much nicer, easier parking, louder sound, and in a beautiful area. There is a reason Hot August Night (and all Greek Theater recordings) sounds amazing, and Hollywood Bowl recordings are always shitty sounding.

Anyway, getting off track here. Don't Shoot Me is imo Elton's most consistent album after GBYBR.

Interesting he hates that song. I wonder why? I don’t think it is one of their very strongest, but I don’t find anything particular about it to hate either. Seems rather typical of so much he and Bernie were doing at the time. Not sure why he’d single that one out as worse than others. (Then again, maybe he hates a lot of their songs? Or just did at the time? Or was just in a bad mood that day? Cool you got to meet him though!)

I’m glad you find the album to be one of his most consistent, but personally, I find it one of the weaker of the “classic” period.

“Midnight Creeper” feels a bit of a throwaway to me. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing special about it either.

“Texas Love Song” I find cringy. (If there was one I wouldn’t be surprised if Elton said he hated it…) the weakest, IMO, of all of Bernie’s “western” songs. And Elton’s affected southern accent? Yuk. I get it’s supposed to be campy, but just doesn’t work for me.

“Crocodile Rock”, I don’t hate like some people, but boy was it overplayed at the time and it always felt a little out of place on the album to me. Upsets the flow of the tracks, IMO. Might have worked better as a standalone single?

But those two tracks are redeemed for me by the album ending with the stellar “High Flying Bird”. One of my favorite Elton tracks ever and boy do I have a lot of favorites of his.

Still a great, classic album. But for me, only a “9” that came during a long streak of “10”s.

 

[key_wiz]

Yeah. After meeting more than a few music people over the years, nothing surprises me, really. Songs are written on buses, planes, backrooms, hotel rooms, practice, wherever. I'm ever curious though.

True.

My comments were based just upon what little I know about them. (Never met them) Bernie has spoken often about his fascination with Americana from movies and TV as a kid. And Elton has often spoken of how he has no real connection to most of the lyrics. He’s singing Bernie’s songs. They aren’t his experiences or emotions for the most part. So my guess would be if you were to ask him about lyrics he’d largely defer.

 

[quicksrt]

Interesting he hates that song. I wonder why? I don’t think it is one of their very strongest, but I don’t find anything particular about it to hate either. Seems rather typical of so much he and Bernie were doing at the time. Not sure why he’d single that one out as worse than others. (Then again, maybe he hates a lot of their songs? Or just did at the time? Or was just in a bad mood that day? Cool you got to meet him though!)

I’m glad you find the album to be one of his most consistent, but personally, I find it one of the weaker of the “classic” period.

“Midnight Creeper” feels a bit of a throwaway to me. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing special about it either.

“Texas Love Song” I find cringy. (If there was one I wouldn’t be surprised if Elton said he hated it…) the weakest, IMO, of all of Bernie’s “western” songs. And Elton’s affected southern accent? Yuk. I get it’s supposed to be campy, but just doesn’t work for me.

“Crocodile Rock”, I don’t hate like some people, but boy was it overplayed at the time and it always felt a little out of place on the album to me. Upsets the flow of the tracks, IMO. Might have worked better as a standalone single?

But those two tracks are redeemed for me by the album ending with the stellar “High Flying Bird”. One of my favorite Elton tracks ever and boy do I have a lot of favorites of his.

Still a great, classic album. But for me, only a “9” that came during a long streak of “10”s.

I think he was being bitchy, but in his mind thinking he was being funny. He likely does not hate it - but it's one he thinks little of. Was this ever performed live? But I like sharp answers even if they don't agree with me. I'd rather have Elton tell me directly than it be a dull meeting. I actually liked his answer.

 

[himey]

I think he was being bitchy, but in his mind thinking he was being funny. He likely does not hate it - but it's one he thinks little of. Was this ever performed live? But I like sharp answers even if they don't agree with me. I'd rather have Elton tell me directly than it be a dull meeting. I actually liked his answer.

Do parents truly love all their kids equally?

 

[Marplot]

Do parents truly love all their kids equally?

Mine didn't ...

 

[baward]

??? Mostly the entire Tumbleweed album is about Ole West America

As a spotty 14 year old in 1976, I thought that the booklet photos were of somewhere in the Ole West America. T.C. was my newest Elton John acquisition after I received a gift of Goodbye Yellowbrick Road the year earlier. 1976 was of course also the year of the release of Oxygene. We were pretty spoiled in the 1970s.

 

[privateuniverse]

While we may not soon be getting the box set that we hoped for, the album is being reissued as a 2LP set for Record Store Day. The 2nd LP is demo versions of the album tracks.

 

[fredblue]

https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/15842

 

[rontoon]

It was just posted on SHF that Dont' Shoot Me should be released in a box equivalent to Madman. And there's a SDE release of Captain Fantastic being planned as well.

On another note I forgot to mention "Captain Fantastic" is getting a huge deluxe treatment. There is a ton of demos, video, and archive stuff for this phenomenal album. I don't want to say a date other than it most likely will be around Christmas or after new years.

 

[Bill B]

I wasn't sure where the best place to post this but thought it might interest some Elton fans....

These are 18x24 lithograph prints celebrating his farewell tour.

https://iconic.collectionzz.com/collections/farewell-yellow-brick-road-tour-prints

 

[ssully]

I would like to sit down with Mr. Taupin and Sir Elton and ask them about the songs written/sung about Americana.
I once had a, call him a work acquaintance, who's ancestry was from what he said, a high percentage of American Plains Indians. One of the songs on MMATW was especially significant to him. You could guess which one.

Another EJ song that piques my interest personally: Rotten Peaches. Seems a strange subject for a UK born person to sing about. Perhaps I'm missing something.

In the early 70s the roots/americana/country/folk rock of The Band and Buffalo Springfield was hugely influential on both sides of the Atlantic EJ's Tumbleweed Connection comes directly from that. And Taupin has always been interested in Americana.

 

[mandrix]

In the early 70s the roots/americana/country/folk rock of The Band and Buffalo Springfield was hugely influential on both sides of the Atlantic EJ's Tumbleweed Connection comes directly from that. And Taupin has always been interested in Americana.

Sure. I get all that. Still not the same as a one on one. Wouldn't you like to pick some songwriter's brain about some particular song at some time?

When I was in my early 30's I used to write a lot of what I thought of as poetry. I also worked with a few bands as a "fill in" sort of, running lights and sound, set up, etc. I was scribbling away one night when one of the band members dropped by and asked what all the writing was about, so I let him look. Apropo of nothing perhaps, but his day job was as a high school English teacher.
He read a read a few pages, then he said, dude, these are song lyrics. I had never looked at them that way before.

 

[mandrix]

As an addendum to my previous post, my Father once wrote a song and sent to a then very popular Country Music artist. It turned out to be a very popular song, got a lot of airplay. My Father never got any credit for it. He never wanted any money, but I'm sure he would have appreciated being mentioned. The lyrics were rearranged somewhat, but not that much. True story.

 

[sjcorne]

Over on that SHF thread, the OP is now saying the proposed Don’t Shoot Me box has been scrapped by UMG in favor of a 2CD reissue similar to Honky Chateau 50th.

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

Over on that SHF thread, the OP is now saying the proposed Don’t Shoot Me box has been scrapped by UMG in favor of a 2CD reissue similar to Honky Chateau 50th.

I'm not surprised given last years 'Madman Across The Water' debacle.

Personally I didn't think there was a need to release another (multi-channel) version of 'Madman...' I would much preferred they had completed the multi-channel releases of all the 1970's albums instead.

 

[quicksrt]

Over on that SHF thread, the OP is now saying the proposed Don’t Shoot Me box has been scrapped by UMG in favor of a 2CD reissue similar to Honky Chateau 50th.

If they were not going to give us the 5.1 surround mix, then why bother with anything extravagant. Just a simple double disc set is fine then,.

Either give us what we've been waiting a decade for, or don't, and we can spend our money on Sony Japan, and Steven Wilson surround projects..

I thought that the mix was already down, and if so it would not be a big undertaking to get it out. They make such a big deal out of this.

 

[ar surround]

If they were not going to give us the 5.1 surround mix, then why bother with anything extravagant. Just a simple double disc set is fine then,.

Either give us what we've been waiting a decade for, or don't, and we can spend our money on Sony Japan, and Steven Wilson surround projects..

I thought that the mix was already down, and if so it would not be a big undertaking to get it out. They make such a big deal out of this.

It's such bullshit. These unreleased 5.1 mixes are supposedly in the digital can. If they don't want to mess with bluray production, why not just issue the set with a coupon for a FLAC download of the 5.1 mix?

[Edit: Well, it's a good excuse for me to start messing with this album in DeMix Pro.]

 

[fredblue]

Over on that SHF thread, the OP is now saying the proposed Don’t Shoot Me box has been scrapped by UMG in favor of a 2CD reissue similar to Honky Chateau 50th.

a depressingly crap outcome after all the twists and turns of that thread