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Honky Château (1972)

Where the lyrics of Honky Château take you, and where it was really made.

The album takes its name from the 18th century French chateau where it was recorded, and that chateau gave the record its title.

Key places

Recorded at Château d'Hérouville (1972)

Recording site Château d'Hérouville — The album was recorded at Château d'Hérouville, an 18th century French chateau that gave the album its title. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Fifth studio album by British musician Elton John
• Released 19 May 1972
• Titled after Château d'Hérouville, the 18th century French chateau where it was recorded
• Reached number one on the US Billboard 200, the first of John's seven consecutive US number one albums
• Two singles released worldwide: "Rocket Man" and "Honky Cat"
• A third single, "Hercules", was prepared but never released

Background

• The last Elton John album on the Uni label in the US and Canada
• MCA later consolidated its labels under the MCA brand, and the Uni albums were reissued on MCA Records
• On Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water, the record label required John to use the core band on only one track each; the rest were session players
• Davey Johnstone was invited to join permanently as a full-band member on this album
• Core group from this album onward: Dee Murray on bass, Nigel Olsson on drums, Davey Johnstone on guitars

Recording

• Recorded at Château d'Hérouville
• Mixing took place at Trident Studios in London
• Credited production by Gus Dudgeon and engineering by Ken Scott
• "Honky Cat" is a New Orleans funk track with a four-piece horn section arranged by Gus Dudgeon
• "Rocket Man" carries the first recorded backing vocal combination of Johnstone, Murray and Olsson
• That vocal approach became a fixture on John's singles and albums for the next several years

Cover

• Cover photo by Ed Caraeff

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex, on 25 March 1947.
• Won a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at age 11.
• Formed the blues band Bluesology in 1962; took the name Elton John in 1967.
• Joined DJM Records as a staff songwriter with lyricist Bernie Taupin in 1968.

Members

• Partnered with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967; Taupin writes lyrics and John composes the music.
• Backing band over the years included Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray and Ray Cooper.

Career

• Debut album Empty Sky (1969); Honky Château (1972) became his first US number-one album.
• Seven consecutive US number-one albums between 1972 and 1975.
• Composed The Lion King and Aida with Tim Rice; won Academy Awards and a Tony Award.
• Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour (2018–2023) was the highest-grossing tour at the time.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone: Jon Landau approved the original LP as a rich, warm, satisfying album that stands above the flood of releases at the time
• Los Angeles Times: Robert Hilburn praised the music as innovative and Bernie Taupin's lyrics as humorous, ironic and satirical

Reappraisal

• AllMusic: Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that it plays as the most focused and accomplished set of songs John and Taupin ever wrote
• AllMusic: Erlewine described it as an eclectic mix of ballads, rockers, blues, country-rock and soul songs
• BBC: Chris Roberts called it one of John's most eclectic and durable collections

Records

• US Billboard 200: number one, the first of a string of John albums to top the chart
• Canada: peaked at number 3 on the RPM 100 Top Albums Chart, returned to number 3 for a further twelve consecutive weeks
• Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: number 357 in 2003, revised to number 359 in 2012, number 251 in a 2020 list
• United States (RIAA): gold in July 1972, platinum in October 1995

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album's title comes from the French chateau where it was recorded, Château d'Hérouville
• It was the first Elton John studio album to feature Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone as the core group
• A third single, "Hercules", was prepared for release but never materialised
• The album was the final Elton John release on the Uni label in the US and Canada before MCA consolidated its labels

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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