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A clever title, “Honky Cat” is an early indication of his pop sound, with a honking horn section over a New Orleans groove. “Mellow” goes back to the singer-songwriter sound of the last few albums, but goes on a little long with the organ solo in the middle that lasts through the end. Then there’s “I Think I’m Gonna Kill Myself”, which is something of a monologue about “teenage blues”, sung with absolutely no sympathy for the self-involved narrator. “Legs” Larry Smith of the Bonzo Dog Band shows up to tap-dance, as he would, and we’re still not sure why. “Susie (Dramas)” is another Taupin lyric inspired by Americana, set to a rocking beat we’ve heard before. Things slow down again for “Rocket Man”, here given its full subtitle (“I Think It’s Gonna Be A Long, Long Time”). Notably, this is the first appearance of David Hentschel on synthesizer, where he’d stay for the time being.
“Salvation” has a mild gospel feel, via the lyrics and the mass chorus vocals, and while the sentiment is a bit trite, the chorus has a good hook, which is the real point. The idea continues on “Slave”, which seems to match the lament of a pre-Civil War “servant”, but the backing is almost inappropriate, more concerned with geography than the message. It’s back to more basic needs on “Amy”, a song of lust for a woman of the same name; as with the song that occupies the same spot on side one, there is a guest star, this time Jean-Luc Ponty on electric violin. One of the pair’s more surprising anthems, “Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters” is a moving, enduring tribute to New York City, with a wonderfully subtle harmony on the first couplet in the chorus. If you’re looking for deep meaning, don’t bother digging too far into “Hercules”, which appears to be about a woman who loves a cat (or “cat”, this being 1972) of the same name. That Elton took that as his legal middle name during the gestation of the album may only be a coincidence.
And that’s it—no concept, just songs. Honky Château gets points for relying solely on the Elton John Band, solid as they were. We prefer the “heavier” tone of the previous two studio albums, but it’s still worthy, and not at all fluffy. (The eventual reissue added one bonus track, an incredibly fast version of “Slave” that, despite its lack of reverence, is miles better than the album version. The slightly belated 50th anniversary upgrade of the album did not include that, but two versions of “Slave” were among the studio demos included, along with several of the album tracks recorded live at London’s Royal Festival Hall that predate the album’s release.)
Elton John Honky Château (1972)—3
1995 CD reissue: same as 1972, plus 1 extra track
2023 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition: same as 1972, plus 17 extra tracks
Elton and Bernie, I assume, figured out that their original style was a dead end. Or maybe they just got bored. In any case, it would have been impossible to top “Madman..”, so here they were.
ReplyDeleteI first owned the album on a crappy Uni cassette. Even so, I was still able to hear how great the album sounded. Even the initial MCA pressing sounds great in the car. The lighter tone and the addition of Davey on guitar set Elton off in a bright new direction.
It's a little hard for me to be objective about the album. This is because the two hits got so much airplay (“Rocket Man”, even now, is something I hear too much on the radio). They are the two weakest tracks, for me.
Elton and Bernie take a deeper dive into Southern American music for half of the album. I have a different opinion about “Slave”. The final version has a perfectly appropriate arrangement, while the poppy piano version didn’t even rate release as a bonus track. “Susie”, “Amy” and “Mellow” all have great grooves with varying tempos. “Salvation”, with that big gospel sound, is my favorite song on the album.
The rest of the songs are the first indication of the even wider range of songwriting that Elton and Bernie were continuing. There’s the psychedelic music of “Rocket Man”. It’s an interesting contrast to Bernie’s lyrics, which take all the romanticism out of being an astronaut. I perfectly understood “I Think I’m Going to Kill Myself” the first time I heard it. It’s a petulant, pouty teenage temper tantrum, which Elton mocks with his first foray into British music hall. This doesn’t play quite as well now as it did at the time. “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” would have fit in well on “Madman..” with a Buckmaster arrangement. The dark lyrics, another of Bernie’s responses to the insanity of being in the USA, also fit. Finally, “Hercules” has EJ adopting the musical persona that he would carry through the next three albums.
There isn’t a single dog on the album. It’s a pop album, and it’s a CLASSY pop album. The stark cover photo compliments that image. After this, of course, Elton would start embracing camp, excess and outrageousness in both the music and the image. I have mixed feelings about him becoming the 70’s version of Liberace, which got very tacky. All that did make him a big star, but it did have a big effect on his quality control.