Elton John’s masterpiece ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ was released on 5 October, 1973.
On 6 October, 1973 Elton performed at St John Arena in Columbus, Ohio and already his one day old ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ album was already the centrepiece of the concert.
Elton played 9 tracks from the album that night, which at the time was brand new music and many of the audience would be hearing for the very first time.
It was a productive year for Elton. The double album ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ was his second album that year but was two albums in length. In January 1973 he released another masterpiece ‘Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player’, featuring ‘Crocodile Rock’ and ‘Daniel’.
That album came just seven months after the previous album ‘Honky Chateau’ which featured ‘Rocket Man’. All but two tracks came from the period May 1972-October 1973. The other two, ‘Your Song’ and ‘Burn Down The Mission’ where both from three years earlier in 1970.
You look at this setlist today and it would still be a great Elton John show to see.
Elton John setlist 6 October, 1973, Columbus Ohio
Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973)
Candle in the Wind (from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973)
Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time) (from Honky Chateau, 1972)
Bennie and the Jets (from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973)
Daniel. (from Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player, 1973)
This Song Has No Title (from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973)
Honky Cat (from Honky Chateau, 1972)
Elderberry Wine (from Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player, 1973)
The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909–34) (from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973)
I’ve Seen That Movie Too (from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973)
All the Girls Love Alice (from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973)
Crocodile Rock (from Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player, 1973)
Your Song (from Elton John, 1970)
Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting (from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973)
Burn Down the Mission (from Tumbleweed Connection, 1970)
‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ was the seventh Elton John album and all seven of those albums were released between 6 June 1969 and 5 October 1973.
Legend has it Bernie Taupin wrote all of the ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ songs lyrics over a two and a half week period. Elton John wrote the music for all of the songs in three days. The album was recorded in two weeks at Chateau d’Herouville in France, the real ‘Honky Chateau’.
‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ is Elton’s biggest seller in the USA. His biggest album in Australia was ‘Too Low For Zero’ from 1983.
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