#458 – Elton John, ‘Tumbleweed Connection’

Tumbleweed Connection (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Released: 30 October, 1970
Label: DJM (UK), Uni (US)
Genre: Rock, country rock,  Americana, rock and roll
Producer: Gus Dudgeon

This was a huge surprise to me: after years of listening to (and loving) Elton Johns’ various greatest hits, I remained a fan at a distance. I never knew that much about his career or back catalogue; he’s a legend, for sure, but beyond that I didn’t know much. The sheer American-ness of this record is what hit you most – a concept album through and through. It’s interesting to listen to and maybe I’ll leave it at that.

This week: First week of 2014 and we all have to get used to not writing 2013 on our pages of notes at work. Lots of crossed out dates.

#482 – Steve Earle, ‘Guitar Town’

Released: March 5, 1986
Label: MCA
Genre: Country rock, americana, Texas country, heartland rock, rockabilly
Producer: Emory Gordy, Jr., Tony Brown, Richard Bennett (AP)

If there’s lots of different styles and sub-genres of country, and I’m sure there is, Guitar Town is surely in the most country of them – this is chock full of slide guitars and lyrics about broken homes and booze and Earle has the most extreme country twang I’ve ever heard. Thankfully I like country and this reminds me a lot of the music I grew up on – Waylon Jennings and Tammy Wynette, George Jones and Tanya Tucker and the Storyteller himself Tom T Hall. This sounds more grown up though, it’s arrangements a little bit more complex, more modern.

Top track: “Fearless Heart” is a beautiful country love song and “Little Rock ‘N’ Roller” is sugar-sweet and reminds me a lot of The Dixie Chicks’ “Lullaby”. For heartache listen to “My Old Friend the Blues” and for honky-tonk fun, “Guitar Town”.