Elton John News from Crazy Water

WINDSOR, England -- Britain's most famous gay couple _ Sir Elton John and Canadian filmmaker David Furnish _ tied the knot Wednesday in a much-anticipated ceremony that capped the first week of legalized civil unions in the United Kingdom.

Let's have a standing O for the old guys.

Of the 10 top-grossing concert tours of 2005, eight of the acts are considered, well, veterans.

U2 had the top-grossing tour, according to year-end figures from Billboard magazine. Bono and company's Vertigo tour grossed $260 million and attracted 3 million people to 90 sellout concerts.
1. U2, $260 million.

2. The Eagles, $117 million.

3. Neil Diamond, $71 million.

4. Kenny Chesney, $63 million (with the second-highest attendance draw, 1.1 million)

5. Paul McCartney, $60 million

6. Rod Stewart, $49 million

7. Elton John, $45.5 million, plus $30 million for his Las Vegas show

8. Dave Matthews Band, $45 million

9. Jimmy Buffett, $41 million

10. Green Day, $36.5 million

Because Billboard ranks only completed tours, the list doesn't include the Rolling Stones, an otherwise likely contender for the top spot.

Pollstar, the concert industry's leading trade magazine, will release its 2005 ranking by month's end.

Pamela Anderson was cut from TV screens after her steamy pole dance proved too hot for viewers.

The curvy star was dropped from an Elton John television special after her performance on a giant screen behind Elton singing his hit 'The Bitch is Back' was deemed too provocative for family viewing.

The show, called 'Elton John: The Red Piano' and filmed at the eccentric singer's show at Las Vegas' Caesars Palace, was broadcast by American TV giant NBC without the song.

Critics, who had watched preview copies of the show, had suggested the accompanying on-stage video of the scantily-dressed star could offend audiences.

Meanwhile, sexy Pammy has confessed she won't be inviting her ex husband Tommy Lee to the family's Christmas dinner - because she wouldn't be able to resist having sex with him.

The beautiful blonde - who has two sons with the Motley Crue drummer - says Tommy makes her think of nothing but sex.

The 38-year-old former 'Baywatch' babe said: 'Tommy still makes me think of sex, not mashed yams and turkey.'

Bernie nominated for a Golden Globe award (isn't everyone...);

and Taupin's collaboration with Gustavo Santaolalla, "A Love That Will Never Grow Old," is from Ang Lee's cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain, with a performance by country legend Emmylou Harris.

It seems the NBC special "Elton John: The Red Piano" was down 17% from what normally airs in the 8-9PM timeslot, sci-fi drama "Surface." Maybe it had something to do with the predictable song selection that NBC bored us all with. Or maybe its just that music specials generally do poorly these days.

Network TV concert specials haven’t done particularly well this
holiday season. Just ask Faith Hill, Kenny Chesney, and now Elton John. His
NBC special “Elton John: The Red Piano” averaged just a 2.5 overnight rating
among viewers 18-49 in the 8 p.m. timeslot last night, down significantly from
“Surface,” which usually airs in that timeslot. “Red Piano” was off 17
percent versus a 3.0 overnight average for the last four original episodes of
“Surface,” and the show had improved in each of those four weeks. The
concert special wasn’t lacking in holiday glitz. NBC used 36 high-definition
cameras to capture John’s Las Vegas stage show. But that wasn’t enough to pique
the interest of viewers, who similarly shunned country stars Faith Hill and
Kenny Chesney last month in separate specials the night before
Thanksgiving

.

UPDATE: NBC has moved the show to December 12 @ 8PM.
From the AP:

NEW YORK Nov 15, 2005 — Elton John brings his Las Vegas show to television with his first NBC special, "Elton John: The Red Piano," on [Dec. 12. ]

The special will feature John's show from Caesars Palace, incorporating his performance with videos from director David LaChapelle, including two that feature Justin Timberlake as a young Elton John and Pamela Anderson performing a pole dance, NBC announced Monday.

Last December, the rock legend was honored in a star-studded tribute at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

It was 25 years ago today...

Elton and John Lennon, November 28, 1974.

This is from eltonjohn.com;

A message from Elton
6-December-2005

" I am excited to let you know that I have partnered with Amazon.com and will be kicking off a very important effort to help the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Please join me in helping the rebuilding process for those who have lost a place to call home during the holidays, and make a donation to my charity of choice, The Red Cross.

As thanks for your support, beginning December 7, 2005, I would like to give you an exclusive never-been-released recording of a song titled Make Me As You Are that Bernie Taupin and I wrote for the new musical Lestat, where Anne Rice's most beloved vampire character is brought to life on stage.

For more information about Amazon.com’s Holiday A-List for Hurricane Relief program, please visit this link, and be sure to check out my exclusive content on Amazon.com beginning December 7, 2005.

Happy Holidays,

Love
Elton"

From everyone's favorite, and not always accurate, music news site Contact Music;

SIR ELTON JOHN's ex manager and lover JOHN REID is threatening to cast a shadow over the pop superstar's 21 December (05) wedding to partner DAVID FURNISH, by releasing a tell-all autobiography about his time with the star.

Reid and John ended a tempestuous 28-year relationship in a messy 2000 court case when the rocker attempted to recover $25.2 million (GBP14 million) he claims he was owed by one of Reid's former employees.

The battle lost him $14.4 million (GBP8 million) in legal fees and exposed his extravagant lifestyle to the public, including the staggering $72 million (GBP40 million) John spent in a 20 month period.

More details about their partnership will enter the public domain if Reid carries out his threat and publishes the memoir.

He recently said of the rocker - who will marry Furnish when gay civil partnerships become legal in Britain - "(He is) a modern day potentate - everything revolves around him."

LONDON (AP) - Billy Elliot, the crowd-pleasing stage adaptation of the hit film about a miner's son who wants to dance, was honoured Monday as best musical at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

Rock legend Elton John, who did the score, was at the ceremony to watch the show beat out rivals Mary Poppins and The Big Life.

Legendary musician Elton John has announced that he intends to make an honest man of his longtime partner David Furnish next month in a small civil ceremony to seal their union .

On December 21, laws go into effect in the couple's home of the UK that recognize gay partnerships as legal unions and the two have chosen that date to marry in a civil ceremony.

It seems Elton John's new label is being sued for $50,000,000.

Parton, John to Sing at CMA Awards

The Associated Press
November 01. 2005 9:29AM

Dolly Parton and Elton John will sing "Turn the Lights Out When You Leave" at "The 39th Annual CMA Awards," which will air live on CBS from Madison Square Garden on Nov. 15.

"I've always admired Sir Elton's songwriting, musicianship and singing and I'm thrilled to be working with him," Parton said in a statement released Monday by the Country Music Association. "It should be a very passionate performance."

The CMA Awards will be hosted by Brooks & Dunn, who will also perform.

Other confirmed performers include Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley and Lee Ann Womack.

Paul Simon and Willie Nelson will perform and then present the CMA song of the year award.

In a survey of musicians, journalists and records execs, Queen's Live Aid performance from 1985 has been ranked as the "worlds greatest rock gig." Elton John's 1974 Madison Square Garden performance with John Lennon comes in at number 19. You will notice one sorta major band is missing.

Here is the entire list;

1. Queen – Live Aid – July 13, 1985
2. Jimi Hendrix – Woodstock – August 18, 1969
3. The Sex Pistols – Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall – June 4, 1976
4. Bob Dylan – Manchester Free Trade Hall – May 17, 1966 (Dylan goes ‘electric’)
5. David Bowie – Hammersmith Apollo, London – July 3, 1973 (Bowie retires the Ziggy Stardust persona to the surprise of the sold-out crowd and, indeed, the Spiders From Mars, whom he had neglected to tell)
6. Bob Marley – One Love Peace Concert – April 22, 1978
7. Bruce Springsteen – The Roxy – July 7, 1978
8. U2 – Red Rocks – June 5, 1983
9. Rolling Stones – Hyde Park, London – May 7, 1969
10. Radiohead – Glastonbury Festival – June 28, 1997
11. Rock Against Racism – Victoria Park, London – May 7, 1977
12. The Who – Isle of Wight Festival – August 29, 1970
13. Pink Floyd – Earl’s Court, London – June 17, 1981 (‘The Wall’ show, also Pink Floyd’s final UK appearance until this year’s Live8 concert)
14. James Brown – The Apollo, Harlem – October 24, 1962
15. Oasis – Maine Road, Manchester – April 27, 1996 (80,000 people at Britpop’s tenuous height)
16. Beastie Boys – Brixton Academy, London – May 24, 1987 (hip-hop invades the UK)
17. Johnny Cash – San Quentin Prison – August 29, 1969
18. Brian Wilson – Royal Festival Hall – February 20, 2004 (the ‘Smile’ concert)
19. Elton John & John Lennon – Madison Square Garden, New York – November 28, 1974 (John Lennon’s final live performance)
20. Nirvana – Reading Festival – August 30, 1992

UMPG Signs Elton John

By Chris M. Walsh, N.Y.

Universal Music Publishing Group has signed an exclusive agreement with Elton John and his songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin, that will put the entire Elton John catalog under one publishing roof.

The two new long-term, exclusive, worldwide agreements are to administer John's and Taupin's post-1974 publishing interests. Each songwriter controls his own interest in the songs they've written, and separate arrangements were entered into with each. UMPG already owns the copyrights in the John/Taupin catalog written up to 1974.

Through the new arrangement with Elton John, the company will administer all his songs written between 1974 and 1992 (as well as new works), with immediate effect, and his songs written between 1993 and 2004 commencing in 2006. More than 250 copyrights are covered by the arrangement.

Through the new arrangement with Bernie Taupin, the company will administer all of his songs written between 1974 and the present, as well as new works written with or recorded by Elton John.

Both deals were previously administered by Warner Chappell.

Elton John's proposed comedy about an aging rocker and his manager has gotten the green light from ABC, the usually unreliable Contact Music reports.

Pop superstar SIR ELTON JOHN is close to realising his Hollywood career - America's ABC network has agreed to broadcast a pilot episode of his TV show.

The ROCKET MAN star is following in the footsteps of his long-term love, producer DAVID FURNISH, by executive producing HIM AND US.

The project stars an ageing rocker, his manager and his group of hangers-on.

SEX AND THE CITY executive producer CINDY CHUPACK is currently writing the script, writes trade paper Hollywood Reporter.

An article from Zap2It.com that has a little more information, some of it being wrong;

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) After kicking around the various developmental corridors of ABC for the past year, a comedy pilot backed by Elton John has finally received the green light.
The pilot, based loosely on John's life and those of some of his peers, will follow the life of a graying rock star, his manager and other assorted hangers-on. Its title, "Him and Us," is also the name of a song on John's most recent album, "Peachtree Road."

Cindy Chupack, a veteran of "Sex and the City" and "Everybody Loves Raymond," is writing the pilot, which will likely be a single-camera comedy, the showbiz trade papers report. She'll also executive produce with John; the singer's manager, Bob Halley; "Desperate Housewives" exec producer Michael Edelstein; and Bruce Roberts.

John is also expected to write original songs for the series with long-time collaborator Bernie Taupin.

"Him and Us" first went into development about a year ago, but it passed through last spring's pilot season without a formal pilot order. With a script now written, ABC and sister studio Touchstone TV decided to forge ahead.

Universal Music and Starbucks Hear Music are set to release

"Elton John's Christmas Party"

which features 21 tracks chosen by Elton. The set also includes a duet between Elton and Joss Stone on a new John/Taupin track titled "Calling It Christmas" which is also rumored to be released as a single. Starbucks and Universal will donate $2 for every CD purchased to the EJAF.

Here is the complete track listing for for Elton John’s Christmas Party:
1. Step Into Christmas-Elton John
2. Feliz Navidad- El Vez
3. Frosty the Snowman-The Ronettes
4. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town-Bruce Springsteen
5. The Man with All the Toys-The Beach Boys
6. A Change at Christmas (Say It Isn’t So)-The Flaming Lips
7. It Doesn’t Often Snow at Christmas-Pet Shop Boys
8. Spotlight on Christmas-Rufus Wainwright
9. Jingle Bell Rock-The Ventures
10. Run Rudolph Run-Chuck Berry
11. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer-The Crystals
12. Playa’s Ball-Outkast
13. Merry Christmas Baby-Otis Redding
14. Christmas Island-Jimmy Buffett
15. St. Patrick’s Day-John Mayer
16. Please Come Home for Christmas-The Eagles
17. Christmas Must Be Tonight-The Band
18. 2000 Miles-The Pretenders
19. December Will Be Magic Again-Kate Bush
20. New Year’s Day-U2
21. Calling It Christmas-Elton John and Joss Stone

Elton John will perform at a benefit gala for the tenth anniversary of the New York Restoration Project and founder Bette Midler's sixtieth birthday in New York City on October 31st. Sting will also be honored at the event for his environmental work. The NYRP, which reclaims and restores city gardens and open spaces, is also conducting an online auction, through November 8th, with chances to record with Faith Hill in her studio and go backstage at a Dave Matthews Band concert.

“I’ve always wanted to marry Elton John.”
Singer Barry Manilow at the Society of Singers’ annual Ella Awards (Reuters, Oct. 10)

Elton looking a little retro at the Ella Awards...

Elton John will be featured on several charity release during the months of October and November. "Hurricane Relief: Come Together Now" is a compilation album to be released on November 22 featuring Coldplay, Fats Domino, Barbra Streisand, Dave Matthews Band, James Brown and many others. Elton's contribution is a live version of "I'm Still Standing" which Elton reportedly recorded in New Orleans.
The second charity release is a tribute to the late DJ John Peel. Elton will sing and play piano on a cover of the Buzzcocks hit "Ever Fallen in Love," alongside The Who's Roger Daltrey and Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant. The song was debuted on October 10 over all BBC radio stations and will be released as a CD single on November 21 in the UK.

And finally another charity single release "Tears in Heaven" to raise money to help the victims of the Asian Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina for Save The Children. The song was originally written by Eric Clapton as a tribute to his four-year-old son, Conor, who died in 1991. Sharon Osbourne is behind the project, which also features Mary J Blige, Gwen Stefani, Pink, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart and Andrea Bocelli.

Bolstered by a strong musical soundtrack and some mixed reviews, Cameron Crowe's latest film "Elizabethtown" opens in 3rd place taking in $11 million dollars. "The Fog" and "Wallace and Grommit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" opened in first and second place respectively. Crowe's fascination with Elton John continues with the tune "My Father's Gun" being featured prominently in the film. Previously Crowe has used Elton's "Tiny Dancer" and "Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters" in his semi-autobiographical film "Almost Famous." Some reviews can be found here.

Bravo is running "Inside The Actor's Studio" with Elton John. At first glance it seems a bit odd to see Elton on this show however other musical artists have been featured, Billy Joel for example. The show offers not much new information for any of us die-hard fans but probably would prove interesting to the casual music fan. One interesting segment is Elton demonstrating the differences in chord structures on a piano as opposed to on a guitar. And Elton composing a song to a page from a book has to be seen to be believed. Bravo will be re-airing "Inside...." with Elton on the following dates;

October 16 11AM, 8PM
October 22 11AM
November 18 3PM
November 20 11AM

Elton and Bernie were on BBC 2 today being interviewed to promote the release of "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" Deluxe Edition in the UK. You can hear the entire show by clicking here. It's a fantastic interview where Elton and Bernie discuss the making of Captains Fantastic and also talk about the planned sequel "The Captain and The Kid".

On the heels of the "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" Deluxe Edition, Universal will be a Collectors Edition of "Peachtree Road" on November 22, according to Music Tap. No other details are available.

The New York Post weighs in with a mostly rave review;

September 23, 2005 -- IN the last breaths of a marathon, three-hour concert, Elton John pounded his piano and wailed though his classic "The Bitch Is Back."
Yes, he is — and the gap-toothed crooner was glorious at the opener of his three sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden.

On paper, three hours of anybody — especially ballad-heavy Elton — seems excessive, except for the Rocket Man's most die-hard followers. And it would have been if John hadn't cracked the show into three distinct segments, tailored to suit his fans' level of devotion.

He started with tunes from his latest album, "Peachtree Road," followed by selections from "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" to warm the house.

An hour and a half into the concert, John and his large rock band became an all-hits jukebox — great for those who know the man from his signature radio classics.

The NY Times chimes in also with basically the same review written in NYT style;

Sir Elton is a relentless tourer, so it's a good thing he's also a restless one. This was, as he promised, a long show, especially for him: he sang almost nonstop for three hours. As usual, the audience greeted nearly every song with a standing ovation, which Sir Elton himself often joined. And the unusual set list helped give the night a weird, memorable structure.

A lot of veteran acts sneakily slip the new songs in among the old, hoping you won't notice. Maybe more of them should be required to do what Sir Elton did: stack eight of them up at the beginning and see how they fare. (The surest beneficiaries of such a plan? Concession stands.) On Wednesday night, the "Peachtree Road" songs certainly didn't flop, though they didn't kill, either. The album is Sir Elton's tribute to Southern traditions: gospel, old-fashioned R&B, country. If anything, "Freaks in Love," a sweet song about lovers who know they're "damaged goods," is too plain and straightforward to be an Elton John classic. The classics tend to flirt treacherously with inanity.

If you're going to issue a press release that says the following;

Elton is commemorating the event not only with the release of the expanded, two-CD Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy - Deluxe Edition (Island/UMe), but also by performing a series of historic sold-out concerts on September 16 and 17 at TD Banknorth Garden, Boston and September 21, 23 and 24 at Madison Square Garden, New York where included in the repertoire he will perform the album in its entirety for the first time in over 30 years.

You should then do just that. Last night Elton omitted "Writing" and "Tower Of Babel" from the 30th Anniversary celebration concert. Doesn't make much sense but we talking about Elton. Lets hope he drops "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" and "Daniel" or maybe two of the Peachtree Road songs and adds back the two CF songs missing last night. Here is the complete setlist;

Weight of The World
Porch Swing on Tupelo
Answer In The Sky
Turn Out The Lights When You Leave
My Elusive Drug
They Call Her The Cat
Freaks In Love
All That I'm Allowed
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
Bitter Fingers
Tell Me When the Whistle Blows
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Meal Ticket
Better Off Dead
We All Fall In Love Sometimes/Curtains
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
Bennie and the Jets
Daniel
Take Me to The Pilot
Rocket Man
I Guess That's Why The Call it the Blues
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
Tiny Dancer
Philadelphia Freedom
Sad Songs
Levon
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
The Bitch Is Back
Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
Crocodile Rock
Your Song

From the AP:

Pay-Per-View Televising Katrina Concert

By Associated Press
September 16, 2005, 9:29 AM EDT

NEW YORK -- An upcoming benefit concert at Madison Square Garden for those affected by Hurricane Katrina will be available live on pay-per-view television.

Major cable operators will give all proceeds to support the long-term relief and rebuilding efforts on the Gulf Coast, it was announced Thursday. The telecast, which will be available at a cost of $19.95 to viewers, will begin Tuesday at 7 p.m. (EDT).

The "Big Apple to the Big Easy" concert will feature performers including Simon & Garfunkel, Jimmy Buffett, Elton John, Lenny Kravitz, Bette Midler, Elvis Costello, John Fogerty and Diana Krall. New Orleans natives the Neville Brothers and the Meters will also play.

All money raised through sponsorship and ticket sales will go to various relief funds. MSG has also pledged a $1 million donation.

The show will also extend across the city to Radio City Music Hall, where Dave Matthews, Tom Waits, Trey Anastasio, John Mayer and others will perform.
The participating cable operators are Adelphia, Cablevision, Charter, EchoStar's DISH Network and DIRECTV, along with iN DEMAND partners Bright House Networks, Comast, Cox Communications and Time Warner cable systems.

Universal may have pushed the release date of "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" Deluxe Edition back by as much as one month. HMC.uk.co has a release date of 10-10-05 while amazon.uk.co has 09-19-05. In the US, CD Universe and Amazon.com are still showing 09-13-05. The reasons for the delay, if true, are most likely due to the recreation of the orginal artwork that came with the album when it was released in 1975.

UPDATE 9/12: EltonJohn.com is still reporting that the US release for the 30th Anniversary "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" Deluxe Edition is September 13th in the US. Here are the release dates I have been able to find;

US: 9-13-05
UK: 10-10-05 from HMV.co.uk and WhatRecords.com
UK: 09-19-05 from Amazon.co.uk

UPDATE2: Jim McKay of the 22nd-row picked up a copy of the CFDE on Saturday and is loving it. So there is no delay in the US.

Elton, Fats among perfomers at Katrina benefit
By Jonathan Cohen
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Big names such as Elton John and Rod Stewart will team up with some of New Orleans' most notable musicians, including recently rescued veterans Fats Domino and Allen Toussaint, during a September 20 benefit for victims of Hurricane Katrina at Madison Square Garden.The concert, dubbed "From the Big Apple to the Big Easy," will also feature Jimmy Buffett, Stevie Nicks, Lenny Kravitz, Bette Midler, John Fogerty, Loggins & Mussina and Earth, Wind & Fire. New Orleans will additionally be represented by the Neville Brothers, the Original Meters and the Dirty Dozen and Rebirth Brass Bands.In addition to underwriting the show, Madison Square Garden will donate $1 million to Katrina-related fundraising efforts. All proceeds from the event will benefit like-minded causes. Tickets go on sale September 13.Reuters/Billboard

"Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" Deluxe Edition comes out Tuesday 9/13/05. You can hear sound samples of the June 1975 Wembley Stadium concert at the Tower Records site.

Elton performed a free concert before a crowd of 200,000 people in Rome on Saturday night 9/3.

Associated Press

ROME — Elton John played the piano and delighted hundreds of thousands of fans with old hits such as "Daniel" at a concert outside the Colosseum on Saturday night.

People of all ages clapped and danced at the free concert on the Via dei Fori Imperiali, the large boulevard that leads to the Colosseum and is lined with ancient Roman relics.

Fans included families with babies, and security officials estimated the crowd at 200,000. Some had been there since dawn to grab good spots.

"We like him very much, he's a great one, there's nothing else to say," said Sara Stanghetti, 18, who came with four friends.

Francesca Savina, 23, who said she started listening to John because her parents did, left home at early in the afternoon to make sure she could get a good view of the singer.

Some took a more modest view of the event. "I would not have paid a lot of money to see Elton John," said Daniele Casale, 29.

John performed in Italy for the first time in 1973, according to a release from the Rome municipality.

"I love places that have an incredible history," John said in taped remarks that were released to news organizations before the concert. "I love the Italian way of life, I love the food, I love the people, I love the attitudes of Italians."

Last year, a Simon and Garfunkel concert on the same stage drew hundreds of thousands of fans. In 2003, Paul McCartney also performed on the Via dei Fori Imperiali.

The setlist courtesy Elton's Dark Diamond;

Pinball Wizard
Bennie and the Jets
Daniel
Turn the Lights Out When You Leave
Take Me To The Pilot
Rocket Man
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
Sacrifice
Candle In The Wind (solo)
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
Are You Ready For Love
Philadelphia Freedom
They Call Her The Cat
Sad Songs (Say So Much)
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
I'm Still Standing
The Bitch is Back
Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
Crocodile Rock
Your Song

In an article on the alleged music news site Contact Music, some group called Hard-Fi has criticised Elton for his recent duet's with 2Pac and Pete Doherty. Someone should explain to these good people that if any one is to blame for "Ghetto Gospel" it is Eminem who sampled Elton's 1971 song "Indian Sunset" and that Elton had little, if anything, to do with it. And as for the Pete Doherty duet at Live 8, well the performance speaks for itself.

An interview with Elton John appears in Billboard magazine in which Elton talks about his future projects. Among the highlights are;

"Captain Fantastic and The Kid"
Elton and Bernie are writing a sequel to "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" called "Captain Fantastic and the Kid" which will pick up where "Captain Fantastic" left off. It will be released on March 20, 2007, five days before Elton's 60th birthday. Recording starts this January.

"Elton's Christmas Party"
A collection of Elton's favorite Christmas music by other artists, plus a new duet with Elton and Joss Stone available only at Starbucks. This is due in two months on November 8.

Broadway production of "Billy Elliott" is due in 2006

Lestat debuts in December in San Francisco and on Broadway in Spring.

Elton has written nine songs with Scissors Sisters marking the first time he has written songs in the same room with his collaborator.

Elton John plays piano on the title track of old friend Cindy Bullens new album Dream #29. Cindy got her first real break when she crashed a studio party and met Elton John, who was impressed enough to hire Cindy as a backup singer on his US tour. Cindy sang with Elton on three major tours, as well as the multi-platinum album Blue Moves, and on his 1976 No. 1 Pop single "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart."

On August 25th, 1970, Elton John made his U.S. debut at the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles. The performance kicked off a brief tour and led to a recording contract with MCA.

Some interesting facts and quotes from that night courtesy of Paul Mclauchlan's Cornflakes and Classics;

Elton was wearing a beard, bell-bottom jeans and a red shirt with "Rock And Roll" spelt in white letters. Elton was co-headliner with David Ackles. The set lasted about an hour. Leon Russell was in the audience. Elton played nightly through August 30.

The photo used for the Honky Chateau album cover was taken backstage on this night.

Robert Hilburn wrote in the August 27th Los Angeles Times:

Rejoice. Rock music which has been going through a rather uneventful period recently, has a new star. He's Elton John, a 23-year-old Englishman,whose debut Tuesday night at the Troubadour was, in almost every way, magnificent.
... His music is so staggeringly original that it is obvious he is not merely operating within a given field (such as country or blues or rock) but, like Randy Newman and Laura Nyro among others, creating his own field... He has, to be sure, borrowed from country, rock, blues, folk and other influences, but he has mixed them in his own way. The resulting songs are so varied in texture that his work defies classificatlon . . .
While his voice most often resembles Jose Feliciano, there are at times touches of Leon Russell and Mick Jagger...
John's songs are co-written by lyricist Bernie Taupin, whose lyrics often capture the same timeless, objective spirit of the Band's Robbie Robertson . . .
Beyond his vocals, melodies and arrangements there is a certain sense of the absurd . . . that is reminiscent of the American rock stars of the mid-1950s . . .
By the end of the evening, there was no question about John's talent and potential.
Tuesday night at The Troubadour was just the beginning. He's going to be one of rock's biggest and most important stars.

Kathy Orloff, Chicago Sun Times:

"He was a major star before the end of his first set."
"The future seems incredibly bright for John."

John L. Wasserman, San Fransisco Chronicle

"He had hardly opened his mouth when it was apparent that he is going to be a very, very big star."

John Gibson, Holywood Reporter

"It's not often that someone gets a standing ovation at the Troubadour, but Elton John did - twice."

In 1990 Rolling Stone Magazine rated this show as amoung the twenty concerts that changed rock and roll.

See this article in the Chicago Tribune.

It seems that Elton's new label Sanctuary is not exactly on stable ground right now.

LONDON (Reuters) - Music group Sanctuary (SGP.L: Quote, Profile, Research), home to artists ranging from Axl Rose to Elton John, warned of further deterioration to its trading conditions on Tuesday and said that key buy-out talks had fallen through.

Shares, which stood at 42 pence at the beginning of the summer, continued their slide, falling 35 percent to 11-1/4 pence by 0839 GMT (9:39 a.m. British time) -- their lowest point in more than 13 years.

The company said it has obtained waivers and amendments to its financial covenants, and increased some of its bank facilities to 120 million pounds. It has also obtained waivers and amendments to its outstanding 30 million pounds of convertible loan notes.

"Trading has remained difficult, which, together with the operational constraints placed on the business during this time, seems likely to result in a further deterioration of the results for the full year," the company said in a statement.

Sanctuary said in June that it was in talks with an outside party that could result in a bid for part or all of the company, but it said on Tuesday that those particular discussions were "unlikely to lead to an offer at or near to the current share price".

Sanctuary is the world's biggest independent music label and a major player in artist management, touring and merchandising.

A period of rapid growth saw it buy up several large artist-management companies, but problems at units such as Sanctuary Urban -- headed by Mathew Knowles, father and manager of singer Beyonce -- have hit a sour note in recent months, including a profit warning in June.

Sanctuary said that discussions are continuing with several other parties which could lead to "a range of possible transactions including a possible offer for the company".

The company has held talks with EMI (EMI.L: Quote, Profile, Research), Warner Music Group (WMG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and several private-equity and venture-capital groups about a potential investment, asset sale or buy-out, according to sources familiar with the situation.

"While we are relieved that Sanctuary has renegotiated some its covenants, we believe the situation remains highly risky until Sanctuary provides some evidence of being able to pay down debt, perhaps through a disposal of some of its music catalogue," the media team at Numis Securities said in a research note.

This is from MusicTap.net with the new information bolded;

There was some doubt after our announcement of a Deluxe Edition for Elton John's Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy, which was Elton's first album to enter Billboard at # 1 with 7 weeks of staying power at that point. The RIAA awarded triple-platinum album housed some important Elton John tunes like "Someone Saved My Life Tonight." The album metaphorically relates the journey of Elton (Captain Fantastic) and his long-time collaborator, Bernie Taupin (Brown Dirt Cowboy). Just a few weeks after the release of this album, Elton John played a show at London's Wembley Stadium (June 21, 1975) during the Midsummer Music Festival. This show was the first and only time that Elton played the entirety of Captain Fantastic to a throng of 100,000 fans, discussing each song before playing it, providing significant insight into the entire album. This show, remixed, is the addition (along with a few other goodies) to this 30th Anniversary reissue of one of Elton's best performing albums. Not only will the concert be included, alongside Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy, remastered and containing a bonus addition of "House of Cards," the B-side to "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," as well as the inclusion of "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds," "One Day At a Time," and "Philadelphia Freedom" found on the last reissue. The entire set is released in the original artwork and packaging from the LP era. The songs, "Pinball Wizard" and "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" are on the live set after the Captain Fantastic performance. The included booklet will contain an intoduction by Bernie Taupin as well as new liner notes. Elton John will re-perform the entire album in concerts at NYC's Madison Square Garden and Boston's Fleet Center just days after the release of this celebratory 30th Anniversary Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy. Turns out we were right!!

UPDATE: ICE Magazine reports that Greg Penny worked on the Captain Fantastic Deluxe Edition mixing the June 1975 Wembley show for the first time. Its also possible for the September 13 date could be pushed a week or two for non-musical reasons. They are trying to faithfully recreate the LP-era artwork and that could delay the release.

The attraction to this abomination using the sample from "Indian Sunset" continues in Australia as "Ghetto Gospel" debuts at #1.

Billboard Country Chart, moves up 5 to #38 w/bullet.
Radio and Records Country Chart, down one to #41 but still w/bullet.

Billboard Country Chart, remains at #43 w/bullet.
Radio and Records Country Chart, up two to #40 w/bullet.

Check it out here.

Contact Music, not exactly the bastion of truth has this headline for an article about the split of "supergroup" Blue.

Blue - Webbe Blames Elton For Blue Split

However this quote from Simon Webbe can be found in that very same article;

Webbe explains, "We decided to have a break because Sir Elton told us: 'You have a certain amount of longevity in the business. If you keep releasing pop albums as Blue you'll go stale.'

"His comments made sense. He's a legend with almost 40 years in the business. I realised it would be best to take time out.

I'm sorry but sounds like they made the decision on their own after considering some friendly advice from Elton.

Another example of the media turning Elton into the villian when in fact its a non-story about a group that no one really cares about anyway.

The soundtrack for the new Cameron Crowe film "Elizabethtown" is due on September 13 and is headed up by tracks from Elton John and Tom Petty as well as My Morning Jacket. See the Billboard article here.
An extended trailer for the film set to Elton's "My Fathers Gun" can be seen here.

This from Billboard;

CATHERINE BRITT & ELTON JOHN
Where We Both Say Goodbye
Producer(s): Keith Stegall
Writer(s): C. Britt, J. Salley
Publisher(s): EMI Australia, BMI; ForaySea Keeper, SESAC
Genre: COUNTRY
Label/Catalog Number: RCA (CD promo)
Source: Billboard Magazine
Originally Reviewed: August 13, 2005

You would not expect Elton John to turn up on a fiddle and steel guitar-drenched traditional country weeper, but hey, that is what friends are for. The veteran pop star lends his signature voice to this second single from Aussie newcomer Catherine Britt. John became a fan after buying the teen's album during a tour of Australia, and it is easy to see why he was so impressed. It is obvious Britt has been influenced by such legends as Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn, but she pays homage to the greats without imitating. She co-wrote this aching ballad with one of Music Row's greatest veteran tunesmiths, Jerry Salley. The two have crafted a heartbreaking ode to a relationship's demise. John lends it star treatment, but Britt is the most promising Aussie import since Keith Urban.—DEP

As rumored and now official, EltonJohn.com reports that "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" Deluxe Edition will be issued on September 13th in expanded form. The first disc of the 2CD expanded set will feature the original album plus 4 bonus tracks. It is what's on the second disc that has Elton fans celebrating. Disc 2 will feature the Wembley Stadium concert performance from June 21, 1975 where Elton and his new band (Dee and Nigel had been unceremoniously fired) performed Captain Fantastic from start-to-finish to a less than enthusiastic crowd. At that time, the album had only been out for three weeks and much of the material was not familiar to the sold-out audience. However that Captain Fantastic performance is now thought of as a bold move by Elton and only low quality boots of the concert have been available until now. Also included are two of the encore songs. The tracklisting for the set is below;

TRACK LISTING:
DISC ONE
Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy
Tower Of Babel
Bitter Fingers
Tell Me When The Whistle Blows
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
(Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket
Better Off Dead
Writing
We All Fall In Love Sometimes
Curtains

BONUS TRACKS:
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (single)
One Day At A Time (b-side of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds)
Philadelphia Freedom (single)
House Of Cards (b-side of Someone Save My Life Tonight)

DISC TWO
LIVE AT WEMBLEY JUNE 21 1975 (all tracks previously unreleased)
Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy (Live)
Tower Of Babel (Live)
Bitter Fingers (Live)
Tell Me When The Whistle Blows (Live)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight (Live)
(Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket (Live)
Better Off Dead (Live)
Writing (Live)
We All Fall In Love Sometimes (Live)
Curtains (Live)
Pinball Wizard (Live)
Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (Live)

Also EltonJohn.com reports that to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Captain Fantastic during Elton's New York and Boston concerts in September Elton will perform the entire album live for the first time in 30 years.

Alan Aldridge is the artist who created the wonderful cover for Elton John's 1975 album "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" and he has a website that features more of his work. Among that work is this piece that apparently was done for the Bally Captain Fantastic pinball machine. I don't think I have ever seen this.
UPDATE: Click here to see pictures of a 1977(?) Bally Captain Fantastic pinball machine with the above artwork.

The Catherine Britt/Elton John duet "Where We Both Say Goodbye" moves up 6 notches to #43 on the Billboard Country Charts. A good article over at AngryCountry.com covers how the song came about.

Of the pairing, Catherine explains how the duet came about. “Ever since we met, Elton and I have stayed in touch and one night I just wrote an email and asked him if he would sing on my record. He wrote back and said he would love to. He called me one day to ask what kind of song I wanted to do together, and when I told him I thought it would be cool to do a real country duet, he said, ‘I was hoping you’d say that.’ Elton just loves country music.”

“So I sent him George and Tammy, Conway and Loretta, things like that, and he said, ‘Put some originals in there that could be duets.’ So I did, and he told me, ‘They’re all great but I love your song.’ This was, of course, a huge honor. We did the tracking, so all we had to do was get his vocal, and then we went in the studio and sang it live, to each other. I think that had a lot to do with the way he really got into my vibe and my style, because how often does Elton John do that? But he came into my world for a minute, and then you start to hear some of the phrasing and you think ah, there it is, there’s Elton John. It’s so different, I love it.”

In a letter on his website, Nigel Olsson talks about the "Captain Fantastic" 30th Anniversay Shows in New York in September. It's unclear from the letter if Nigel is referring to the 3 dates at Madison Square Garden September 21,23 and 24 or a different yet to be announced date.

The caption under this photo of the band at Nigel's site has a bit more information. Scroll down to the last photo.

Elton John is to perform a free concert September 3rd. The concert will take place on the Via dei Fori Imperiali, the large boulevard that leads to the Colosseum and is lined with ancient Roman relics.

"Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" Deluxe Edition will be issued on September 13, according to several music forums, here and here. At this point tracklisting info is sketchy but rumors are that the second disc could be the June 21, 1975 Wembley concert performance of the entire album from start to finish. At that time the album had only be out for 3 weeks and the response from the crowd was less than enthusiastic.

The Catherine Britt/Elton John duet "Where We Both Say Goodbye" debuts at #42 on the Radio and Records Country Chart.

UPDATE: The track has also debuted on the Billboard country chart at #49 officially becoming Elton John's first charted country song.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reuters has an article on Elton's first country charting song.

Elton John's single "Electricity" which debuted at #1 on the download chart last week has plummeted to #34 in its second week on the chart.

James Blunt's chart success has continued as he moved back to the top of the download chart with Beautiful.
He took over at the top from Elton John, whose song Electricity slumped a massive 34 places from one to 34.

It actually slumped 33 places, but who's counting.

Remember the awful version of T-Rex's "Children Of The Revolution" performed at Live 8 by Elton John and someone named Pete Doherty of some group called Babyshambles, well it seems there was a reason (apparently made up) for that disaster.

Pete Doherty has publicly apologised to Sir Bob Geldof for accusing his daughter Peaches of pinching his bum at Live 8.

The troubled rock star – who has just been dumped by Kate Moss – blamed his shambolic performance during a duet with Elton John on the 16-year-old, claiming she made suggestive remarks in his ear while squeezing his rear end.

The Catherine Britt/Elton John duet "Where We Both Say Goodbye" continues to steadily be added to country playlists and is now on 70 stations. By the time this weeks R&R Country chart is released we may see a country debut for Elton, his first.

Not as big as drop as some had expected for Elton John's latest single "Electricity" which came in at #22 for its second week on the singles chart. Also notable is that "Electricity" was the #11 song on the airplay chart, up from #47. Jame Blunt remains at number 1 on the single and album charts.

Peachtree Road reenter the chart at number 47 with its Deluxe Editions that feature 3 Billy Elliot tunes.

Long John Baldry dies in Vancouver

From AllAccess.com:

CATHERINE BRITT and ELTON JOHN/Where We Both Say Goodbye (RCA)

Review by Kelly Daniel
Yes folks, that is Elton John of "The Bitch Is Back" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" fame. And may I say…wow! This is one killer Country duet. Dolly and Porter or Tammy and George could have easily cut this 40 years ago. But in no way is it stale or outdated. Catherine and Elton tear it up! Too bad CMT has already recorded their "100 Greatest Country Duets" show, because this one surely would have made the list. If you are nervous that your listeners won't take to a Country song featuring Elton John, then don't tell them who it is until after you play it. But please let this one be heard! Elton is a big believer in this Australian songbird and I think we should be too. On your desk now and waiting to be played!

Click here to listen to the entire song. Very impressive! At least RCA Records knows to release a country song in the US to country radio.

I love it when these kinds of articles come out when it is clear that the writer is short on the facts.

Candle In The Wind (Lady Di version) -- Elton John covering Elton John

No one can blame Elton John for taking his wonderfully poignant ode to Marilyn Monroe and regurgitating it with different lyrics for his friend Lady Di. However, we can all blame Bernie Taupin for taking part in this venture. Surely, he should have known better. When John Lennon died, the pair came up with Empty Garden. Had the well run that dry that needed to infringe on their own copyrights? Where the original has poetry, the Lady Di version sounds like a plagiarized assignment for 10th grade English class.

To no one's surprise, "Electricity" is the #1 song on the UK Download Chart. "Ghetto Gospel" is also #3 on the same chart.

Click here to view the 7+ minute trailer for Cameron Crowe's new movie "Elizabethtown" starring Orlando Bloom, Susan Sarandon and Kirsten Dunst. The entire song is used in this trailer so sit back and enjoy.

Peachtree Road has been reissued in the UK in several different limited edition formats and with 3 additional tracks from the musical Billy Elliot.

The standard CD with the extra tracks being, "Electricity" "Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher" and "The Letter".

A Deluxe Collectors’ CD including an exclusive 40-minute DVD, in NTSC and PAL, featuring Elton performing nine of the Peachtree Road songs live at The Tabernacle, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, in November 2004, and a full-colour booklet with full lyrics and new notes by Bernie Taupin. The tracklisting for the DVD is;

Track Listing:
1. The Weight Of The World
2. Porch Swing in Tupelo
3. Answer In The Sky
4. Turn The Lights Out When You Leave
5. My Elusive Drug
6. They Call Her The Cat
7. Freaks In Love
8. All That Im Allowed
9. I Cant Keep This From You

And finally for the audiophiles a high quality black vinyl LP in a gatefold sleeve, just like the old days.

A duet Elton recorded with up & coming country star Catherine Britt titled "Where We Both Say Goodbye" is due to be released in the US this week.

Elton debuts at #4 with the single "Electricty" from the musical Billy Elliot. Some controversy surrounds the singles first week sales since a large number of the sales were from free downloads awarded to people who entered a competition via a text message. Everyone who entered via text message was charged £1.50 and was assigned a pin number to download the song.

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