Honky Château is the fifth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released in 1972, and was titled after the 18th century French chateau where it was recorded, Château d'Hérouville. The album reached number one in the US, the first of John's seven consecutive US number one albums.[1]
Honky Château
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Two singles were released worldwide from Honky Château, "Rocket Man" and "Honky Cat". A third single, "Hercules", was prepared for release, but this never materialised.[2] This was the final Elton John album on the Uni label in the US and Canada before MCA consolidated all of its various labels under the MCA brand. This and John's earlier Uni albums were later reissued on MCA Records.
Honky Château was the first in Elton John's streak of chart-topping albums in the US, which culminated with 1975's Rock of the Westies. Writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the album as an eclectic collection of "ballads, rockers, blues, country-rock, and soul songs."[4]
It was also the first studio album to feature John's road band of Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums, along with new member Davey Johnstone on electric and acoustic guitars and other fretted instruments, as the core group of musicians. Previously, the record label insisted that John use them for only one track each on Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water; the rest of the songs on those two albums were performed by session players. Johnstone had played acoustic guitar, mandolin and sitar on Madman Across the Water, but on Honky Chateau, he would be invited to join permanently as a full-band member and he extended his contributions to electric guitar, banjo, slide guitar and backing vocals.
Critically, Honky Château is regarded as one of John's finest records. Jon Landau of Rolling Stone approved the original LP as "a rich, warm, satisfying album that stands head and shoulders above the morass of current releases".[7] In the Los Angeles Times, Robert Hilburn hailed the music as innovative and Taupin's lyrics as humorous, ironic and satirical.[8]
Retrospective reviews of Honky Château have also been incredibly positive. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote of the album that it "plays as the most focused and accomplished set of songs Elton John and Bernie Taupin ever wrote," despite its eclectic appearance.[4] Chris Roberts also praised the album in a review for BBC, saying that the album "stands up as one of [John's] most eclectic, durable collections".[9]
Honky Château became the first of a string of albums by Elton John to hit No. 1 in the Billboard Charts in the US. In Canada, the album peaked at No. 3 on the RPM 100 Top Albums Chart, reaching this position on 29 July 1972, dropping two places to No. 5, then returning to No. 3 for a further twelve consecutive weeks before falling to No. 9 on 4 November of the same year.
Honky Château is ultimately a solid work with enough happening to keep someone listening for weeks trying to absorb everything on it. And, as each additional layer is revealed to the listener, he is constantly reminded that this is one of the rare albums released this year worth pursuing at length, for it rewards each additional playing with increased enlightenment and enjoyment.
John had finally been able to escape the purview of record label executives, who had prevented John from consistently using his touring band, bassist Dee Murray and drummer Nigel Olsson, on his albums. Longtime producer Gus Dudgeon was the only other consisted presence at the château, which allowed for an unhurried recording process. Unlike previous albums, which were recorded quickly due to label pressure, the relaxed atmosphere allowed John and his band to record Honky Château in just one month.
Elton John was well on his way to becoming a star when he released his fifth album, Honky Chateau, on May 19, 1972. But nobody had an idea just how big of a star he'd become following the record's supernova climb up the charts.
Several changes in John's approach to record-making probably had something to do with this. First of all, he and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, after crafting two excellent albums of introspective singer-songwriter fare in 1970's Tumbleweed Connection and 1971's Madman Across the Water, broadened their focus to a more general pop and rock 'n' roll stance for the songs that ended up on Honky Chateau.
The "Rocket Man" single, which features the subtitle "I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time," became, at the time, John's biggest single in the U.S., peaking at No. 6. "Crocodile Rock" went to No. 1 later in the year, marking the first of John's eight chart toppers. Honky Chateau also hit No. 1, the first of seven straight John albums, including 1974's Greatest Hits, to do so.
The result was the record that set John on his path to becoming the '70s' biggest pop star. Only 1973's classic Goodbye Yellow Road stands in its way as the definitive Elton John album. "Honky Cat" followed "Rocket Man" into the Top 10, and for the next five years it became a familiar spot for John. Honky Chateau was the record that made it all possible.
In the United States, Honky Château would kick off a string of seven straight studio albums which would reach #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Oddly enough, it wouldn't go Platinum in the U.S. until 1995. The album was supported by two singles: "Rocket Man", and "Honky Cat". Both were Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Rocket Man" going triple-Platinum in the United States. "Rocket Man" also hit #2 in the United Kingdom, his highest-charting single in his home country for five years, and went Platinum there as well.
Though Elton John lavishly retired from touring with a run of shows at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last year - part of a tour that's set box-office records - you'd be right that it wouldn't be a long, long time before we heard from him in some way, shape, or form. Indeed: now comes word that his 1972 album Honky Château will be reissued just past its 50th anniversary with a trove of rare session demos and live tracks.
If Madman Across the Water - reissued and expanded last year by UMe - was Elton and lyricist Bernie Taupin's answer of sorts to life on the road in America, then Honky Château marked an even deeper dive into the sound of the States. It moved away from the progressive overtones of its predecessor, toward an eclectic mix of upbeat, even funky rock and soul alongside somber, aching piano melodies. Named for the 18th century manor where it was recorded in Hérouville, France, Honky Château is notable as the first of Elton's albums to feature his acclaimed touring band playing every track on the album. (Producer Gus Dudgeon had only allowed bassist Dee Murray and drummer Nigel Olsson to play sparingly on Madman, and guitarist Davey Johnstone - the primary guitarist on that album - was invited into the band after that album was completed.)
After years of brushing with success in the U.S., Honky Château finally established Elton John as a star for the '70s. It would become his first of seven consecutive LPs to top the Billboard 200 (outpacing even his home in the U.K., where it settled for No. 2) and featured his second U.S. Top 10 hit, the horn-infused New Orleans rave-up "Honky Cat." The harmony-laden "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)" became a Top 40 hit in America and reached No. 2 in England, while the heartfelt "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" became a fan favorite album cut.
The Honky Château reissue will feature the original album alongside nine session demos covering eight of the album's tracks - there's two versions of "Slave," including a fast version which may well be the one intended for a cancelled "Hercules" single and issued in 1992 on the Rare Masters set - and eight Honky tracks from a set at the Royal Festival Hall, recorded only days after the album sessions came to a close. (A double LP will include just the session tracks on the second vinyl album.) Each set comes with a new booklet (40 pages for the CD and eight for the LP) offering rare photos, memorabilia and a new essay featuring interviews with the players. Elton's official store also offers a gold vinyl pressing of the original album and various merch bundles.
The 2 CD set contains the original album and a newly created selection of outtakes from the original session tapes. The format additionally contains eight live recordings from the Royal Festival Hall show in 1972, where the tracks received their live debut, just a few days after being recorded at the Château. Includes a 40-page booklet containing rare photos, memorabilia and an essay featuring interviews from those who were there at the time. 2ff7e9595c
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