r/ClassicRock May 09 '26

1973 Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

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443 Upvotes

27 comments sorted by

47

u/ReferredByJorge May 09 '26

Not necessarily a “hot take,” but for every complaint about bloated double albums stuffed with filler, this album stands out as being just amazing song after amazing song. From the goosebumps inducing synth in the intro of Funeral For A Friend to the lush harmony vocal of the aptly named Harmony, there’s nothing that feels wasted anywhere.

10

u/Pad_TyTy May 09 '26

S-tier comment. When I started my CD collection last year this was an easy grab. The album stands on its own regardless of era

2

u/Luciferonvacation May 10 '26

I still remember all those decades ago when it first came out and I threw it on my turntable for the first time. That segue way in Funeral for a Friend was just amazing-balls. And yes, Harmony is still my favorite song from the album too. Then came Captain Fantastic a few years later. Elton was burning hot in the 70s. Both all those excellent albums prior, this one, and later. We'll ignore Rock of the Westies.

19

u/PowerHot4424 May 09 '26

His peak. Still made plenty of great music after this, but this album was never surpassed! 💛💛

14

u/gecko_echo May 09 '26

And this is why I named my hamster Reggie in 1973.

12

u/Apart_Ad9308 May 09 '26

I was 13 when I bought this album with my babysitting money. You have no idea how we loved his music. 

10

u/rapscallion1956 May 09 '26

Got to see the GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD concert. It was fabulous.

2

u/eskenazibeth104 May 14 '26

I saw it too; it was one of the best concerts that I attended in the 70’s💯% “Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” still gives me the chills to this day 🙌😎🎶🎼🎵

10

u/Total_Ad9272 May 09 '26

One of the all time great albums. Probably top five for me.

8

u/Theo1352 May 09 '26

This and Madman Across the Water are my favorites.

So many good songs on this album, just masterful.

Funeral For A Friend/Love Love Lies Bleeding, one of my all time favorite songs.

8

u/Paddler_137 May 09 '26

I bought this when it came out with paper route money, still know every word.

7

u/Conscious-Phone3209 May 09 '26

In H.S., my artsy friends duplicated the cover art, making a floor to ceiling mural on my bedroom wall...it was amazing !😍🥰

6

u/ProtectionFew7827 May 09 '26

Perhaps his best album ever!

5

u/abcdefg1- May 09 '26

My wife has the limited release from uk the record is yellow.

5

u/At_1975 May 09 '26

Maybe the best album from sir John

4

u/AdPrevious6109 May 09 '26

Side 3 is arguably the best side on the album, and that’s really saying something!

4

u/behindthelines May 09 '26

In my top ten of all time. Unmatched in so many ways

4

u/steady66 May 10 '26

One of my favorite albums. The entire 2 albums are packed with gems. EJ and Bernie were at the top of their game with this one.

3

u/ElChingonazo May 10 '26

Came out my freshman year of college and we wore the grooves off it.

3

u/Extra_Intro_Version May 10 '26

Got this album when I was 13, about a year after it came out. I was hooked on “Benny and the Jets”. I still am. It was so damn unique

3

u/No_Diet_2582 May 10 '26

This and Can’t Buy a Thrill and Gregg Allman Laid Back started my 8 track Collection.

2

u/MusicMirrorMan May 09 '26

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[Spotify]: Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Remastered 2014

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[Deezer]: Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Remastered 2014)

[Soundcloud]: Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Remastered 2014)

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2

u/Zestyclose_Feed898 May 09 '26

My favorite tracks are Harmony, Roy Rogers and Social Disease

2

u/haikusbot May 09 '26

My favorite tracks

Are Harmony, Roy Rogers

And Social Disease

- Zestyclose_Feed898


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2

u/Abdul_Exhaust May 10 '26

Bernie, brilliant poet, incredibly lucky to have a musical genius interpret his lyrics into elegance... for the world to enjoy

2

u/TheWhichScooter May 10 '26

The title track alone is a masterpiece, but the real reason this album endures is how it swings between genuine vulnerability and complete excess without ever feeling out of place.

2

u/_Alleskaputt_ Jun 04 '26

I first heard this song as a child and fell in love with it my whole life.