Elton John: Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player

When I was 14, I bought this LP aka vinyl, aka album, with my root beer stand car-hop tips. 45 years later, it was time to replace my weathered original LP. I love the heavier duty weight this LP offers, vs my earlier version. Ditto all the “goodies” I’ve shown in the pictures. I also felt the price was fair. Fast shipping, everything’s great!p.s. I was not paid or reimbursed for this review.

As indicated by the marquee bearing the album’s title on its cover, this album has all the elements of a feature film. It contains the ramifications of war, the longing for fame, the restless, reminiscent memories of youth, the stereotypes of the West, the high chase of a fugitive, and suicide. The common element is passion that ties these scenes together with a steady performance that is both sweet and dramatic.The star of this epic is Elton John, and he begins with “Daniel,” a blind war veteran escaping his homeland in search of peace. He is both idolized and missed by his younger brother, and while John claimed the song is often misunderstood on account of his omitting the last verse, the pain and sentiment comes through loud and clear.This is followed by reminiscent upbeat tunes about a school boy crush and better days of marital bliss and drinking wine. This leads to the heart of the album in “Blues for My Baby and Me.” Its description and buildup transcend to the release of youthful tension and an innocent escape. It’s a song that stirs up a listener’s own restlessness with a lingering, feel-good melody, and it remains one of my favorite deep cuts from any Elton John album.But if “Don’t Shoot Me” were an actual movie, “Have Mercy on the Criminal” would be the scene winning John the academy award. It’s gut-wrenching passion lives up to its introduction and is powerful enough to make you feel sympathy for an unlikely character – one on the other side of the law with a story of his own worth telling.Another exemplary scene is depicted in “Texan Love Song.” How two young Englishmen (John/Taupin) were able to vividly portray the thoughts of a stereotypical American redneck on the western landscape is commendable, as is the unforgettable number one hit “Crocodile Rock,” the first American #1 for John that has now taken its place among all his other hits to follow. Its youthful image and energy are timeless.In contrast to its upbeat moments, the album ends on a sad note with “High Flying Bird.” One can get lost in its imagery and smooth melody masking the effects of suicide. It’s about a troubled young girl and her friend or lover’s inability to save her. So the album begins with a young man saying goodbye to his older brother and ends with a young man saying goodbye to his girlfriend – neither of whom could stay in his world.If that’s not enough to make this a blockbuster album, the bonus tracks contain the piano version of “Skyline Pigeon,” which is more poignant than its harpsicord original. The entire album is deeply moving, but also undeniably enjoyable.

The bad news for Elton's hard rock fans in 1973 was that the guy who made "Madman Across The Water" less than two years before had left the building. In his place was a pop craftsman with a keen interest in making music for the masses.The good news, of course, was Elton's arrival as a full-fledged pop star came with some terrific music, still very enjoyable more than a quarter century later. Actually, his pop leanings were in evidence in 1972 with the release of "Honky Chateau," but this time the gloves are off, and his aim is clearly Casey Kasem country. The result was his first two top-five singles in the U.S., the chart-topping "Crocodile Rock" and #2 hit, "Daniel." "Don't Shoot Me" reached the top of the charts, too, just as "Honky Chateau" did.If you like "Honky Chateau," chances are good you will like "Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player," which in many ways feels like a sequel. The title, for instance, sounds like something the singer in "Honky Cat" might have said if offered an extra chorus. "Crocodile Rock" deals with a faithless girlfriend named Susie, while someone with the same name and inclinations also appears in a song named after her on "Honky Chateau."The two hits on "Don't Shoot Me," painful as it is to say, aren't as enduring as the hits on "Honky Chateau." Frankly, both "Daniel" and "Crocodile Rock" suffer from radio overplay in a way "Honky Cat" and "Rocket Man" don't. That's not to say they aren't great songs, just less enduring. Elton works in some interesting keyboard tones with "Daniel" and plays to the '50s nostalgia craze (quoting Pat Boone, ye gads!) with "Croc Rock," a song I grooved to as a youngster when it first came out and dearly love today. Yet when it comes on my stereo, my focus sometimes wanders a bit.What makes "Don't Shoot Me" a vital chunk of Eltonia is the rest of the album. People deride pop music, and often for the right reasons, but this is pop of an especially high order. "Teacher I Need You," "Elderberry Wine," and "Blues For My Baby And Me" all sound like how-to clinics on making enduring post-Beatles pop, clever and engaging and affecting, each in a different way. If they played these tunes on the radio as much as "Crocodile," I'd probably tire of them, too, but they don't and I'm grateful for that when I get to groove to them today.The rest of the album showcases Elton's diversity. "I'm Gonna Be A Teenage Idol" has fun with the notion Elton was becoming just that, working off a charming melodic underpinning and a solid rhythmic undertow which Elton was indeed becoming a star by using to great effect while other singer-songwriters of his day faded off into obscurity with their bell-bottom Birkenstock blues about the polluted environment or not having a date for the prom. "High Flying Bird" shows Elton's winning sentimental side, while "Have Mercy On The Criminal" revisits "Madman" waters with a better result than most of the songs off that earlier album.Many people rag on "Texas Love Song," but to me it shows lyricist Bernie Taupin was aware of his overromanticizing the South and Western regions of the U.S. and wanted to acknowledge what one of the more narrow-minded denizens of those parts might think of him if they ever met. Sure, the protagonist comes off like Michael Rooker in "Mississippi Burning," but where does it say pop music narrators all have to be nice and sweet? It's a challenging song lyrically, while the music is suitably low-key and rather more authentic-feeling than most of Elton's (otherwise brilliant) country-rock excursions.Especially cool is the inclusion in the remastered CD of four bonus B-sides, three of which ("Screw You," "Jack Rabbit," and "Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)" being every bit as good as the "Don't Shoot Me" album cuts, and forcing me to give this a solid five-star rating despite not being crazy about "Midnight Creeper." Really, if you like anything Elton ever recorded for public consumption, you will like this solid gem of a record even better on CD.

The lp sounds fine, but the edge of the disc is scuffed. The scuff is squarely on a small portion of the outer edge of the disc. The scuff is not in the play area but still I would not be suspect this sort of mark on a factory sealed vinyl record. There was nothing wrong with the packaging or the shipment. The scuff appears to have come from the factory. You can see the scuff marks at the bottom of the disc in the photo.I’m giving the record three stars because the music is truly a five out of five.

I finally bought this remastered version and it's a joy to "crank it up" on my car's JBL system. The bonus tracks add value and the original booklet is great as well!

Bought in on vinyl many years ago. This is a great album with a good variety of Elton John's brillance.

Great cd despite owning on an LP.

Great item delivered on time

Cet album est le 1er qu’Elton va sortir en 1973. Le suivant sortira quelques mois plus tard, et il s’agit sans hésitation de son chef d’œuvre, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Comme le précédent, Honky Château (et comme le suivant), cet album est enregistré au Château d’Hérouville dans la région parisienne, alors propriété de Michel Magne et où les plus grandes vedettes françaises et internationales viennent enregistrer (Bowie, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Johnny, Eddy Mitchell…). Un superbe domaine où les musiciens peuvent se consacrer jour et nuit à leur travail d’enregistrement dans d’excellentes conditions tout en bénéficiant des espaces de loisirs du château. Evidemment, cet album souffre de la comparaison avec son successeur mais il contient 2 de ses plus grands succès. D’abord en entrée, le sublime Daniel, une des plus belles chansons du tandem Elton/ Bernie Taupin, le genre de classique instantané que n’importe quel artiste rêverait d’écrire. Taupin l’a écrit en pensant à un vétéran du Vietnam, revenant chez lui au Texas et fêté comme un héros alors qu’il n’aspire qu’à retrouver un semblant de paix, la vie qu’il menait avant de partir. Mais la guérison complète semble, dans les paroles, impossible :« Daniel my brother you are older than meDo you still feel the pain of the scars that won't heal?Your eyes have died but you see more than IDaniel you're a star in the face of the sky »Et dans un registre plus léger, c’est sur ce Don’t shoot me qu’on trouve le réjouissant Crocodile Rock, un hommage pas du tout voilé aux années 50 et qui aujourd’hui encore fait danser et chanter toute une salle. Dans sa tournée d’adieux qui doit se prolonger jusqu’en 2023, Farewell Yellow Brick Road, Elton fait chanter le refrain à tout le public qui s’éclate littéralement à le reprendre ! Une vraie fête. Grâce à ses énormes succès, cet album cartonné partout dans le monde, mieux qu’avec ses albums précédents. La pochette rend elle hommage au cinéma, et le titre aussi d’ailleurs puisqu’on peut y voir un clin d’œil au Tirez sur le pianiste de Truffaut. Un bon album mais un petit cran en dessous les albums qui l’entourent, les autres titres étant quand même moins inspirés. Attention, ça reste du Elton de la grande époque, une période de folle créativité où il pouvait sortir 2 albums la même années remplis de tubes !!! Ca fait rêver aujourd’hui évidemment…Les bonus ajoutés à cette édition remasterisée, comme souvent, n’apportent pas grand-chose, des faces B des singles pas extraordinaires. Si j’avais pu, j’aurais mis 3.5 étoiles.

In my efforts to buy all of Elton John's early works I have moved my way up to 1973 and just after GOODBYE YELLOWBRICK ROAD, this is the release which came out right after that history making piece of music. It also had a great number of hits and stellar songs on its black Vinyl surfaces. Dont shoot me, Danial, Saturday night is alright, to name just a few. I have never ever owned a copy of this piece of music until now and i will be placing it on the CD player as soon as it arrives. There are a number of personally relatable songs on this disc for me...as far as a recommendation goes i very much recommend this disc to everyone.

I grew up listening to Elton John albums in the 80's and his earlier stuff as singles on the radio. the thing is, and album like Don't Shoot, oh, man! Most of us know Daniel and Crocodile rock, but Elderberry Wine, Teacher I need You, and, my new favourite Elton John song, High Flying Bird. I'm listening to this album over and over in the car. Time to buy another from his classic years collection.