200 MOST RECOMMENDED ALBUMS. This update: #25. Continues next week.

THE CAFFE` LATTE`

200

MOST RECOMMENDED ALBUMS

Some are the best selling, while others may be obscure, but the albums listed here are all worthy of a listen. No compilation/ best of sets. Only exceptional live albums included. This is a personal listing of the albums I enjoy the most to this day.

#25

GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD: 

ELTON JOHN  

 

 [1973] 

So prolific was the songwriting duo of Bernie Taupin and Elton John at the time of the release of 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', that this became the 1st double album unleashed by the latter. This LP was truly a masterwork, brimming with some of the best songs in John's canon. His popularity soared even higher with this record. Few albums open with an epic as grand as "Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding". This track remains a concert staple to this day. The LP then moves into the timeless classics: "Candle In The Wind", an enduring tribute to screen idol Marilyn Monroe; the R&B-tinged "Bennie And The Jets" and the soaring harmonies of the title track. "This Song Has No Title" is another beautiful ballad, followed ably by the gem that is "Grey Seal". Inevitably, in the shadow of such giants, "Jamaica Jerk Off" and "I've Seen That Movie Too" don't measure up. The quality slumps again on Sides 3 & 4 but a reprieve is offered by "Sweet Painted Lady", "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" and the controversial "All The Girls Love Alice". The album shows many sides of John and his lyrical collaborator; ranging from reggae, soul and Americana.

Highlight tracks:

* Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

* Candle In The Wind

* Bennie And The Jets

* Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding

* Grey Seal