Elton John-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)


 Artist: Elton John

Title: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Label: DJM Records

Format: 8-Track

Catalog Number: Y8DJD 1001

Year of Release: 1973

Country and Year of Edition: UK 1973

Sell Price: $8.57

Sell Date: 6/22/26

Condition: VG/G+ Pro Refurbish

Discogs Last Sold: 9/26/25 VG+/P $3.29

Low: $2.62

Median: $2.96

Average: $5.70

High: $14.47

Current low price: $0.94 (UK) G+/no cover

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 5

Have/Want: 34/236

Where Sold: Fort Worth, TX

Time It Took To Sell:  2 years

Where and When Bought: ebay 8-track lot

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: B-

Sad To See It Go: No 

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road has received canonical reverence in the last 30 years or so.  It wasn't really taken as seriously in the 80's or most of the nineties until it was revealed posthumously that Lady Di dug the deep cut "Candle In The Wind."  That made the Marilyn Monroe tribute song her own with rewritten lyrics.  Once that happened, all of the sudden Goodbye was in the "greatest albums of all time" conversation.  That's how it works and it isn't particularly rock 'n' roll.

That said, the AM pop hits here WERE among Elton's best Rock records. "Saturday Nights Alright For Fighting," "Bennie and The Jets" and even the lush title track are some of his best songs.  Where this album becomes a rough ride start to finish are the deep cuts.  The era-obligatory singular excursion into reggae is indeed a "Jamacia Jerk-Off" just like the song says.  Work on the album started there but was moved to France, so maybe, just maybe the jerk off wasn't literal but Elton pissy at work related delay.

Continuing with the theme of old time celluloid heroes, a track like "Roy Rogers" has all the depth of staring into the snow of a black and white television at 1am in the 70's.   The opening instrumental dirge of "Funeral For A Friend" has a taste of prog-pomp that probably works for Elton to come out to and hit the piano in his regalia. Better was something like "Grey Seal" with a signature 70's stringed dance pomp piano boogie.  Elton & Bernie go with what they know to fill the record out with songs like "Social Disease" and "Sweet Painted Lady."

The reshuffling of the track order meant that nothing had a fade out on this UK copy.  The 8-track copy in the US reordered the tracks a little differently but it didn't have any fade outs either.

Sprawling isn't always great.

FOR FURTHER REVIEW:

Caribou (1974)

Blue Moves (1976)

Greatest Hits Volume II (1977)

Various Artists-Music Machine (1977)

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