Tumbleweed Connection - ELTON JOHN*****

Ballad Of A Well Known Gun/Come Down In Time/Country Comfort/Son Of Your Father/My Father's Gun/Where To Now St Peter/Love Song/Amoreena/Talking Old Soldiers/Burn Down The Mission

Tumbleweed Connection was a musical departure from the usual rock and pop sound of Elton John, with its focus on creating an idealised vision of the old American West. (US:5 UK:2)

“If I knew nothing about Elton's later works, and heard this, I would have taken him a lot more seriously. It's a concept album through and through, rich with Wild West themes and his own unique take on Americana. Gospel, folk and country elements have never flowed so seamlessly. The beautiful sepia-toned cover art only hints at the rustic charm within.”

“Elton made some awesome music early in his career. Tumbleweed Connection is a prime example of that. It's a loose concept album about the old Wild West. Musically, the album is heavily influenced by roots rock. Country, folk, gospel, blues, pop and rock elements are mixed brilliantly here.”

“You might guess just by looking at the album cover that there is a clear country influence here, and that's not a bad thing. Elton's talent for songwriting is, of course, the strongest aspect of this album.”

“The whole Americana/Western feel of this album is amazing and it is tied together so well. John's music and Taupin's lyrics match up with each other so that it sounds like they were written by the same person.”

“This isn't the kind of album that grabs you right away, nor is there a track on here you can latch onto as a starting point. Instead, each track builds on the foundation lain down by those before. As it goes on, it just starts to get more interesting. The melodies seem catchier, the arrangements more lush, the vocals more passionate.”

“It's one of the few albums Elton has recorded that contain no hit singles, yet in many ways it's the album's simplicity which is perhaps its biggest strength. Elton connects with many of the fundamental influences in popular music which includes folk, country and blues, and in doing so he also cuts back somewhat on the orchestration normally found during this period, resulting in little of the more showy aspects associated with his more commercial sound.”