Recorded in the late 1960s and early '70s, this collection of cover songs presents Elton John in his formative years, just on the verge of major success, though clearly not there yet.
(John, aka Reginald Dwight, is erroneously -- and humorously -- referred to as "Reg Bright" by a press clipping in the liner notes.) On these work-for-hire sessions, Captain Fantastic is still very much in the music-industry trenches, running through hits such as "In the Summertime" for release on budget-priced British LPs.
Despite the unglamorous origins of these tracks, there are plenty of gems, as John can't help but let his charm seep through, even when trying for John Fogerty's vocal grit on Creedence's "Travelin' Band" and "Up Around the Bend." Not surprisingly, the most convincing covers are the ones that hew closest to the bold pop style that John would go on to perfect, namely a chiming take on Cat Stevens' "Lady D'Arbanville" and an energetic, spot-on rendition of the Paul McCartney-penned Badfinger hit "Come and Get It." Though Legendary Covers is primarily a novelty disc for devoted John fans, it also serves as a fascinating glimpse of the pop legend's beginnings.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cottonfields | Elton John | Play | 02:44 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 2 | Lady d'ArbanvilleCat Stevens | Elton John | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 3 | Natural SinnerAndy Fairweather Low | Elton John | Play | 02:48 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 4 | Spirit in the SkyNorman Greenbaum | Elton John | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | Travelin' BandJohn Fogerty | Elton John | Play | 02:15 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 6 | I Can't Tell the Bottom from the TopGuy Fletcher, Doug Flett | Elton John | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 7 | Good Morning Freedom | Elton John | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 8 | In the Summertime | Elton John | Play | 02:49 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 9 | Up Around the BendJohn Fogerty | Elton John | Play | 02:34 | 5 MB | 15 MB |
| 10 | She Sold Me MagicLou Christie | Elton John | Play | 01:56 | 4 MB | 12 MB |
| 11 | Come and Get ItPaul McCartney | Elton John | Play | 02:10 | 4 MB | 14 MB |
| 12 | Love of the Common PeopleJohn Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins | Elton John | Play | 02:29 | 5 MB | 12 MB |
| 13 | It's All in the GameCharles Dawes, Carl Sigman | Elton John | Play | 02:20 | 5 MB | 12 MB |
| 14 | Yellow RiverJeff Christie | Elton John | Play | 02:31 | 5 MB | 16 MB |
| 15 | Signed Sealed Delivered | Elton John | Play | 02:28 | 5 MB | 15 MB |
| 16 | Young, Gifted & Black | Elton John | Play | 03:02 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 44 mins | 101 MB | |||||
| 44 mins | 264 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madison Brown | Liner Notes |
| 2 | Jeff Christie | Composer |
| 3 | Lou Christie | Composer |
| 4 | Charles Dawes | Composer |
| 5 | Guy Fletcher | Composer |
| 6 | Doug Flett | Composer |
| 7 | John Fogerty | Composer |
| 8 | Lee Garrett | Composer |
| 9 | Norman Greenbaum | Composer |
| 10 | Gary Hobish | Reissue Mastering |
| 11 | John Hurley | Composer |
| 12 | Elton John | Main Personnel, Piano, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 13 | Andy Fairweather Low | Composer |
| 14 | Paul McCartney | Composer |
| 15 | Nathaniel Russell | Reissue Art Director |
| 16 | Carl Sigman | Composer |
| 17 | Nina Simone | Composer |
| 18 | Cat Stevens | Composer |
| 19 | Pat Thomas | Reissue Producer |
| 20 | Ronnie Wilkins | Composer |
| 21 | Stevie Wonder | Composer |
| 22 | Syreeta Wright | Composer |
| 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). |