Elton John (#7) and Billy Joel (#8) - Evan’s 111 Artists
Rex was a proper Elton John at our Monte Nido 4h of July Parade, we came in 2nd place in the egg-toss one year!
My mom loved Elton, his music was in heavy rotation from a very young age on the family record player in our den with puke-colored shag carpet, and eventually on cassette. The production was huge with strings, horns, excellent sounding guitars and a lot of layers.
The piano-playing lead singer though was very different for me. It was easy to get used to though because Yellow Brick Road and Madman Across The Water are pretty perfect complete works of art. Like the Beatles and the Stones, I loved that the records had a vibe from beginning to end.
I found Elton’s attempts at rocking pretty hokey, but also undeniably catchy. Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting, Crocodile Rock and Bitch Is Back … killer, and Funeral For A Friend is next level. His falsetto is sick, and the ballads remain timeless gems.
I never saw Elton live, same with Billy Joel. I never felt the need or desire to see them play once we hit the 80’s. We have Elton to thank for so many artists, he made it so cool to play Piano, would we have November Rain by GnR with no Elton??
Billy Joel, I liked the songs that were classic rock staples and loved the New York stories, though Central Jersey and Long Island were pretty different.
The Stranger had a bit of an edge and I definitely spun Glass Houses a ton, I was 10 when it came out.
I loved years later that he championed younger artists. We saw him at a Pete Yorn show at Mercury Lounge in ’01. I would see him out in the city a bit, one night we were both drunk, walking out of my favorite Italian restaurant in Tribeca at the same time and he put his arm around me thinking I was in his crew, we both just laughed.
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“Dad, you always say this song is a F*CKING MASTERPIECE… make a list.”
Some of Elton John’s and Billy Joel’s masterpieces are listed below, and more on my 1k+ song Spotify Playlist — Evan’s 111 Artists
Funeral For A Friend, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, All The Girls Love Alice, Crocodile Rock, Stan (with Eminem)
The Stranger, Movin’ Out, Only The Good Die Young, Scenes From An Italian Restaurant,
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My mom brought Elton into our home, here she is with Luli in the Desert.