| | Elton John Empty Sky CD Elton John Discography of CDs
 (3 Customer Reviews)
This is part of Rocket's Elton John: The Classic Years series.
Not released in the U.S. until 1975, after he'd achieved superstardom, Elton John's first album is as much a part of late-'60s blues-rock and the burgeoning singer-songwriter movement as it is part of the grandiose pop catalog that would soon follow. The eight-minute-plus title song includes a long flute-harmonica-piano jam that wouldn't have been out of place on a Traffic album; the closing "Gulliver/It's Hay Chewed/Reprise" connects a waltz-time requiem with an acoustic-jazz instrumental and (rather audiciously for an unknown singer's debut) a reprise of bits from every song on the album.
Elsewhere, one can find a Lennonesque melody on "Western Ford Gateway," a breezy Summer-Of-Love feel on "Hymn 2000," and recurring imagery of a caged bird dreaming of flying away--most notably in the title song and the harsichord-and-organ tune "Skyline Pigeon." It all bursts with pop-rock melodicism, even when John was adding music to some of collaborator Bernie Taupin's most opaque, image-heavy lyrics. John would later call EMPTY SKY a "naive" record, but it contains the seeds of almost everything he would eventually do.
The 1996 reissue of EMPTY SKY includes four songs that were issued as two singles prior to the album's release: "Lady Samantha"/"All Across The Havens" and "It's Me That You Need"/"Just Like Strange Rain." The album has been digitally remastered by Gus Dudgeon, using original master tapes and digital processing equipment at 20-bit resolution. According to Dudgeon (ICE newsletter, January 1996), the results are "100% better" than the two previous American CD issues.
Recorded at Dick James Studios and Olympic Studios, London, England. Includes liner notes by John Tobler and Gus Dudgeon.
Personnel: Elton John (vocals, piano, organ, electric piano, harpsichord); Caleb Quaye (electric & acoustic guitars, congas); Graham Vickery (harmonica); Don Fay (tenor saxophone, flute); Tony Murray (bass); Roger Pope (drums, percussion); Nigel Olsson (drums).
Empty Sky Music | List Price | $9.95 (You save $3.60) | | Category | Rock Albums, Pop CDs, Rock/Pop, Singer/Songwriter | | Label | Rocket | | Orig Year | 1969 | | All Time Sales Rank |  7100  | | CD Universe Part number | 1231617 | | Catalog number | 528157 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Feb 20, 1996 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Producer | Steve Brown | | Engineer | Frank Owen | | Recording Time | 55 minutes | | Personnel | Elton John - vocals, piano, organ, electric piano, harpsichord
Nigel Olsson - drums
Caleb Quaye - electric & acoustic guitars, congas
Roger Pope - drums, percussion
Tony Murray - bass
Don Fay - tenor saxophone, flute
Graham Vickery - harmonica
| | Additional Info | Remastered |
Elton John Empty Sky Songs Empty Sky Music Review Average Rating: (3.7 out of 5 stars)   It's A KEEPER
Elton had a handle on how to move a persons spirit to places they couldn't get to on earth with out him.brown dirt cowboy, yellow brick road , almost everything he wrote was golden this little jewel is no exception.
Submitted by penciltalk (Shannon City, IA,USA) 
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 Not Exactly An Empty Landscape
Elton John's debut album (not released stateside until January 1975) was a compelling mixture of influences ranging from the Rolling Stones to Leonard Cohen to the Band. From the hard-rocking title track to the closing reprise of the entire tunestack, "Empty Sky" is definitely worth a listen. EJ was basically finding his feet with this disc, but it is a potent precursor to his subsequent successful offerings. I definitely recommend this album as it is far better than anything Elton released after "Rock of the Westies".
Submitted by Will-T (Lawrenceburg IN)
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A must have for any fan!
I was sceptical at first as to the value of Elton John's debut album, but upon hearing it, you can't help but love it, especially with such great tracks as Empty Sky, Western Ford Gateway, and Skyline Pigeon.
Submitted by Hayden (Dunedin, New Zealand)
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Purchase Empty Sky CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Elton John Caribou CD (1974) Remastered
Empty Sky
 $6.95  
The 1996 reissue of CARIBOU includes four extra tracks. "Sick City" and "Cold Highway" were the B-sides of "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" and "The Bitch Is Back." John's cover of the Who's "Pinball Wizard" was recorded for the movie "Tommy." "Step Into Christmas" was a British single. The album has been digitally remastered by the original producer, Gus Dudgeon, using original master tapes and digital processing equipment at 20-bit resolution. According to Dudgeon (ICE newsletter, January 1996), the results are "100% better" than the two previous American CD issues.
Principally recorded at Caribou Ranch, Colorado. Originally released on MCA. Includes liner notes by John Tobler and Gus Dudgeon.
This is part of Rocket's Elton John: The Classic Years series.
To follow up an album that pretty much couldn't be followed--the flashy and brilliant GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD--Elton John hid away in the Caribou Ranch studio outside Denver, Colorado and recorded a certified pop mish-mash. CARIBOU contains bits of arena-rock corn ("Stinker") alongside period-pop pieces that could have passed for showtunes ("Dixie Lily"), complete goofs ("Solar Prestige A Gammon") and the usual magical ballads. It's easy to overlook CARIBOU when reviewing John's '70s catalog, but to do so is to miss a couple of his greatest singles. "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," which features a chorus ...
| | Elton John Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player CD (1973) Remastered
Empty Sky
$6.89 
DON'T SHOOT ME I'M ONLY THE PIANO PLAYER was the first of two 1973 albums that sealed Elton John's superstardom. It included his first U.S. #1 single, the nostalgic "Crocodile Rock," along with one of his most enduring ballads, "Daniel," a veiled salute to a Vietnam vet. By now, John was at ease in almost any musical setting. While lyricist Bernie Taupin continued to feed him the usual mix of road songs, homages to the American West, and offbeat love ballads, John was flying ahead with an ambitious, try-anything agenda that effectively blurred the lines between AM pop and FM rock.
"Crocodile Rock"'s whimsicality, with its vintage Farfisa organ, and "Daniel," a seductive studio concoction of keyboards and acoustic ...
| | Elton John CD (1970) Remastered
Empty Sky
$6.85 
Elton John's second album was his first to be released in the U.S., and the difference between it and its predecessor, EMPTY SKY, is palpable and immediate. ELTON JOHN opens with "Your Song," a halting ballad that is one of the most moving love songs in the modern pop canon. The album also marks John's fruitful association with Gus Dudgeon and arranger Paul Buckmaster (who'd previously collaborated on David Bowie's "Space Oddity"). The team came up with a spare orchestral sound that surrounds the singer and his piano with dashes of both classical and rock guitar, synthesizers, carefully arranged drums, and searing strings.
This wasn't all-out pop yet, but rather a striking and singular brand of folk-rock. "Take Me To The Pilot" shows flashes of John's rocking future ("Bennie And The Jets" descended from it), "No Shoe Strings On Louise" is Rolling Stonesy country-rock, and "Sixty Years On" is haunting and memorable. More typical for this session is "I Need You To Turn To," another love song that finds lyricist Bernie ...
| | Elton John 11-17-70 CD (1971) Remastered
Empty Sky
$7.09
Digitally remastered by Tony Cousins (Metropolis Mastering, London, England).
Recorded live on WABC-FM, 11-17-70 would become the fourth of John's records to simultaneously land in the Top 10, making him the first act to do so since The Beatles. Drawing mostly from his self-titled second album, John's set included a sweeping "Sixty Years On," a gospel-soaked reading of "Take Me To The Pilot" and a funked-up "Honky Tonk Women." Dee Murray and Nigel Olson's background vocals and solid rhythmic support on songs such as "Bad Side Of The Moon" and "Can I Put You On" made this a particularly potent trio that would set the stage for ...
| | Elton John Rock Of The Westies CD (1975) Remastered
Empty Sky
$7.45
Digitally remastered by Tony Cousins (Metropolis Mastering, London, England).
When Elton John went into the studio to record ROCK OF THE WESTIES, he did it with a revamped line-up. Davey Johnstone and Ray Cooper stayed on while Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson were replaced by Kenny Passarelli and Roger Pope respectively. Also added to the band were old mate Caleb Quaye and synthesizer player James Newton Howard, whose keyboard talents combined with John's and considerably broadened the unit's sound. WESTIES found EJ sounding revitalized after scoring seven consecutive top five hits in the preceding two years (The tropical-flavored "Island Girl" kept the streak alive by ending up at number one).
With the Bernie Taupin/Elton John juggernaut creating up-tempo numbers such as "Grow Some Funk Of ...
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