Product Description

GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD gave Elton John his second number one album in both the American and British charts and provided him with four top ten singles. Interviews with Elton John himself, as well as with songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, there are contributions from musicians Davey Johnstone and Nigel Olsson, Gus Dudgeon (producer), David Hentschel (engineer), Del Newman (orchestral arranger) along with comments from Sir Tim Rice and Paul Gambaccini amongst others.

Featuring new and archive performances from Elton John as well as rare archive footage from the original recording sessions, this program provides a unique insight into the creation of this truly Classic Album.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39555 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-11-06
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Amazon.com
This installment of the Classic Albums series, in which rock stars talk about the creation of their albums, focuses on the making of what may have been Elton John's seminal record, Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road. John, lyricist Bernie Taupin, producer Gus Dudgeon, and the members of John's band discuss the writing and recording process of such hits as "Benny and the Jets," "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," and, of course, "Candle in the Wind." The drawback of this track-by-track deconstruction is that you only get snippets of the songs (performed in archival footage), interspersed with interviews in which the participants recall its origins. Also, true fans may feel that they don't get nearly enough of the Elton John interview, but they'll revel in the old films of him in some of his most outlandish stage finery. DVD bonus interviews discuss the beginnings of John's career. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews

We're Not In Kansas Anymore, Toto!
I have the Classic Albums video of "Aja" by Steely Dan, so I expected the Elton John DVD to stick to the same formula - which it did. Contemporary interviews are interspersed with archival footage of the recording sessions. Elton discusses various aspects of the songwriting process, and which songs should or should not have been released as singles. At the time, he fought against "Bennie And The Jets" being released as a single, but thankfully the record company prevailed and it became a #1 hit. He regrets that by the time "Harmony" would have been issued as a 45, "Caribou" had been released and "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" was issued as the next single to promote that album. Bernie Taupin talks about the inspiration and meaning of his lyrics. He reveals that "Candle In The Wind" wasn't just about Marilyn Monroe but is representative of anyone who dies young and at the peak of their career, mentioning James Dean and Jim Morrison as examples. The core Elton John band members finally get their due. Nigel Olsson discusses not only his drumming duties but his background singing as well. As he admits, his voice was so loud that he sometimes had to sing with his back to the microphone! Davey Johnstone demonstrates some excellent guitar riffs. He mentions that he came up with the classic, rocking intro to "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting." Dee Murray, Elton's bass player, unfortunately passed away, but is fondly remembered. It's interesting to examine all of the elements that went into the making of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," one of the few double albums to reach number one in both the American and English charts.

Great Insight Into an Amazing Album
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road introduced a lot of people to Elton John in 1973; it was his first really successful album (though it wasn't the first to hit number one). It propelled him into superstardom, and this DVD is a great "Behind-the-Scenes" look at it. It provides interviews from everyone involved with this album, including Elton John himself, lyricist Bernie Taupin, guitarist Dave Johnstone, drummer Nigel Olsson, Producer Gus Dudgeon, and string arranger Del Newman. They all discuss what was going on at the time of recording some songs; they even discuss some of the songs themselves, such as "Funeral For a Friend" and "The Ballad of Danny Bailey". It helps me appreciate the album more because of all the musicianship that was dedicated to it (great string arrangements, backing vocals, etc.). I really recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" or Elton John; it says much more than the liner notes of the album and provides great information as to the atmosphere and way of life the Elton John Band was undergoing in 1973.

Elton's first American DVD is excellent!
This DVD is interspersed with archival footage (much of it from Bryan Forbe's 1973 documentary Elton John & Bernie Taupin Say Goodbye To Norma Jean & Other things) and modern interviews with Gus Dugfeon, Del Neuman, Nigel Olsen, Davey Johnstone, Tim Rice, Bernie Taupin, and Sir Elton himself to offer a look into this classic album.

Footage of a 1973 Elton seemlessly blends into the Elton of today as he sits at his piano and performs Funeral For A Friend.

I couldn't get enough of this DVD which only runs around 90 minutes. Now if they would only release the original Bryan Forbes documentary on DVD!