Elton John was no newcomer to music when Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was released in 1973. He was a well-established act with six previous albums, but GYBR catapulted him into the stratosphere of the American rock scene.
With his fondness for sequins, rhinestones and feathers, it didn't take long for his flamboyance and personal style to gather almost as much attention as his music. Looking back 30 years, John can easily be seen as a precursor to Madonna and Lady Gaga. There's long been a tendency to write John off as an overblown pop diva, but when the spectacle is set aside, the music speaks for itself.
At first glance, the album just shouldn’t work. Stylistically, it’s all over the map. It leads off with an instrumental, and “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” is an astounding 11 minutes that’s so incredibly lush and detailed that it makes the mind reel. “Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock ‘N’ Roll)” is a throw-back to the 50’s, while the classic “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” just is an old-fashioned rocker. The reggae-inspired "Jamaica Jerk-Off" is cheerful and bouncy, a mood that's immediately smashed by the noir-ish cynicism of "I've Seen That Movie, Too." And of course, the classic “Candle in the Wind” is delicate and mournful, paying homage to Norma Jean Baker and Marilyn Monroe in equal parts.
When it was released, the double album seemed to be an extravagant bit of self-indulgence; at that time, double albums were generally reserved for live releases. The musical partnership of John and lyricist Bernie Taupin proved to be such a prolific duo, though, that it’s hard to imagine an album with fewer songs. John’s range and flash provided the perfect platform for Taupin’s vivid word pictures. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a perfect demonstration of the way John’s musical hooks combined with Taupin’s writing to produce instant classics, just begging for the listener to sing along with the radio.
The album didn't receive universal acclaim upon release. Billboard was kind, dubbing it a 'superb set,' while Circus proclaimed 'Elton John is back and stronger than he's been on record in many a blue moon.' Rolling Stone took a much harsher view when Stephen Davis said "This new record is a big fruity pie that simply doesn't bake" before coming to the conclusion that it could have been a 'lovely' single LP.
But over 30 years after its release, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road has been firmly cemented in the ranks of classic albums. Despite their original review, in 2003 Rolling Stone named it the 91st greatest album of all time. That same year, the Zagat Survey Music Guide included it in their 1000 Top Albums of All Time. It's also been listed in John Tobler's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and Tom Moon's 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die.
Sources
- 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die; Moon, Tom. 2008
- 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die; Tobler, John. 2005
- Zagat Music Guide. 2003
- "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time," Rolling Stone. November, 2003
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