The 500 - #458 - Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 458

Album Title: Tumbleweed Connection
Artist: Elton John
Released: October, 1970
My age at release: 5
How familiar am I with it: I own it on vinyl, purchased 1985
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Amoreena
Great Lyric:
Bring your family down to the riverside,
Look to the east to see where the fat stock hide.
Behind four walls of stone the rich man sleeps.
It's time we put a flame torch to their keep.
(Burn Down the Mission)

I went through a heavy Elton John phase from 1985 to 1987. During that time, I regularly stalked the aisles of our local used record shop (Dr. Disc) and purchased nearly every studio release the store had on vinyl. Tumbleweed Connection was one of the first I found.

Initially, it didn't win me over. It's a concept album based on American Country and Western themes and, at that time in my life, I wasn't a fan of that genre. I absolutely loved the albums Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy, which we will get to eventually at #91 and #158, respectively. However, over time, this album grew on me and I would often regularly play Side Two in order to hear Burn Down the Mission, which remains one of my Top Ten Elton John songs.

 This version of Burn Down the Mission is from a BBC television appearance in 1970, the same year Tumbleweed Connection was released. It includes an introduction of Elton's band mates Dee Murray and Nigel Olson, both of whom would play with him for decades - Murray until his untimely death in 1992 and Olson, who still performs with John today.

Although I settled on the song Amoreena, my initial plan was to put Burn Down the Mission on my Spotify The 500 Playlist. The version on this record is great but I adore the Phil Collins' Cover from the tribute album Two Rooms - Celebrating The Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin. If you haven't checked out this collection, it is absolutely worth the investment. The name, Two Rooms, is apt. After all, lyricist Taupin writes the lyrics and delivers them to John who puts them to music. An incredible catalogue this was literally constructed in two locations. 

I have a few Elton John related stories but I'll save them. He has four more records on this list. 

Things I learned...

• Rod Stewart covered the song Country Comfort on his record Gasoline Alley the same year as Tumbleweed Connection (1970). Which is strange, usually artists cover material from farther back in time.
• Dusty Springfield of Son of a Preacher Man fame sings back-up on this record.
• Elton John and Bernie Taupin shared a mutual fascination with the American West. They loved cowboy movies and their common interest was at the core of this record's creation.
• The wrap-around artwork for the record was taken at a railway station outside London. It features John and Taupin on either side. It is intended to represent rural America but they intentionall decided to use an English location to highlight their nationality.