Honky Château

Honky Château
Studio album by Elton John
Publication (s)	May 19, 1972
admission	January 1972
Label (s)	Uni Records (US / Canada) DJM Records (UK)
Genre (s)	Pop, rock
running time	45:15
production	Gus Dudgeon
Studio (s)	Château d'Hérouville, Hérouville , France
chronology Madman Across the Water (1971) Honky Château Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973)
Single releases April 17, 1972 Rocket Man July 31, 1972 Honky Cat

Honky Château is the fifth studio album by the British singer and composer Elton John .

Soon after the release of Madman Across the Water , work-hungry John wanted to start his next project. In this context, his tax advisor advised him not to record future albums in the UK for fiscal reasons. There were modern recording studios outside of Great Britain in Europe at the time. But hardly any British artist had ever even considered using them. An idea from John's producer Gus Dudgeon was very promising: 40 kilometers north of Paris there was a studio that was only called Strawberry and was housed in the 17th century Château d'Hierouville. John drove to the castle and was more than thrilled. He later recalled, “It was in the middle of nowhere, with a swimming pool and tennis court. You could take your pictures in a room with candlesticks from the 13th century, with a view of endless fields. "

background

John felt that with his previous line-up, himself as a singer on the piano, Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums, he was reaching artistic limits. His producer Dudgeon introduced John to the Scotsman and guitarist Davey Johnstone . John was so impressed with his guitar playing that - contrary to his previous approach - he brought him into his band without consulting the other two. With a view to the distribution of concert revenues within the band and the associated income reduction for each of them, Murray and Olsson confronted John. However, he was not deterred and said that everyone could decide for themselves whether they want to go or stay.

Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics for the songs at top speed in his room in the château. John received the finished text brought directly to the piano and composed the melody for it in twenty minutes. The band rehearsed the song within an hour and the track was finished that same afternoon. After just three weeks, the recordings were completely finished and mixing could begin in London.

The most commercially successful track on the album was Rocket Man . While the song did not even appear in the singles charts in Austria and Switzerland, it reached number 18 in Germany, number 6 in the USA and even number 2 in the UK. This made Rocket Man a long-awaited hit for John.

The album itself was listed at number 43 in Germany, but moved up to an excellent number 2 in the UK. In the USA, however, John's LP went straight to first place, the first of six studio albums in a row and a “best of” “-Composition and thus became the most important milestone in his career.

review

For Robert Christgau , Honky Château was John's transformation from a dangerous show-off to a respected professional.

John's musical range expanded admirably and Taupin's lyrical abilities gained more and more recognition. The result was an all-round successful album that was seen clearly above the other releases of the time.

Track list

Elton John composed the music for all titles , and Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics unless otherwise indicated.

LP and CD

page 1

1. Honky Cat - 5:13
2. Mellow - 5:32
3. I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself - 3:35
4. Susie (Dramas) - 3:25
5. Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time) - 4:45

Page 2

6. Salvation - 3:58
7. Slave - 4:22
8. Amy - 4:03
9. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters - 5:00
10. Hercules - 5:20

Bonus titles on re-releases (1995 Mercury and 1996 Rocket)

11. Slave (Alternate Take) - 2:53

Honky Château was also released as "Hybrid SACD" in a 5.1 mix.

occupation

• Elton John - vocals, piano, keyboards
• Davey Johnstone - acoustic guitar , electric guitar, banjo, mandolin, steel guitar, backing vocals (tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 10)
• Dee Murray - bass guitar, backing vocals (tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 10)
• Nigel Olsson - drums, backing vocals (tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 10)

More musicians

• Jason Barnhart - trumpet
• Jacques Bolognesi - trombone
• Jean-Louis Chautemps , Alain Hatot - saxophone
• Jean-Luc Ponty - Electric Violin
• "Legs" Larry Smith - step dance
• David Hentschel - Synthesizer (Tracks 5, 10)
• Ray Cooper - Congas (Track 8)
• Gus Dudgeon - Rhino Whistle, backing vocals (Track 10)
• Madeline Bell , Liza Strike, Larry Steel, Tony Hazzard - backing vocals (track 6)

production

• Producer: Gus Dudgeon
• Sound engineer: Ken Scott
• Mastering Engineer: “Legs” Larry Smith
• Remastering: Tony Cousins
• Editing: Gus Skinas
• Digital transfer: Ricky Graham
• Surround Sound: Greg Penny
• Metalwind arrangement: Gus Dudgeon
• Cover photo: Ed Caraeff
• Album cover text: John Tobler

Charts

album

year	Chart	placement
1972	Great Britain	2
1972	United States	1
1972	Germany	43

single

Year	single	Chart	position
1972	Rocket Man	Germany	18th
1972	Rocket Man	Great Britain	2
1972	Rocket Man	United States	6th
1972	Honky Cat	Germany	41
1972	Honky Cat	Great Britain	31
1972	Honky Cat	United States	8th

Awards

organization	status	date
RIAA - USA	platinum	October 1995

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.dict.cc/?s=honky
2. ^ Philip Norman: Elton John. Harmony Books, New York 1992, ISBN 0-517-58762-9 , p. 194.
3. ^ Philip Norman: Elton John. 1991, p. 196
4. ^ Philip Norman: Elton John. 1991, p. 195
5. ↑ Elton John / Discography # Chart placements
6. ↑ http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=418&name=Elton+John
7. ↑ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/honky-chateau-19720817
8. ↑ Chart sources: Germany - UK - USA
9. ↑ Elton John / Discography # Chart placements
10. ↑ Honky Château (Elton John) in the gold / platinum database of the RIAA (USA)