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Honky Château

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"Mellow (song)" redirects here. For "Mellow Song" by Blur, see13 (Blur album).

Honky Château
Studio albumby
Elton John
Released19 May 1972(1972-05-19)
Recorded15–23 January 1972
Studio
Genre
Length45:12
Label
ProducerGus Dudgeon
Elton Johnchronology
Madman Across the Water
(1971) 		Honky Château
(1972) 		Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player
(1973)
SinglesfromHonky Château
  1. "Rocket Man"
    Released: 17 April 1972
  2. "Honky Cat"
    Released: 31 July 1972

Honky Châteauis the fifth studio album by English musicianElton John.It was released on 19 May 1972, and was titled after the 18th century Frenchchateauwhere it was recorded,Château d'Hérouville.The album reached number one on the USBillboard200,the first of John's seven consecutive US number one albums.[1]

Two singles were released worldwide fromHonky Château,"Rocket Man"and"Honky Cat".A third single," Hercules ", was prepared for release, but this never materialised.[2]This was the final Elton John album on theUnilabel in the US and Canada beforeMCAconsolidated all of its various labels under the MCA brand. This and John's earlier Uni albums were later reissued on MCA Records.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 357 onRolling Stonemagazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".It was revised to number 359 in 2012, and raised to number 251 in a 2020 list.[3]It was certified gold in July 1972 and platinum in October 1995 by theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA).

Music

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Honky Châteauwas the first in Elton John's streak of chart-topping albums in the US, which culminated with 1975'sRock of the Westies.It was also the first studio album to feature John's road band ofDee MurrayonbassandNigel Olssonondrums,along with new memberDavey Johnstoneon electric and acoustic guitars and other fretted instruments, as the core group of musicians. Previously, the record label insisted that John use them for only one track each onTumbleweed ConnectionandMadman Across the Water;the rest of the songs on those two albums were performed by session players. Johnstone had playedacoustic guitar,mandolinandsitaronMadman Across the Water,but onHonky Chateau,he would be invited to join permanently as a full-band member and he extended his contributions toelectric guitar,banjo,slide guitarandbacking vocals.

The opening track, "Honky Cat",is a New Orleansfunktrack reminiscent ofDr. JohnandAllen Toussaint,and features a four-piece horn section arranged by producerGus Dudgeon.Also of note is the on-record debut of the backing vocal combination of Johnstone, Murray and Olsson, who first added what would soon become their "trademark" sound to "Rocket Man".[4]The trio's unique approach to arranging their backing vocal tracks would be a fixture on John's singles and albums for the next several years.

In 1995, Dudgeon remastered the album, adding only an uptempo, piano-based, rock and roll version of "Slave", that was originally sidelined in favour of the slower, guitar-based version on the original LP. This alternate version was originally due to be released as theB-sideto the ultimately unreleased "Hercules" single.[2]It did not get an official release until it appeared on the compilationRare Mastersin 1992.

In February 2023, John announced the album would be reissued in a 50th-anniversary edition on LP (two versions: double-LP set and single LP on gold vinyl) and 2 CDs. The double LP and 2-CD configurations include outtakes from the original session tapes. The 2-CD format additionally contains eight live recordings from theRoyal Festival Hallshow in 1972. It was released on 24 March 2023.[5]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic87/100
(50th Anniversary)[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[8]
Pitchfork8.4/10[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]

Critical appraisal

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Critically,Honky Châteauis regarded as one of John's finest records.Jon LandauofRolling Stoneapproved the original LP as "a rich, warm, satisfying album that stands head and shoulders above the morass of current releases".[11]In theLos Angeles Times,Robert Hilburnhailed the music as innovative and Taupin's lyrics as humorous, ironic and satirical.[12]

Retrospective reviews ofHonky Châteauhave also been mostly positive.Stephen Thomas Erlewineof AllMusic wrote of the album that it "plays as the most focused and accomplished set of songs Elton John andBernie Taupinever wrote, "and characterized it as being an eclectic collection of" ballads, rockers, blues, country-rock, and soul songs. ".[7]Chris Roberts also praised the album in a review forBBC,saying that the album "stands up as one of [John's] most eclectic, durable collections".[13]

Chart success

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Honky Châteaubecame the first of a string of albums by Elton John to hit No. 1 in theBillboardCharts in the US. In Canada, the album peaked at No. 3 on theRPM 100Top Albums Chart, reaching this position on 29 July 1972, dropping two places to No. 5, then returning to No. 3 for a further twelve consecutive weeks before falling to No. 9 on 4 November of the same year.

Track listing

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All tracks are written byElton JohnandBernie Taupin.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Honky Cat"5:12
2."Mellow"5:33
3."I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself"3:35
4."Susie (Dramas)"3:25
5."Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)"4:40
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Salvation"3:59
7."Slave"4:22
8."Amy"4:03
9."Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters"5:01
10."Hercules"5:21
Total length:45:15
Bonus tracks (1995 Mercury and 1996 Rocket reissue)
No.TitleLength
11."Slave" (Alternate version)2:53
Total length:48:08
  • The album, including the bonus track, was also released in 2004 as a "Hybrid SACD" remixed in 5.1.

Personnel

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Track numbers refer to CD and digital releases of the album.

Musicians

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Production

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  • Producer –Gus Dudgeon
  • Engineer –Ken Scott
  • Remastering – Tony Cousins
  • Cover photo –Ed Caraeff
  • Liner notes – John Tobler
  • SACD authoring – Gus Skinas
  • Digital transfers – Ricky Graham
  • Surround mix – Greg Penny

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[31] Platinum 50,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[32] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[34] Platinum 1,000,000^

^Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^"Elton John Biography: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame".Rock Hall. Retrieved 3 December 2014
  2. ^abJohn, Elton (1992). Rare Masters (Audio CD sleevenotes). Rocket Records.
  3. ^"Honky Chateau ranked 251st greatest album by Rolling Stone magazine".Rolling Stone.22 September 2020.Retrieved30 September2020.
  4. ^"'Rocket Man' – The Lifetime of a Song ".eltonjohn.com.31 March 2023.Retrieved18 April2023.
  5. ^Honky Château 50th Anniversary Reissue Announced
  6. ^"Honky Château [50th Anniversary Edition] by Elton John Reviews and Tracks".Metacritic.Retrieved23 June2023.
  7. ^abErlewine, Stephen Thomas."Honky Château– Elton John ".AllMusic.Retrieved5 April2022.
  8. ^Christgau, Robert(1981)."Consumer Guide '70s: J".Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies.Ticknor & Fields.ISBN089919026X.Retrieved27 February2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  9. ^Lane, Olivia (3 April 2023)."Elton John: Honky Château (50th Anniversary Edition) Album Review".Pitchfork.Retrieved3 April2023.
  10. ^"Elton John: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music".Rolling Stone.Retrieved6 January2012.
  11. ^Landau, Jon (17 August 1972)."Elton John:Honky Chateau".Rolling Stone.Archived fromthe originalon 19 March 2007.Retrieved5 April2022.
  12. ^Hilburn, Robert(2 July 1972)."Contenders at Halfway Point".Los Angeles Times.p. 370.Retrieved5 April2022– via Newspapers.com(subscription required).
  13. ^Roberts, Chris (2010)."Review of Elton John – Honky Château".BBC.Retrieved26 May2022.
  14. ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
  15. ^"Top RPM Albums: Issue 4183".RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  16. ^"Dutchcharts.nl – Elton John – Honky Château"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  17. ^"Offiziellecharts.de – Elton John – Honky Château"(in German).GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  18. ^"Classifiche".Musica e Dischi(in Italian).Retrieved23 February2022.Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Elton John".
  19. ^Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005(in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo:Oricon Entertainment.2006.ISBN4-87131-077-9.
  20. ^"Norwegiancharts.com – Elton John – Honky Château".Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  21. ^Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005).Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002(1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE.ISBN84-8048-639-2.
  22. ^"Official Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  23. ^"Elton John Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  24. ^"Ultratop.be – Elton John – Honky Château"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  25. ^"Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  26. ^"Swisscharts.com – Elton John – Honky Château".Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  27. ^"Official Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  28. ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992.St Ives, NSW:Australian Chart Book.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
  29. ^"Top Pop Albums of 1972".Billboard.Retrieved24 February2012.
  30. ^"Top Pop Albums of 1973".Billboard.Retrieved11 February2012.
  31. ^"Elton John Australian Award".20 February 2023.
  32. ^"A record award presented to songwriter Bernie Taupin to commemorate outstanding sales in Canada of the 1972 Elton John album Honky Château".Retrieved12 March2023.
  33. ^"Golden Moments"(PDF).Cash Box.19 May 1973. p. 54.Retrieved23 February2023.
  34. ^"American album certifications – Elton John – Honky Chateau".Recording Industry Association of America.
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