1973 was a year of so many albums of the year. GBYBR, Band on the Run, Dark Side of the Moon, Hot August Night ... Even Elton's other '73 offering, Don't Shoot Me ... Bowie did 3 albums that year. Personally, I think 1973 was the greatest year ever for albums. So, it was truly a toss of the coin which record to give Album of the year to in 1973. So many classic bands making classic albums that year.
This has to be one of the top rock albums of all time. I don't like much of Elton beyond the 70s, but this is certainly the pinnacle. I remember doing Funeral for a Friend and Love Lies Bleeding for my college music grad program. I've loved this album for decades. Epic.
Yeah Elton had an amazing run of albums from the self titled debut to Tumbleweed, Don't Shoot Me, Madman, Honky and then this double album. What an output. I also don't care for most of what followed but this streak is my favorite music
My first concert 1975 Olympia stadium Detroit. Wing high box. Me and Leslie and co workers. Never forget it. Started funeral for a friend. Ended sat. Nights alright for fighting
Masterpiece. As a professional musician myself (Berklee Grad), the thought of writing a classic song in 10 minutes or less, and then doing the basic tracks in 1-2 takes is mind-boggling.
iam surprised there isn't a 50th anniversary edition. I just got the remastered version and since i am deaf in one ear and one eye .i can still hear both channels nicely. i hope Sir Elton releases achieved bootlegs or FM radio broadcasts as a lot of bands are doing the same. My favourite track on This album is I see that Movie Too and Sweet Painted Lady both sequel into the order of tracks. Olsson drums are superbly played also tuned with his tom toms .
I always heard Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was about Elton breaking away from MCA. "maybe they'll get a replacement, there's plenty like me to be found. Mongrels who ain't got a penny, sniffing for tidbit's like you on the ground".
So sad Gus Dudgeon died a few months after recording this documentary... I'll never forget when I first saw it, not knowing Gus had passed away, only to learn the news soon afterwards doing some research on Google... :-(
Ryan99G it was from the 1973 documentary "Say Goodbye to Norma Jean and Other Things". The pitched was raised on most of the songs (except Danny Bailey and Candle in the Wind and the live material)...why? who knows. Why Classic Albums kept it like that? again Who Knows?
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Houses of the Holy, We Are Only In It For the Money, and, self titled Black Sabbath are my Essential go-to album's of the 1970's, and the one of the late 1960's too.
Ya, I still have tinitis in one ear from the rock of the westies concert. Its all good in documentary isn't it. I still love the music but there is a dichotomy in the telling of it that many of us can relate to I'm sure.
Eltons band Nigel , Dee and Davey were an underrated and unsung Heros of all of the albums they played on . When he let them go he lost his sound and my attention.
Agree, it's true that they helped define his sound over those peak years. This is an exuberant double album recorded in just a few weeks and with songs going in many directions - only a really seasoned band could have held it together. After 1975 he didn't really have a stable band for several years.
I got bored with this which is a shame because I'm a big fan of the release. A friend gave it to me around 1976 as a gift on two cassettes. I flogged the first and periodically played the second. But that's good enough. As a 12 yo I smashed that 1st side...love lies bleeding and so on. It's one of the greats. And I'm grateful for the company EJ and band afforded me
Where has this documentary been hiding? GBYBR has been one of my most favorite albums for a very long time. Does anyone know if there is a recording of piano-only music by Elton of Funeral For a Friend like he was playing at the beginning of this video?
I watched it way back in the Seventies on TV but it would get shown like Sunday night at 12:30pm or something. If you missed it, you had to wait an entire year for it to come back on. If you were lucky. Think I saw it twice. Then Forty years later I came across it on a DVD at FYE in the mall with a different title. And now its on CZcams. Absolutely Wonderful watching these Geniuses work!
I had an interpretation of the lyrics which seemed obvious to me that it was about a young boy toy from the country who arrives in the big city and gets taken in by an old rich guy...and the allegory to Dorothy arriving at the Emerald City and being disillusioned with the wizard. It was a common story in the 60's and 70's
I've always wondered if the highness of the singing is what made it so popular because so many GIRLS could sing along in their range easily. Don't get me wrong, guys loved this album too but girls are mostly who went nuts and bought things in those days and played it for their boyfriends and on the radio, etc.
@@aaronjohnson3463 That response show how little *you* apparently know about piano. I studied piano as a kid before switching to guitar. But I still play well enough--which is nothing special--to play EJ parts.
with "england" you mean THE BRITISH ISLES...THE UNITED KINGDOM...THE UK...BRITAIN ... SCOTLAND isn´t "england" neither is WALES nor IRELAND. So if you mean "england" you are referring to that dump south of SCOTLAND !
Bunk! Liberals are not about censorship - if anyone would get upset it’s going to be the so-called Christian conservatives. _All The Young Girls Love Alice_ certainly draws their ire.
Nah - too many idiots commenting on CZcams. (The only filler on this album is Jamaica Jerk Off, which was only included out of deference to having gone to the West Indies to try to record an album in the middle of a coup. Other than that, Dear John Holmes, you must be deaf.)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is what happens when a brilliant lyricist and brilliant musicians collaborate.
With brilliant musicians, producers and arrangers.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road should have been nominated for Album of the Year.
1973 was a year of so many albums of the year. GBYBR, Band on the Run, Dark Side of the Moon, Hot August Night ... Even Elton's other '73 offering, Don't Shoot Me ... Bowie did 3 albums that year. Personally, I think 1973 was the greatest year ever for albums. So, it was truly a toss of the coin which record to give Album of the year to in 1973. So many classic bands making classic albums that year.
If I could only have 10 great albums this would be one of them
Not a bad song on it👍
This would be 2 of them? 🙂
@@babylemonade2868 Jamaica Jerk Off?
No doubt
My very first album in 73, and still one of my favourites. 😊
Wow! What a way to start your record collection!
This has to be one of the top rock albums of all time. I don't like much of Elton beyond the 70s, but this is certainly the pinnacle. I remember doing Funeral for a Friend and Love Lies Bleeding for my college music grad program. I've loved this album for decades. Epic.
Agreed. A fellow Architect gifted me this album , in the 70s , añd to this day, i treasure it
Yeah Elton had an amazing run of albums from the self titled debut to Tumbleweed, Don't Shoot Me, Madman, Honky and then this double album. What an output. I also don't care for most of what followed but this streak is my favorite music
This was his most creative period ❤
Wow 50 years have passed! Shocking!!
Absolutely awesome video - we’ve pondered many of the same questions. So much love for Elton in our group. Looking forward to more.
My first concert 1975 Olympia stadium Detroit. Wing high box. Me and Leslie and co workers. Never forget it. Started funeral for a friend. Ended sat. Nights alright for fighting
I remember buying this album when it came out! Amazing album!
I thought "Madman Across the Water" was genius, and then "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" came out and just blew me away.
I grew up as a fan (I'm 26), but I just recently got this album in its entirety. It is true magic.
Masterpiece. As a professional musician myself (Berklee Grad), the thought of writing a classic song in 10 minutes or less, and then doing the basic tracks in 1-2 takes is mind-boggling.
I watched all four parts in one sitting. Ate my meal cold.
❤❤❤ GUS WAS A MASTERMIND AND TRUE VISIONARY
iam surprised there isn't a 50th anniversary edition. I just got the remastered version and since i am deaf in one ear and one eye .i can still hear both channels nicely. i hope Sir Elton releases achieved bootlegs or FM radio broadcasts as a lot of bands are doing the same. My favourite track on This album is I see that Movie Too and Sweet Painted Lady both sequel into the order of tracks. Olsson drums are superbly played also tuned with his tom toms .
My favourite Elton John song is I've Seen that Movie Too. Great pick!!! The interplay between the orchestra and the guitar at the end is just awesome.
I always heard Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was about Elton breaking away from MCA. "maybe they'll get a replacement, there's plenty like me to be found. Mongrels who ain't got a penny, sniffing for tidbit's like you on the ground".
More like his British label DJM.
Interesting journey from conception to product on this classic rock album.
Gus Dudgeon was the best producer Elton John and band, ever had. He understood and knew their capabilities.
Awesome music! Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is definitely one of Sir Elton John's best records. I have it on cd and I've literally worn it out!
CDs do not wear out.
@@petefluffy7420 Really?
@@jasoncarpp7742 Of course. What wore on yours?
I've had 5 copies
❤❤❤long live Elton and berny!!!
A 1973 gift for the Ages....
So sad Gus Dudgeon died a few months after recording this documentary... I'll never forget when I first saw it, not knowing Gus had passed away, only to learn the news soon afterwards doing some research on Google... :-(
Gus Dudgeon was a major part of Elton's career. It's a shame that he's no longer with us. Same goes for Dee Murray.
Wonderful!
Elton masterpiece wig or no wig
Thank you for sharing your insights
Never thought of it that way, it would make sense though.
Brilliant documentary ❤
who needs it when you're a rockstar genius?
That's why Elton started The Rocket Record Company, his own label.
This is the first album I ever bought with my own money.
At the Sears record department!
I think it was $5.99😂.
4:57 Yeah, especially when the pitch is raised. A LOT.
Ryan99G it was from the 1973 documentary "Say Goodbye to Norma Jean and Other Things". The pitched was raised on most of the songs (except Danny Bailey and Candle in the Wind and the live material)...why? who knows. Why Classic Albums kept it like that? again Who Knows?
Great album, love it, but Capt Fantastic is my all-time fave EJ album
Amen brother. Captain fantastic is superior
In an interview I read a long time ago in Rolling Stone, he mentioned that he had been thinking of leaving at the time but was talked out of it later.
RIP Gus dugeon
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Houses of the Holy, We Are Only In It For the Money, and, self titled Black Sabbath are my Essential go-to album's of the 1970's, and the one of the late 1960's too.
Greatest album ever.
Amoreena from the Tumbleweed Connection album.
Ya, I still have tinitis in one ear from the rock of the westies concert.
Its all good in documentary isn't it. I still love the music but there is a dichotomy in the telling of it that many of us can relate to I'm sure.
Couldn't agree more.
Eltons band Nigel , Dee and Davey were an underrated and unsung Heros of all of the albums they played on . When he let them go he lost his sound and my attention.
Agree, it's true that they helped define his sound over those peak years. This is an exuberant double album recorded in just a few weeks and with songs going in many directions - only a really seasoned band could have held it together. After 1975 he didn't really have a stable band for several years.
So agree - their backing vocals on Candle in the Wind, are enough for them to be in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.
I always picture the funeral burial opening scenes to Dr.Zhivago when I hear the beginning (prelude?) to Funeral for a Friend. ??
Probably the bleakest imagery ever put in film.
Blue Moves, Eltons 2nd double album was released in 1976 and is CRIMINALLY IGNORED
What are the best songs on blue moves? Dont know it
all of it@@mjsmcd
Tonight, Crazy Water, Between seventeen and twenty, Chameleon, One Horse Town, The Wide Eyed & Laughing, Idol (v prophetic)
@@billysollox8959 Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word???????? How'd you leave that one out?
@@Fuzcapp, dunno. Thanks for highlighting it. You're right :0)
The idea of Elton having ever held a plow (or going back to one) strikes me as very humorous. :-) (yes, I know Bernie wrote the words.)
I got bored with this which is a shame because I'm a big fan of the release.
A friend gave it to me around 1976 as a gift on two cassettes. I flogged the first and periodically played the second.
But that's good enough. As a 12 yo I smashed that 1st side...love lies bleeding and so on.
It's one of the greats. And I'm grateful for the company EJ and band afforded me
genius.....
Why does the "Making of Goodbye Yellowbrick Road" documentary use music not found on the album? lol
Where has this documentary been hiding? GBYBR has been one of my most favorite albums for a very long time. Does anyone know if there is a recording of piano-only music by Elton of Funeral For a Friend like he was playing at the beginning of this video?
Best I can do, 10 years too late: czcams.com/video/5PqYb9yTqDo/video.html
I watched it way back in the Seventies on TV but it would get shown like Sunday night at 12:30pm or something. If you missed it, you had to wait an entire year for it to come back on. If you were lucky. Think I saw it twice. Then Forty years later I came across it on a DVD at FYE in the mall with a different title. And now its on CZcams. Absolutely Wonderful watching these Geniuses work!
Love the lionels.
what song is at 11.30....
As Rocket2133 said, it's Amoreena from the Tumbleweed Connection album. One of his best albums.
Next time: 11:30
although he did some great stuff during the 80' and 90's
but yes, you are right. He was awesome till 1976 or so, then thigs went downhill.
He was best live early 80's though. And his voice was best at this time
Yeah, he stopped writing with Bernie for some years… downhill indeed.
I had an interpretation of the lyrics which seemed obvious to me that it was about a young boy toy from the country who arrives in the big city and gets taken in by an old rich guy...and the allegory to Dorothy arriving at the Emerald City and being disillusioned with the wizard. It was a common story in the 60's and 70's
In the thumbnail, why gus dudgeon like Paul Newman
I've always wondered if the highness of the singing is what made it so popular because so many GIRLS could sing along in their range easily. Don't get me wrong, guys loved this album too but girls are mostly who went nuts and bought things in those days and played it for their boyfriends and on the radio, etc.
responding to below, no way Elton would have challenged the labels at that time. Would you?
No, it was because Bernie was leaving the duo behind and wrote it as his "swansong" to Elton... puts some perspective on it, eh?
Who sped up that live footage 😂
So when did Bernie leave? He co wrote several Elton albums after yellow brick road.
Tick Bryan he never left.
Great but certainly not captain fantastic level
Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is one of the greatest rock songs ever ❤
Pnm
One of the most technically gifted rock musicians Britain's ever produced? No. Terrific writer and singer; average player.
Shows how little you actually know about piano
@@aaronjohnson3463 That response show how little *you* apparently know about piano. I studied piano as a kid before switching to guitar. But I still play well enough--which is nothing special--to play EJ parts.
@@fretbuzz59
Sure Elton is no Peterson, Jarrett or Tatum but he is an exceptional songwriter and a darn good piano player too.
@@rick3747 As I said: Terrific writer and singer; average player.
with "england" you mean THE BRITISH ISLES...THE UNITED KINGDOM...THE UK...BRITAIN ... SCOTLAND isn´t "england" neither is WALES nor IRELAND. So if you mean "england" you are referring to that dump south of SCOTLAND !
Has this guy ever had decent hair?
Funny how the band getting fired leads to the worst music ever from Elton John. Almost like drugs and money are better than really good music
nonsense
I love you Elton ! So sad you became an Illuminati and sold your soul 😭😭😭
Nonsense
Couple of unknown songs on the album couldn't be played now because of woke-ism or whatever. Dirty Little Girl, Sweet Painted Ladies
Bunk! Liberals are not about censorship - if anyone would get upset it’s going to be the so-called Christian conservatives. _All The Young Girls Love Alice_ certainly draws their ire.
too much dead wood. it would have been better as a single album.
Nah - too many idiots commenting on CZcams. (The only filler on this album is Jamaica Jerk Off, which was only included out of deference to having gone to the West Indies to try to record an album in the middle of a coup. Other than that, Dear John Holmes, you must be deaf.)