Considerably lighter than Madman Across the Water, Honky Chateau is a rollicking collection of ballads, rockers, blues, country-rock, and soul songs.
On paper, it reads like an eclectic mess, but it plays as the most focused and accomplished set of songs Elton John and Bernie Taupin ever wrote.
The skittering boogie of "Honky Cat" and the light psychedelic pop of "Rocket Man" helped send Honky Chateau to the top of the charts, but what is truly impressive about the album is the depth of its material.
From the surprisingly cynical and nasty "I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself" to the moving ballad "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters," John is at the top of his form, crafting immaculate pop songs with memorable melodies and powerful hooks.
While Taupin's lyrics aren't much more comprehensible than before, John delivers them with skill and passion, making them feel more substantial than they are.
But what makes Honky Chateau a classic is the songcraft, and the way John ties disparate strands of roots music into distinctive and idiosyncratic pop -- it's one of the finest collections of mainstream singer/songwriter pop of the early '70s.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honky CatElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 05:12 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 2 | MellowElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 05:32 | 12 MB | 32 MB |
| 3 | I Think I'm Going to Kill MyselfElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 4 | Susie (Dramas)Elton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 5 | SalvationElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 6 | AmyElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 7 | Mona Lisas and Mad HattersElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 05:00 | 11 MB | 24 MB |
| 8 | HerculesElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 05:20 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 9 | Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time) | Elton John | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 10 | 07. Slave | Elton John | Play | 04:22 | 10 MB | 26 MB |
| 45 mins | 103 MB | |||||
| 45 mins | 277 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madeline Bell | Main Personnel, Vocals (Background) |
| 2 | Jacques Bolognesi | Main Personnel, Trombone |
| 3 | Jean Louis Chautemps | Main Personnel, Saxophone |
| 4 | Ray Cooper | Congas, Main Personnel |
| 5 | Gus Dudgeon | Audio Production, Main Personnel, Vocals (Background), Whistle |
| 6 | Alain Hatot | Main Personnel, Saxophone |
| 7 | Tony Hazzard | Main Personnel, Vocals (Background) |
| 8 | David Hentschel | ARP Synthesizer, Main Personnel |
| 9 | Elton John | Composer, Main Personnel, Organ, Piano, Piano (Electric), Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 10 | Davey Johnstone | Banjo, Guitar, Main Personnel, Mandolin, Vocals (Background) |
| 11 | Ivan Julian | Main Personnel, Trumpet |
| 12 | Dee Murray | Guitar (Bass), Main Personnel, Vocals (Background) |
| 13 | Nigel Olsson | Congas, Drums, Main Personnel, Tambourine, Vocals (Background) |
| 14 | Jean-Luc Ponty | Guest Artist, Main Personnel, Violin (Electric) |
| 15 | Ken Scott | Audio Engineer |
| 16 | Legs Larry Smith | Main Personnel, Taps |
| 17 | Larry Steele | Main Personnel, Vocals (Background) |
| 18 | Liza Strike | Main Personnel, Vocals (Background) |
| 19 | Bernie Taupin | Composer |
| 20 | 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). |