Elton John

Piano-player, performer and composer extraordinaire, the former Reg Dwight has bestrode the world of music for 40+ years, and shows few signs of stopping. Even when he talks about it, he still comes round to new work again: when his 2010 project with Leon Russell was unsuccessful and he talked of stopping, he still came back with his 2012 work with P'nau, and a proper album of his own in 2013. Here are just a selection of his videos:

I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues

Are You Ready For Love?

Home Again

Sad (vs P'nau)

I'm Still Standing

And he's on Gary Barlow's new single, out Monday Jan 27  

Madman Across The Water: The Making of Elton John
From 2008, this was another retrospective, looking at his formative years, time spent in Bluesology, his songwriting partnership with Bernie Taupin, and how America made him a success quicker than Britain did. Whilst glossing rapidly over his post-1973 output, it finishes up by promoting his then-latest project, an album of collaboration with Leon Russell, which died a death in the charts.

Elton John at the BBC
An entertaining compilation of music clips from Elton on a plethora of different BBC shows, from Top of the Pops and the Old Grey Whistle Test, through to Blue Peter and The Morecambe & Wise Show. Also a fun look at the changing faces/looks of the man.

Discovering Elton John
Another in this series, this took an hour to cover his various phases, from pre-fame, American stardom, drug daze, odd clothes, career changes, new challenges & so on. Sometimes some of his quieter eras get overlooked, so this scored well there for once.

Elton John: Brits Icon
Since the back-slapping awards ceremony has introduced a new award, and since Elton has a new album out, and was awarded the existing 'Outstanding Contribution' title about 20 years ago, this was an hour+ show mixing a bit of Elton chatting about his career, many talking heads saluting him (from Emeli Sande & Ellie Goulding, through to Billie Jean King & Bill Clinton, not forgetting Bernie Taupin and the band), and live performance. The conclusion saw Rod Stewart present the award prior to a duet performance of 'Sad Songs (Say So Much)'. EltonMania continues to run wild...

Elton John - In Concert
The latest chance for Elton to showcase his work for the BBC, this most covered the first decade of his hitmaking, but he did manage 2 tracks from the latest album he's promoting. It's kinda weird how you might think he hadn't done any other songs since the 1970's, or at least the 1980's, on this evidence. A good show, though, even if the voice is beginning to decay.

Elton John: The Million Dollar Piano
Yamaha have made him a special new piano, and he gave a near-2 hour concert at the Colosseum, Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, to prove it. With help from his usual band, and guest help from 2Cellos, he belted out 18 numbers from across his career. Perhaps a highlight was a brief section with a few less familiar numbers, though he made sure to give the crowd what it wanted. He finished on 'Circle of Life', as it happened.

Elton John: Music In Review
The prospect of considering his whole album career seems a daunting one. Happily, despite a small number of contributors, some of whom had actually worked with Elton, this show was enhanced by journalists Chris Roberts, unafraid to call something crap when he felt it was merited. Elton's singing wasn't very good, his band weren't very good, his songs weren't very good, and so on. This kind of thing actually makes a refreshing change, to be honest. Given they name-checked most if not all of his 1970s works, it fitted that they skipped pretty much everything after that, and whilst some spoke up for odd albums as returns to form, it was counter-pointed that they weren't really. Maybe this more ephemeral judgement is more truthful, who can say?

Elton John Announces New Album 'Wonderful Crazy Night'

Elton John is still standing -- and will release his 33rd studio album next year.

John's publicists announced Thursday that Wonderful Crazy Night is set for release on Island Records on Feb. 5. The first single, "Looking Up," is out on Friday.

Wonderful Crazy Night is co-produced by John and T Bone Burnett, who worked on the piano-playing star's rootsy, well-received 2013 release The Diving Board.

Elton John's Billboard Op-Ed on Fighting AIDS

Lyrics are by Bernie Taupin, John's songwriting partner of almost five decades.

John, 68, is one of Britain's most enduringly successful musicians, and a campaigner for gay rights around the world. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998 for his contributions to pop music and to the fight against AIDS.

Probably should have mentioned his brief nonsensical run-in with Vladimir Putin via a prank phone call.

Good to hear he's got a new album coming in the peak market month of, er, February

Elton John: In Performance
I'd swear this was culled from the same show as that MIR show, certainly Chris Roberts was as acerbic here as before. Another journo Jon Wilde put the boots in heavily as well. Most of the song comments were backed up by footage from a gig Elton did in Sydney in 1984, which almost certainly ties in with why the comments were quite busy up to that date, and then very sporadic afterwards. But as I said with the other one, this approach has a certain curious value for all its negativity.

Jumpers For Goalposts - Ed Sheeran : Live at Wembley Arena
A lengthy concert film looking at Ed's 3 nights at Wembley Stadium in July 2015. He was apparently the first person to ever play such a venue solo. Each clip of him doing a song was sandwiched between some backstage skit about his career up to now, views on other countries, support from Example and Passenger, and on the middle date, a special appearance from Sir Elton John. Elton & Ed duetted on "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", and Elton generally put Ed over as a great new talent already, whereas he, Elton, was nearing the end of his own road.

The new album is now out, he was on Ellen DeGeneres' prog the other day to promote it by playing "The Bitch is Back" and he's done other chat shows (Graham Norton, for one). There's also another single too:

Blue Wonderful

His album charted at #6, then dropped to #18 last week

Elton John - Live at Hyde Park
As part of Radio 2's annual "2Day" concert thing, this was an hour from Elton, who threw in a couple of tracks from his recent album, helpfully surrounded by familiar material from The Bitch Is Back through to Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting. A few of his band have had to be replaced, from a couple still endure from his very earliest days. Whilst he wants to continue, there'll be venues and audiences willing to listen.

Video Killed The Radio Star: Elton John
Russell Mulcahy relates the saga of I'm Still Standing (losing a camera in the sea; desperate improvisations, etc). Elton is not a fan of being in his videos, so the later I Want Love (with a miming Robert Downey Jr) was far more to his taste. Believe rocked a Metropolis-esque vibe, whilst I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues plays on 50s nostalgia.

Elton John Launches 'The Cut' Competition to Make Videos for His '70s Hits

Elton John is giving filmmakers a chance to create music videos for his 1970s hits that were released before music videos were popular.

The English singer announced Monday, in celebration of his 50th anniversary with songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, that he's launching a competition with YouTube for aspiring video creators to make music videos for "Rocket Man," ''Tiny Dancer" and "Bennie and the Jets."

Entries for "Elton John: The Cut" open Jan. 9, 2017. The competition closes on Jan. 23 and creators must be at least 16.

John, Taupin, a panel of YouTube creators and industry players will pick three winners, and music videos will premiere next summer. Winners will also receive $10,000 from YouTube. Pulse Films will help the filmmakers with production.

Click here to enter. (Above link for full article and entry)

I won't be entering

That's spooky news in relation to the show I just watched again. It reminds me of Queen's 1995 LP where they had videos for "Heaven For Everyone" and "Too Much Love Will Kill You" made by outside sources without using the band at all.

He's 70 today

misery guts wrote:He's 70 today

Happy Birthday Sir Elton John. I'm not fond of your open political stance, though your music will always live on proudly in my collection.

To promote Record Store Day, Elton John has been named as "Record Store Day Legend":

"Vinyl just sounds better"

Sir Elton will be releasing a new version of his legendary live album, 17-11-70, to commemorate the 10th annual Record Store Day on 22 April.
This exclusive edition adds six further songs to the original tracklisting, including previously unreleased recordings of Indian Sunset, Your Song and My Father's Gun.
"It wasn't supposed to be a live album, it was a radio broadcast," the musician told the BBC, "but it was bootlegged so much that the record company decided to put it out."

Elton has had to cancel/rearrange some concerts after falling ill on tour in South America

Lorraine - Elton John (10/11/17)
He's got another new boxset out, called Diamonds, and this was one of many chats to promote it. His favourite songs are based more on actually playing them, rather than from listening to albums, so his current fave is Tiny Dancer. His odd fashion looks were to create a lasting impression (which is fair enough, they did). His sons like his music and take piano lessons, and love football too. He enjoyed his cameo in "Kingsman: The Golden Circle".

Elton John - The Nation's Favourite Song
Another special top 20, with David Walliams talking to Elton about some of his hits, and dozens of others sung his praises, and Bernie Taupin explained that Daniel is about Vietnam.
20 - Someone Saved My Life Tonight
19 - Philadelphia Freedom
18 - Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
17 - Nikita
16 - Are You Ready For Love?
15 - Bennie and the Jets
14 - Sacrifice
13 - Sorry Seems to be The Hardest Word
12 - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
11 - Daniel
10 - Crocodile Rock
09 - I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
08 - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
07 - Tiny Dancer
06 - Don't Go Breaking My Heart
05 - Can You Feel The Love Tonight?
04 - I'm Still Standing
03 - Rocket Man
02 - Candle In The Wind
01 - YOUR SONG

Sadder news as Elton's mother has died, aged 92:

Elton in shock

RIP

Well, coincidentally on the heels of Neil Diamond's announcement about stopping touring, Sir Elton made a similar sort of announcement of his own:

Elton John retires from touring … with 300-date world tour

Although to be fair, he's attributing it to wanting to spend more time with his sons, than any actual health problems (as yet).

Not everyone is impressed about his final tour, though:

Rod Stewart is scornful

Sir Rod said he did not believe in retirement tours.
"I've never spoken about it and if I do retire, I won't make an announcement. I'll just fade away," he said, adding that retirement tours were "dishonest".

They're old mates, I can't see this breaking that friendship.

Elton John - I'm Still Standing : A Grammy Salute
From Madison Square Garden, another of these celebrity tributes where many artists cover the artist in question, so Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Alessia Cara, Miranda Lambert and many, many others, did their stuff, before Elton played 3 tracks himself too. Though Elton was the titular tributee, it seemed to be as much a nod for Bernie Taupin, to the extent where a casual viewer might have thought Elton worked with no other songwriter. Much as I like them both, the idea that Elton's other work means nothing is a load of rubbish.