Elton John became a true superstar with 1972's Honky Chateau.
He followed that album with Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, his most direct, pop-oriented album to date.
Designed as a pastiche of classic and contemporary pop styles, the album almost sounds like an attempt to demonstrate the diversity of the John/Taupin team.
Though the hits are remarkable -- "Daniel" is a moving ballad and "Crocodile Rock" is a sly take on '50s rock & roll -- the album is slightly uneven.
Several of the album tracks, particularly the knowing "I'm Going to Be a Teenage Idol" and the rocking "Elderberry Wine," are as strong as anything John had recorded, but there are too many melodies that simply don't catch hold.
Nevertheless, the singles were strong enough to keep the album at the top of the charts, and at its best, it is a very enjoyable piece of well-crafted pop/rock.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DanielElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 2 | Teacher I Need YouElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 04:11 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 3 | Elderberry WineElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 03:33 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 4 | Blues for My Baby and MeElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 05:40 | 13 MB | 27 MB |
| 5 | Midnight CreeperElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 6 | Have Mercy on the CriminalElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 05:56 | 13 MB | 30 MB |
| 7 | I'm Gonna Be a Teenage IdolElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 8 | Texan Love SongElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 9 | Crocodile RockElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 10 | High Flying BirdElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 42 mins | 97 MB | |||||
| 42 mins | 233 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacques Bolognesi | Trombone |
| 2 | Paul Buckmaster | Arranger, Orchestra |
| 3 | Ed Caraeff | Photography |
| 4 | Jean Louis Chautemps | Saxophone |
| 5 | Gus Dudgeon | Brass Arrangement, Producer |
| 6 | Alain Hatot | Saxophone |
| 7 | Elton John | Composer, Flute, Harmonium, Keyboards, Mellotron, Piano, Piano (Electric), Primary Artist, Songwriter, Vocals |
| 8 | Davey Johnstone | Banjo, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Leslie), Sitar, Synthesizer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 9 | Ivan Jullien | Trumpet |
| 10 | David Larkham | Artwork, Design |
| 11 | Dee Murray | Bass, Vocals (Background) |
| 12 | Nigel Olsson | Drums, Maracas, Vocals (Background) |
| 13 | Michael Ross | Artwork, Design |
| 14 | Ken Scott | Engineer |
| 15 | Bernie Taupin | Composer, Lyricist |
| 16 | John Tobler | Liner Notes |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |