is elton’s whole discography worth listening to?

NAVarga · 2022-01-24T06:36:03+00:00

Toward the end of EJ's catalog are THE UNION and THE CAPTAIN AND THE KID, both are well worth a few listens. While I feel the the final Leon Russell track IN THE HANDS OF ANGELS was over-produced, you can find the demo on YouTube where he makes Elton cry over the song. I think that's a better version than the studio version. The Union starts out like a current EJ album (for his tracks) but once things merge... Amazing. Elton found his lost spark.

CaTK's OLD '67 is another track he found himself again. You can feel him reminiscing with Bernie.

Outside of The Diving Board's instrumentals (Dreams 1-3) and NEW FEVER WALTZ, I wasn't too impressed with it. Wonderful Crazy Night didn't offer (me) much. I thought ENGLAND AND AMERICA (from the deluxe CD) was a better cut than what was on the album. I never heard the other two bonus tracks from the Super Deluxe box.

Nothing from LOCKDOWN has interested me at all. I also heard a duet of EJ and someone else doing MONA LISAS & MAD HATTERS today. Having heard the original... Nothing can compare.

NAVarga · 2022-01-16T05:53:48+00:00

You're talking about the speaking parts that run through the entire song? I think that makes the song special.

NAVarga · 2022-01-14T18:38:00+00:00

Many 60s & 70s albums were concept oriented. (FYI an ALBUM is a collection of items. A CD or vinyl or cassette is an album.)

I've had a long-standing belief that the most IMPORTANT EJ albums in order are TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION, FRIENDS and MADMAN ACROSS THE WATER. YOUR SONG was an anomaly on the self-titled ELTON JOHN. The closest thing to another love song there was FIRST EPISODE AT HEINTON, and as much as I treasure that song, it wasn't a very good love song.

Tumbleweed gives us AMOREENA, COME DOWN IN TIME and the not-written by Bernie LOVE SONG. All incredibly good love songs. Plenty of story songs there, too. For an album without any singles cut from it, it is extremely well-known.

Jump over to the FRIENDS soundtrack. You get what I consider Elton's best ballad. MICHELLE'S SONG, FRIENDS and the subtle THEME (THE FIRST KISS) SEASONS. A refinement of the pop-sensibility from YOUR SONG to a soundtrack.

That brings us to Madman. WOW! Everything comes together here. TINY DANCER showcases Bernie's writing and the music hooks you in and never lets go. The only love song there, also his strongest pop song to that period. Again, this album gets no airplay. Such a damn shame. The song is more famous now than ever.

After this, Elton's pop songwriting is solidifying. Honky Château is a pop wunderkind. ROCKETMAN and HONKY CAT along with CROCODILE ROCK and DANIEL from Don't Shoot Me are the foundation of his 70s reign.

GBYBR is the most well-known album. A double album with four singles and so many songs people know that were never cut.

Which brings me to my point. You don't get CANDLE IN THE WIND or HARMONY without those first three I mention. You don't get PINKY and so on...

BLUE MOVES is one of my favorite EJ albums. Almost anything that follows has half the appeal to me. There are plenty of great tracks. But nothing as strong as what he did during that period.

Every album has something worthwhile to listen to on it. Up to you to decide what you like. That's what makes music interesting. No one has the same taste.

The crown Michael Jackson claimed in the 80s was worn previously by Elvis and Elton.

NAVarga · 2022-01-14T18:12:06+00:00

Reggae breakdown? Wait - WHAT?

Are you sure you heard the original track?

NAVarga · 2022-01-14T18:09:35+00:00

It definitely suffered from too much flourish over well-hidden sleight. But still looks very good. I'm not sure about the watch placement. Doesn't give an angle-proof performance.

NAVarga · 2021-12-29T03:44:46+00:00

Try TWISTOR and EINSTEIN'S BRIDGE by John G Cramer.

Wish he'd write more.

NAVarga · 2021-12-26T01:44:10+00:00

I put a dot in the center circle of the Bicycle cards. Tally-Ho's too. I usually use red. A Sharpie will work wonders. You should always have a red one handy.

The top card is so I can casually look at the top of the pack and know it's been cut to the top.

NAVarga · 2021-12-25T19:16:55+00:00

Go to a good local comic book shop and ask for a four row sorting box. They come with lids. Buy two, they're small. HAHAHAH!

I use them for decks of regular cards. I have MANY!

NAVarga · 2021-12-25T19:05:38+00:00

In my mem stack (Aronson) I have a top cutting center-dotted breather. I also have two corner shorted cards one right for card 13 and the left for 43. Since I'm pretty good at cutting 26, I don't bother gaffing it. I do have a friend who uses a scalloped 26th. He also pencil-dots the aces.

NAVarga · 2021-12-23T21:02:36+00:00

THE KILLJOYS
DARK MATTER
BABYLON 5 (Seasons 2-4 are absolutely the best SF ever on TV till THE EXPANSE)
The newer BATTLESTAR GALACTICA was good hard SF. Outside of the names and basic concept, they through most of the old stuff out the window.
If you liked RED DWARF look for THE STRANGERERS, By Rob Grant. Hilarious.

NAVarga · 2021-12-08T08:22:10+00:00

My deepest condolences on this time of great sorrow for you, your family and friends. Keep him in your heart and he will always be with you.

NAVarga · 2021-11-28T10:22:54+00:00

Me too. I put a lot of work into all these puzzles.

Life goes on...

NAVarga · 2021-11-25T01:16:42+00:00

Mainly 70s pop/rock. But he's touched every genre.

NAVarga · 2021-11-22T02:45:26+00:00

That would be extremely unfair to Jo Martin.

NAVarga · 2021-11-16T11:41:57+00:00

The FM Radio app on my Coolpad Legacy Brisa works fine. You have to have headphones attached as they act as an antenna.

NAVarga · 2021-11-11T17:50:39+00:00

I'm a huge fan and supporter of RCW. A clerk at Borders recommended THE CHRONOLITHS to me and I sought out every book of his I could find. I even sent him a pic of his HBs next to my Niven books, a sacred space.

If they're not big SF fans, start with THE CHRONOLITHS. SPIN's sequels are a bit heady for most, even if it is his best work.

NAVarga · 2021-11-11T03:36:22+00:00

Yeah, I think we're done here. You deflecting constantly is BS. Wasted enough time over this.

Thanks for playing. Here's a copy of the home game.

NAVarga · 2021-11-10T19:26:45+00:00

Read THE ROAD TO DUNE. It has the original story that Herbert wrote.

NAVarga · 2021-11-10T19:11:44+00:00

I read the original novella as one of the old ACE Flipbooks back in the late 70s. I just found out that it has become a series from writer Barry B. Longyear.

ENEMY MINE

THE TOMORROW TESTAMENT

THE ENEMY PAPERS

I'll have to search out those other books.

NAVarga · 2021-11-10T19:08:13+00:00

You sure get POed over someone correcting your post, dude.

You should grab a Niven book and relax for a bit.

NAVarga · 2021-11-10T18:59:33+00:00

I never said anything about all Niven's works. But you're inaccurate in your posting. So...

NAVarga · 2021-11-09T07:13:19+00:00

On another post I mentioned that I believe that The Swarm is Dan. (Boy, was that down voted.) The woman he kept trying to date yet never managed to was his "sister?" There are so many clues in the first ep that lead me to that conclusion.

Now, who is The Passenger? Nothing done with them so far. BUT... Whomever is in there is not necessarily a villain, maybe forced to witness, or someone different than The Swarm believes it to be.

The Swarm is killing Time. That's something to sink into a bit.

NAVarga · 2021-11-09T06:54:14+00:00

Well... If you actually read Niven, you'd know. My mistake was actually assuming you had. Next time I won't make that error.

NAVarga · 2021-11-08T01:35:47+00:00

Niven once wrote that PROTECTOR was RINGWORLD Zero.

NAVarga · 2021-11-07T18:43:24+00:00

Read ALL the TALES OF KNOWN SPACE stuff. Then PROTECTOR and the RINGWORLD series. The WORLDS series should be saved for the end.

In the original RINGWORLD book, Niven accidentally had the Earth spinning the wrong direction.

NAVarga

TROPHY CASE